WASSANA NANUAM AND REUTERS
Bangkok Post
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said he would seek face-to-face talks with Cambodian leader Hun Sen after the recent border clash near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple.
"I am looking for the right time to talk with him. We should have an opportunity to talk," Mr Somchai told reporters after visiting Thai troops stationed along the border yesterday.
The Thai leader echoed Hun Sen's comments on Friday that outside mediation was not necessary to solve the dispute.
"This is between Thailand and Cambodia. We should not let other countries get involved," Mr Somchai said.
Both sides have tried to ease tensions since at least two Cambodian soldiers were killed in Wednesday's 40-minute firefight.
Two Cambodians and seven Thais were wounded.
Both leaders were expected to attend an Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in Beijing next week to discuss the global financial crisis, but it was not clear whether they would meet on the sidelines.
Thailand's Second Army commander Lt-Gen Wibulsak Neepal said border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia are likely to ease soon as Cambodia is expected to be more willing to enter talks with Thailand.
He said military officers from both sides have been in regular contact and have worked closely together over the past two days.
"The situation should improve. Both sides have had lunch. We have been coordinating all the time," he said.
Lt-Gen Wibulsak, however, admitted that as long as Thai and Cambodian troops are stationed face-to-face, clashes at the border are possible.
Lt-Gen Wibulsak said army commander Gen Anupong Paojinda had given him full authority under the "Chakkri Phuwadol" national defence plan to take retaliatory measures in the event that Cambodian forces fired artillery across the border.
He said Thai troops would retaliate within reason but would try to prevent any small skirmishes from escalating.
Meanwhile, a Thai soldier patrolling at Phu Ma Khua was accidentally killed by a bullet from his own gun yesterday.
Private Winyu Polpruek, who was attached to the Second Infantry Battalion, suffered a gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to hospital in Ubon Ratchathani, where he was pronounced dead.
"I am looking for the right time to talk with him. We should have an opportunity to talk," Mr Somchai told reporters after visiting Thai troops stationed along the border yesterday.
The Thai leader echoed Hun Sen's comments on Friday that outside mediation was not necessary to solve the dispute.
"This is between Thailand and Cambodia. We should not let other countries get involved," Mr Somchai said.
Both sides have tried to ease tensions since at least two Cambodian soldiers were killed in Wednesday's 40-minute firefight.
Two Cambodians and seven Thais were wounded.
Both leaders were expected to attend an Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in Beijing next week to discuss the global financial crisis, but it was not clear whether they would meet on the sidelines.
Thailand's Second Army commander Lt-Gen Wibulsak Neepal said border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia are likely to ease soon as Cambodia is expected to be more willing to enter talks with Thailand.
He said military officers from both sides have been in regular contact and have worked closely together over the past two days.
"The situation should improve. Both sides have had lunch. We have been coordinating all the time," he said.
Lt-Gen Wibulsak, however, admitted that as long as Thai and Cambodian troops are stationed face-to-face, clashes at the border are possible.
Lt-Gen Wibulsak said army commander Gen Anupong Paojinda had given him full authority under the "Chakkri Phuwadol" national defence plan to take retaliatory measures in the event that Cambodian forces fired artillery across the border.
He said Thai troops would retaliate within reason but would try to prevent any small skirmishes from escalating.
Meanwhile, a Thai soldier patrolling at Phu Ma Khua was accidentally killed by a bullet from his own gun yesterday.
Private Winyu Polpruek, who was attached to the Second Infantry Battalion, suffered a gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to hospital in Ubon Ratchathani, where he was pronounced dead.
3 comments:
Cambodia has be careful about siem,they ever talk true to our government.
I don't know why Cambodian leaders refused the third party mediation. The Thai leaders had been conducting a very abusive foreign policy toward Cambodia for years and why would Cambodian leaders still want to hang on the Thai abusive relationship? Are Cambodian leaders being condition to accept the Thai abusive foreign policy?
The relationship between the Thai leaders and Cambodian leaders are no different from the relationship between the husband and the wife! In this case, the wife get beat up mentality and physically and she refuse to go to authority(third party) to get some help because she still think that her husband is still a very good husband because of the her undying blind love for him! At the end of the day, she will look at herself in the mirror and see her broken nose, broken lip, and broken arm, and missing teeth, and swollen purple eye, and torn ears... So by the time, the authority find out what is right and what is wrong and she end up dead!
Cambodian leaders must accept third party mediation now! In the world there are higher institutions such as the United Nations, the world court, and foreign embassy which can help smooth out international social order which help planet Earth to be a beautiful place to live!
Cambodian people and Cambodian leaders can't allow themselves to be abused by the Thai politic any longer otherwise more arm confrontation to come!
Third party mediation would mean that an objective third party would look at the existing borders established by the world court's prior decision. Thailand, violating international law by its incursions into Cambodia and this is a fact that any objective third party would see.
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