The Jakarta Post
Indonesia, as the holder of ASEAN’s current chair, recently hosted a brief foreign ministers meeting in Jakarta to help Cambodia and Thailand settle their heated border dispute over the Preah Vhear temple.
Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya spoke to The Jakarta Post’s Mustaqim Adamrah about how ASEAN is managing its new bilateral dispute mechanism. Below are excerpts from the interview:
Question: Why did Thailand accept a proposal to send Indonesian soldiers to the disputed border?
Answer: I think if there are no third parties [at Preah Vhear], then you could say that you shot first, or I shot first, and so on.
We have the experience of Thai military observers who were in Aceh and Timor Leste at the request of the Indonesian government. There’s nothing new here.
We agreed to have Indonesian Military observers, 15 members on each side of the border, to observe.
The other point is to help...the joint border committee [and the] ministers of defense of Thailand and Cambodia to meet.
I think Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to the resumption of bilateral negotiations.
I think it’s a recognition of the role and the ability of the ASEAN Community to settle disputes between countries. It means that…we will not have to burden the United Nations and the Security Council of the United Nations.
Thailand previously wanted to solve the dispute bilaterally without third party involvement. Do recent developments signal a change in Thai policy?
This is a bilateral solution. But I think it’s just like when you play tennis with two. You know you can have a referee, or have a doubles partner.
If we could go on bilaterally without having to trouble Indonesia, we would. But since at the moment we need the presence of Indonesia as facilitator, why not?
I don’t think [Thai policy] has changed. We even proposed bilateral negotiations, especially [for] the joint boundary committee. I think it was sometimes accepted, sometimes refused, by the Cambodian side.
In order to make it compatible with Cambodia, Indonesia will come to facilitate.
How will Thailand maintain the ceasefire?
There is no problem because I think from the very beginning we did not shoot first. And we don’t see any point to armed conflict. It’s nothing. At the end of the day, you have to come back to the negotiating table.
We are major exporter to Cambodia. We want to trade. We are becoming a more and more important investor. I think we have an obligation to ASEAN connectivity.
[The dispute] doesn’t make sense and at the same time we are providing a lot of assistance to Cambodia. We are a provider of development [support]. What’s the point of the conflict?
We don’t dispute [ownership of]the temple, but the land around the temple.
What’s the best solution to the dispute?
I think it has to be negotiations. I think we have a memorandum of understanding [MoU] between Thailand and Cambodia from the year 2000. In the memorandum of understanding it says which documents should be used as a basis for negotiations.
Take for example the treaties between Siam — the old name of Thailand — and the French colonial power in Thai-Indochina a hundred years ago, 1904-1907.
Some of the agreed minutes of the joint commission endorsed some of the maps made by the French.
All of these are documents that could provide a basis for further negotiations.
In fact we have been negotiating for a couple of years — six, seven, eight years already — and have made progress under the MoU.
For example, there were 73 border posts a hundred years ago. Now we have discovered 48 of them. You have to find the [remaining] 25.
Among the 48, we have verified half of them, the rest have yet to be verified.
So there’s progress and they are being suspended.
What we need now is for the joint border committee to resume. Then they [can] instruct the technicians to walk on the ground and go and find out where the [remaining] border posts are.
5 comments:
ពួកយើងជាកូនខ្មែរ ឈាមខែ្មរ ត្រូវពិចារណាថា អ្វីដែលបាត់បង់ទៅហើយយើងពិបាកនឹងទាមទារយកមកវិញណាស់ មិនមែនថាងាយ ធ្វើងាយតាមដែលយើងគិតទេ
ដូច្នេះយើងគួរតែថែរក្សារបស់ដែលវានៅសល់ នោះវាល្អប្រពៃណាស់ទៅហើយ កុំគិតតែបានស្រែកជេរគ្នាតាម វិទ្យុ អ៊ិនធើណេត ។ល។ ការជេរគ្នា រវាងខ្មែរនិងខ្មែរគ្នាអែងដូច្នេះវានាំអោយមានការរិះគន់ពីបរទេស ជាពិសេសប្រទេសជិតខាងយើងហើយអ្នកទទួលរង្គ្រោះពីការរិះគន់ខ្លាំងជាងគេគឺ ពុកម្ដាយ បងប្អូន ញាត្តិមិត្តយើងវិញទេ ដែលពួកគាត់គ្មានដឹងអីបន្តិចសោះបែរមកទទួលទោសជំនួសពួកយើងវិញ តើយើងមានគិតខ្លះទេ?
ពីខ្ញុំ ជនអប្រិយ
Why do Kos Trol, sea and lands proximately over 10 000 km2 have been lost to Vietnam by who treaty? Why don’t Cambodia goverment transparencies explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 and what's about over 10 000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Kos Trol, Sea and lands over 10 000km2 have been lost to Vietnam by who treaty at 1979 to 1985 treaty! Treaty! Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protect a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group rather in the real name of protecting Khmer nation?
Cambodian army at front line suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition, their families have no health care help, no securities after they die but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning with young girls message, have super health care from oversea medical treatment, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make Cambodian people suffer everyday as Cambodian people know already.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that result lost over 10 000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why don't they transparency inform all Cambodian and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't include Kos Trol (Kos Trol size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapoor with heap of great natural resources) in education system in Cambodia.
Look at Hun Sen families, relatives; friends are billionaires, millionaires where do they get the money from if we all just get out of war with empty hands? Hun Sen always say in his speech Cambodia just get up from war, just get up from Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% innocent Cambodian people are so poor struggling with living every day.
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
Khmerization is starting to practice prejudice and discrimination action due to the comment has to be approved by Khmerization blog otherwise they don't publish the comment. That is limited of freedom of speech and expression. So Khmerization only approve the commend that only serving their political advantage in news. Khmerization is not difference at the news in Cambodia.
This spiral tail DOG is crying to leak for a peace of old Khmer's bone.
Are you a majour developement helping Khmer?, assistent to Cambodia? the unswer is NO and NO.Your assistent to Cambodia is not thruthful, is ostensibly maner, you have built the roads just part of your strategy, a preparation to invade Khmerland, you have invest in Cambodia 1- you want peace of cambodian groth, 2- You spy on us about how much Cambodian increase yearly income in National level GDPgroth,3- You want to display AH Siam nation portray has a good relation with Cambodia before invatio, and to the world in order to justify you dark skimish hand invasion Cambodia as you have been comitting actually in the Preah Vihea Temple as same as along the border. All of these your Siamese mouth stinky all over, you mind is comparable to a figs fruit. you must remove all your troop back to where it was before 15/2008, the court of justice will revail the thruth. down to you!
KHmerization hates people who talk about Kos Trol, sea and lands about 10 000km2 to Vietnam. Khmerization try to silence Ms. Rattana Keo about Kos TRol, sea and land 10 000km2. Khmerization tries to play blame game to Ms. Rattana Keo. Khmerization is killing every Cambodian who talks about Kos Trol. Ms. Rattana Keo keeps talking about Kos Trol, sea and lands over 10 000km2 to Vietnam because No Khmer men dare to speak out about this out loud. They are get into politic and news to serve their own interest in money in every generation of Khmer. Khmerization tries to silence one defend less woman that remind Khmers about Kos Trol, sea and lands over 10 000km2 have been lost to Vietnam injustice to all Cambodian people. Shame on khmerization News! Khmerization only serves their interest in political gain.
All real patriot Khmers die for nothing to serve the optician in every generation. Politian get rich and Khmer people keep suffer every day.
All Cambodian readers beware, I used to be a very big fan that inspired by KI and Khmerization but today I can see their real face and political gain purpose. Beware all Cambodian people! Politian gets rich but Khmer people like you and me are getting suffered every day.
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