Cambodia, Thailand start talks over border issues after recent skirmish

PHNOM PENH, June 15 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting was held here in the capital of Cambodia on Saturday to talk over border issues following a recent military clash.

The meeting was co-chaired by Lam Chea, minister in charge of Cambodia's State Secretariat of Border Affairs, and Prasas Prasasvinitchai, a former Thai ambassador to Cambodia and border affairs advisor to Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Press members were allowed to take photos and videos of the meeting for a few minutes before being asked to leave the room.

The meeting was convened after soldiers of both countries briefly exchanged gunfire at the Mom Bei area, or the Emerald Triangle, on May 28, resulting in the death of a Cambodian soldier.

Mom Bei, or the Emerald Triangle, is an area sharing the border among Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a post on his official Facebook page Friday night that it was the first JBC meeting after a 12-year hiatus.

He said that during the JBC meeting, Cambodia will invite Thailand to bring four disputed border areas, namely Mom Bei, Ta Moan Thom Temple, Ta Moan Tauch Temple, and Ta Krabei Temple, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

"I would like to reconfirm to my compatriots that even if the Thai side refuses or remains silent, Cambodia will proceed it unilaterally," Hun Manet said. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will send an official letter to the ICJ on Sunday, June 15, 2025, regarding the disputes in these four areas," he added.■