Phnom penh: H.E. Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata, Spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defence of the Kingdom of Cambodia, has made a clarification to the issues concerning the settlement and residence of Cambodian citizens in EkPheap village, Thmar Da commune, Veal Veng district, Pursat province of Cambodia, opposite Ban Chamreak village, Chamreak commune, Mueang district, Trat province of Thailand.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the issues have been raised recently by several official websites, including the website of the Spokesperson's Office of the Royal Thai Navy and the Chanthaburi-Trat Border Defence Command.
Cambodia has already provided clear explanations. Furthermore, through the official reply letter from Cambodia's 5th Military Region Command dated Feb. 1, 2022, some matters were fully resolved. However, the remaining issues-those beyond the jurisdiction of border units and local border authorities-Cambodia has already proposed that those should be referred to the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) for discussion and resolution in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Royal Thai Government on the Survey and Demarcation of the Land Boundary (MOU 2000).
At the same time, H.E. Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata urged all parties to avoid actions that could escalate tensions or expand the area of disputes, and instead strive to create a favourable atmosphere for the full and effective implementation of the ceasefire, including all agreements reached by both sides in meetings of the General Border Committee (GBC) and the Regional Border Committee (RBC), with consistency and firmness.
The spokesperson also reaffirmed Cambodia's commitment to cooperate with Thailand at all levels in order to promote peace, stability, cooperation, and development for the benefit of both countries and peoples.