Friday, March 25, 2011

Thailand Still Wants Border Watchers [-Does Thailand know what it wants?]

March 25, 2011
Ismira Lutfia & Camelia Pasandaran
AFP

The Foreign Ministry has not received any formal notification from Thailand that it rejects an Asean plan to send Indonesian observers to the disputed Thai-Cambodia border, a spokesman said on Thursday.

We have not received a formal communication from our counterpart, the Thai Foreign Ministry, on the matter,” ministry spokesman Michael Tene told the Jakarta Globe.

Thailand’s army chief, General Prayut Chan-O-Cha, said on Wednesday that the observers were not wanted in the disputed area near an 11th-century temple because it was too dangerous and would only complicate matters.

Prayut said the Thai defense ministry, armed forces and military commanders rejected the idea of outside monitors, but conceded it was up to the government to decide.

A Thai government spokesman denied, however, that there had been any change in Bangkok’s position, and said a joint border committee would be convened to iron out the details of the observers’ mission.

At the Presidential Palace, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Indonesia would only proceed with the plan if it was invited by both Cambodia and Thailand to send its observers.

“The options [for Cambodia and Thailand] are clear. Either it is handled by Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] or the UN Security Council,” he said.

A meeting of foreign ministers from Asean in Jakarta last month decided on a regional plan to send Indonesian observers to both sides of the disputed border to ensure that a cease-fire agreed to by the two countries was respected. Both countries had agreed to accept the observers.

Marty said at the time that the decision reflected Asean’s and both countries’ confidence in Indonesia, and that despite existing cynicism, Indonesia could play a role in mediating conflict between Asean member states.

Indonesia has sent its proposed terms of reference that lay out the scope of mandate for the observer teams and has prepared teams to be stationed on each side of the border, each comprised of 13 unarmed military officers and two civilians from the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry.

The ministry said earlier this month that it had received favorable responses from both countries of the proposed terms. However, further details were to be laid out soon, such as identifying the working areas for the observer teams to monitor.

Another meeting between Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand on the matter is slated to take place in Indonesia sometime in April.

Michael said the teams would be deployed as soon as the terms were finalized.

“Both countries have agreed on most of the references, but there are still one or two matters that they have yet to agree on.”

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

well...Let the Siem thuggish leaders keep barking about for not wanting the observers! Cambodian leaders don't need to listen to the Siem thuggish leaders because it is fucken annoying and nagging!

Damn these fucken Siem thugs never stop bitching!

Anonymous said...

Thailand wants bombs from Muslims

Anonymous said...

i way i see it, siem have too many people running their gov't, unlike cambodia which have a clear position and clear leaders, in siem country, everyone of them all want to be a leader, thus we see the problem of undecisiveness like flip flopping, etc! siem don't have a clear agenda or a real leader that make an official decision; all of them kept making opposite decision of one another. now, that's way too much ineffective democracy style going on in siem country, you know!

cambodia is way better when it comes to making decision, of having one or a few leaders; siem is the ultimate failure in the name of so-called democracy. they are way too extreme in their approach, etc, if you ask me, ok! i like cambodian way better, now think about it! don't be biased with my country cambodia, ok!

Unknown said...

KI-media ! please stop talking about Preah Vihear. It's just a trick from Hun Sen.

Anonymous said...

Most of ThaiSiamesesPAD Thuggish Leaders Especially Gen.Thai Armies by not knowing Suffring is caused by desires from Greed,Anger and Delusion.

How can we deal with these supid Thuggish leaders...? They ThaiSiamesesPADThugs don't even respect Inernational Law/International Court and Natural Laws, they came fron the South Africa used to live in the jungles and eating their own shit drank only urinal water that's why they tunderstand only Jungle Laws.

Anonymous said...

siem democracy is way too extreme, you know. when anyone take anything too extreme, instead of benefitting from it, they actually give it a bad name. yes, in the case of siem thugs, their so-called western democracy is way too extreme. i believe cambodia is better than that consider we just woke up from crazy KR rule, etc. may god bless cambodia and all our beautiful khmer people and citizens.

Anonymous said...

The Thai govt is barking;the Khmer govt is woofing.So both are barking or woofing.They are doing business together and fighting each other.
The one is flip flopping and the other is flop flipping.
Have fun two silly guys.
Let forget the East and see the West.
The Hun Sen is catching big fishes and small fishes.There are so many bad fishes that he can catch.

Anonymous said...

In the so called democratic Thailand there are too many groups that are running the country. These include the fucken PAD, the fucken Thai Buddhist Asoke Nationalist, the Thai Parliarment, the Thai police, and the Thai army. Cambodia has no choice but go back to the UN security council again to complain about Thai agression..