Border Row Flares At Summit

[Lite Beer]

Border row flares at summit

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation on Sunday.

Abhisit: Cambodia seeking to internationalise dispute

Thailand and Cambodia's border conflict heated up the Asean summit yesterday as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen raised the issue in the meeting and accused Thailand of military aggression and territorial invasion.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva used the same session to respond and clarify his government's stance. He appealed for Phnom Penh to participate in a bilateral meeting to settle the conflict.

However, both Hun Sen and Abhisit expressed a willingness to attend a tripartite meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to discuss the matter.

Hun Sen kicked things off at the Jakarta summit by reading a six-page statement in the plenary session to express his feelings on the conflict with Thailand.

The border conflict between the two members has been an issue for Asean since a major military clash near Preah Vihear Temple in February. The United Nations Security Council urged Asean to help implement a permanent ceasefire at the border area.

Indonesia, the current chair of Asean, planned to dispatch observers to assess and monitor the situation but the plan to do this has not been implemented yet as Thailand has set a condition to first get Cambodian troops to withdraw from the area around the historic temple.

Hun Sen, in his prepared statement, said: "This condition is irrational and unacceptable. In fact, it is Thailand that must withdraw troops from the vicinity of the areas, according to the judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague dated 15 June, 1962."

He noted that the border war may not only affect regional peace and security but may also "create serious challenges for Asean in our pursuit towards the Asean Community in 2015."

"Asean's prestige and credibility will be at high risk if efforts to establish a permanent ceasefire do not materialise as planned."

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Hun Sen said he appreciated the role of Indonesia as the chair of the group in trying to facilitate a peaceful solution. But he noted: "We would like to have more and a quicker role by Asean, as Indonesia has been very active already and would like to speed up but we cannot achieve [this] as one party does not want it."

Prime Minister Abhisit responded with an eight-point clarification in the session, saying Thailand had no aggressive policy to invade Cam-bodian territory. It was Cambodia that ignited the military conflict to internationalise the issue, to pave the way for going back to the World Court to get an interpretation of the 1962 judgement, he told Asean leaders.

"In complying with the ICJ's ruling, Thailand withdrew troops and personnel from the Preah Vihear Temple area long ago and has lived peacefully with Cambodia for a long time," spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn quoted Abhisit saying in the Asean session. Thailand was among countries that provided assistance to build up the Cambodian state since the beginning, the PM said. Abhisit called on the Cambodian leader to exercise all bilateral mechanisms to try to resolve the problem.

Thai officials made attempts to set up a bilateral meeting between Abhisit and Hun Sen on the sidelines of the two-day Asean summit, which is due to end today. But so far, Hun Sen has said he has no plan to meet Abhisit.

Indonesia, as the Asean chair, floated an idea to have a tripartite meeting with the two conflicting members.

Hun Sen said he would respond to any initiative positively.

Abhisit said he was ready for talks with Hun Sen, either on a bilateral or trilateral basis. "Thailand is always willing to resolve this problem peacefully, but we need to make sure that no side wants to internationalise this and blow this out of proportion.

"Clearly, our doors are open as far as bilateral negotiations are concerned and Indonesia is being very helpful as facilitator. If Cambodia is willing to come to the table, there is no problem," Abhisit told reporters.

Most leaders said in the meeting they wanted to see the two members settle the problem within the Asean family, Panitan said, saying Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wanted the issue to be solved in the spirit of Asean.

Albert del Rosario, the Philippine Foreign Secretary, told reporters that "everyone wants to be helpful but everyone hopes that this thing can be resolved peacefully in the spirit of Asean.

-- The Nation 2011-05-08

[arrowsdawdle]

News Flash - when more than one nation is involved it is an international issue.

[Lite Beer]

Thai, Cambodian PMs confer on border conflict.

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 8 - Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen discussed the border conflict between their countries Sunday in the Indonesian capital with the former insisting that Phnom Penh troops must first be withdrawn from the disputed border area before negotiations. could commence.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the two-day 18th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which opened yesterday. It was also attended by Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers Kasit Piromya and Hor Namhong respectively, as well as Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa in his capacity as chairman of ASEAN.

The meeting, which lasted about one hour, ended with little progress, as Mr Hun Sen demanded the Thai government leader follow an earlier agreement that Indonesian observers be dispatched to the disputed border area and insisting that Cambodian troops would not withdraw from that area.

As no sign of concrete conclusion, especially on the dispatch Indonesian observers in to the disputed border, was reached, it was agreed that Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers would meet on Monday in Jakarta to discuss the issue again.

Despite no progress in Sunday's meeting, ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying "the fact that they are meeting is a good sign.".

Renewed fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops broke out on April 22 in the Thai border province of Surin, forcing tens of thousands of Thai villagers to flee deeper into the Thai territory.

Mr Abhisit is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Indonesian and Laos leaders separately this afternoon.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (MCOT online news).

-- TNA 2011-05-08

[asiawatcher]

Can anyone seriously believe the wiles of Hun Sen? Cambodia has always been the poor neighbour of Thailand who has continually helped with aid and cross border trade yet Hun Sen and his cronies have only ever propagated lies and manipulative actions to falsely obtain funds, donations and coerce sympathy whilst stripping the 'system' behind the scenes. Of course he does not want to come to the table. He has not been able to work out any new 'angles' at this point.

[Trouble]

Seems to me that Hun Sen is more willing to meet to resolve the issue than Abhisit based on what is reported in the articles, i.e. Abhisit insisting that Phnom Penh troops must first be withdrawn from the disputed border area before negotiations could commence.

"Mr Hun Sen demanded the Thai government leader follow an earlier agreement that Indonesian observers be dispatched to the disputed border area and insisting that Cambodian troops would not withdraw from that area."

Hun Sen, in his prepared statement, said: "This condition [withdrawing troops] is irrational and unacceptable. In fact, it is Thailand that must withdraw troops from the vicinity of the areas, according to the judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague dated 15 June, 1962."

Seems to me that the Thais do not want to "internationalize" the situation because the world might just go by the Hague decision of 1962, nor to they want Indonesian observers for fear things might just go against the Thais.

Better to keep everyone out of it and see if one side can bully the other into giving up. It will just go on and on. The Hague ruling of 1962 favors Cambodia and at this point the Thais don't want to loose face over this as it is a politically charged issue with Thai politics.

[whybother]

Seems to me that Hun Sen is more willing to meet to resolve the issue than Abhisit based on what is reported in the articles, i.e. Abhisit insisting that Phnom Penh troops must first be withdrawn from the disputed border area before negotiations could commence.

"Mr Hun Sen demanded the Thai government leader follow an earlier agreement that Indonesian observers be dispatched to the disputed border area and insisting that Cambodian troops would not withdraw from that area."

Hun Sen, in his prepared statement, said: "This condition [withdrawing troops] is irrational and unacceptable. In fact, it is Thailand that must withdraw troops from the vicinity of the areas, according to the judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague dated 15 June, 1962."

Seems to me that the Thais do not want to "internationalize" the situation because the world might just go by the Hague decision of 1962, nor to they want Indonesian observers for fear things might just go against the Thais.

Better to keep everyone out of it and see if one side can bully the other into giving up. It will just go on and on. The Hague ruling of 1962 favors Cambodia and at this point the Thais don't want to loose face over this as it is a politically charged issue with Thai politics.

The 1962 ICJ decision gave the temple and the land immediately around it to Cambodia. The Thais do not have any troops on this land.

The 1962 ICJ decision did not rule on other land in the area. So it is still in dispute.

Why should either country have troops on the disputed land. Both countries should withdraw their troops off disputed land. It seems that although Thailand have troops in the area, they don't have troops on disputed land, whereas the Cambodians do.

[MaiChai]

Looks like the border was not correctly defined by the ICJ back in 1962; it should have followed the watershed since it can only be access from Cambodia via a difficult to climb cliff face. Cambodia and Thailand were not bothered by it for all this time, and it was managed by Thailand, and assumed to be Thai territory. Now Cambodia gets over all the problems it has had over the years and now decides it wants to stake ownership. So it kicks off a war to take the land. Question is why is Hun Sen doing this? All these years Cambodia has shown no interest and now they want it? Whats the hidden agenda? Supporting Taksin? The only way the Cambodians can enter the area is via the cliff; the ICJ ruling makes absolutely no sense.

Edited May 8, 2011 by MaiChai