Ministry denies talk of reopening Thai access to Preah Vihear temple

A defense Ministry spokesman yesterday denied Thai media reports that Cambodian Minister of Defence Tea Banh had discussed the potential reopening of access to Preah Vihear temple from the Thai side of the border during recent talks.

Asked to respond to an article in the Bangkok Post that said Banh had acknowledged preparations were under way to reopen passage from Thailand’s Sisaket province – which was closed in 2009 amid military skirmishes around the contested 11th-century temple – Defence Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat maintained the report was inaccurate.

“I would like to confirm that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Tea Banh did not talk at all about the Preah Vihear temple issue during the meeting in Thailand, even during the press conference. The report by the media was not true,” Socheat said.

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