More than a week after the establishment of the Thai-Cambodian Border Situation Administration Centre, the Thai government must now evaluate the centre's operation, outcomes and direction to ensure its success.
The centre, led by Deputy Defence Minister Natthapon Nakpanich, was set up to streamline border measures and operations as the country experienced conflicts with Cambodia, an immediate neighbour sharing an almost 800-kilometre border.
It's a shame that a clash between the Thai and Cambodian armies on a strip of land in Chong Bok-Mum Bei in Ubon Ratchathani, opposite Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, on May 28 has exploded into an open confrontation, posing a risk of further armed conflicts.
The ultra-nationalism of both sides on social media has fuelled conflicts between neighbours.
To begin with, the centre should monitor social media users, targeting those using hate speech and those releasing fake news that heightens misunderstandings between the people of the two countries.
In addition, the centre needs to review its operation and improve its communication with the public, given the information discrepancy between its spokesmen and soldiers on the ground, as public confusion increases.
Earlier this week, just as journalists reported on border checkpoint closures in seven provinces in Thailand, with footage showing eerily quiet markets, the centre, albeit with vagueness, insisted the checkpoints remained open, with time limitations.
Further, local media reported on June 25 that the Second Region Army had attempted to push Cambodian labourers whose employment contracts and border passes had expired out of Surin until "the situation returns to normalcy".
A statement issued by the army and security office based in Surin saying that they were doing this as a pilot measure without any explanation from the centre triggered alarm.
Such reports have confirmed a lack of unity and coherence between the government and the centre on one side and some military units on the grounds who seem to prefer a more hawkish approach in dealing with the neighbouring country on the other.
Undeniably, the leak of a controversial telephone conversation between Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodian strongman Hun Sen will have political ramifications for the former as she loses the power to control hardline elements in the army, many of whom have tremendous support from ultra-nationalists.
This imbalance is indeed unhealthy for the centre, which, in principle, must ensure that all the tough measures, ie, strict border controls or closures and restrictions, which can hurt Thai businesses and people alike -- are proportionate.
After all, the centre must adhere to the goal that all measures must be aimed at encouraging Cambodia to meet at the negotiating table without the use of force that may lead to losses on both sides. The military must not be allowed to go overboard. It must avoid provocations and perform its duty.
The centre, in particular the government, must ensure that a channel for talks remains open. This requires dynamism and the ability to appraise the situation so that effective measures can be adopted. Mismanagement of the situation could prove disastrous.