On September 17th, Cambodian media released photos showing the Thai military setting up barbed wire in the border area of Banteay Meanchey Province (known as Thammasat Province in Thailand). (Agence France Presse)
As tensions continue to escalate along the Thai Cambodian border, Thailand has urgently allocated 864 million Thai baht (approximately 34 million Singapore dollars) to its armed forces to enhance its defense capabilities.
Thailand News -- Thai Prime Minister Anuntin told the media on Wednesday (October 1) that the cabinet had approved the funding during the previous day's meeting. However, he refused to disclose the specific purpose of the 864 million Thai baht, nor did he want to clarify whether the funding was used for the construction of border fences. He said, "As it concerns national security, I cannot disclose the details. But I can say that this additional budget is aimed at strengthening the armed forces and defending sovereignty
Anutin added that he will preside over the National Security Council meeting on Thursday (2nd) and then announce the content that can be made public.
The Thai and Cambodian armies exchanged fire in the border area of the two countries in May, resulting in one Cambodian soldier's death, and the situation continued to escalate thereafter. The two sides reached a ceasefire agreement at the end of July under the mediation of Malaysia, the rotating chair of ASEAN, but the relationship between the two countries remains tense, with occasional frictions at the border. Last Saturday (September 27th), the two armies exchanged fire again in the disputed border area after two months.
According to the Thai newspaper "Nation", the Thai Navy has built a 15 kilometer long border road in Chanthaburi province near the Cambodian border in the east to support logistics and border patrol operations.
On Tuesday (30th), the Royal Thai Navy's Tranthaburit Task Force revealed that the road construction project was launched on September 15th, aimed at preventing intrusion after recent border conflicts. Currently, there are still about 4 kilometers of road to be built.
Meanwhile, Anutin confirmed on Tuesday that the government plans to hold a national referendum on whether to cancel two memorandums of understanding signed with Cambodia regarding border and maritime claims. Anutin said that he personally supports the abolition of these two agreements, but public opinion must be sought first.
On Monday (29th), Thai Deputy Prime Minister Boonsa revealed during a cabinet policy debate that the government plans to merge the referendum on the memorandum of understanding with another referendum on constitutional amendments, which will be held simultaneously with the next general election. This can save public funds while ensuring broader participation.
However, Thailand's largest opposition party, the People's Party, has reminded the government to act cautiously and develop plans to address the potential consequences of this move.
He gave an example that if the memorandum of understanding is abolished, Cambodia can claim that there is no bilateral mechanism to handle border demarcation issues and seek a ruling from the International Court of Justice. In addition, multinational oil companies may sue Thailand to an international arbitration tribunal, demanding compensation from the Thai government for the loss of their oil extraction concessions.
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