October 24, 2025
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia and Thailand declared that they made positive progress on de-escalating the border conflict during the second Special Thailand-Cambodia General Border Committee (GBC) meeting, held today, October 23, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The meeting came just days before the much-anticipated October 26 signing of a peace agreement, which will be witnessed by US President Donald Trump.
Minister of National Defence Tea Seiha and his Thai counterpart Nattaphon Narkphanit co-chaired the meeting, which was observed by the representatives from Malaysia, the US and members of the ASEAN Interim Observer Teams (IOT) in Cambodia and Thailand.
According to a joint press statement on the outcome of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the peaceful resolution of differences and to strengthening good-neighbourly relations.
Both countries committed to respecting the UN Charter and the ASEAN Charter on the peaceful settlement of disputes, paving the way for a new chapter of peace and cooperation between them.
They agreed on six points, including a plan for the removal of heavy weapons, terms of reference (TOR) for the Establishment of the ASEAN Observer Team (AOT) and standard operating procedures (SOP) for the Joint Coordinating Task Force (JCTF) on demining.
“Both sides agreed that the JCTF will meet within one week to identify a pilot border area for demining, to be agreed upon by both sides,” it said.
They also agreed on an action plan for cooperation on the prevention and suppression of transnational crimes, including cyber scams and human trafficking, to be carried out by the law enforcement agencies of both countries.
“The action plan aims to strengthen cooperation in intelligence sharing, operational support for investigations and the apprehension of suspects, crime prevention and measures concerning suspects, victims and evidence,” the statement said, adding that a task force will be established within two weeks.
The Special GBC Meeting was agreed be convened within 90 days or as necessary, with Cambodia as hosts.