Thailand Wants Cambodia Talks Before Troop Pullout

[webfact]

Thailand wants Cambodia talks before troop pullout

BANGKOK, July 19, 2011 (AFP) - Thailand will not comply with a UN court order to immediately withdraw troops from the disputed Thai-Cambodian border without talks with its Asian neighbour, the outgoing premier said Tuesday.

"It's possible that the talks could take place immediately but at this stage there is no talk of a pullout," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters.

The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Monday that both countries should withdraw their forces from the area around the 900-year-old Khmer temple of Preah Vihear, scene of deadly clashes earlier this year.

"Overall it's clear that if there are going to be troop withdrawals on both sides, there must be talks," Abhisit said, adding that implementing a pullout would have to be carried out by the new Thai government due to take power in the coming weeks.

He said he had assigned the foreign and defence ministries to begin discussions with Phnom Penh.

The ICJ decision came after Cambodia launched a bitter legal battle before the court in late April in which it asked for an interpretation of a 1962 ruling on the Preah Vihear temple, the centre of a long legal wrangle.

While judges pondered that decision, Cambodia also asked for it to order Thailand to withdraw troops and stop military activity.

Thailand in turn, asked for Cambodia's request to be scrapped from the court's general list, a request unanimously turned down Monday.

The UN's highest court also ordered Thailand not to obstruct Cambodia's free access to the Preah Vihear complex or prevent Cambodia from taking fresh supplies to its non-military personnel there.

A decision on Cambodia's main request for an interpretation of the 1962 order could however still take the court several months.

Although Thailand does not dispute Cambodia's ownership of the temple, secured by the 1962 ICJ ruling, both Phnom Penh and Bangkok claim the 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square-mile) area surrounding the ancient complex.

In February the United Nations appealed for a permanent ceasefire after 10 people were killed in fighting between the neighbours at the temple site, but fresh clashes broke out further west in April, leaving 18 dead and prompting 85,000 civilians to flee.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-07-19

[hammered]

Hopefully the Dem team are talking with the PTP team on how to move ahead on this one, so no problems result due to handover

[mania2301]

Nothing new here...it's the normal Thai way. Cambodia should pull out their troops without talking to this government & show the whole world who the big bully is. Thais are setting conditions after conditions....this charade will never end if it were up to the Thais to decide.

[Thailand]

TIT

[tigermonkey]

Nothing new here...it's the normal Thai way. Cambodia should pull out their troops without talking to this government & show the whole world who the big bully is. Thais are setting conditions after conditions....this charade will never end if it were up to the Thais to decide.

The problem with a unilateral Cambodian withdrawal is that the 2nd army could well quickly move into the temple to gain leverage in the 'talks'.

Yesterday, Thailand was satisfied with the decision -- today they want to change it -- should Cambodia trust them ?

Edited July 19, 2011 by tigermonkey

[rreddin]

Nothing new here...it's the normal Thai way. Cambodia should pull out their troops without talking to this government & show the whole world who the big bully is. Thais are setting conditions after conditions....this charade will never end if it were up to the Thais to decide.

The problem with a unilateral Cambodian withdrawal is that the 2nd army could well quickly move into the temple to gain leverage in the 'talks'.

Yesterday, Thailand was satisfied with the decision -- today they want to change it -- should Cambodia trust them ?

The interim order of the UN court was for both sides to withdraw their troops. There would have to be some discussion, at least at local commander level, to facilitate an orderly withdrwal by both sides. If Thailand wants to discuss anything more than that , it will be seen as delaying tactics and will not show the kingdom in a good light.

[ToffeEFCpower]

I can see a massive loss of face coming up for the military which may never be recoverable, if eventually NATO forces come in and kick them out of the area.

[Steely Dan]

So Thailand being 'satisfied' with the UN decision presumably means they are satisfied they can add their own unilateral preconditions to the judgement by muddying the waters sufficiently that they can claim not to be obsructing the judgement, when infact that is their exact intention.

[webfact]

Abhisit wants talks with P Penh

By Piyanart Srivalo

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

'We don't want them sending other forms of military into the area'

Thailand is seeking talks with Cambodia before it complies with an International Court of Justice (ICJ) order to withdraw troops from the disputed area adjacent to the Preah Vihear temple, caretaker Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday.

Abhisit called a meeting with security-related agencies to set positions and a framework before responding to the court's injunction, requiring enforcement of a demilitarised zone in the border area.

"We need to talk to Cambodia first to make sure that the country will not send other forms of military into the area, and that the people living in the community are really civilians, and not military-related personnel," Abhisit said.

"At this moment, our troops are stationed at their posts at the border to take care of our territory," he said.

Abhisit said he assigned concerned agencies, including the Foreign and Defence ministries, to contact their counterparts in Phnom Penh to seek channels for talks about compliance with the court's decision.

He said he believed the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee would be the best channel for the two countries to implement the ICJ's order. The GBC is co-chaired by the Thai and Cambodian defence ministers.

Abhisit also instructed concerned agencies to check for repercussions from the court ruling. The government will have to ensure observance of its obligations as a member of the United Nations as well as upholding the Constitution, particularly Article 190, related to the framework for international negotiations, he said.

Concerned agencies will study the legal requirements and consequences, to decide among other things whether compliance with the IJC's order needs prior approval from the Parliament, in accordance with the Constitution, he said.

"If it needs to pass through a parliamentary process, we will leave that duty to the new government," Abhisit said.

The caretaker prime minister said the ICJ's order had no bearing on the location of the border or Thai sovereignty. However, the so-called demilitarised zone set by the court covers a large area beyond the overlapping disputed area claimed by both sides. The court's demilitarised zone covers 17.3 square kilometres, whereas the disputed area is only 4.6 square kilometres, he said.

From Thailand's point of view, the demilitarised zone covers 8.5 square kilometres of Thai territory and the remaining 8.8 square kilometres belongs to Cambodia. But if looked at from the viewpoint of Cambodia's claim, Phnom Penh has to withdraw its troops from an area of 13 square kilometres. "So the court order does not affect only Thai territory," the PM said.

Abhisit said he had to mention the comparative sizes of the zone to clamp down on the fury of nationalists who believed that Thailand had lost territory to Cambodia following the court's decision.

Cambodia has about 4,000 soldiers in the zone, while Thailand has much fewer, he said.

The Cambodian government issued a statement yesterday expressing its appreciation of the court's decision and urging Thailand to accept and comply with the order.

It said Cambodia fully supported the order of court, which was completely responsive to its request for peace in the area of the Preah Vihear temple. Observers should be stationed in the provisional demilitarised zone and normal civilian activities allowed to continue, it said.

Phnom Penh did not say when and how it would comply with the court's order, but called on the Indonesian observers to carry out their mission as soon as possible and said it was ready to welcome and facilitate them.

Cambodia Foreign Minister Hor Namhong reportedly sent a letter of request to Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, asking Jakarta to dispatch its team of observers to the demilitarised zone as soon as possible.

-- The Nation 2011-07-20