Pailin: Cambodia will host a meeting of the Regional Border Committee (RBC) Secretariat between Cambodia's 5th Military Region and Thailand's Chanthaburi-Trat Border Defence Command. The follow-up meeting is scheduled to take place in Pailin province on Aug. 24, H.E. Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata, Under Secretary of State and Spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defence, told a press briefing here this afternoon.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, it is anticipated that the meeting will yield positive outcomes, encouraging both parties to fully and effectively implement the ceasefire, which will contribute to peace, stability, and the restoration of relations between the two nations as soon as possible, she underlined. The spokesperson recalled the success of two previous extraordinary RBC meetings - one between Cambodia's 3rd Military Region and Thailand's Chanthaburi-Trat Border Defence Command in Trat province on Aug. 16, and another between Cambodia's 5th Military Region and Thailand's 1st Army Area in Sa Kaeo province on Aug. 22. Both, she stressed, concluded with clear commitments from both sides to respect and implement the ceasefire, as well as to improve border conditions and bilateral relations for mutual benefit.
Regarding the border situation, especially in Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, and Banteay Meanchey provinces, she affirmed that it remains calm and firmly under the control of Cambodian forces. At the same time, H.E. Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata reiterated Cambodia's call for Thailand to immediately release the 18 Cambodian soldiers who have been unlawfully detained for 25 days, 8 hours, and 10 minutes as of 4:00 p.m. on Aug. 23.