Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Cambodian, Thai foreign ministers hold border talks

12 November 2008
AFP

SIEM REAP, Cambodia: The foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand held talks Wednesday aimed at resolving a long-running and deadly border dispute.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and his Thai counterpart Sompong Amornviwat met after negotiators struggled this week to agree how to defuse a four-month military stand-off and resolve competing territorial claims.

Negotiating teams from both countries began talks Monday at a hotel in Cambodia's tourist hub Siem Reap, drawing up plans for discussions between the two foreign ministers.

This week the countries agreed to jointly demarcate land and remove landmines as soon as possible from their disputed border around the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

But the leader of Cambodia's delegation said Tuesday that both sides "need more time and high-level decisions" to make real progress.

Shortly after earlier talks between the foreign ministers failed last month, troops from the two countries clashed on October 15 on disputed land near the ancient Khmer temple, killing one Thai and three Cambodians.

The Cambodian-Thai border has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

The most recent tensions began in July when the Khmer temple was awarded United Nations World Heritage status, rekindling a long-running disagreement over ownership of the surrounding land.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

removing landmines around Preah Vihea to let thai come and go as they please.

The land what they call disputed area legally belong to Cambodia, but if we say we want Bang kok then Bang Kok became disputed area the the Thai have to remove all the lady boy and prostitute to dump on the landmines.

That is fair!!!

Vannak

Anonymous said...

The countries agreed on the demarcation and landmine clearance. How about Thaaland sending troops to Cambodian sites destroying lots trees, frightening Cambodians and demaging the naga? Does our be_loved government ever think of those points?

Anonymous said...

Just stay out of the mountain, and everything will be alright.

Anonymous said...

Stay off the mountain which have landmines ;)

Anonymous said...

Thai negotiator want Khmer to change their temple name to Preah Viharn!

Anonymous said...

you know why these neighboring aggressors keep thretening us again and again? I don't need to give the answer, just take a good look at Taiwan and Israel; the leaders of these two countries are real leaders: they are patriotic! they spend money to buy modern weapons and fighting air plane to defend their beloved countries, while the absolute, despicable, and reckless rulers of Cambodia rob the nation fulfil their own greed. I count them from King Sihanouk down to Hun Sen.