Cambodian PM expects peaceful settlement for border dispute with Thailand

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- A peaceful settlement of the 39-day-long military stalemate against Thailand at the border areas can be expected in the near future, said Prime Minister Hun Sen ina letter addressed to his Thai counterpart Samak Sundaravej here Thursday.

"I have full confidence that the meeting of the Cambodian-Thai Joint Border Commission (JBC) in early Oct. 2008, followed by the next meeting of the two foreign ministers, will bring about a peaceful settlement to the border issues not only in Preah Vihear Temple area, but also the entire border region between Cambodia and Thailand," he said in the letter issued here Friday to media organizations by the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

"I sincerely hope that the second meeting between the head of the Cambodian Contemporary Coordinating Task Force and the head of the Thai Regional Border Committee on Aug. 29, 2008, as agreed during the second foreign ministers' meeting in Hua Hin province of Thailand on Aug. 18-19, will result in removal of all the remaining troops at the areas around the Preah Vihear Temple and cessation of all military build-up in other border areas," he said.

"I am extremely pleased that you share my views that our two countries can resolve this issue in a peaceful and amicable manner, as we continue to cherish our long lasting friendship and good neighborliness," he added.

During the meeting on Aug. 18-19, Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers agreed to arrange a second-phase troop redeployment at the disputed border area near the Preah Vihear Temple in the eponymous province of Cambodia.

Both sides will convene a meeting between the Head of the Cambodian Temporary Coordinating Task Force and the Head of the Thai Regional Border Committee on Aug. 29 in Cambodia to discuss the second-phase of redeployment.

The two foreign ministers also agreed to recommend to their governments that the next meeting of legal experts and the Thai-Cambodian JBC be convened in early Oct. 2008 to discuss the issues related to the survey and demarcation of the relevant sectors under the term of reference and master plan of the JBC.

On July 15, Thai troops went into the border area to fetch three trespassers who had intended to claim Thai sovereignty over the Preah Vihear Temple. However, the troops stationed there ever since, thus triggering the military standoff and propelling both sides' military personnel to grow over a thousand in the border areas.

During the time, Thai troops respectively entered the Keo SikhaKiri Svara Pagoda, which is constructed on the only way leading to the Preah Vihear Temple, as well as the Ta Moan Toch and Ta Moan Thom temples in neighboring Oddar Meanchey province of Cambodia.

On Aug. 16, most of the troops at the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda and within the surrounding area of the Preah Vihear Temple were evacuated according to both sides' agreement.

The Preah Vihear Temple straddles the Cambodian-Thai border atop the Dangrek Mountain and was listed as a World Heritage Site on July 7 by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice decided that the 11-century temple and the land around belong to Cambodia, which rankled the Thais and has led to continuous disputes.

Cambodia confident of resolution of border dispute

2008-08-22

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodia's prime minister reassured his Thai counterpart Friday that he expects they will find a timely and comprehensive solution to their territorial dispute, which recently led the two neighbors close to an armed clash.

Hun Sen told Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej in a letter that the two countries can solve their border imbroglio «in a peaceful and amicable manner, as we continue to cherish our long lasting friendship and good neighborliness.

His views came in response to an Aug. 15 missive from Samak.

The prime ministers exchanged the letters in their latest effort to restore good relations as the two countries have been pulling out most of their troops from a disputed frontier area near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

Tension in the area erupted on July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N.'s cultural agency, designated the Cambodian temple complex a World Heritage Site. Some Thais feared the temple's new status would jeopardize their claims to surrounding land.

Thailand and Cambodia have both long claimed land around the temple, which the World Court awarded to Cambodia in 1962.

The UNESCO move triggered nationalistic sentiment in both countries, and both sides massed hundreds of troops in the area. The standoff saw weapons drawn once but no shots were fired.

In his letter to Samak, Hun Sen said he is optimistic that both countries «will soon be able to put a definite end» to the problem of the land near the temple.

He added he is confident that future meetings between Thai and Cambodian officials «will bring about a peaceful settlement to the border issues not only in the Preah Vihear temple area, but also the entire border region» between their countries.

Samak said in his Aug. 15 letter, received Friday, that the two neighbors should work closely together «to reach a mutually acceptable solution» to the border disputes.

«The Cambodian and Thai peoples should live together as good neighbors, sharing and celebrating similar traditions and cultures,» he said.

Cambodia and Thailand share a 500-mile (800-kilometer) border, much of which has never been clearly demarcated because the countries refer to different maps.

Cambodia uses a French colonial map demarcating the border, which Thailand says favors Cambodia. Thailand relies on a map drawn up later with American technical assistance.

Thai and Cambodian officials will hold a new round of troop withdrawal talks on Aug. 29.