Defence Ministry insists GBC meeting will be held in Chanthaburi

The Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 that the upcoming General Border Committee (GBC) meeting will be held in Chanthaburi, adding that the outcome will depend on Cambodia’s sincerity and whether it genuinely wants peace.

Rear Adm Surasant Kongsiri, the ministry’s spokesperson, said secretarial officials from the Thai–Cambodian GBC panels will meet from Wednesday to Friday to prepare draft agreements for the two countries’ defence ministers to consider at their meeting on Saturday.

Venue will not be moved to Kuala Lumpur, Surasant says

Responding to Cambodia’s request to move the venue to Kuala Lumpur, Surasant said Chanthaburi would be a safe location and the Thai government would provide security for Cambodian officials attending the talks.

He said Chanthaburi had been chosen as the venue before the second round of clashes began on December 8, and the location would not be changed.

Secretariat-level talks to draft agreements ahead of ministers’ meeting

Surasant said secretariat staff would discuss agenda items to be raised for the defence ministers—who co-chair the GBC—to consider, and would try to reach as much agreement as possible before submitting issues to the ministers for approval.

Thailand says meeting hinges on Cambodia’s sincerity and actions

Surasant said the talks would succeed only if Cambodia showed sincerity in pursuing peace and a ceasefire.

He said Cambodia must demonstrate—through sustained actions—that it would return to implementing the Kuala Lumpur joint declaration and the resolutions of previous GBC meetings. He added that Cambodia began the border fighting, so the responsibility lay with Cambodia to prove it truly wanted peace.

As part of that, Surasant said Cambodia must first clear landmines he said its troops had planted along the Thai border, which he said posed risks to Thai soldiers and civilians.

He criticised Cambodia’s earlier claim that demining should wait until border markers are established, calling it illogical and saying mines must be removed immediately because they are dangerous.

“Whether the meeting collapses or not depends on Cambodia, as Thailand has a clear stance. We have reasonable conditions based on international practice,” Surasant said.

“Cambodia still has not stopped. It continues to push a narrative—what it says and what it does are at odds with what we want to achieve at the GBC meeting. When we open the door for talks, we expect Cambodia to show sincerity: to stop for real, and for it to be sustained.”

Thailand insists talks must remain strictly bilateral

Surasant also insisted the GBC meeting would be a bilateral meeting, without observation by Malaysia or any third party.

Foreign Ministry cites ASEAN chair’s statement backing bilateral talks

Maratee Nalita Andamo, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the outcome of the ASEAN Special Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur—issued as the Chair’s Statement—reflected the views and concerns of participating member states over the current clashes.

However, she said Paragraph 8 of the Chair’s Statement aligned with Thailand’s long-held position, calling on both countries to return to dialogue through bilateral frameworks or existing bilateral mechanisms.

She stressed that issues between Thailand and Cambodia must be discussed by the two countries themselves, without third-party involvement, adding that other countries had expressed concern and encouraged both sides to return to talks.

Maratee said the meeting also urged both sides to revive cooperation on demining—an issue Thailand has repeatedly said is central to its actions—citing eight incidents in which Thai soldiers stepped on landmines.

She added that Paragraph 9 set out the scheduled date for talks under the GBC framework.

“A unilateral ceasefire announcement cannot lead to a ceasefire on the ground. What Thailand wants—and the key objective—is to discuss the steps to reduce tensions and move towards a sustainable ceasefire that is practical and can be implemented,” she said.