On 7 February 2011, the Royal Thai Government held a press conference by Mr. Panitan Wattanayagorn, Deputy Secretary General to the Prime Minister and Acting Government Spokesperson, Mr. Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd, Royal Thai Army Spokesperson, on the current situation along the Thai-Cambodian border at Government House. Gist as follows:
The Royal Thai Army Spokesperson, recounting what had transpired in the border areas, stated that on 4 February 2011, Cambodian troops opened fire on two Thai military posts at Phu Ma Khua and Pha Mor I Dang, and a Thai village in Si Sa Ket Province of Thailand along the Thai-Cambodian border. Thai troops responded with gun fire in self-defence. Then, on 5 February 2011, gunfights broke out briefly again as Cambodia resumed their hostility by firing at Thai troops. Later that morning, once the clashes had subsided, military commanders from both sides met and agreed to a ceasefire and not to reinforce their troops along the border. Thailand’s good intention was clearly evident as the Commanding General of the 2nd Army Region of the Thai side authorized that same afternoon the opening of three border passes in the area. However, Cambodia broke the ceasefire agreement when fresh clashes erupted on the evening of 6 February as, once again, Cambodian troops fired on Thai troops. The clashes over the past three days resulted in the death of one civilian and one Thai military personnel and injured 12 civilians and 13 Thai military personnel. They also caused severe damage to Thai civilian properties and led to the evacuation of over six thousand Thai civilians residing along the border area.
Colonel Sansern stressed that the Thai side did not start the fighting. Thai troops had acted with utmost restraint. Nevertheless, Thailand had no choice but to exercise its inherent right to self-defence in response to Cambodia’s aggression. Thailand’s military action was aimed at protecting Thai sovereignty. Thailand’s response was both measured and proportionate to the threat and targeted only military objectives.
Mr. Chavanond, Secretary to the Foreign Minister, stated that on 5 February 2011, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya met with a group of foreign ambassadors and diplomatic representatives to Thailand from 16 countries to brief the latter on the recent border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. During the said briefing, the Minister reaffirmed that Thai troops responded only in self-defence, and that in doing so, the Thai troops had exercised maximum restraint and used force only as necessary, in a manner proportionate to the threat against them, with fire being directed only at military targets from where the attacks were launched by Cambodian troops. The Foreign Minister had also contacted his Cambodian counterparts and both agreed to convene a meeting of the Thai-Cambodia Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) by the last week of February 2011.
The Secretary to the Foreign Minister further noted that Mr. Marty M. Natalegawa, Indonesian Foreign Minister, in his capacity as the current Chair of ASEAN, had expressed concerns regarding the situation and was scheduled to visit Thailand on 8 February 2011 to receive information on the matter — not to “mediate” — after visiting Cambodia. In addition, the Foreign Minister had sent a note dated 5 February 2011 to the President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to inform all UNSC member countries about the situation and Thailand’s position, reaffirming Thailand’s commitment to the UN Charter and to resolving the situation through peaceful means. He also sent a note to the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), pointing out to the latter that the inscription of the Temple of Phra Viharn on the World Heritage List had led to tension between the two countries, which was against UNESCO’s principle to promote culture and peace in the area. As such, any activity in relation to the inscription of the Temple of Phra Viharn should be avoided and bilateral negotiation on the matter between Thailand and Cambodia should be allowed to continue before proceeding further with the World Heritage issue.
Mr. Chavanond said that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva would also send another note to the UNSC President on 7 February 2011 to underscore the fact that even though both countries had agreed to cease fire on 5 February 2011, Thailand was once again attacked by Cambodian troops on 6 February 2011. He further observed that with the fighting still ongoing, letters from the Foreign Minister and Prime Minister of Cambodia were successively released shortly after the Cambodian attacks were launched, which could indicate the pre-mediated and well-planned nature of these attacks to create a situation which would serve Cambodia’s political objective of internationalizing the issue. Thailand, on the other hand, maintained that the incident between Thailand and Cambodia is essentially a bilateral issue and should be resolved bilaterally.
On this part, the Acting Government Spokesperson expressed the Royal Thai Government’s sympathy for those who had lost their lives and their families, as well as for those who were injured or affected, especially the civilians living along the border. The Government was confident in the Royal Thai Army’s ability to handle the border situation and that they had the Government’s full support. The Royal Thai Government would do its utmost to safeguard Thailand’s sovereignty and protect its people.
Noting Cambodia’s attempt to involve other countries in the Thai-Cambodian border dispute, Dr. Panitan stated that the Royal Thai Government appreciated concerns by friendly countries and international organizations on the matter. Be that as it may, he reaffirmed that existing bilateral mechanisms, including the Joint Commission on the Bilateral Cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia (JC) and the JBC, remain appropriate channels to resolve the dispute.
The Acting Government Spokesperson emphasized that the Royal Thai Government has been fully transparent about what has transpired and would provide the Thai public as well as the international community with accurate information. He noted that Thailand’s openness and active participation in various international fora have helped the country gain the trust and confidence of the international community, and while Thailand is willing to cooperate with the international community, Thailand and Cambodia — with their overall bilateral relations continuing to move forward — should be allowed to resolve outstanding issues bilaterally and they are in the position to do so. The relevant Thai authorities have been coordinating closely with one another and engaged in discussion with their Cambodian counterparts at all levels. He noted that the recent clashes had provided a lesson that both sides must find a solution together.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th