Phnom penh: The Extraordinary Meeting of the Regional Border Committee (RBC) between Cambodia's Military Region 3 and Thailand's Chanthaburi-Trat Border Defence Command concluded this afternoon with a strong commitment from both sides to build on the positive momentum to further strengthen bilateral relations and foster closer people-to-people ties.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the positive outcome was announced in a press release issued at the end of the day-long meeting, held in Trat province of Thailand under the co-chairmanship of Major General Uy Hieng, Commander of Military Region 3, and Vice Admiral Aphichat Sapprasert, Commander of the Chanthaburi-Trat Border Defence Command.
Both sides committed to implementing the outcomes of the Special Meeting between Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, and H.E. Phumtham Wechayachai, Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, which took place in Putrajaya on July 28, 2025. This meeting was hosted by Malaysia and co-organised by the United States, with active participation from the People's Republic of China. Additionally, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the outcomes of the Extraordinary General Border Committee (GBC) Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 7, 2025.
There was also an agreement to maintain regular communication between all army areas, military regions, and units along the Cambodian-Thai border, striving to resolve all issues peacefully while avoiding clashes. Both sides highlighted the importance of further intensifying communication at all levels to build trust and promote good neighbourliness.
In principle, both sides agreed to establish a coordinating group (CG) to enhance communication at all levels, including between commanders, border liaison working groups, standing forces in the border areas, and operational units along the Cambodia-Thailand border. The aim is to resolve all issues peacefully and avoid clashes, with details to be discussed in the next RBC Meeting.
During the meeting, Cambodia reaffirmed the importance of advancing humanitarian demining, noting that progress depends on the full implementation of the ceasefire and a return to normalcy along the border. As border demarcation is underway, demining can be considered in areas that are demarcated or in non-disputed areas, as agreed upon by the Joint Boundary Commissions (JBC) of both countries. The RBC does not have the mandate to make decisions on demining; thus, this issue should be addressed at the upcoming GBC Meeting.
Regarding online scams, Cambodia emphasized its seriousness about the matter, alongside other forms of transnational crime. Significant efforts have been made to combat these issues, working closely with ASEAN and other international partners, achieving tangible results. Cambodia and Thailand have already cooperated in tackling online scams, which can be further discussed at the upcoming GBC Meeting.
Cambodia also underscored the importance of avoiding actions that could inadvertently increase tensions, such as laying barbed wire, destroying existing infrastructure-particularly civilian residential structures-and disseminating fake news or false information. Such developments risk eroding trust and undermining efforts to maintain a stable and peaceful environment.
In an effort to restore normalcy along the border, Cambodia urged both sides to explore necessary and practical measures to normalise relations in all areas as soon as possible. This would promote mutual trust and confidence while minimizing adverse impacts on the lives and livelihoods of people in both countries.
Both sides agreed to convene another RBC Meeting within one month after this Extraordinary Meeting, with Cambodia as the host.