BANGKOK, Aug 7 — An Interim Observer Team (IOT) comprising defence attachés from Asean countries, led by the Malaysian defence attaché, will be assigned on both sides of the Thai-Cambodian border to monitor the ceasefire agreement reached on July 28.
The Thai Foreign Ministry's Information Department Director-General Nikorndej Balankura said the IOT will consist of defence attachés from Asean embassies based in Thailand and Cambodia.
“The observer teams will conduct regular monitoring operations on their respective sides of the border without crossing into the other side,” he said during a press briefing today.
Nikorndej added that forming the IOT is one of the key outcomes of the Extraordinary General Border Committee (GBC) Meeting in Kuala Lumpur earlier.
Both Thailand and Cambodia have reaffirmed their commitment to a strict ceasefire and to refrain from any provocative actions, including military manoeuvres and the spreading of disinformation or fake news.
“It was also agreed that both sides will maintain open channels of communication through existing bilateral mechanisms,” he said.
Both parties have also agreed to convene the next GBC meeting within one month from today.
In the meantime, a follow-up Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting has been scheduled for within the next two weeks to coordinate the implementation of what have been agreed.
The Extraordinary GBC Meeting was co-chaired by Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister cum National Defence Minister Tea Seiha and Thailand’s acting Defence Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit.
Among the observers present at the meeting were Malaysia’s Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari, and Chief of the Defence Forces General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar, as well as the United States Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan and Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing.
