Thailand Rejects Cambodia's 'ASEAN Police' Claim
RTAF ACM Prapas Saonandee dismissed Cambodia's accusations, urging a clear separation between cross-border scam operations and territorial disputes.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- RTAF ACM Prapas Saonandee rejected Cambodia's claim that Thailand acts as an ASEAN police force.
- Thailand insists that sovereignty, scam syndicates, and Myanmar issues must remain separate.
- Scam centers are defined as global transnational crimes rather than domestic internal affairs.
- Thailand reaffirms its readiness to cooperate with all nations to eliminate safe havens for criminals.
On August 17, Air Chief Marshal Prapas Saonandee, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force and Director of the Thailand-Cambodia Situation Information Center (JIC), responded to allegations from Cambodia accusing Thailand of acting as an "ASEAN police" force. He firmly stated that Thailand has never assumed such a role nor intended to interfere in the domestic affairs of any neighboring country, while emphasizing that Bangkok will not turn a blind eye to transnational crimes harming citizens in Thailand, ASEAN nations, and worldwide.
ACM Prapas stressed the critical need to separate hard facts from political rhetoric, stating that matters of territorial sovereignty, online scam syndicates, and the diplomatic situation in Myanmar must never be conflated to manufacture accusations of hidden agendas against Thailand.
The official statement from the JIC highlights Thailand's strategic effort to maintain clear boundaries in foreign policy communications, ensuring that political disputes are not weaponized to obscure violations of international law. Cybercrime syndicates operating across Southeast Asia have been widely recognized by global security bodies and the United Nations as severe human trafficking crises, requiring multilateral law enforcement cooperation rather than bilateral friction.
Addressing the specific accusation that Thailand is utilizing the crackdown on cyber scams as a pretext for territorial encroachment, the JIC Director reiterated that territorial disputes must strictly follow international laws, bilateral agreements, and established diplomatic mechanisms.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Addressing the gravity of international scam networks and cybercriminal infrastructure, ACM Prapas noted:
"But scammers and online crime are not the internal affairs of any single country, because victims are located worldwide, involving fraud, money laundering, human trafficking, forced labor, and various forms of transnational crime."
ACM Prapas Saonandee
Furthermore, regarding inquiries over Thailand's diplomatic engagement with Myanmar leadership and whether it violates ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus, the JIC Director clarified that the situation in Myanmar is a separate issue that should not be mixed with the border situation or scam eradication efforts. As an immediate neighbor, Thailand experiences direct repercussions regarding national security, border economies, displaced persons, and humanitarian concerns. Diplomatic engagement does not equate to endorsement, but rather serves as a necessary diplomatic tool to mitigate violence and pursue peaceful resolutions.
Source: Matichon Politics
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