Wednesday, February 09, 2011

[Thai] Govt spurns help from the UN

FMs agree to bilateral talks in a third country

9/02/2011
Thanida Tansubhapol and Achara
Bangkok Post

Thailand has rejected United Nations intervention in the Cambodian border dispute, saying it is not a failed state and therefore can handle the issue itself through bilateral talks.

Foreign Ministry officials yesterday reaffirmed the country's belief in a bilateral approach and rejected calls by Phnom Penh to involve outside agencies.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva meanwhile telephoned UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon last night to clarify the facts about the clashes.

Details of their conversation were not released, but earlier he said he would tell Mr Ban that Thailand had not attacked Cambodia or its civilians.


Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said he spoke with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong yesterday and they agreed to holds talks in a third country.

After being approached by Phnom Penh, the UN Security Council said it would be willing to hold a meeting to discuss the conflict.

"Members of the council expressed great concern at the aggravation of the tension on the border," said Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, the Brazilian ambassador who is president of the Security Council for February.

"They called for a ceasefire and urged the parties to resolve the situation peacefully," she said of the fighting which has claimed eight lives and displaced thousands.

"They expressed their willingness to hold a Security Council meeting," she was quoted as saying by Agence France Presse.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said in Bangkok yesterday he had received clear messages from Thailand and Cambodia that both countries would find a peaceful solution to the problem.

Mr Natalegawa met with Mr Kasit for 40 minutes yesterday to discuss the conflict on the last leg of his two-nation tour to Cambodia and Thailand to help end the conflict.

Mr Natalegawa said Indonesia, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, was encouraging Bangkok and Phnom Penh to solve all of their border problems through bilateral mechanisms.

He said he believed there was space for Asean and its members to support the bilateral efforts of the two countries to resolve the conflict.

"Any engagement by Asean and by any individual country is not to replace the bilateral approach. On the contrary, it is to support it," he said.

Mr Kasit said Mr Natalegawa asked how Asean could support the two countries in restoring peace and prosperity to the grouping.

He said he had also talked with Hor Namhong on the telephone yesterday afternoon and they agreed to hold talks in a third country to find a solution to the border row.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdee said Thailand and Cambodia would try to settle the dispute when they meet later this month at the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC).

A ministry source said Thailand opposed Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's demand for the Security Council to intervene. "If the UNSC really wants to intervene in the two countries' border problems, the international body should obtain a consensus from both countries first," he said.

The source said Thailand could not agree to the UNSC's idea of holding talks with its members, as it was not a failed state and the border problem could be solved bilaterally.

He said Cambodia was using the UN card to encourage intervention from the international community.

Hun Sen said in his letter to the UNSC on Sunday that Thai soldiers had launched a full-scale offensive against Cambodian troops despite a truce agreement following clashes on Friday and Saturday.

Thailand responded to the letter by sending a protest note to the UNSC accusing Phnom Penh of provoking the border dispute that led to clashes over the past four days.

The border fighting between Thai and Cambodian soldiers ended on Monday.

Cambodian ambassador to Thailand You Ay said the JBC was the correct venue to discuss bilateral issues under normal circumstances.

She suggested during a seminar on Thai-Cambodian relations in Bangkok yesterday that the International Court of Justice would be a more appropriate forum to sort out the conflict.

The ICJ ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear temple was in Cambodian territory and Thailand was obliged to withdraw its troops around the temple, she said.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why Thailand don't want talk with UN if Thailand is sure this land belong to them??

Anonymous said...

Can not trust the thief. They've been flip-flop since the start. Why they can make all the decisions, why not Cambodia? Cambodia knows that bilateral talk produces no result. It's about time to get a third party or international involves. Thailand has been harassing Cambodia in the past. It's time to hit them back in the head. If they want war, let them come. They can kill us, we can kill them too, they're not robots.

Anonymous said...

the way of thai play as a gay ,he want to play their own hand without married .thai scare all the truth that can reveal to their people , that piece of land 's,4.6 km2 belong to cambodia .

Anonymous said...

Thailand has repeatedly violated Cambodian sovereignty even after the World Court verdict of 1962!...this is not something new...we have records at the UN on Siem invasions of Cambodia from the 1954 up to now.

Anonymous said...

Thailand is not a failed state but it acts as a fail state. Cambodia has been patient to work with Thailand to resolve the issue but we go nowhere. We all know that it is Thailand's interest to keep the issue alive to continue poking on Cambodia for their political gains. Like it or not time has passed; Cambodia is not waiting for Thailand any longer. We have called on the UN to mediate the issue and Cambodia can move to development. Thais can fight each other.

Anonymous said...

dog will be dog.

Anonymous said...

Thailand affraid the world knew about their bad behavoir! Thailand look down on Cambodia for so long, its time to let them know that we can kick Thai ass with bamboo stick...Khmer don't need modern weapons, just a simple bamboo stick is good enough, we will skew Thai ass with bamboo stick...hahaha! 32 death, more than 50 wounded! How' you felt right now..bitch!

Anonymous said...

How many more third countries do they want to use for the wasteful bilateral talks?
At the PM’s level, they talked in New York City, Brussels, Hanoi etc.
More than 2 years of nonsense bilateral talks are enough. Thailand does not want a third party involvement because she will lose the case.

Anonymous said...

Thailand is stupid man! If they smart, they agree and joints cambodian new development plans, both Thailand and Cambodia will make lots lots of money...in that regions alone! If Thailand still hard head, continue to fight with cambodia, the result is LOST!!!!CAMBODIA win win...Thailand has nothing to prove?

Anonymous said...

If Thai believe Preah vihear belongs to them ,why are they afraid of the UN getting involved in solving the conflict between them and Cambodian ? If Thai got nothing to hide , lets go the UN and solve this problem. The more Thai refuse to let the UN solve this problem , the more they show that they are afraid because they are wrong .
Khmer Ga

Anonymous said...

Stupid Hun Sen is going to talk with the Thai again???

This is rubish, they both just playing game with the lives of the innocence soldier.

Hun Sen and Abhisit You two are an ass holes.

Anonymous said...

We don't care what the Thai think anymore. We do what will bring long lasting peace and prevent future intrusion from the Thai.

Anonymous said...

Thailand and Vietnam
has had been haras -sing Khmer after
Khmer empire decli -
ning.It has had hap-
pened because Khmer
king or leader
always depended on
one or the other
to overcome his oppo
-nent.
Sihanouk wanted to
defeat Lon Nol and
Sirik Matak,he relied on Vietcong
to take power back.
Khmer Vietminh and
Hun Sen escaped to
Vietnam, conquered
Pol Pot were depen-
ding on Vietnam govt
soldiers.
Who will depend on
Thai to defeat Hun
Sen?
Will he be able to
foil over Vietnam,
Cambodia,and Lao?
Khmer must get along
with each other,not
to depend on Thai
and on Vietnam or
other superpower to
defeat among Khmer.
Khmer must depend on
themselves and solve
peacefully and democratically in peaceful way.

Anonymous said...

bilateral talk by yourself, ok, siem, cambodia never agree to your so-called bilateral talk because there are two separate issue here, the preah vihear issue and the bilateral economic development, etc... here, we are working on settling your illegal demand to steal our preah vihear temple and easy accessway, we never have problem with bilateral trades, exhange, etc, ok! we only have problem with your illegal demand to steal our preah vihear, get it! so, don't mix the two separate issue up, ok! one at a time!

Anonymous said...

they don't want cambodia to use the 1907 map because stole lands from cambodia during the 1980s. they afraid the 1907 map will prove that! that's why they came up with their own unilateral map, you know! cambodia won't let them! they will flex their chimpanzee muscle at us, but we told them we only go by 1907 map, really!

Anonymous said...

you know, when they stole cambodia lands, they forget that 1907 exist, that's why they are embarrassed that they got caught and the law catched up with them! that's why they pretend to rankling despite they knew the law already! it's called insult on cambodia and the world, etc, you know! that's why they think they can forever go against it. i think sooner or later the UN security council will ask to take a look at the 1907 map and voila! the key to solving the fake dispute! you watch! it's going to be interesting how siem react to it!