Thailand rejects Cambodia’s request to shift GBC meeting venue to Kuala Lumpur
Thailand has rejected Cambodia’s request to move Wednesday’s GBC meeting from Chanthaburi to Kuala Lumpur, insisting talks stay under the bilateral mechanism.
The Thai side of the General Border Committee (GBC) has turned down a request from its Cambodian counterpart to move Wednesday’s meeting venue from Chanthaburi to Kuala Lumpur, a senior Thai security source said on Tuesday.
The source spoke after Agence France-Presse reported on Tuesday Bangkok time that Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha had asked for the meeting to be held in Kuala Lumpur.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said talks aimed at resolving the ongoing border clashes must be held bilaterally under the framework of an existing border mechanism—the GBC. He said the meeting would take place in Chanthaburi.
In a letter dated Monday to Thai Defence Minister Gen Nattaphon Narkphanit, Tea Seiha said the GBC meeting should be held at a safe and neutral venue, not in Thailand.
“For security reasons, due to the ongoing fighting along the border, this meeting should be held in a safe and neutral venue,” AFP quoted Tea Seiha as writing in the letter, which the agency said it obtained on Tuesday and confirmed with the ministry.
The Thai security source said the Cambodian GBC secretary sent a letter to the Thai side conveying the request to shift the venue to Kuala Lumpur.
The source said Thailand immediately rejected the request and insisted the meeting must be held in Ban Laem district, Chanthaburi.
The GBC is the primary high-level bilateral mechanism between Thailand and Cambodia for managing security and maintaining peace along their shared 800-kilometre border. It is co-chaired by the defence ministers of both countries.
