Thai Army Clarifies Border Fence Gap at Pong Nam Ron: Construction Underway

Matichon•Society•12d ago

Reader Briefing

Thai Army clarifies that gaps in the Pong Nam Ron border fence are part of ongoing construction, not intentional openings, and will be reinforced.

•The Thai Army addressed social media posts showing large gaps in the Thailand-Cambodia border fence in Pong Nam Ron District, Chanthaburi.
•Spokesperson Pol. Maj. Gen. Witai Laithomya stated the gaps are due to incomplete pre-fabricated panel installation and will be closed and reinforced with steel.
•The fence is designed to be modular and able to be opened for border pillar inspection, a design agreed upon by Thai and Cambodian military mapping departments.

Overview

•Pol. Maj. Gen. Witai Laithomya, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, clarified the issue of apparent gaps in the Thailand-Cambodia border fence.
•The gaps are a result of the construction process for pre-fabricated concrete panels and steel frames that are installed separately before being connected.
•The fence construction is located around the border pillars between Pillar 52 and Pillar 53, with a total length of over 1.3 kilometers.
•Approximately 40% of the border fence project has been completed.
•The project is expected to be completed within June of this year, with the remaining task being the installation of panels and steel frames.
•Pol. Maj. Gen. Witai Laithomya asserted that the gaps are not deliberate access points but are due to incomplete connections between wall sections.
•The design of the fence, utilizing modular and hinged components, allows for opening to inspect border pillars, a feature agreed upon by Thai and Cambodian mapping departments.
•The necessity for modular design stems from the agreement that border pillars should not be covered by permanent materials, allowing for future inspection and maintenance.

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Key Quotes

Pol. Maj. Gen. Witai Laithomya

"The image shown is not the creation of an access channel or gate, but rather a case of the wall sections not yet being fully connected."

ภาพที่ปรากฏไม่ได้เป็นการจัดทำช่องทางหรือประตูเข้า-ออกแต่อย่างใด แต่เป็นกรณีแนวกำแพงที่ยังไม่เชื่อมต่อกันสมบูรณ์

Pol. Maj. Gen. Witai Laithomya

"It's like building a house fence; you can't have it perfectly seamless along the entire length. There are always joints that need to be filled in to complete it."

เสมือนการสร้างรั้วบ้าน ที่ไม่สามารถให้ขนาดเท่ากันได้ตลอดแนว ย่อมมีบางช่วงเป็นรอยต่อ ซึ่งต้องเติมเต็มให้สมบูรณ์

Key Entities

Organization

Royal Thai Armed Forces(กองทัพไทย)ℹ️

The organization providing clarification on the border fence construction.

Military Survey Department(กรมแผนที่ทหาร)

The military department of Thailand involved in discussions regarding border demarcation and fence design.

Person

Pol. Maj. Gen. Witai Laithomya(พล.ต. วิทัย ลายถมยา)

Spokesperson for the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters who explained the border fence situation.

Place

Pong Nam Ron District(อ.โป่งน้ำร้อน)

The district in Chanthaburi Province where the border fence gap issue occurred.

Chanthaburi Province(จ.จันทบุรี)ℹ️

The province in Thailand where Pong Nam Ron District is located.

Thailand-Cambodia(ไทย-กัมพูชา)

The border region between Thailand and Cambodia relevant to the fence construction.