Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, as does the thumbnail, we are talking about border issues. Unfortunately, this whole Thai Khmer Border issue in my opinion has mushroomed out into something that really didn't need to be as big a deal as it has proven to be in the sense that it has just been unfortunate the way these things have played out. Then on top of it, it has been sort of sensationalized, and somewhat politicized. I think that there have been some really incompetent political moves that have occurred with regard to this whole issue, and hopefully cooler heads can prevail and we can see de-escalation that results in both of these sovereign countries basically retaining their positions that they were at before this all went down and everybody just kind of goes on down the road in a peaceful manner here in Southeast Asia. 

That said, I think it is worth noting updates on this, especially where they are pretty significant. And I think that this was a pretty significant update. From the Bangkok Post, bangkokpost.com, the article is titled: Thai Defence Chief suggest ways to ease border tensions with Cambodia. It's worth noting, this is coming from the military itself which is dealing with this on a day-to-day basis. 

And as I have talked about some other videos I get into deeper analysis into all of these issues especially as they pertain to expats and as they pertain to living in Thailand etc. in our paid news service. For those who are interested in that, you can go to [email protected] and you can get information on how to get on the mailing list for the paid news service. Also, while I am talking about this, it's worth pointing out we have gone ahead, my better half and I have set up a restaurant in downtown Bangkok for folks who are interested in all day breakfast and American diner style food, food. Pancake Palace is the name of the place. We have all of that kind of food down there, as discussed, all day breakfast including pancakes and we have got hamburgers, cheeseburgers, buffalo wings, chilli bowls, pork chops - all the good old-fashioned kind of American diner style food that you know and love from the States, we've got it here in downtown Bangkok. Link in the description below on how to get there. 

That said, going ahead with this article from the Bangkok Post, bangkokpost.com, quoting directly: "Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Songwit Noonpakdee has urged Cambodia to coordinate border operation hours and withdraw long-range weapons to facilitate cross-border trade and ease tensions between the two countries. He has called for a reduction in military presence along the Thai-Cambodian border and proposed the withdrawal of long-range weaponry to levels consistent with those in 2024. He reiterated that Thailand has never closed its border checkpoints but merely regulated their operating hours." Quoting further: "He said Thailand's position remains steadfast on the following principles: preservation of national sovereignty, which has been consistently upheld in accordance with Thailand's operational maps, and continued bilateral dialogue through established mechanisms including the Regional Border Committee, the Joint Boundary Commission, and the General Border Committee." So there are already these - I think that's worth pointing out - I don't think that is really quite understood in the sort of ether of the English-speaking internet and the English-speaking press out there. They have already got mechanisms where these two sides are talking and frankly they're positive. They have positive outcomes; it's productive, let's put it that way. Quoting further: "The desired outcome of these discussions, General Songwit said, is to de-escalate military confrontations along the border." And I have been talking about that for a while. These guys that are up there, out there on the frontier if you will, don't have any desire to escalate this further, it appears to me. It looks to me like it is a desire to "hey, let's just calm everything down, detente, de-escalation, whatever you want to call it. Let's simmer the tensions down so we can all get on with our lives effectively. Quoting further: "In particular, he called for a return to pre-existing force levels and the removal of long-range weapons, emphasizing that military presence should be proportionate and limited to ensure the safety of civilians in both countries." As a civilian in one of the countries, I'd appreciate that as well. Quoting further: "He also expressed a desire to see greater facilitation of cross-border trade and movement, confirming that Thailand has not closed any checkpoints. He clarified that Thailand currently operates its border crossings from 8am to 4pm, whereas Cambodia has opted to close many of its border points. As such, he proposed that both nations agree to a standardized checkpoint operating hours - from 8am to 6pm - to allow smoother traffic and mobility across the border." Yeah, that would be great. I would love to see all of that. 

Again this pertains to expats. Border Runs are something that many expats have to undertake. Frankly the Cambodian border is arguably the most convenient border to use, especially for those in the Eastern Seaboard, places like Pattaya as well as up here in Bangkok. So again, if Border Checkpoints, if there was sort of a regularized schedule where everybody knew when the Border was going to be open on both sides, that would be conducive to foreigners who need to do Border Runs out here. I can see where that would be beneficial for many folks out here. I am also very hopeful this continues to de-escalate and we can see sort of again the tension dissolve if you will or slowly dissolved to where we get to a point where we don't have these problems arising in that sector, and I think everybody would agree that that would be a good thing and we just get back to sort of a status quo ante situation as noted in the article, where we just all go back to what we were doing call it a year ago and move on with our lives.

Again I have had my own questions about how this all arose. I am not really going to get into the analysis of that. All I do know is that for over a decade we had no problems along this border and then in the past call it 18 months, 2 years, maybe a little less than that, we started seeing all of these tensions and things. Again, my true and sincere hope is that is de-escalates and I hope that not only for peace in the region but also because there are practical implications for the expat community here in Thailand most notably with the convenience associated with being able to do with a Border Run, especially for those in Bangkok and Pattaya, here in the Kingdom of Thailand.