Sunday, April 24, 2011

No Alternative to Genuine Border Talks: Surin

Sunday, April 24, 2011
The Nation

The secretary-general of Asean called on Thailand and Cambodia to return to the negotiating table to settle border dispute.

"The world and Asean have been alarmed by the new outbreak of violent and fatal clashes along the Cambodian-Thai border. The appeal for restraint and a quick return to the negotiating table will become louder from the Asean and dialogue partners. I can only add my voice to that call for a peaceful solution to a long simmering tension between our two Asean Member States. There is really no other alternative to a genuine dialogue between the two sides, " said Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of Asean.


Dr. Surin Pitsuwan has worked hard behind the scene to support Indonesia, the current Chiar of Asean, to convene the unprecedented February 22 meeting in Jakarta of the Asean foreign ministers devoted specifically to the bilateral border conflicts between the two Asean neighbors, Cambodia and Thailand. We thought we had responded effectively to the call of the UN Security Council's of February 14 with our own Asean's approach to the problem of our two member states," said Dr. Surin, who is a former Foreign Minister of Thailand.

"The renewed fighting not only disappointed the other Asean Member States, we have also failed the world in its expectation of all of us."

"Not only tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border having to suffer the consequences of displacement and evacuation away from the on-going violence, we also risk the judgment of the global community that its faith and confidence in us have been misplaced. That will, unfortunately, have a very negative impact on our region as a whole, " Dr. Surin lamented.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Surin spoke as if he is unaware of his country's several govenments were committing malfeasance against the International Court of Justice ruling on Preah Vihear and border recognition.

Surin is the elitist in the Democrat Party inner circle and stanch protege of Abhisit,all along. It's time to let Surin go from being the Secretary General of ASEAN.

Under his watch,in spite of UN calls and Cambodia earnest inetent,the ASEAN Secretariat is commanded by Singapore check book to serve Thailand egotiscal agendas and Singapore market expansion. He is certainly no help to achieve ASEAN's harmonious existence and economic community by 2015.

The Great Khmer Empire said...

Blame it on your damn thief country, Thailand, Dr. Do not sugar coding it. Who is invading whom, Dr. Surin? Your country with a hefty annual military budget of $4.6 billion or our country with a spec of 4191 million. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. I'm sick and tired of these damn rhetoric of ceasefire and peacefull dialoque. That's what we Cambodian have been doing. But your damn war-mongers country always want to make trouble starting war. Shame on you.

The Great Khmer Empire

The Great Khmer Empire said...

Corrections:
$191 million not 4191 million

Anonymous said...

Anh min tov negotiate with khmer te voey. boe khmer min tvoe kar kamnot prom daen thmei doc vietnam.