Anutin rejects troop pullback, says Thailand is reaffirming territorial integrity

Caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday (December 26) that he had not yet been updated on how far the General Border Committee (GBC) meeting had progressed.

He said the Thai side was being led in negotiations by Gen Nattapong Praokaew, Deputy Chief of Defence Forces and chair of the Thai GBC secretariat. If everything proceeds smoothly, he said, the outcome would need to be submitted to the National Security Council (NSC) so the defence minister can attend and sign.

Asked whether a conclusion was likely, given Cambodia’s push to revert to the earlier framework under the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, Anutin said the declaration contained nothing inherently problematic.

He said Thailand had already made clear it was not the party that violated the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, but had been repeatedly fired upon. Any withdrawal or halt, he added, would depend on whether Cambodia withdraws first for a period, after which Thailand could follow.

Pressed on whether adhering to the Kuala Lumpur Declaration would require Thailand to withdraw forces from areas it has taken control of, Anutin replied: 

“There is nothing written like that. We have not seized anything. We have re-established security and sovereignty and reaffirmed the country’s territorial integrity on our own land.”

He added that questions framed in that way could mislead the public and make negotiations more difficult. “What is ours must remain ours,” he said.

On reports that Cambodia continued to lay landmines during the GBC talks, including around the Prasat Ta Kwai area where Thailand has re-established control, Anutin said the mines had been planted some time ago.

He noted that mine clearance was included in Clause 2 of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, which calls for the removal of landmines as far as possible.