Thanida Tansubhapol
Bangkok Post
Signs of conflict between the Foreign Ministry and the Thai Army emerged when Supreme Commander Songkitti Jaggabatara said last week that Indonesian observers would not be allowed to enter the disputed border area.
Gen Songkitti also said an agreement the Foreign Ministry had reached with Cambodia and Indonesia to send Indonesian observers to the disputed border area "has nothing to do with the military".
The deal was made on Feb 22 when Indonesia, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, called the Asean Foreign Ministers meeting in Jakarta to resolve the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. The meeting ended with the two countries accepting an Indonesian observer team be stationed along their common border.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya did not directly respond to Gen Songkitti's comment but said Thailand is an open society and everybody is free to express their opinions.
Mr Kasit confirmed he held talks with Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha over the Thai-Cambodian issue almost every week.
But he could not make public details of the discussion because some issues have not been finalised.
"Although we [the ministry and the army] have different opinions, we can still sit and talk with each other," Mr Kasit said.
Regarding the deployment of Indonesian observers, a ministry source said the only inconclusive section of the terms of reference was the "areas of coverage". This is an important point because it determines where the Indonesian observers team will be stationed.
In fact, the Foreign Ministry and the army have both agreed that the Indonesian observers should not be posted in the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area.
The army also planned to inform the Cambodian military about the Thai stance regarding the Indonesian observers at the General Border Committee (GBC), which is led by defence ministers from Thailand and Cambodia.
But the army changed its mind and refused to join the GBC meeting when Cambodia, the host of the next GBC meeting, insisted the talks must be held in a third country, which is Indonesia.
This has led to the impasse and prompted Mr Kasit to offer to clear the issue during a meeting with Gen Prawit last Wednesday. Although Mr Kasit has decided to take over from the Defence Ministry the task of defining the roles of Indonesian observers and the locations along the Thai-Cambodian border where they would be posted, it could not handle the matter alone, the source said.
3 comments:
Siem thuggish leaders claimed that it is disputed area? Disputed area base on what? Is it base on Siem unilateral map? ahahahahha
Cambodian leaders have moved beyond the Siem unilateral map to Indonesian observers!
There is no such thing as disputed area and it is purely Siem's invention to prolong the border conflict! If Siem thuggish leaders seek conflict and military confrontation and they will have it! Cambodia will not be threaten by Siem thuggish behavior and a few jet fighters!
There is not conflict what so ever between Siamese army and Siamese Gov't, this typical Siamese trick has been designed to play the game with with the other sourounding nation especially on terrytorial when Siamese read to encrauche control neigbhour lands. This tricky slicky move Siam alway get advantage every century, this is theive tactics.
Thais and Viets are together behind and making this conflicts in Cambodia. Thais will fall into Yuon trap if they don't help Khmers to chase Yuon out.
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