Hun Sen: Thai troops must also leave border DMZ

2011-07-22
By SOPHENG CHEANG
Associated Press

Cambodia's prime minister said Friday that Thai soldiers must be withdrawn from disputed border territory at the same time as his country's troops to comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice.

Prime Minister Hun Sen told reporters that the mutual withdrawal will stop flare-ups of fighting in the area and benefit both countries.

The Netherlands-based court on Monday created a small demilitarized zone along the border around the centuries-old, Cambodian-owned Preah Vihear temple and ordered the armed forces from both countries to withdraw. Neither Cambodia nor Thailand has set a date for doing so.

Hun Sen's comments at a news conference were his first since the court decision, which came in response to an appeal by Phnom Penh. Cambodia also asked for clarification of the 1962 court decision awarding it the temple, to see if it can resolve the dispute over 1.8 square miles (4.6 square kilometers) of land around it.

The land became an issue after Thai nationalists protested when Cambodia in 2008 successfully applied to have the temple granted U.N. status as a World Heritage site.

Since then, the dispute has become an issue in Thai domestic politics and led to several border clashes, most recently in February, which saw tens of thousands of civilians displaced on both sides and at least 16 people killed, mostly by artillery fire.

Thai officials say they want to meet with their Cambodian counterparts to discuss the withdrawals, and they insist that the observers not be allowed in to the area until Cambodian troops have withdrawn. However, they also say they will leave the matter to a new government, which should be installed early next month after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's Democrat Party was defeated in a July 3 general election.

Cambodia has said it want the observers in place before withdrawing its troops. The two countries agreed in May to admit observers from Indonesia, but the plan has still not been implemented.

Hun Sen said Friday that he is ready to hold a meeting with Thailand and a third party to discuss the withdrawals.

Thailand has long insisted on bilateral talks while Cambodia seeks the involvement of a third party _ in practice, Indonesia, as current head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Cambodian leader also said he welcomed observers, who could stay wherever they liked.