After three months of extreme hostility, with border clashes resulting in a few dozen deaths, Thailand and Cambodia finally agreed to a peace deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian leader Hun Manet signed a peace statement on Oct 26. After the signing ceremony, witnessed by Mr Trump and the Malaysian leader in Kuala Lumpur, they attended a bilateral talk at a sideline event to the Asean meeting in the city.
It’s just a start, but this is a step in the right direction.
Preceding the statement signing, Cambodia had agreed to comply with Thailand’s four conditions: the withdrawal of heavy weaponry, landmine clearance, suppression of cross-border crime, and border management with regard to Thai territory in Nong Chan and Nong Ya Kaeo in Sa Kaeo’s Khok Sung district.
For the first time, the Thai prime minister conceded that the entire Nong Chan village may not belong solely to Thailand, as previously claimed by ultra-nationalist elements.
There are some small areas belonging to Cambodia that Thais may have unlawfully occupied, and both sides agreed to work out a resolution under the principle of fairness, which is a positive move.
More importantly, major progress was made by the Regional Border Committee (RBC) on the withdrawal of heavy weaponry and the adjustment of troop deployment, with a clear action plan, along the border under the jurisdiction of Thailand’s second army region command and Cambodia’s 4th Military Region.
The two armies have set today as D-Day, to be followed by a three-phase operation starting with the immediate withdrawal of multiple rocket launch systems, and the removal of all artillery units, both towed and self-propelled, up to 155mm calibre on Nov 22, before the final withdrawal of armoured vehicles and tanks on Dec 13.
Now that the hostilities have been eased, both sides have time to calculate their losses, not only in terms of casualties, but also the enormous economic impact, which is disproportionate to the size of the overlapping claimed areas along the nearly 800-kilometre boundary line.
There is also the opportunity loss for both sides to reflect on, such as the exodus of Cambodian workers, as bilateral relations turned sour. Now it’s time to explore ways of mending fences further, such as normalising diplomatic ties.
Despite the thawing ties at the government-to-government level, it should be noted that hostile sentiment between the peoples of the two countries — a result of propaganda and hate campaigns, particularly via media influencers — remains strong.
This is a tough job for those concerned, but they must work on it. The state may start with the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, in particular, by stepping up efforts to monitor harmful content and holding irresponsible netizens to account. The ministry should seek cooperation from its Cambodian counterpart to do the same.
There should be more investment in public education to tackle racism among citizens. We should not hate anyone merely because they live on the other side of a border.
It will take time and effort to rebuild people-to-people ties, but as the two countries must learn to get along, it will be worth it in the end.
