Tea Banh: Prawit agrees on Indo GBC

30/03/2011
Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has agreed to attend the General Border Committee (GBC) meeting in Indonesia on April 7-8, Gen Tea Banh said.

The Cambodian defence minister said this in Phnom Penh in an interview with Bangkok Post on Tuesday.

Gen Prawit had repeatedly said he would not go to the GBC meeting, scheduled to be held in Bogor, Indonesia, on April 7-8. He said the GBC should be held in either Cambodia or Thailand, not in Indonesia or any other third countries.

Gen Tea Banh claimed he had talked over this matter with Gen Prawit and that the Thai counterpart agreed to go to the Indonesia meeting.

He said he would himself leave for Indonesia on April 6.

"The Thai side can't insist in not going because it has agreed with the United Nations Security Council and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to let Indonesia mediate talks with Cambodia," Gen Tea Banh said.

"I still believe Gen Prawit will definitely go to Indonesia on April 7-8. I'll be waiting for him over there," he added.

An informed source said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has made it a policy for the Cambodian army to follow that in talks with the Thai counterpart it must insist in not withdrawing Cambodian troops from the 4.6 square kilometre disputed area.

Hun Sen said Cambodian soldiers are duty-bound to remain in the area, regardless of for how long.

His objective is for Thailand to accept observers from Indonesia into the disputed area for inspection, the source said.

The source said Hun Sen would not be happy if he happened to see a Cambodian soldier talk to a Thai soldier in the Thai language.

"The prime minister said Cambodian soldiers must speak Cambodia, or talk through an interpreter if necessary," the source said.