Cambodia To Shun Bilateral Dialogue With Thailand

[Lite Beer]

Cambodia to shun bilateral dialogue

By Nanthida Puangthong.

Foreign Ministry's letter to Thai Embassy says JBC mechanism cannot resolve border dispute

Cambodia has indefinitely postponed a boundary panel meeting with Thailand scheduled for later this month, shattering Thai hopes of settling the border conflict bilaterally.

The Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh received a letter from the Cambodian Foreign Ministry, saying Cambodia was not prepared for a bilateral meeting under the framework of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Committee (JBC), according to a source.

In their letter dated Thursday, the Cambodian authorities said that they wanted the JBC meeting, earlier scheduled to take place in the last week of this month, to be postponed indefinitely, a source at the Thai Foreign Ministry revealed.

President of the Cambodian JBC, Var Kimhong, said yesterday that no meeting of the joint panel to define the land boundary would be held later this month, China's Xinhua news agency reported from Phnom Penh.

"There will be no meeting of the JBC later this month. Now, the bilateral mechanism cannot resolve the issue," he was quoted as saying, referring to the border conflict between the two countries.

Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, said in a telephone interview yesterday that the ministry had not received any official notification from Cambodian authorities that they would not attend the meeting.

He said Thailand insisted on settling the border dispute with Cambodia through talks and peaceful means.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said earlier yesterday that Thailand intended to take part in the JBC meeting in a bid to settle the dispute with Cambodia bilaterally. "We [both countries] have a mechanism to settle the problem, but Thailand and Cambodia have to work together to make the bilateral mechanism function," he said.

Cambodia has succeeded in internationalising the spat over the common border, particularly over the disputed area adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear Temple. The border conflict led to a new round of armed clashes early this month. Both states accuse the other of firing first.

The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold a meeting behind closed doors tomorrow on the border clashes.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong, and Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who has been trying to mediate in the dispute, are expected to speak to the council.

Spokesman for the ruling Democrat Party, Buranaj Smutharaks, said yesterday that Kasit would present facts to the Security Council regarding Cambodia's firing at civilian targets during the armed clashes.

The foreign minister and Thai JBC chief, Asda Jayanam, met senior officials of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in Paris on Friday, according to the spokesman. Thailand presented photos showing Cambodian troops stationed at Preah Vihear to prove its claim that Cambodia had violated a treaty that bans the use of a World Heritage Site as a shield in a military conflict or for housing soldiers and storing weapons.

Meanwhile, the Cambodian newspaper Kampuchea Thmey Daily ran a caricature of Abhisit on the front page yesterday, depicting him as a war-mad dictator.

The caricature showed Abhisit with Hitler-style hair and moustache in military uniform with an armband featuring a Nazi swastika. The PM was shown holding an assault rifle and balancing on a rope above a fire.

It was the latest effort by the media in Cambodia to paint Thailand in a negative way. Earlier, some Cambodian radio stations reportedly claimed Thai troops intentionally fired at Preah Vihear temple

-- The Nation 2011-02-13

[asiawatcher]

Cambodia really are quite anal over all this aren't they? They are milking the international media for all its worth.

[Ricardo]

I believe the emotive idea of linking PM-Abhisit with Hitler may previously have been used, by associates of another person who formerly used to advise the Cambodian government, hopefully he won't now be suing them for the customary Billion Baht for copyright-infringement on this idea ?

[animatic]

I believe the emotive idea of linking PM-Abhisit with Hitler may previously have been used, by associates of another person who formerly used to advise the Cambodian government, hopefully he won't now be suing them for the customary Billion Baht for copyright-infringement on this idea ?

[jayboy]

I believe the emotive idea of linking PM-Abhisit with Hitler may previously have been used, by associates of another person who formerly used to advise the Cambodian government, hopefully he won't now be suing them for the customary Billion Baht for copyright-infringement on this idea ?

Congratulations on winning the Sriracha John memorial prize on bringing Thaksin into a thread where he has not the slightest relevance.

[Robby nz]

What I cant understand is what Hun Sen and Cambodia think they can gain at this point by not talking.

They have got their international attention, he has shown he is a defender of the country and deserves to be re elected in the coming elections with a minimum of cheating, the boy has got his reason for promotion and will get his new ribbons on his chest.

From here on in it must be all downhill for him as the truth comes out, like shelling Thai villages, school, Wat, having troops in the temple, all the things that have been shown by photo video and indipendant report.

He can now avoid all this coming out by sitting down and talking.

Sitting down and talking it through like a good neighbour for the good of both countries would seem the thing to do.

The only thing he may think he can do now is as much damage to Thailand as possible.

But why should he want to do that? unless there is another hand (black hand, like a coal mine owner) behind it all that has an agenda and history of trying to damage Thailand.

[jayboy]

What I cant understand is what Hun Sen and Cambodia think they can gain at this point by not talking.

They have got their international attention, he has shown he is a defender of the country and deserves to be re elected in the coming elections with a minimum of cheating, the boy has got his reason for promotion and will get his new ribbons on his chest.

From here on in it must be all downhill for him as the truth comes out, like shelling Thai villages, school, Wat, having troops in the temple, all the things that have been shown by photo video and indipendant report.

He can now avoid all this coming out by sitting down and talking.

Sitting down and talking it through like a good neighbour for the good of both countries would seem the thing to do.

The only thing he may think he can do now is as much damage to Thailand as possible.

But why should he want to do that? unless there is another hand (black hand, like a coal mine owner) behind it all that has an agenda and history of trying to damage Thailand.

Your interpretation is askew because you fail to appreciate the extent to which the Thais have manafactured this crisis.See the Shawn Crispin article I have posted on another thread this morning.

[Robby nz]

What I cant understand is what Hun Sen and Cambodia think they can gain at this point by not talking.

They have got their international attention, he has shown he is a defender of the country and deserves to be re elected in the coming elections with a minimum of cheating, the boy has got his reason for promotion and will get his new ribbons on his chest.

From here on in it must be all downhill for him as the truth comes out, like shelling Thai villages, school, Wat, having troops in the temple, all the things that have been shown by photo video and indipendant report.

He can now avoid all this coming out by sitting down and talking.

Sitting down and talking it through like a good neighbour for the good of both countries would seem the thing to do.

The only thing he may think he can do now is as much damage to Thailand as possible.

But why should he want to do that? unless there is another hand (black hand, like a coal mine owner) behind it all that has an agenda and history of trying to damage Thailand.

Your interpretation is askew because you fail to appreciate the extent to which the Thais have manafactured this crisis.See the Shawn Crispin article I have posted on another thread this morning.

Then possibly you would like to answer the question of what Cambodia has to gain by refusing to talk.

And add to that what Thailand has to gain wanting to talk things through.

[jayboy]

What I cant understand is what Hun Sen and Cambodia think they can gain at this point by not talking.

They have got their international attention, he has shown he is a defender of the country and deserves to be re elected in the coming elections with a minimum of cheating, the boy has got his reason for promotion and will get his new ribbons on his chest.

From here on in it must be all downhill for him as the truth comes out, like shelling Thai villages, school, Wat, having troops in the temple, all the things that have been shown by photo video and indipendant report.

He can now avoid all this coming out by sitting down and talking.

Sitting down and talking it through like a good neighbour for the good of both countries would seem the thing to do.

The only thing he may think he can do now is as much damage to Thailand as possible.

But why should he want to do that? unless there is another hand (black hand, like a coal mine owner) behind it all that has an agenda and history of trying to damage Thailand.

Your interpretation is askew because you fail to appreciate the extent to which the Thais have manafactured this crisis.See the Shawn Crispin article I have posted on another thread this morning.

Then possibly you would like to answer the question of what Cambodia has to gain by refusing to talk.

And add to that what Thailand has to gain wanting to talk things through.

Suggest you read Crispin's article.

[Robby nz]

What I cant understand is what Hun Sen and Cambodia think they can gain at this point by not talking.

They have got their international attention, he has shown he is a defender of the country and deserves to be re elected in the coming elections with a minimum of cheating, the boy has got his reason for promotion and will get his new ribbons on his chest.

From here on in it must be all downhill for him as the truth comes out, like shelling Thai villages, school, Wat, having troops in the temple, all the things that have been shown by photo video and indipendant report.

He can now avoid all this coming out by sitting down and talking.

Sitting down and talking it through like a good neighbour for the good of both countries would seem the thing to do.

The only thing he may think he can do now is as much damage to Thailand as possible.

But why should he want to do that? unless there is another hand (black hand, like a coal mine owner) behind it all that has an agenda and history of trying to damage Thailand.

Your interpretation is askew because you fail to appreciate the extent to which the Thais have manafactured this crisis.See the Shawn Crispin article I have posted on another thread this morning.

Then possibly you would like to answer the question of what Cambodia has to gain by refusing to talk.

And add to that what Thailand has to gain wanting to talk things through.

Suggest you read Crispin's article.

Sorry but that article doen not answer the question what Cambodia has to gain by refusing to talk.

In fact Cambodia hardly gets a mention.

It only makes assumptions that thailand is ruled by the military which is certainly debatable.

[jayboy]

Sorry but that article doen not answer the question what Cambodia has to gain by refusing to talk.

In fact Cambodia hardly gets a mention.

It only makes assumptions that thailand is ruled by the military which is certainly debatable.

If you can't grasp the essentials from Crispin's article I doubt whether anyone else can explain it to you.Your final sentence seems very confused and suggests much of what Crispin has written has gone over your head.

I think Cambodia's unwillingness to discuss bilaterally - given the Thai context issues spelled out in Crispin's article - is very understandable.Equally Thailand's unwillingness to have any kind of independent third party investigation is par for the course, indeed is just the flipside of the Cambodian position.

If you prefer to live in a Pollyanna land where all Thais have the purest of motives, by all means do so.But don't expect a grown up dialogue.

[monkfish]

What I cant understand is what Hun Sen and Cambodia think they can gain at this point by not talking.

They have got their international attention, he has shown he is a defender of the country and deserves to be re elected in the coming elections with a minimum of cheating, the boy has got his reason for promotion and will get his new ribbons on his chest.

From here on in it must be all downhill for him as the truth comes out, like shelling Thai villages, school, Wat, having troops in the temple, all the things that have been shown by photo video and indipendant report.

He can now avoid all this coming out by sitting down and talking.

Sitting down and talking it through like a good neighbour for the good of both countries would seem the thing to do.

The only thing he may think he can do now is as much damage to Thailand as possible.

But why should he want to do that? unless there is another hand (black hand, like a coal mine owner) behind it all that has an agenda and history of trying to damage Thailand.

What the article fails to mention is that Cambodia has agreed to talks with Thailand but with the UN or ASEAN as mediator.

Abhisit refused! I think a third party is a good idea as both sides clearly do not agree.

Now to reverse the question. Why does Thailand refuse UNESCO or ASEAN involvement?

[Jingthing]

Don't most Thais mostly just think "strong leader/powerful nation" when they see Hitler images and Nazi swastikas? Maybe Cambodians are better educated?

Edited February 13, 2011 by Jingthing