Cambodian, Thai Border Disputed Improved: ASEAN Chief

2012-04-05
Xinhua

The situation of Cambodian and Thai border dispute at the area next to the 11th century Preah Vihear temple has been much improving even though there has been no presence of Indonesian observers to monitor a ceasefire so far, Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said Thursday.

According to their observation, "there is no more violence on Cambodian and Thai border," he told reporters on the sidelines of the International Conference on Political Public Relations in the ASEAN-context.

He said the two sides have been working through their bilateral mechanisms towards the deployment of Indonesian observers and he hopes that everything is under control.

"From the perspective of ASEAN, any problem or difficulty with and among any member would not be desirable," he said, adding "it would give an impression of insecurity and instability and would affect our profile in the world."

Cambodia and Thailand has border conflict just a week after the UNESCO approved Cambodia's bid to have the Preah Vihear temple named a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008 and witnessed fierce clashes in February and April 2011 during Thailand's Democrat Party rule.

Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers of scrub next to the temple.

However, the military tension has eased since the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory in the general elections in last July.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 18, 2011 ordered Cambodia and Thailand to immediately withdraw their military personnel from the Provisional Demilitarized Zone of about 17 kilometers on the disputed border near Preah Vihear temple and allow ASEAN observers (Indonesians) to access to the PDZ to monitor ceasefire.

So far, neither Cambodia nor Thailand has withdrawn its troops from the area.

Surin said he did not know when the observers would be deployed.