ASEAN Observers Probe Border Tensions

UBON RATCHATHANI, Aug 19 (TNA) – A team of observers from eight ASEAN nations continued a three-day field visit to the Thai-Cambodian border on Tuesday to monitor the situation and verify alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement.

The Interim Observer Team (IOT), led by Malaysia’s Defence Attaché Brig. Gen. Samsul Rizal Musa, visited the Chong An Ma pass in Ubon Ratchathani.

The mission, organized by the Royal Thai Armed Forces, aims to verify reports that Cambodian forces have cut barbed wire, a violation of the existing ceasefire agreement.

The Chong An Ma pass is a strategic location that has been the site of significant past conflicts, though both sides now maintain an unarmed military presence under the ceasefire agreement.

Following the visit to Chong An Ma, the delegation traveled to Khao Phra Viharn National Park in Sisaket province for a briefing on the border situation. The Thai military reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire and peaceful conflict resolution.

In the afternoon, the team was scheduled to inspect the Krisana base, where a Thai soldier was injured by a newly laid PMN-2 landmine on August 9. -819 (TNA)