Second Army outlines 11-point RBC, Cambodia defers demining and scams to GBC

The Extraordinary Thailand-Cambodia RBC Meeting was held on August 27 2025 in Si Sa Ket, Thailand. It was co-chaired by His Excellency Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang, Commander of the 2nd Army Area, and His Excellency Lieutenant General Pov Heng, Commander of the 4th Military Region.

The meeting aimed to foster discussion and build confidence to de-escalate tension and maintain peace along the border, using all necessary mechanisms to resolve differences peacefully and avoid clashes in the spirit of good neighbourliness, friendship, and solidarity.

In this spirit, both sides agreed as follows:

• Both sides reaffirm their unwavering commitment to implementing decisions made at the Special Meeting on July 28 2025 and the Extraordinary GBC Meeting on August 7 2025.
   
• Both sides agree to maintain regular communications between all military regions, army areas and units along the border, and to strive to resolve all issues peacefully while avoiding clashes. Both sides underline the importance of intensifying communication at all levels to build trust and promote good neighbourliness.
   
• Both sides commit to refraining from disseminating false information or fake news in order to de-escalate tensions, mitigate negative public sentiment, and establish practical measures to foster an environment conducive to peaceful dialogue.
   
• Both sides agree not to expand the scope and scale of disputes, including provocative activities by either military personnel or civilians that may escalate tensions, such as inflammatory speech or military activity encroaching into the other side. The situation is to remain as it was when the ceasefire entered into force at 24:00 hours (local time) on July 28 2025.
   
• Any actions to ensure safety, including patrols and the construction or enhancement of infrastructure or fortifications, must be strictly of a non-offensive nature and confined to one’s own side. Such measures may be carried out in full compliance with the terms of the ceasefire reached at the Special Meeting on July 28 2025 in Putrajaya and the Extraordinary GBC Meeting on August 7 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This is intended to foster an atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation.

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• Both sides underscored the positive momentum and progress achieved through these engagements in advancing cooperation across all sectors, with the shared aim of returning to normalcy.
   
• Both sides reaffirmed the importance of humanitarian demining and agreed to refer this issue, which falls under the mandate of the GBC, to the upcoming GBC Meeting, scheduled to take place soon, as agreed by both sides.
   
• Both sides agreed in principle to establish a Coordinating Group (CG) to enhance communication at all levels, including between commanders, border liaison working groups, standing forces in the border areas, and operational units along the Cambodia–Thailand border, with the aim of resolving all issues peacefully and avoiding clashes. Details will be discussed at the next RBC. In the interim, prior to the CG’s establishment, local task force commanders from both sides, including the Thailand-Cambodia and Cambodia-Thailand Border Coordination Units, will meet weekly, or as appropriate, to resolve issues arising within their respective areas of responsibility.
   
• Both sides reaffirmed their willingness to cooperate in combating and preventing transnational crime, including call centre operations (online scams), drug trafficking, human trafficking, weapons trafficking, and other cross-border criminal activities, by exploring concrete and practical cooperation through existing frameworks. These issues, which fall under the mandate of the GBC, should be addressed at the upcoming GBC Meeting, scheduled to take place soon, as agreed by both sides.
   
• Both sides reaffirmed the importance of an effective and prompt response to protests over any disputes arising along the border, and agreed to refer unresolved issues beyond the RBC level to the General Border Committee (GBC) or other appropriate mechanisms as agreed.
   
• The next RBC meeting will be held within a month of this one, or as appropriate, with Cambodia as the host.

Boonsin added that the Thai side had proposed continuing the current Interim Observer Team (IOT), which has been working effectively with representatives such as defence attachés. 

The meeting agreed to maintain this IOT; however, this point was not included in the official minutes. Only 11 items were formally recorded, with the intention of improving the situation.