As Cambodia and Thailand convened a meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) in Thailand’s Chanthaburi province this morning, a small group of Thai protesters gathered to oppose the talks. The protestors called for Thailand to withdraw from the 2000 and 2001 border memoranda of understanding.
The Nation Thailand reported that the Network of Students and People for the Reform of Thailand, led by Pichit Chaimongkol, gathered in front of the Manee Chan Resort, where the talks are being held, and attempted to submit a petition to the provincial governor.
“They called for the postponement of the Thai–Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting and urged the revocation of the border MoUs that were signed in 2000 and 2001,” said the rerport.
The two-day meeting, held from October 21–22, marks the second JBC session in four months, after more than a decade without meeting.
The first, hosted in Phnom Penh in June, came amid heightened border tensions that later flared into an armed confrontation between troops along the frontier.
Despite this morning’s protest, the JBC meeting proceeded as scheduled, with both delegations expected to review progress on boundary demarcation and discuss follow-up measures from previous sessions.
