BANGKOK, Sept 16 (TNA) – Officials from Thailand and Cambodia met in the Thai border province of Sa Kaeo on Tuesday to discuss cooperation in tackling tech-related crimes, including widespread scam operations, in a meeting marked by unusual secrecy.
Unlike previous high-level border meetings, such as the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) and Regional Border Committee (RBC) forums, this gathering was closed to the press with no information released to journalists. Reporters were not permitted to enter the meeting venue, the Grand Ballroom of the Indochina Hotel, or even its immediate vicinity.
Journalists were only able to observe the Cambodian delegation, consisting of approximately 18 police officers, crossing from Poipet to Khlong Luek around 9:30 a.m. for the 10 a.m. meeting.
The unprecedented lack of media access extended to the names of the Cambodian attendees, which were not disclosed. The only confirmed participant was Police General Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, the Thai Chief Inspector General, who is also the head of the Royal Thai Police’s Technology Crime Suppression Center and the head of the Thai delegation.
The meeting is an extension of discussions held at the GBC forum in Koh Kong, Cambodia, on September 10, where both countries agreed to collaborate on issues including crime prevention.
The outcome of the meeting is being closely watched, particularly as Thailand has previously provided Cambodia with information on the location of scammer gangs. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has identified Cambodia as a global hub for cybercrime, with scam networks concentrated in several cities, including the border town of Poipet, which lies opposite Thailand’s Aranyaprathet district. -819 (TNA)
