Thailand seeks "amicable" resolution of border dispute [-Thailand's all talk but no action]

Fri 24 Oct 2008

BEIJING (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, heading into talks on Friday with his Cambodian counterpart in Beijing, said he wanted an amicable solution to recent border clashes.

Somchai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met on the sidelines of an Asia-Europe summit which is focussed on the global economic crisis.

Thailand "hopes to solve the problem peacefully and amicably," Somshai told reporters, repeating a line used by both leaders in the past.

A Thai soldier died on Tuesday from wounds sustained on October 15 in a 40-minute firefight near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which is claimed by both countries. Three Cambodian soldiers were also killed.

It was the most serious border clash in years but tensions have now eased and both sides have said they do not expect any escalation in the conflict.

Hun Sen said last week there was no need for outsiders such as the United Nations or the Association of South East Asian Nations to get involved in the dispute.

The hilltop Preah Vihear temple has stirred nationalist passions in both countries for generations.

The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, a ruling that has rankled in Thailand ever since, but it failed to determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the Hindu ruins.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

[Thai] PM to restore Thailand's image at Asem summit

Friday October 24, 2008

(BangkokPost.com) - Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said he will use the summit of Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) to restore Thailand's international luster that has been diminished due to political turmoil.

Issues that he expected to be discussed at the summit include global financial crisis, as Thailand has experienced financial crisis in 1997, he said.

He will meet Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on Friday on the sidelines of the summit to discuss border conflict.

It will be the first meeting between leaders of both countries after clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers earlier this month.

One Thai soldier and two Cambodian soldiers were killed in the clashes.

Golf diplomacy to ease Thai-Camobdia border dispute

Thursday, October 23, 2008

SIEM REAP, Cambodia (AFP) — Cambodia's defence minister teed off with Thai military officials Thursday in a spot of golf diplomacy ahead of talks aimed at resolving a fierce border dispute.

A meeting of mid-level officials in Cambodia's northwest tourist hub Siem Reap was meant to pave the way for substantive talks on Friday between senior commanders on tensions that erupted into deadly clashes last week.

While their juniors met, Cambodian defence minister Tea Banh arrived a day early for a round of golf with Thai military men.

"The discussion today has resolved a lot of problems," Tea Banh told AFP on his way to the links.

"The meeting (Friday) will clearly ease the situation more because we will discuss ways to make it better."

The talks are aimed at resolving a simmering territorial dispute over land near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, which broke into a firefight a week ago that left one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers dead.

General Neang Phat, secretary of state at Cambodia's defence ministry, told reporters earlier Thursday that he thought commanders would reach an agreement to reduce the number of soldiers deployed in disputed territory.

"We will also talk about how to avoid military confrontation and to continue re-deploying the troops," he said.

Separately, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai opposite number Somchai Wongsawat are scheduled to meet Friday in Beijing on the margins of a summit between leaders of Asian and European nations.

Somchai told reporters Thursday that he wanted peace restored between the neighbours "as soon as possible."

"My meeting with Hun Sen is on the basis that we are close neighbouring countries that can never separate," Somchai said.

"We will have a good and amicable relationship with each other. If there is a problem, we will solve it with peaceful measures... If something needs to be done, we must do it to bring peace and order back as soon as possible."

Governors of four Cambodian and four Thai provinces affected by the border dispute also met Thursday in Siem Reap to discuss how to help local interests during the military standoff.

"The meeting (of governors) focused on cooperation of all sectors including trade and tourism," Siem Reap governor Sou Phirin told reporters.

"We want people on both sides to believe there is no armed conflict."

Cambodian and Thai military officials agreed to joint border patrols a day after last week's clashes between soldiers stationed on disputed land near the temple, which belongs to Cambodia.

But Cambodian commanders have since backed out, saying such patrols are not possible in disputed areas.

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia flared in July when Preah Vihear was awarded United Nations World Heritage status, rekindling long-running tensions over ownership of land surrounding the temple.

Off to Beijing

Thursday October 23, 2008
dpa, BangkokPost.com

Embattled Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat left Thursday for the two-day Asia-Europe Meeting Summit in Beijing where he faces a busy visit.

Mr Somchai and his entourage left at 10:40 am (0340 GMT) to Beijing, which will host the seventh Asem Summit on Friday and Saturday.

Mr Somchai, who has been Thailand's prime minister for only 35 days, will be a key player at Asem, especially on the sidelines of the summit.

He is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the two countries' joint claims to an overlapping 4.6 square kilometres of land adjacent to the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

"We are hoping the meeting will create more understanding," said Thai Foreign ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat. "Already the situation has improved, and we're hoping we can come back to the track we were following all along that this issue should be settled by bilateral talks," said Tharit.

On Oct 15, Thai and Cambodian troops opened fire on one another in the disputed zone near the temple in a confrontation that reportedly claimed two Cambodian dead and five Thais wounded, one of whom died in hospital earlier this week.

The temple was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in the Hague in 1962.

However, the ruling failed to state the common border in the area surrounding the temple complex, which is still subject to joint claims. The long spat escalated after the temple was named a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

Mr Somchai will also be tasked to explain to his Asem partners what the political situation is in Thailand.

Since being named prime minister last month, Mr Somchai has been under constant pressure to resign and dissolve his cabinet by the People's Alliance for Democracy. PAD leaders said on Wednesday they will continue their protests until they force the government to resign, call elections and adopt their "new politics".

Thailand's ongoing political instability is a worry for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations which will hold its annual summit in the kingdom in mid-December.

In light of the ongoing unrest in Bangkok, the government is mulling moving the Asean summit to the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.

"It's a possibility," confirmed Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit.

[Thai] PM to 'explain things' in Beijing

Thursday October 23, 2008
ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT
Bangkok Post

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat brings with him heavy luggage when he lands in Beijing today for the 7th summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem).

The Oct 23-25 visit to Beijing is Mr Somchai's first foreign trip since he was chosen Thailand's 26th prime minister 35 days ago by 298 votes against 198 in parliament.

Traditional courtesy calls to leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), earlier scheduled for last week, were cancelled due to political turbulence at home amid rumours of a possible coup against his administration.

Mr Somchai is perhaps the only Asean leader who might not make that protocol trip to Asean after all - as he is also tangled in possible court cases at home and his government is in a losing battle with the street demonstrations led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has occupied Government House since Aug 26.

Although Mr Somchai's alleged wrongdoing in connection with a land auction case was ruled "an act of carelessness" by the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC), and a lawsuit filed by Senator Ruangkrai Leekijwattana in the Constitution Court challenging his qualifications to become premier has yet to be decided, his image on the international stage is already tainted.

The situation regarding his beleaguered government has raised concern not only within Asean but also among friends from Europe and East Asia - they wonder whether he will still be around when Bangkok is scheduled to host the 14th Asean Summit in December, when the Asean Charter will officially take effect. The 61-year-old Mr Somchai, who is a brother-in-law of convicted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, must have adequate and convincing explanations ready for his foreign counterparts in Beijing.

Mr Somchai is scheduled to hold talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, with whom he has cultivated good relations thanks to the Thaksin connection. He will also have a bilateral meeting with Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, besides confirmed meetings with leaders from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia as well as a protocol meeting with the host, China.

In Beijing, Mr Somchai has with him Deputy PM Olarn Chaipravat (Finance Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech will not attend the meeting) to discuss with the other 44 Asem members (27 EU members, nine Asean countries, China, Japan, South Korea and new members India, Pakistan, Mongolia, Romania and Bulgaria) plus two organisations - the European Commission and the Asean Secretariat - issues regarding the looming impact of the global financial crisis.

The Thai premier also has with him Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat for discussions relating to Asean and Cambodian issues.

(It is interesting that Mr Somchai believes the military top brass back home will not stage a coup against his administration, though they have been calling on him to quit the post for the sake of national reconciliation.)

Mr Somchai believes the general sentiment overseas is still supportive of his elected government. He only needs to convince the world that the PAD-led battle against him has no legal validity and that he has to stay on to carry the torch of democracy. Of course he has street movements such as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship cheering him on. Jakrapob Penkair, former minister of the PM's Office from the previous Samak administration, has been acting as his de facto spokesman for the foreign community. If things work out in favour of his government, Mr Somchai thinks he will need two more months before clearing the exit runway.

The premier has even told his men to find a contingency venue for the Asean summit, as Bangkok might not be safe for dignitaries should things turn ugly against his government. He is thinking of Chiang Mai - a key base of the ruling People Power party and political stronghold of his wife who is Thaksin's younger sister - as a possible venue for the Asean summit in mid-December.

But we may have to weigh his performance on the international front according to his success in achieving guarantees from Hun Sen that the latter will not behave unpredictably against Thailand on border issues. It would certainly help smooth Thai-Cambodian interaction if parliament were to quickly endorse the provisional arrangement agreed on by former foreign minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong in Cha-am two months ago, so that experts could proceed with boundary talks. In the meantime, the flashpoint at Phu Makhua may need the regional border commission, which is meeting today in Siem Reap, to ease tensions.

Until parliament endorses the provisional arrangement, hopefully by next week, so that foreign ministry officials can negotiate with Cambodia properly, possible border or verbal conflicts with Cambodia cannot be ruled out. In which case the joint boundary commission, the proper channel to address sensitive matters, would not be able to function.

Biggest ASEM summit set to begin in Beijing

Thu, October 23, 2008
By Kittipong Thavevong
The Nation
Beijing

Leaders from 43 Asian and European countries as well as two important groupings from both continents gather for the Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting in the Chinese capital on Friday.

ASEM has come a long way and seen much progress since the first one was organised in Bangkok in 1996. At that time, the simple goal of holding a biennial summit of Asian and European Union leaders was to strengthen the relationship between the two regions.

Initially, the focus was on economic matters but later on the topics discussed have expanded to such issues as climate change, food security and, especially this year, global economic downturn. At the Beijing summit, a closing statement is expected to highlight the financial meltdown and economic slowdown facing the western part of the grouping.

China's Vice President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for more international cooperation to resolve the financial crisis. He was presiding over the opening of the 11th Asia-Europe Business Forum, which preceded the ASEM summit.

Critics often describe ASEM as a "talk shop", an international conference that produces no binding measures. However, some observers pointed to increased and closer cooperation between the east and the west and even among Asian countries.

Sebastian Bersick, a long-time observer of ASEM from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said that under the ASEM umbrella, countries from the European Union (EU) and Asia can now have more frequent discussions between them on various matters.

Also, he said, ASEM is generally tolerant of civil society and welcomes viewpoints from non-governmental groups. Civil society has managed to hold its parallel meeting during every of the ASEM summits from the first one in Bangkok 12 years ago.

However, certain hosts of ASEM appeared to be unhappy with civil society, according to Klaus Fritsche, manager of the Asiahouse who took part in the Seventh Asia-Europe People's Forum in Beijing last week. He said many of the people's forum participants had difficulties getting their visas to China. A similar problem occurred before the civil society's forum in Hanoi in 2004, he said. In that year Vietnam hosted the Fifth ASEM summit.

ASEM, an informal process of dialogue and cooperation, brings together all the 27 EU member states and the EU's executive body, the European Commission, with 16 Asian countries and the Asean Secretariat. Apart of the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), China, Japan and South Korea, three new member states from Asia - India, Pakistan and Mongolia - will be attending the biennial event for the first time.

And in addition to the European Commission, which has been an ASEM partner from the beginning, the Asean Secretariat will take part for the first time after its admission at the previous summit in Helsinki, Finland, two years ago along with the three new Asian member states. The Asean Secretariat will be represented by Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan.

The theme for the two-day ASEM 7 is "Vision and Action: Towards a Win-Win Solution".

"ASEM leaders will focus their discussions on political, economic and social and cultural issues, including issues related to sustainable development," said the summit's official website (www.asem7.cn).

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was scheduled to leave Bangkok for Beijing on Thursday. Other Asean leaders have arrived for the summit earlier in the week, including Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is expected to have an informal meeting with Somchai about a border dispute.

The Thai premier is also likely to meet with other Asean leaders at the side of ASEM, including Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Thai premier off to Asia-Europe Meeting with plenty on his plate

Thu, 23 Oct 2008
DPA

Bangkok - Thailand's embattled Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat departed Thursday to attend the two-day Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Beijing where the soft-spoken leader can look forward to a busy visit. Somchai and his entourage departed at 10:40 am (0340 GMT) to Beijing, which will host the seventh ASEM Summit on Friday and Saturday.

The diminutive Somchai, who has been Thailand's prime minister for only 35 days, will be a key player at ASEM, especially on the sidelines of the summit.

He is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the two countries' joint claims to a contested 4.6 square kilometres of land adjacent to the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, the source of a sovereignty dispute for more than five decades between Thailand and its neighbour.

"We are hoping the meeting will create more understanding," said Thai Foreign ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat. "Already the situation has improved, and we are hoping we can come back to the track we were following all along that this issue should be settled by bilateral talks," said Tharit.

On October 15, Thai and Cambodian troops opened fire on one another in the disputed zone near the temple in a confrontation that reportedly claimed two Cambodian dead and five Thais wounded, one of whom died in hospital earlier this week.

Preah Vihear, a Hindu temple perched on the Dongrak mountain range that vaguely defines the Thai-Cambodian border, has been a source of nationalistic breast-beating on both sides since the late 1950s.

The temple was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in the Hague in 1962, although many Thais still dispute the ruling, which was based on a French-drawn border map.

The court failed to rule on where the common border lay in the area surrounding the temple complex, which is still subject to joint claims that turned into a military spat in July this year shortly after temple was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Somchai will also be tasked to explain to his ASEM partners what the political situation is in Thailand.

Since being named prime minister last month, Somchai has been under constant pressure to resign and dissolve his cabinet by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a loose collation of conservative groups fanatically opposed to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his political allies.

Somchai is Thaksin's brother-in-law and a senior member of the People Power Power (PPP) that won the most seats in the December 23, 2007, general election on a pro-Thaksin platform and leads the current coalition government.

The PPP is deemed a proxy party for Thaksin, a billionaire former telecommunications tycoon who was toppled by a coup in September, 2006, and currently lives in self-exile in London with his family.

Thailand's ongoing political instability is a worry for the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) which will hold its annual summit in the kingdom in mid-December.

In light of the ongoing unrest in Bangkok, where the PAD has seized Government House - the seat of the executive - and continues to hold protests, the government is mulling moving the ASEAN summit to the northern Thai city Chiang Mai.

"It's a possibility," confirmed Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit.

Amidst Thai-Cambodia spat, Asem meets in China

Wednesday October 22, 2008
By Bill Smith

NOTE: The Asia-Europe summit runs from Friday to Saturday

Beijing (dpa) - This week's largest ever gathering of Asian and European leaders was planned to focus on efforts to combat climate change and promote sustainable development, but those efforts now look likely to be overshadowed by the need to respond to the global financial turmoil.

The Thai and Cambodian prime ministers are expected to discuss their nations' recent border skirmish on the sidelines of the meeting.

Talks between the prime ministers of India and China, and between the leaders of South Korea and Japan, should be other highlights among the dozens of bilateral sessions expected.

But discussions on the financial crisis and economic recession are likely to dominate the two-day summit.

Talks on the financial crisis are expected to be "very intense" between leaders of the 27 European and 16 Asian nations at the seventh biannual Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in Beijing, Serge Abou, the EU ambassador to China, told reporters.

"The main thing is to come out with strong and united messages conveying confidence," Herve Ladsous, the French ambassador to China, said of the talks on global finance.

"China has made it very clear that they will contribute towards a common effort," Ladsous said.

Separate "clusters" of discussions are planned on banking and financial systems, he said.

Expansion of cooperation between Asia and Europe in trade and service industries could play an important role in resolving the financial crisis, Yi Xiaozhun, China's vice-minister of commerce, said on Monday.

"In addition to stabilizing financial markets, open, stable and fair international trade relations are very important for restoring confidence and getting over the economic difficulty," state media quoted Yi as saying.

Asia and Europe "really need an agreement on free trade," Abou said.

"We sincerely hope that this year's conference will give a push to the trade talks," he said.

This year's Asem summit includes several new members, notably India and Pakistan, meaning the delegates represent a combined 50-60 per cent of the global population and economy.

France, which holds the rotating European Union presidency, will present an Asem statement on climate change under the theme of "Vision and action: towards a win-win solution."

Host nation China has drafted another joint statement on the financial crisis, while the EU wants to mark the 60th anniversary of the universal declaration on human rights with a "summit commitment to implementing human rights," said EU officials in Brussels.

The officials said the EU would push for "the maximum commitment we can get" from Asia on signing up to a post-Kyoto deal on climate change at talks in Copenhagen in December 2009.

But China and other Asian nations appear unlikely to shift from their insistence that European and other developed countries must take the lead on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"China is a big energy consuming power in the world, so we face lots of pressure," Zhang Haibing, an economist at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The ruling Communist Party's promotion of leader Hu Jintao's "scientific outlook on development" reflects the importance that China attaches show to environmental issues, Zhang said.

China also wants to make more use of advanced environmental technology from EU nations, she said.

"The main difference between China and the EU is the idea of 'common but differentiated responsibilities'," she said, referring to China's support for the UN principle of different goals for developing and developed nations.

Despite the anticipation of several joint statements, Zhang said the Asem meeting was "not likely to reach any substantial achievement."

But she denied that bilateral meetings between the leaders would be more important than the main forum, except perhaps for "certain countries or under certain circumstances."

The Asian nations attending the summit are the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), China, Japan, South Korea and new members India, Pakistan and Mongolia.

"The recent turbulence in the international financial market has dealt a blow to the world economy and aroused the concern of the entire international community," Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said in a speech to an Asem forum last week.

"No country in the world can expect to stay away from such issues as global warming, environmental degradation, resource shortage and the increasingly grave international economic and financial situation or address them on one's own," Yang said.

"In this connection, strengthened cooperation between Asia and Europe not only serves the immediate need but also has a long-term strategic significance," he said.

Beijing border talks? [- Another border contention point in Sala Trimuk]

Wednesday October 22, 2008
Bangkok Post Reporters

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat hopes to discuss the border dispute with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Summit (Asem) in Beijing on Friday and Saturday.

Mr Somchai said on Tuesday the time and date had not yet been arranged.

He hoped the talks would return the relationship to normal and ease the tension over the 4.6 sq km disputed area between Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket and Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia.

Also on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry protested against the deployment of Cambodian troops in another overlapping area, at the Trimuk Pavilion, which Thailand claims as part of Ubon Ratchathani province.

Director-general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department Virachai Plasai summoned Cambodian Charge d'Affairs Ouk Sophoin to receive the protest note.

It said the boundary in the area was still subject to tripartite negotiations between Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. The presence of Cambodian troops was causing unnecessary tension, said Mr Virachai.

The ministry says nine armed Cambodian troops have been deployed at the pavilion since Sept 18. Thailand claims it is in Nam Yuen district. Laos and Cambodia also claim sovereignty.

"The ministry delayed the protest because it wanted to the check facts first," Mr Virachai said, and called on Cambodia to promptly withdraw its troops.

The cabinet appointed Vasin Teeravejayarn the Thai chairman of the Joint Boundary Commission to demarcate the land border with Cambodia. He was nominated by Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat.

Government spokesman Nattawut Saikua said Mr Vasin is a former ambassador to South Korea and former director-general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department. He will take up the post on Nov 10.

Meetings have not been scheduled because the government wants parliament to approve the talks for fear of breaching the charter.

One of the seven Thai soldiers wounded during the fighting on Oct 15 was pronounced dead on Tuesday morning.

Volunteer paramilitary ranger Bunyarit Kantee died at Sappasitprasong hospital in Ubon Ratchathani.

He was hit by shrapnel while guarding the border at Phu Makheu, near Preah Vihear.

His body was taken to Ban Natruan temple in Si Sa Ket's Phu Sing district for the bathing rite.

Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn and HRH Princess Srirasm provided wreaths for the funeral ceremony. HRH Princess Soamsawali has provided royal bathing water.

A royal funeral rite will be held at the temple on Monday .

Second Army deputy commander Maj-Gen Veevalit Jornsamrit said the army has already given 800,000 baht compensation to the ranger's family.

Asian leaders in talks to end spat

October 21, 2008
From correspondents in Bangkok
Agence France-Presse

THE Thai premier has agreed to talks with his Cambodian counterpart this week in China after a long-running border spat escalated into a deadly shootout, a Thai government spokesman said today.

THAI Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat confirmed he would hold talks with Cambodian premier Hun Sen on the sidelines of a Beijing meeting between leaders of Asian and European nations on October 24 and 25, spokesman Nutthawut Saikua said.

"The prime minister had informed his cabinet during a meeting that he made an appointment to meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen while both are attending the (Asia-Europe) meeting in China,'' Mr Nutthawut said.

An adviser for Hun Sen told reporters Monday that the Cambodian premier was expecting to meet with Somchai in Beijing.

Somchai, who has only been in power for one month but is already rattled by local political turmoil, was forced to cancel traditional familiarisation visits to neighbouring Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, and Myanmar this month.

Thai and Cambodian military officials meanwhile are scheduled to hold talks Thursday in Siem Reap aimed at calming the territorial dispute which last week erupted into fighting that killed one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers.

The firefight erupted between soldiers stationed on disputed land near Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple.

Emergency talks the day after ended with Cambodian and Thai officials agreeing to joint border patrols - which have not started yet - but offered no lasting solution to the military stand-off along the border.

Tensions between the neighbours flared in July when Preah Vihear was awarded United Nations World Heritage status, rekindling long-simmering tensions over ownership of land surrounding the temple.

Hun Sen Hopes To Meet Somchai in Beijing

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
21 October 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

Prime Minister Hun Sen hopes to meet with his Thai counterpart during several international meetings in Beijing this week, following military clashes on the border and continued political turmoil in Thailand.

Hun Sen left for Beijing Monday, to attend an Asean meeting and a round of ASEM talks between European and Asian leaders.

Adviser Sri Thamrong told reporters at the airport Hun Sen would meet with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao and hoped to meet with Thailand’s new prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat.

Somchai is facing increasing pressure from opposition protesters in Bangkok to step down, as Thailand’s months-long political upheaval continues and in the wake of gun battles last week that left three Cambodians and an unknown number of Thais dead.

The Bangkok Post reported Somchai as saying he would attend the meetings in Beijing and would meet with Hun Sen if there was opportunity.

Thai and Cambodian prime ministers want Beijing talks

Tue 21 Oct 2008

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat plans to meet his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, in Beijing this week for talks on recent clashes along a disputed stretch of their border, the foreign minister said Tuesday. Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat said the two sides were trying to fix a meeting for Friday on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe summit in the Chinese capital.

"We are working on a time slot for the two leaders to discuss what we should do next," Sompong told reporters before a cabinet meeting.

Cambodian officials also say a bilateral meeting is planned.

A Thai soldier died Tuesday from wounds sustained on October 15 in a 40-minute firefight near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which is claimed by both countries. Three Cambodian soldiers were also killed.

It was the most serious border clash in years but tensions have now eased and both sides have said they do not expect any escalation in the conflict.

Some analysts link the eruption of fighting on the border to the political instability that has roiled Thailand for the past three years, and which appears to be reaching another climax.

The Thai army has been under pressure from an anti-government street campaign to oust Somchai in a coup and some analysts suggest the clashes could be a way to divert public attention to the border from domestic politics.

Hun Sen said last week there was no need for outsiders such as the United Nations or the Association of South East Asian Nations to get involved in the dispute.

Somchai said he was looking forward to meeting Hun Sen in China. "It will be nice to have a talk with him," he said before a cabinet meeting Tuesday.

The hilltop Preah Vihear temple has stirred nationalist passions in both countries for generations.

The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, a ruling that has rankled in Thailand ever since, but it failed to determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the Hindu ruins.

(Reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Alan Raybould)

Foreign Minister: PM wants border talks at Asem

Oct 21, 2008

(BangkokPost.com) - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sompong Amornvivat said Prime Minister and Defence Minister Somchai Wongsawat would like to discuss the progress of Thailand and Cambodia to settle the border dispute with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen at the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem), which will be held from Thursday to Saturday in Beijing, China.

According to Mr Sompong, if there is enough time and opportunity at Asem, the Thai prime minister would like to hold informal talks with Cambodia even though the Cambodian premier may turn down the opportunity.

In addition, Mr Sompong said he will propose Vasin Teeravechyan, the former ambassador to South Korea, to chair the Joint Border Committee (JBC) between Thailand and Cambodia at the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Somchai expressed interest to hold informal talks with the Cambodian counterpart at Asem, if the chance arises.

Mr Somchai believed the border tension should ease, if bilateral talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen takes place.

Thai PM sees possible bilateral talks with Cambodian PM at ASEM summit

BANGKOK, Oct 21 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said he expected to have an opportunity for bilateral talks with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen to discuss the two countries' ongoing border dispute on the sidelines of the Asia and European Union (ASEM) leaders summit that opens in Beijing on Friday.

The Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 7) will be held in Beijing October 24-25.

Mr. Somchai said it would be good opportunity if he could hold talks over the disputes with Cambodia's Premier Hun Sen.

Meanwhile, Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat said he was seeking the right time for Thai and Cambodian leaders to meet during the summit.

It would depend on adjusting time during the hectic schedule of the summit, he said, adding that the best possible chance would be during the evening of October 24.

An adviser to the Cambodian prime minister said Monday that Mr. Hun Sen planned to meet with Mr. Somchai during the summit and that the current stand off at the Cambodian-Thai border will be the most important topic of their talks.

The meeting would be the first face-to-face talks between the two leaders since a deadly gunbattle erupted October 15 between Thai and Cambodian soldiers at a disputed border area near the ancient Khmer Preah Vihear temple.

One Thai soldier and two Cambodian soldiers died as a result of the clash.

ASEM 7 summit will be the first gathering of leaders of 45 Asian and European partners since its second round of enlargement in 2006.

The overarching theme of ASEM 7 is 'Vision and Action: Towards a Win-Win Solution'.

During the summit ASEM leaders will focus their discussions on political, economic, social and cultural issues, including issues related to sustainable development.

The summit will provide a good opportunity for expanding and deepening dialogue on an equal footing and mutually-beneficial cooperation between Asia and Europe to ensure win-win progress for the benefit of peoples of ASEM partners, according to the event's organisers.

Cambodian PM Plans Talks With Thai Premier In China

10/20/2008
By RTT Staff Writer

(RTTNews) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen plans to hold talks with his Thai counterpart Somchai Wongsawat this week in Beijing after a long-running border dispute near Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple escalated into a deadly exchange of fire last week, media reports, quoting a Cambodian official said Monday.

The two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of a meeting between leaders of Asian and European nations October 24 and 25.

"During his stay in Beijing, the prime minister will bilaterally meet with the Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao and we have planned to meet with the Thai prime minister as well," Hun Sen's advisor said.

"We are planning this meeting (with Somchai)," he said, before Hun Sen left for China Monday from Phnom Penh, without giving more details.

However, Somchai said in Bangkok that no specific meeting had been planned with Hun Sen, but confirmed that he would be in China from October 23 to 25 and was open to talks.

"The Cambodia issue needs to be discussed between the two countries," he said. "(Talks) depend on whether there is an appropriate atmosphere and an appropriate time available or not."

Thai and Cambodian military officials meanwhile are scheduled to hold talks later this week in Siem Reap to calm tempers after two Cambodian soldiers were killed and seven Thai troops injured in a exchange of fire last Wednesday.

Emergency talks the following day with both Cambodian and Thai officials agreeing to joint border patrols -- which have not started yet -- but offered no lasting solution to the military stand-off along the border.

Tensions between the neighbors flared after talks to end months-long standoff over land near Preah Vihear -- a United Nations cultural heritage site inside Cambodian territory -- failed.

The conflict first arose in July when the U.N. accepted Cambodia's submission to name Preah Vihear a World Heritage site, with both countries dispatching troops to the border.

The situation quickly escalated into a military confrontation, with up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops in an eye-ball-to-eye-ball confrontation for six weeks, although both sides in August agreed to reduce the troop numbers in the disputed area.

Cambodian PM plans talks with Thai premier in China: advisor

Monday, October 20, 2008

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — The prime ministers of Cambodia and Thailand plan to hold talks this week in Beijing after a long-running border dispute escalated into a deadly shoot-out, a Cambodian official said Monday.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expects to meet his Thai counterpart Somchai Wongsawat on the sidelines of a meeting between leaders of Asian and European nations on October 24 and 25.

"During his stay in Beijing, the prime minister will bilaterally meet with the Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao and we have planned to meet with the Thai prime minister as well," Hun Sen's advisor Sri Thamrong told reporters.

"We are organising for this meeting (with Somchai)," he said before Hun Sen departed for China on Monday from Phnom Penh.

Sri Thamrong declined to give more details on the talks.

A Thai government spokeswoman confirmed Somchai was going to China but did not give dates. She said she had no information on talks with Hun Sen.

Thai and Cambodian military officials meanwhile are scheduled to hold talks later this week in Siem Reap aimed at calming the situation after two Cambodian soldiers were killed and seven Thai troops injured last Wednesday.

The firefight erupted between soldiers stationed on disputed land near Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple.

Emergency talks the day after ended with both Cambodian and Thai officials agreeing to joint border patrols -- which have not started yet -- but offered no lasting solution to the military stand-off along the border.

Tensions between the neighbours flared in July when Preah Vihear was awarded United Nations World Heritage status, rekindling long-simmering tensions over ownership of land surrounding the temple.

Hun Sen to meet Somchai at the ASEM sideline to discuss border dispute

Thai, Cambodian leaders to discuss border dispute

Monday, October 20, 2008
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia's prime minister plans to meet with his Thai counterpart later this week to discuss the tense border dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbors, Cambodian officials said Monday.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat will meet on the sidelines of a summit of leaders from Asia and the European Union that opens in Beijing on Friday, said Sri Thamrongk, an adviser to Hun Sen.

A Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman, Koy Kuong, said the "current stand off at the Cambodian-Thai border" will be the most important topic of the talks.

A Thai government spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

The meeting would be the first face-to-face talks between the two leaders since a deadly gunbattle erupted Oct. 15 between Thai and Cambodian soldiers at a disputed border area near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

The fighting, which killed two Cambodian soldiers and wounded 10 from both sides, sparked fears of war between the countries.

Both sides agreed to joint patrols along the border to ease tensions. Troops remain on alert at both sides of the border.

The fighting was the latest flare-up in a decades-old dispute over a stretch of jungle near the Preah Vihear temple. The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty over surrounding land has never been clearly resolved.

Hun Sen, accompanied by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh, left Monday for a weeklong visit to China. They planned to attend a trade exposition before heading to the summit in Beijing.