Thailand, Cambodia agree to expedite demarcation efforts of shared boundary ahead of ASEAN summit

Bangkok [Thailand]/Phnom Penh [Cambodia], October 23 (ANI): Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to advance efforts to demarcate their shared boundary following a two-day special meeting of the Joint Commission held in Chanthaburi in Thailand.
The development comes ahead of the ASEAN Summit this weekend in Kuala Lumpur in which both countries are likely to reach and sign an accord to resolve ongoing border conflicts in the presence of US President Donald Trump.
The long standing border dispute between the two countries escalated in July this year when over five days troops clashed claiming lives and displacing people in thousands on both sides. A ceasefire, mediated by Malaysia, was implemented in late July 2025 and ASEAN observers, coordinated by Malaysia, are monitoring the truce.
The joint statement released after the Cambodia-Thai Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) held from October 21-22 concluded on Wednesday, reached several key agreements aimed at advancing and expediting the land demarcation process, as per local media reports from both countries.
The two sides agreed on several immediate actions, confirming that they assigned the Joint Technical Survey Committee (JTSC) to immediately replace 15 Boundary Pillars at locations and with specifications agreed upon by both sides, the statement read according to Bernama news agency.
Meanwhile Thailand Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said both sides moving closer to finalising the Declaration of Thailand-Cambodia Relations aimed at resolving the border situation. The declaration is expected to be signed on October 25, during the ASEAN Summit, the Nation reported. "The ceremony will be witnessed by US President Donald Trump, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and other ASEAN leaders," Sihasak was cited as saying.
According to the news outlet, Sihasak noted that progress during the first day of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) meeting in Malaysia on Wednesday was promising, as Cambodia had agreed in principle to Thailand's proposed conditions. The meeting was co-chaired by Thailand's Defence Chief Gen Nattapon Nakpanich and his Cambodian counterpart Gen Tea Seiha.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also said that a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia will be finalised within the next two days and signed during the 47th ASEAN Summit as per Malaysian state media.
"As we know, several meetings between the heads of the armed forces and foreign ministers of both Thailand and Cambodia have taken place in Kuala Lumpur. Most recently, the defence ministers of both countries finalised the detailed terms (of the peace agreement) and, if agreed upon, the signing will be witnessed by Trump, who also supports this resolution, as well as myself," Anwar was cited as saying by the official Bernama news agency.
Meanwhile Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet while releasing the joint statement on the Thai-Cambodia JBC that concluded in Chanthaburi on October 22 said, the meeting was conducted "in an atmosphere of friendship and cordiality," reflecting the two nations' shared commitment to advancing the ongoing demarcation of their common land boundary through peaceful dialogue and technical cooperation as per Khmer Times.
The Cambodian delegation was led by Lam Chea, Minister in charge of the State Secretariat of Border Affairs and Co-Chairman of the Cambodian side, while the Thai delegation was led by Prasas Prasasvinitchai, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-Chairman of the Thai side.
They also agreed to replace three boundary pillars that are currently submerged in water, selecting new positions by mutual agreement. They agreed to accelerate the revision of the Terms of Reference (TOR 2003) to enable the use of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and other new technologies for the production of orthophoto maps, which will ultimately expedite the survey and demarcation work.
The statement said that significant discussion centred on the joint survey and demarcation in the segment between Boundary Pillars No. 42 to 47, which covers the area of Chouk Chey-Nong Chan Village and Prey Chan- Nong Ya Kaeo Village in which both sides agreed to finalise the Technical Instruction for the Joint Survey and the placement of temporary markers in this priority terrain.
Participants addressed various urgent matters, particularly Thai complaints about Cambodian nationals encroaching on Thai territory in Ban Nong Chan and Ban Nong Ya Kaeo in Khok Sung district of Sa Kaeo, Bangkok Post reported.
Both sides agreed that the next JBC meeting will take place in Siem Reap, Cambodia, during the first week of January 2026.
Leaders of Cambodia and Thailand agreed on July 28 to an unconditional ceasefire, after both countries had their worst clash in over a decade earlier that month over a five-day border dispute that led to at least 43 deaths and some 300,000 people displaced on both sides.
The longstanding border dispute between the two neighbours, which previously erupted in 2011, stems from disagreements over the interpretation of colonial-era maps. The most recent round of tensions was sparked by a brief skirmish that resulted in a Cambodian soldier being shot dead on May 28.
Cambodia and Thailand have been locked in a decades-long disagreement over the jurisdiction of various non-demarcated areas along their shared land border, which stretches more than 800 kilometres. A central part of the dispute has been competing claims of ownership of the ancient Hindu temples of Prasat Ta Muen Thom and Preah Vihear, which are perched on the Dangrek Mountains that form a natural border between Cambodia and Thailand. In 2011, severe clashes between Cambodian and Thai forces in the vicinity of the Preah Vihear temple resulted in at least 16 deaths. This prompted the UN Security Council to meet in a private meeting on February 14, 2011 and to issue a press statement on the same day. (ANI)