Foreign Ministry: Cambodian premier to attend ASEAN Summit

BANGKOK, Oct 2 (TNA) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will attend the 15th Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Summit in the Thai seaside report of Hua Hin at the end of this month, a senior Thai foreign ministry official said on Friday.

Speaking to journalists after a preparatory meeting planning arrangements for the upcoming ASEAN summit scheduled for October 23-25, Veerasak Futrakul, Permanent-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said bilateral talks between Thai and Cambodian leaders regarding the border dispute near the ancient Preah Vihear temple has not yet been set up.

The Thai permanent-secretary for foreign affairs added that an attempt to solve the border dispute is underway through the existing mechanism agreed by both sides.

Tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border near the 11th century temple renewed after the Cambodian premier announced on Monday that he had ordered his troops to shoot any intruders from Thailand who stepped on Cambodian soil.

Mr Hun Sen's stern statement came shortly after yellow-shirt protesters of Thailand's Peoples’ Alliance for Democracy (PAD) rallied in the Thai province of Si Sa Ket to oppose Cambodia's plan to build new structures in the contested 4.6 square kilometres zone surrounding Preah Vihear temple and clashed with local police and residents.

The United Nations cultural body UNESCO approved Cambodia's sole bid in July last year to list the 11th century temple as a world heritage site while the question of sovereignty over the land has never been clearly resolved.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva however shunned Mr Hun Sen's threat, saying his remarks were aimed for his domestic benefit and had happened many times.

He also affirmed the situation at the border is normal, the kingdom also remains ready to protect its sovereignty.

Cambodian premier says he will attend ASEAN summit

Jan 12, 2009
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia's prime minister will attend next month's summit of the Association of Sout East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in neighboring Thailand despite hinting last week he would boycott the meeting, media reports said Monday.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said last week that attending this year's series of ASEAN meetings would be too costly and time consuming, but Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told The Phnom Penh Post newspaper that the premier definitely would attend.

'I would like to confirm that Prime Minister Hun Sen will attend the ASEAN meeting in Hua Hin, Thailand, from February 27 to 28 and March 1,' Hor Namhong said.

The meeting was originally scheduled for mid-December 2008 but was postponed and relocated due to ongoing domestic political turmoil in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have been simmering since July last year when a border dispute at an ancient Hindu temple erupted into a brief military skirmish.