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Thai black-clad soldiers from Battalion No. 2606, based on Dongrak, Surin province, have cleared lands for a road and completed the building of a wooden bridge that reaches the dividing road at the Chub Angkunh border. They are also clearing forests to advance the road construction of Ta Krabey temple. Cambodian border troops claimed that their commanders ordered them to stop the Thai troops from continuing the road construction because this is considered a sensitive border region, and it is also a zone where no clear border demarcation has been done yet.

Cambodian cops and troops stationed along the Thmor Don border told Rasmei Kampuchea that Thai black-clad troops from Battalion 2606, who are stationed at the Chhork Kang pass, in Phnom Dongrak pass, Surin province, completed the construction of a wooden bridge by hand on 24 August 2009. They use machinery equipments to clear the road from Bos Sa’ang, Bakdai commune, Dongrak district, Surin province (near the Thai black-clad soldier base) to the dividing road at the Chub Angkunh pass, Thmor Don village, Kauk Mon commune, Banteay Ampil district, Oddar Meanchey province, during 21-22 August 2009.

The Chub Angkunh border is a sensitive border area and Cambodian and Thai troops used to confront each other in that area when Thai troops camped there. The Thai troops prevented Cambodian border troops to cross over to the area as they used to do for their usual foot patrol. The Chub Angkunh point is located 3.4 km east of Thmor Don village and about 0.4 km west of Ta Krabey temple, along the Dangrek mountain chain.

The source above indicated that the road clearing and the building of the wooden bridge, as well as the forest clearing by Thai troops were conducted in secret and the Cambodian force was not informed of these construction. It could be also that these constructions took place in between Cambodian border troop patrols.

The newly built road by Thai troops is located nearby their base and it extends 423 meters to the Chub Angkunh border zone, an area that is not clearly delimited yet. The forest clearing from Chub Angkunh to Ta Krabey temple measures about 1.3 km. The width of the new road is about 4-meters but it is not paved with dirt or gravel yet.

At the location of the newly-built bridge, Cambodian troops have built a bridge there in the past, but Thai soldiers sneaked and burnt it down, but now, it is the Thai troops turn to rebuild this bridge. However, Cambodian soldiers have not destroyed it yet. However a low-ranking army commander from Oddar Meanchey province told Rasmei Kampuchea that: “The higher ups issued their order already: Thai troops are not allowed to continue because this border area is not clearly delimited yet, and in the past, it was a disputed area also.”

According to the claim made by border troops, the Chub Angkunh dividing road is located in the geographical area UA22882-87405. The wooden bridge is located at UA23306-87405, and the newly cleared forest to continue the road construction to Ta Krabey temple is located at UA23441-87550.