Published: 14:27, May 30, 2025 | Updated: 15:17, May 30, 2025
Thailand, Cambodia agree to withdraw troops to de-escalate border tensions
By Xinhua
A Cambodian soldier (right) and Thai soldiers (left) sit at the disputed ancient Khmer temple Prasat Ta Muen Thom, or Prasat Ta Moan Thom in Khmer, on the Cambodian-Thai border in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province on March 26, 2025. (PHOTO / AFP)

BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH - The Thai and Cambodian armies agreed on Thursday to withdraw troops from a disputed border area, where a brief exchange of gunfire took place on Wednesday, the Thai army said in a statement.

The agreement was reached after a meeting between Thai Army chief Phana Klaewplodthuk and the commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, Mao Sophan, at the Chong Chom border crossing, a border checkpoint in Thailand's Northeastern province of Surin, said the statement.

According to Thai Army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree, commanders of the two armies also agreed to use the Joint Boundary Committee (JBC), a bilateral government-level framework, to expedite the resolution of border disputes.

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Meanwhile, a statement from the Royal Cambodian Army said the meeting between commanders of the two armies lasted 45 minutes at a border checkpoint.

"The two sides will continue to resolve the situation through all existing mechanisms, such as the Joint Boundary Committee, the Cambodia-Thailand General Boundary Committee, and the Memorandum of Understanding in 2000 on the Measurement and Demarcation of the Cambodia-Thailand Land Border," it said.

Both sides will exercise restraint and resolve all issues through the JBC, which will be held within the next few weeks, it added.