Thai Scholar Urges Return to Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord

 

 

Thai Scholar Urges Return to Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord, Calls for Neutral Border Monitors

Paungthong Pawakapan, Thai professor at the Faculty of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University, has urged Cambodia and Thailand to return to the Kuala Lumpur Peace Agreement and allow neutral observers to monitor the situation, saying it is still not too late to prevent further escalation.

 

According to the Thai media outlet Khaosod, Paungthong wrote about the armed clashes along the Thai Cambodian border on December 8. She noted that both sides accuse each other of starting the latest round of attacks although there is no neutral third party or credible witness to verify the claims.

 

“This is because the ASEAN mechanism known as the ASEAN Observer Team, or AOT, which is responsible for monitoring the border area, has completely failed,” she wrote.

 

She referred to Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul who on November 10 announced the suspension of Thailand’s compliance with the peace agreement following an incident in which two Thai soldiers stepped on landmines. One soldier lost a leg, and the announcement effectively meant the AOT could no longer continue its mission.

 

 

 

A key component of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord was the establishment of the AOT to replace the Interim Monitoring Team, which had only a temporary mandate and no clearly defined duties. Under the agreement, the AOT is composed of representatives from ASEAN member states and is tasked with ensuring both countries strictly adhere to the ceasefire and with reporting progress to ASEAN.

 

The AOT is also responsible for ensuring that both sides withdraw heavy weapons and weapons of mass destruction from the border area and return them to their regular bases. A coordinating team is tasked with drafting the withdrawal plan and timetable.

 

Paungthong argued that if the AOT were still in place today both sides would have a neutral mechanism to determine who initiated the attacks. Without such a mechanism, she warned, the two countries will continue the cycle of mutual accusations and armed exchanges.

 

To break this cycle, she said tensions along the border must be reduced until calm is restored. Neutral observers must be deployed to closely monitor the situation and prevent either side from reigniting the conflict. She believes this requires both countries to return to the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord and stressed that it is not too late to do so.

 

“Thailand and Cambodia have reached a point where they cannot resolve their problems bilaterally. Negotiations have repeatedly failed, and both militaries know neither side can win through force because international mechanisms are always ready to intervene, and Cambodia is willing to call upon them,” she wrote.

 

She also cautioned that Thai citizens calling for war should understand that the belief that Thailand is bigger, stronger, and capable of defeating Cambodia militarily does not reflect reality.

 

Paungthong additionally urged civil society in both countries to press their governments to find a serious solution to the conflict. She said the current situation benefits no one, particularly border communities and the long-term economic stability of both nations.

 

 

Photo from Khaosod English