Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to reposition their troops in a disputed border area following a deadly clash last month that left a Cambodian soldier dead, both governments confirmed on Sunday.
The move comes amid rising tensions along the frontier, particularly in the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos converge.
The most recent violence occurred on May 28, marking the latest in a series of sporadic skirmishes that have plagued the area since 2008 and claimed at least 28 lives.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said she held talks with the Cambodian government that ended with a “positive conclusion,” according to a report by Agence France-Presse.
“Both parties have agreed to jointly adjust military forces at points of conflict to reduce the atmosphere of confrontation,” she said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. She added that further discussions are scheduled for June 14.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence confirmed the meeting between the two militaries, saying they had “decided to adjust forces of both sides, to return to appropriate positions to reduce confrontations.”
Former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen described the move as a step toward peace. Adjusting forces through “mutual understanding” was “essential to avoid large-scale violent clashes,” he said.
Disputes over the more than 800-kilometre (500-mile) border have persisted for decades, stemming from territorial demarcations made during the French colonial era in Indochina.
On Monday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announced that the government would file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the ongoing dispute.
Although the ICJ ruled in 2013 that the contested area belongs to Cambodia, Thailand has maintained that it does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.
