Sa kaeo: The First Army Region has addressed the outcomes of the recent Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting, clarifying that there was no consensus reached on the removal of barbed wire along the border, countering claims made by Cambodia.
According to Thai News Agency, the First Army Region responded to a statement from Cambodia suggesting an agreement had been made to remove barriers and barbed wire fences. The army clarified that this was a unilateral assertion by Cambodia and not reflected in the RBC agreement from the extraordinary meeting held on August 22, 2025, in Sa Kaeo Province, Kingdom of Thailand. The meeting, which involved Military Region 5 of Cambodia, included discussions about addressing obstacles to aid affected communities and facilitate safer living conditions.
The First Army Region emphasized that the notion of barbed wire removal was not part of the official discussions in preparing the memorandum of understanding between the two committees and secretaries. This suggestion appeared in the remarks of the Deputy Army Commander-in-Chief and the Commander of Area 5 from the Cambodian side during the meeting. Both sides had agreed to discuss practical measures to alleviate hardships, but the specifics of barbed wire removal were intended to be deliberated by the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) of Cambodia and Thailand.
At the meeting's conclusion, the Commander of Army Region 1, who co-chaired the Thai Regional Border Committee meeting, reiterated that issues not included in the memorandum of understanding should be brought to the General Border Committee (GBC) for further discussion in the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting. This approach aims to ensure coordinated and comprehensive resolution of border-related challenges.