Cambodia’s 5th Army Division and Thailand’s 1st Army Division co-chaired a tree planting ceremony along the two nation’s shared border on August 24, as part of the 2023 ASEAN forest protection project for sustainable conservation of natural forest resources.

According to the Royal Cambodian Army, Major General Seng Thearin, deputy commander of the 5th division, attended the ceremony alongside his Thai counterpart Phak Na Khlev Plot Thuk, commander of Thailand’s 1st division.

The ceremony took place in Thailand’s Khao Chong Khap village, in Sa Kaeo province’s Khlong Hat commune and district.

Thearin explained that the planting aimed to conserve natural forest resources in a sustainable manner, and connect the forests of Thailand with those of Cambodia, in order to create “one shared forest”.

“We planted trees together to illustrate the positive development and excellent relations between our two countries. The ceremony aligned with the strategic paths of the two governments. It was conducted in the spirit of the 29th Cambodia-Thailand Regional Boundary Commission Meeting, which was held recently,” he said.

He added that the work carried out would make an important contribution to the protection of human and animal lives, as well as local ecosystems. He said it would also help to prevent natural disasters that sometimes occurred along the border between the two countries, as it responded to the increased effects of climate change.