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| The gate at the Chong Jom border pass which separates Thailand’s Kap Choeng district from Cambodia’s O-Smach area remains locked yesterday with the O-Smach Resort standing in the background. TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD |
3/05/2011
Wassana Nanuam and Thanida Tansubhapol
Bangkok Post
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on Sunday night flew to Paris to meet three legal advisers from France, Canada and Australia to discuss Cambodia's move.
Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon says he wants Thai-Cambodian border conflict talks to be held this month. Defence spokesman Col Thanathip Sawangsaeng said Gen Prawit was ready to meet his Cambodian counterpart on the condition that Cambodian soldiers stopped firing at Thai troops.
Gen Prawit had ordered the Thai military to contact Cambodian authorities to advance the bilateral General Border Committee meeting from June to this month as he wanted the panel to meet as soon as possible.
He said yesterday he had not yet arranged a meeting with Cambodian Defence Minister Gen Tea Banh as he wanted to ensure a truce was honoured.
"Now there is nothing to talk about. A truce must happen first. I believe there is a positive sign," Gen Prawit said.
Lt Gen Tawatchai Samutsakhon, commander of the 2nd Army, who attended a meeting of the Internal Security Operations Command in Bangkok yesterday, said cross-border shellings by heavy artillery from both sides had stopped.
Although fighting with small firearms has continued, he believed peace would return to the border soon.
A military source said army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha had ordered army deputy chief-of-staff Sirichai Ditthakul, who heads the army outpost in Surin, and army assistant chief-of-staff Wilas Arunsri to closely monitor and assess the situation and work out a long-term border solutions.
The Thai defence minister said Gen Prawit had discussed the border problem with Chinese authorities during a visit to China last week. He denied Gen Prawit had lobbied China for support.
"Gen Prawit did not make any request for China to negotiate with Cambodia because China will not intervene in the affairs of other countries. China supports bilateral solutions," Col Thanathip said.
He said Thailand and China agreed to continue with joint weapon development and large-scale military exercises.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry has received Cambodia's petition to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the ministry's Legal and Treaties Affairs Department is studying it.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said the ICJ sent Cambodia's request for legal clarification to the 1962 ruling on the Preah Vihear temple.
He said the Legal and Treaties Affairs Department is studying the measures which were mentioned in the Cambodian statement issued last Friday.
The ICJ will consider whether to accept Cambodia's request and might interpret the ruling at the same time.
Mr Thani said the ICJ would inform Thailand at an appropriate time when to send information to defend the case.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on Sunday night flew to Paris to meet three legal advisers from France, Canada and Australia to discuss Cambodia's move.
1 comment:
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 30,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 30,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 30,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 30,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
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