By Saritdet Marukatat and Thanida Tansubhapol
Bangkok Post
After deadly violence on the border and an ongoing diplomatic spat over the area near the Preah Vihear temple, Thailand and Cambodia move to the negotiating table for two days - a meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) in Siem Reap.
The talks beginning on Monday aim to end the dispute over land near the temple, but Foreign Ministry Officials say early agreement is unlikely.
At the centre of the dispute is sovereignty over a 4.6-square-kilometre area between Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province and Preah Vihear province in Cambodia, adjacent to the ancient Khmer temple.
Foreign Ministry officials agree the issue will not be settled at a single round of talks because the two sides cannot even agree on which map to use. They both use different maps as the basis for their negotiations.
Thailand's position is that the watershed should define the border in the area near the temple, but Cambodia rejects this.
"I have lots of documents ready to counter Cambodia's point of view," Treaties and Legal Affairs Department director-general Virachai Plasai told a public forum organised by Chulalongkorn University's Institute of Asian Studies on Thursday.
He is one of the Thai negotiators led by retired career diplomat Vasin Teeravechyan. The Cambodian delegation is led by Senior Minister Var Kim Hong, an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The two countries gave priority to the JBC talks after the Preah Vihear temple received World Heritage listing in July. Thailand lost a World Court battle for ownership of the temple in 1962.
Thai officials are prepared for heated negotiations today and tomorrow, but say at least they are at the same table, and that should ease tensions at the border and in the two capitals.
"The aim of the meeting is to bring the conflict to the negotiating table," said a ministry official.
Hard-fought negotiations were better than fighting, another official added.
The crucial talks will be followed by a meeting between the two foreign ministers, Sompong Amornvivat and Hor Namhong, on Wednesday.
The row over Preah Vihear has spilled over into other spots along the 798-kilometre-long land border, including the Ta Muen and Ta Kwai temples. Thailand insists the temples are in Surin province's Phanom Dong Rak district.
The tension heightened after fighting between Thai and Cambodia soldiers on Oct 15 in the overlapping area as well as in Pha Mor E Daeng in Si Sa Ket.
Cambodia has complained to other countries that Thailand invaded its territory.
Bangkok's counter-moves include calling international attention to new landmines allegedly planted near Preah Vihear by Cambodia.
Hun Sen vowed to strengthen Cambodia's armed forces yesterday as he joined the country's king in celebrating the 55th anniversary of independence from France.
Speaking at an Independence Day parade, he made no mention of the border conflict but vowed to "push ahead with reform of the armed forces to ensure highly effective defence" of Cambodian territory. (With reports by AP)
The talks beginning on Monday aim to end the dispute over land near the temple, but Foreign Ministry Officials say early agreement is unlikely.
At the centre of the dispute is sovereignty over a 4.6-square-kilometre area between Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province and Preah Vihear province in Cambodia, adjacent to the ancient Khmer temple.
Foreign Ministry officials agree the issue will not be settled at a single round of talks because the two sides cannot even agree on which map to use. They both use different maps as the basis for their negotiations.
Thailand's position is that the watershed should define the border in the area near the temple, but Cambodia rejects this.
"I have lots of documents ready to counter Cambodia's point of view," Treaties and Legal Affairs Department director-general Virachai Plasai told a public forum organised by Chulalongkorn University's Institute of Asian Studies on Thursday.
He is one of the Thai negotiators led by retired career diplomat Vasin Teeravechyan. The Cambodian delegation is led by Senior Minister Var Kim Hong, an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The two countries gave priority to the JBC talks after the Preah Vihear temple received World Heritage listing in July. Thailand lost a World Court battle for ownership of the temple in 1962.
Thai officials are prepared for heated negotiations today and tomorrow, but say at least they are at the same table, and that should ease tensions at the border and in the two capitals.
"The aim of the meeting is to bring the conflict to the negotiating table," said a ministry official.
Hard-fought negotiations were better than fighting, another official added.
The crucial talks will be followed by a meeting between the two foreign ministers, Sompong Amornvivat and Hor Namhong, on Wednesday.
The row over Preah Vihear has spilled over into other spots along the 798-kilometre-long land border, including the Ta Muen and Ta Kwai temples. Thailand insists the temples are in Surin province's Phanom Dong Rak district.
The tension heightened after fighting between Thai and Cambodia soldiers on Oct 15 in the overlapping area as well as in Pha Mor E Daeng in Si Sa Ket.
Cambodia has complained to other countries that Thailand invaded its territory.
Bangkok's counter-moves include calling international attention to new landmines allegedly planted near Preah Vihear by Cambodia.
Hun Sen vowed to strengthen Cambodia's armed forces yesterday as he joined the country's king in celebrating the 55th anniversary of independence from France.
Speaking at an Independence Day parade, he made no mention of the border conflict but vowed to "push ahead with reform of the armed forces to ensure highly effective defence" of Cambodian territory. (With reports by AP)
2 comments:
the Cambodian delegations must stop the talk immediately if the Thais use their unilateral map. Or produce our own map and ask the Thais to accept it like they do. They don't even accept what they signed for how could we sit down and talk with them.
This will not end....the next Thais leadership will ignore the previous agreement and demand and create trouble with Cambodia, it's their tactics and strategy....if it's their you think they would sit down and talk with us? They'll just send in their army and take them......the Cambodian side should raise the stake......stop recognize the border anywhere along the Thai-Cambo.....they scratch our back we scratch their....
These reporters that are reporting the news are falsifying all the information and making it seemed like Cambodia is taking their land. Why didn't the Khmer army slaughter the 10 captured Thais. Then what will the Thais report about now. If you haven't notice all our provinces that is now in Thailand has been changed to Thai names same with Vietnam obviously our temples still standing and that is enough proof that piece of land was ours. We all know Thailand and Vietnam wants to be the next Cambodia that's why our temples still in their country but it's not gonna happen.
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