Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa confirmed today that Thailand will send an official invitation to Cambodia for the long-awaited seventh Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting.
The summit is scheduled for September 15 in the Thai capital, with hopes of injecting momentum into stalled negotiations over contested stretches of their shared frontier.
Speaking at Government House, Maris admitted the border situation has seen little change in recent months. However, he stressed that Thailand remains committed to resolving disagreements through formal diplomatic channels rather than public sparring.
“The Foreign Ministry will not respond to Cambodia’s criticisms on social media,” Maris said. “We will address these matters only through official communication.”
The last JBC meeting took place in Phnom Penh on June 14-15 after a 13-year hiatus, but it ended without any breakthroughs. Before that, the fifth round was held in 2012, underscoring just how slow progress has been.
The JBC operates under the framework of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which established both nations’ commitment to peacefully demarcate their border. The MoU explicitly states that the JBC is the primary forum for addressing and resolving any disputes.
Tensions have periodically flared over several sensitive sites along the border, most notably the Emerald Triangle and the ancient Khmer temples of Prasat Ta Muen Thom, Prasat Ta Muen Toch, and Prasat Ta Kwai, reported The Nation.
While Cambodia has insisted these four areas should be excluded from JBC discussions and referred to the International Court of Justice instead, Thailand has consistently pushed for all disputes to remain within the MoU’s agreed framework.
“The MoU provides a clear process for demarcation, and we expect both sides to adhere to it,” Maris said.
In similar news, a former Thai volunteer ranger assaulted a Cambodian soldier at Prasat Ta Muen Thom, a disputed historical site in Surin province on Sunday, July 13.
Royal Thai Army spokesperson Wintachai Suwaree confirmed that Sommai Srisiklanan, now a veterans’ club president, punched the soldier before attempting to flee, but was quickly apprehended.
The story Thailand calls Cambodia to Bangkok for border talks as seen on Thaiger News.
