GBC secretariat meetings begin in Malaysia ahead of August 7 summit

This GBC meeting stems from prior discussions between the Thai and Cambodian governments held in Malaysia, which led to a ceasefire agreement reached on July 28. The GBC meeting is part of that agreement and is regarded as a step towards restoring peace and stability.

According to the Ad Hoc Centre for the Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation, preparations on the Thai side began on Sunday evening (August 3) in Malaysia and will continue until Wednesday (August 6).

The GBC meeting itself, which is a defence minister-level bilateral mechanism, will be convened on August 7, 2025. The Thai delegation will be led by General Nattaphon Narkphanit, Acting Minister of Defence, while the Cambodian side will be led by General Tea Seiha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.

Thailand’s Secretariat team, who arrived in Malaysia on the evening of August 3, are ready for meetings with the Cambodian side, to set the framework and agree on agenda items for the GBC meeting.

The Thai GBC Secretariat comprises the Director-General, Department of Border Affairs, Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, as Secretary of the GBC and Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs and Department of East Asian Affairs), the Ministry of Interior, the Office of the National Security Council, the Ministry of Defence (Office of Policy and Planning, and the Judge Advocate General’s Department), the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters (Directorate of Joint Intelligence, and Directorate of Joint Operations), the Royal Thai Army (Directorate of Operations, Directorate of Intelligence, First Army Area, Second Army Area, and Suranaree Command), the Royal Thai Navy (Naval Operations Department, and the Chanthaburi and Trat Border Defence Command), the Royal Thai Air Force, the Royal Thai Police, and the Defence and Army Attaché, and the Air Attaché, of the Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh.