Border photo doesn’t prove ownership, says ex-Thai intel deputy
Former Thai intelligence deputy Nantiwat Samart disputes Hun Sen’s claim over a pavilion in the Emerald Triangle, calling it misleading and historically inaccurate.
Nantiwat Samart, former deputy director of Thailand’s National Intelligence Agency, posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday (June 3), disputing Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen’s recent territorial claim regarding the Emerald Triangle.
Hun Sen had shared a photo of himself and his wife at Sala Trimuk — a three-gabled pavilion located in the disputed Emerald Triangle area — and asserted that their ability to sit and take photos there proved the area belonged to Cambodia.
Nantiwat responded sharply: “I want to emphasise this — Sala Trimuk lies in a contested area claimed by three countries: Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. There has never been a finalised, mutually accepted border demarcation in that location.”
He explained that the pavilion was originally built during the tenure of Lt Gen Isarapong Noonpakdee, then Commander of Thailand’s Second Army Region.
Funded by the Thai military, the structure was intended as a neutral meeting point for military representatives from the three nations to ease tensions and foster dialogue while awaiting an official border agreement.
“I visited Sala Trimuk nearly 20 years ago during an official mission to support Thai troops in the area, not for tourism. I received briefings from local military units,” Nantiwat noted, adding thanks to a former colleague who had preserved photos from the trip.
He concluded with a sharp rebuke:
“Hun Sen is lying. Taking a photo and claiming the land is Cambodian doesn’t make it true. I also took a photo there — does that mean it’s Thai land? By that logic, mine should be just as valid — shouldn’t it?”
