Thai Embassy May Get Thai Army Guards

[george]

Thai embassy may get Thai army guards

Deployment would be done delicately

The army is considering sending soldiers to guard the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, despite improving ties between Thailand and Cambodia one year after the anti-Thai riots last January.

If the army decided to go ahead, the deployment would only be for a short period, said Gen Vichit Yathip, the army's chief adviser.

Relations between the two neighbours have improved since the rioting in Phnom Penh on Jan 29 last year during which the Thai embassy and private businesses owned by Thais were attacked and looted.

If the army decided to send its soldiers to help guard the embassy, their deployment would be on a small scale and handled as a delicate matter, Gen Vichit said.

Although the embassy's office is set to reopen on Monday, the rest of the building is still under renovation.

Repairs to the conference hall are expected to take another three months to complete.

Work on the ambassador's residence, which suffered the most severe damage during the riots, will take another six months.

Meanwhile, 50 members of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's personal bodyguard unit are training at the Armed Forces Security Centre in Bangkok.

Their two-month course is set for completion at the end of February.

--Bangkok Popst 2004-02-04