Bangkok: Suradej Yasawat, deputy leader of the Palang Pracharath Party, has expressed support for the construction of permanent barbed wire fences along Thailand's border areas with Cambodia. He emphasizes the importance of beginning with historical boundary markers that clearly delineate Thai territory and criticizes Cambodia for being untrustworthy.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Suradej's comments come in the wake of a recent incident where the Royal Thai Navy recovered a phone belonging to a Cambodian soldier, containing evidence of a bombing. Cambodia, however, accused Thai soldiers of staging the scene. Suradej has urged the army to involve international media to highlight Cambodia's alleged deceitfulness and to clarify the situation to other nations. He noted that the trust between Thai and Cambodian people has eroded, making communication difficult due to the loss of lives among Thai soldiers and civilians in ongoing conflicts.
Suradej advocates for a permanent solution by establishing a fence that starts from existing boundary markers, which are remnants of historical surveys and bear the names of Thailand, SIAM, Cambodia, and France. He suggests that in areas where boundaries are unclear, temporary barbed wire could be installed pending further verification. Suradej insists on seizing the opportunity to cancel past agreements and start afresh due to the presence of newly deployed landmines, which he claims demonstrate Cambodia's insincerity. He also calls for the cancellation of 13 points agreed upon at a recent General Border Committee (GBC) meeting.