Border Peace With Cambodia Top Priority, Says New Thai Foreign Minister

By Kenny Teng

BANGKOK, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Thailand’s new Foreign Minister, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, has pledged to prioritise maintaining border peace with Cambodia, vowing to advance dialogue aimed at securing a military withdrawal from disputed areas and de-escalating tensions.

On his first day in office, Sihasak underlined his immediate priority, which was to ease border tensions and uphold the ceasefire agreed between the two countries.

“Both the Foreign Ministry and the military must work together to achieve lasting peace in the region, for the benefit of the people in both countries,” he told reporters after meeting senior ministry officials on Thursday.

Sihasak was sworn into office on Wednesday.

Sihasak expressed his determination to make his short tenure meaningful by tackling key diplomatic challenges, in particular the border conflict.

He stressed that Thailand could not resolve the issue alone, insisting that Cambodia’s cooperation and sincerity were vital.

He noted that the recent General Border Committee meeting had laid down constructive principles to prevent further violence, but these commitments must now be translated into action.

“Peace requires a drawdown of forces to minimise the risk of renewed clashes. We have agreed on this in principle, but what is needed now is tangible progress,” he said.

Sihasak underlined the importance of diplomacy and the military working in tandem to achieve peace.

Tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border escalated into armed clashes in late July, leaving at least 48 people dead and forcing thousands to flee their homes temporarily.

On July 28, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire following a special meeting in Putrajaya, hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his capacity as ASEAN Chair.

-- BERNAMA