Just over a week ago, Cambodia and Thailand signed a peace deal to ease the tension between the two neighbouring countries, but that does not mean it is the end of the dispute on the ground.
Despite the deal and citing safety concerns, the Thailand SEA Games Organising Committee has decided to switch the venue for the men’s football Group A fixtures, featuring Thailand, Cambodia and Timor-Leste, from a smaller stadium in Songkhla to the more secure Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok.
Tourism and Sports Minister Atthakorn Sirilattayakorn, who chaired the organisng meeting, confirmed that the decision was made to ensure readiness in both the event management and security
Originally, the Group A games had been scheduled to take place at the 30,000 capacity Tinsulanonda Stadium in southern province of Songkhla. The Rajamangala Stadium has a capacity of 51,560 but boasts of must better facilities and existing security features.
The decision, he is reported to have said was to to build confidence among all participating nations under the “Safety First” policy,
Security authorities advised that Bangkok was better prepared and offered stricter safety measures, following an inspection in Songkhla which revealed certain security limitations.
Group A fixtures have now been rescheduled to take place on December 4, 7, and 11 to accommodate the Games’ opening ceremony, which will be held on December 9 at Rajamangala National Stadium.
However, there were no changes announced for the women’s competition scheduled to be held at the Chonburi Stadium. Both Cambodia and Thailand were also drawn in the same group for the women’s group stages.
