SI SA KET, Sept 13 (TNA) – Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya on Sunday met with senior Cambodian military officers and later visited Thai military posted near the ancient Preah Vihear temple to boost their morale.
Before his talks with Gen Chea Dara, deputy commander-in-chief of Cambodia’s armed forces, Mr Kasit attended a briefing by officers from Thai Army Region 2, responsible for security affairs in northeastern Thailand, on disputes between Thailand and Cambodia in the area near the 11th century temple.
He was told that clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces have taken place four times since July last year, immediately after UNESCO—the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization—granted Cambodia’s application for Preah Vihear temple to be designated a World Heritage Site because Thailand and Cambodia use different maps on which to base their territorial claims and negotiations are needed to solve the problem.
The officers said that the Thai government had repeatedly asked the Cambodian government to follow the joint agreement both countries signed on June 14, 2000 after local Cambodian residents built a market and homes near the contested Wat Keo Sikha Kiri Savara.
Admitting that he still did not know when the border row over Preah Vihear temple might end, Mr Kasit told journalists that he would try to accelerate negotiations, including reducing the number of troops posted at the temple, as soon as possible.
He said that future approaches to resolving the border disputes would be carried out in accordance with the existing legal framework. Mr Kasit emphasised that the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia would have an opportunity to meet again during the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Thailand next month.
Regarding requests for reopening a Thai national park near the temple which would help boost tourism, Mr Kasit said its opening would depend on the talks which the two countries will conduct.
Reopening the national park would benefit both tourism and ASEAN’s stability, and both countries should resolve the temple problem reasonably, he said.
Both Thailand and Cambodia are members of ASEAN.
Before his talks with Gen Chea Dara, deputy commander-in-chief of Cambodia’s armed forces, Mr Kasit attended a briefing by officers from Thai Army Region 2, responsible for security affairs in northeastern Thailand, on disputes between Thailand and Cambodia in the area near the 11th century temple.
He was told that clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces have taken place four times since July last year, immediately after UNESCO—the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization—granted Cambodia’s application for Preah Vihear temple to be designated a World Heritage Site because Thailand and Cambodia use different maps on which to base their territorial claims and negotiations are needed to solve the problem.
The officers said that the Thai government had repeatedly asked the Cambodian government to follow the joint agreement both countries signed on June 14, 2000 after local Cambodian residents built a market and homes near the contested Wat Keo Sikha Kiri Savara.
Admitting that he still did not know when the border row over Preah Vihear temple might end, Mr Kasit told journalists that he would try to accelerate negotiations, including reducing the number of troops posted at the temple, as soon as possible.
He said that future approaches to resolving the border disputes would be carried out in accordance with the existing legal framework. Mr Kasit emphasised that the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia would have an opportunity to meet again during the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Thailand next month.
Regarding requests for reopening a Thai national park near the temple which would help boost tourism, Mr Kasit said its opening would depend on the talks which the two countries will conduct.
Reopening the national park would benefit both tourism and ASEAN’s stability, and both countries should resolve the temple problem reasonably, he said.
Both Thailand and Cambodia are members of ASEAN.
4 comments:
Thailand is a formidable, unreasonable, tricky, territorially greedy and yet permanent neighbour of Cambodia.
Like it or not Cambodia has to deal with this border issue and the only way to do it is through peaceful negotiation.
How long will it take for this negotiation to complete, nobody knows, but hopefully it will be short.
I just hope that once the negotiation is finished, the Cambodian government is smart enough to complete (or build) a good road to the temple from the Cambodian side.
The Thais will insist on the access to Preah Vihear from their side remaining open and for good relation with them and tourist money, the government of Cambodia will agree to that. This is a reasonable act to do.
However, my recommendation is that whatever we charge for the access fee to enter Preah Vihear temple from the Cambodian side, that amount should be multiplied by at least 5 if the access into the temple is from the Thai side, in other words it will cost you five times more to enter Preah Vihear from the Thai side. Also hopefully the money earned through these fees are properly used to maintain the temple and improve the roads leading to it from the Cambodian side.
For the sake of our country, I just hope the officials in charge of the money have enough conscience and will not touch it for their own personal gain.
It is about time these Khmer officials, whoever they are, give a little bit back to their beautiful country by refraining themselves from touching such money.
Don't just build fortune for yourself who will die in the near future, build also your beautiful country so it can last for eternity and your name shall remain with the people of Cambodia forever.
Anet Khmer
3:34 AM
Absolutely right! We can charged them 10 times more.
Stupidest
Individual
Attempted
Murderer
Shoot and burns them alive if they cross over like 10/15/08, show no more mercy, they did to our people, we must do the same to them!
Thai animals
Thai barbarians
Thai thieves
Thai whores
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