[Thai] Parliament drops JBC minutes from agenda

19/04/2011
Bangkok Post

The joint sitting of parliament on Tuesday approved the withdrawal of three minutes of the 2008 and 2009 Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meetings as requested by the government.

The government made the request after the Council of State issued an opinion that the documents did not fall within Section 190 of the constitution.

The Council of State was asked last week by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to interpret the Constitution Court's ruling last month not to accept a request by lawmakers to rule on the need for parliamentary approval.

A group of 80 Democrat MPs led by Songkhla MP Sirichoke Sopha filed the request to the court through House Speaker Chai Chidchob, the ex officio parliament president, in February.

Withdrawal of JBC minutes approved [by Thai Parliament]

19/04/2011
Bangkok Post

The joint sitting of parliament on Tuesday approved the withdrawal of three minutes of the 2008 and 2009 Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meetings as requested by the government.

The government made the request after the Council of State issued an opinion that the documents did not fall within Section 190 of the constitution.

The Council of State was asked last week by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to interpret the Constitution Court's ruling last month not to accept a request by lawmakers to rule on the need for parliamentary approval.

JBC minutes to be withdrawn from [Thai] parliament [-Thailand never intended to resolve the border dispute with Cambodia]

12/04/2011
Bangkok Post

The cabinet on Tuesday resolved to withdraw the minutes of three Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meetings from the parliament, an informed Government House source said.

The government forwarded the minutes of the three JBC meetings to parliament, believing that they needed to be approved by a joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate under Section 190 of the constitution.

Parliament held several meetings - amid protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy - to consider the JBC minutes but the lawmakers were reluctant to endorse them for fear that they might be seens as paving the way for loss of sovereignty over disputed territory on the border with Cambodia.

Parliament may not consider JBC minutes Tuesday: PM

Friday, April 01, 2011
The Nation

Thailand-Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission (JBC)'s documents might not be considered in the Thai parliament on Tuesday but the government would join the meeting with Cambodia in Indonesia next week as planned, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Friday.

"We are engaging with Cambodia to go ahead the JBC meeting on April 78," Abhisit told reporters.

The parliament might not be able to convene on April 5 as earlier scheduled since the speaker Chai Chidchob informed the members that he had to wait for the official notification from the constitution court, he said.

Thailand-Cambodia boundary meeting in jeopardy

Apr 1, 2011
THE NATION/ANN

THAILAND - HOUSE speaker Chai Chidchob said on Thursday that he might be unable to convene a parliamentary session to consider the minutes of previous meetings in time.

'We need to wait for official notification from the constitution court and notify members three days in advance of the meeting,' he said. 'I don't yet know when we will be ready for the meeting.'

Mr Chai initially called a session to consider the JBC's meeting minutes on April 5.

The issue was complicated as a group of lawmakers led by the ruling Democrat Party's Sirichok Sopha appealed to the constitution court to rule on the need for Parliament to consider the JBC documents. The court on Wednesday rejected the request. As the court did not rule, Parliament needs to carry on with consideration of the documents in accordance with article 190 of the constitution, Mr Chai said.

[Thai] Constitution Court refuses to rule on JBC minutes

30 March 2011
The Nation

The Constitution Court Wednesday rejected a request by lawmakers to rule whether the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission (JBC)'s minutes of meeting saying it was not the stage for the court to have any injunctions on this matter.

By the consequence of the court's decision, the parliament needed to resume its consideration of the JBC's documents, according to the Parliament President Chai Chidchob. The parliament was scheduled to discuss the issue on April 5.

Another Setback For Thai-Cambodia JBC Endorsement [by Thai Parliament]

BANGKOK, March 29 (Bernama) -- The debate on the long-delayed approval of the minutes of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation of Land Boundary (JBC) suffered another setback Tuesday, when the parliament adjourned the matter to next Tuesday, due to lack of quorum.

This means the joint Thai parliamentary sitting will debate the minutes just two days before the proposed JBC meeting to take place in Bogor, Indonesia on April 7 and 8.

There were only 262 Members of Parliament and senators during Tuesday's debate on the matter, 15 short of quorum.

The government has asked parliament to endorse three documents drafted from previous JBC meetings in 2008 and 2009 between the two countries on border demarcation.

[Thai] House defers decision on JBC minutes

Lack of quorum forces delay till next Tuesday

30/03/2011
Manop Thip-Osod
Bangkok Post

Parliament has deferred its decision on the results of a study into the three minutes of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission due to the lack of a quorum.

The House will discuss the matter again next Tuesday, House Speaker Chai Chidchob said yesterday.

The study was conducted by a joint committee of MPs and senators, following fierce disagreements among MPs over the motion that parliament approve the three minutes.

However, a group of about 80 MPs led by Democrat MP for Songkhla Sirichoke Sopha previously petitioned the Constitution Court to rule on the exact status of the three documents.

Politics has no place in ending the border row

29/03/2011
Bangkok Post

The Foreign Ministry will be keeping a close eye on parliament today as three minutes from the Joint Boundary Commission are deliberated again.

The joint parliament postponed consideration of the minutes from Friday last week after it took five hours to debate the documents, which have been put on the parliament's agenda four times already.

The documents are opposed by some senators and members of the yellow shirt People's Alliance for Democracy and Thai Patriots Network who fear that approval could lead to Thailand losing territory in its border dispute with Cambodia.

They are calling for the revocation of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding signed by Thailand and Cambodia which facilitated the JBC meeting and the proposal of the minutes.

Yellow Shirts not move to pressure Parliament to reject key Thai-Cambodian documents

BANGKOK, March 25 (MCOT online news) -- The anti-government 'Yellow Shirt' People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) on Friday said it would not rally at Parliament to pressure the joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate to consider approving the minutes of three Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meetings, claiming that their campaign has yielded fruitful results.

PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongphan said the movement would hold fast at its rally site at Makkhawan Bridge on Rajdamnoen Avenue, but have no plan to move to step up pressure on parliamentarians to reject the documents.

He said the joint sitting had been scheduled to convene at 9m today but their lack of a quorum forced the session to adjourn until afternoon.

Thailand never intended to ratify the JBC minutes?

Parliament postpones debate on JBC minutes

Five-hour meeting fails to reach conclusion

26/03/2011
Mongkol Bangprapa
Bangkok Post

Parliament has postponed its deliberation of the minutes from the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission meetings until this coming Tuesday, after a five-hour debate yesterday failed to reach any conclusion.

The government has asked parliament to endorse three documents from previous JBC meetings between Thailand and Cambodia.

Section 190 of the constitution requires that any crucial binding international treaty must be endorsed by parliament.

The government asked parliament to back the minutes in order to pave the way for further demarcation talks between the two countries.

A joint sitting of the parliament deliberated the three minutes yesterday.

PAD's leaflet against JBC memos

24/03/2011
Bangkok Post

The People's Alliance for Democracy will distribute 100,000 copies of a leaflet as part of its campaign against parliament's approval of three memorandums of Joint Boundary Commission meetings under the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding between Thailand and Cambodia.

PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan and core member Prapan Khoonmee said the leaflet would be distributed to people in such business areas as Silom and Siam Square as well as areas under the Internal Security Act on Friday when parliament would convene a session to consider approving the three JBC memos.

They said the PAD would this afternoon announce other measures to persuade MPs and senators to stop them from passing the three memos.

Cambodia Waiting for Thai Parliament's Endorsement

2011-03-05
Xinhua

Phnom Penh will wait until Thailand's parliament ratifies the previous memos of Joint- Boundary Commission (JBC) meetings before it will accept Bangkok' s proposal on the next JBC meeting, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman said Saturday.

Thailand has proposed to hold the next JBC on March 7-8 with its neighboring Cambodia in order to discuss border demarcation.

The issue so far has not yet been submitted for approval of Thai parliament; therefore, it is uncertain the next JBC would be held in Indonesia during March 7-8, Thani Thongpakdi, FM spokesman said.

The Article190 of Thailand's 2007 Constitution regulates that any treaty to be signed with other foreign countries and may bring about territorial changes requires parliament's ratification before it will be implemented.

More Appeals for Thai Approval of Border Agreements

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Thursday, 23 December 2010

“I will try to promote a full border resolution between the two countries.”

The National Assembly is now urging for its Thai counterpart to approved a series of documents necessary for both sides to move ahead on border demarcation.

National Assembly Nguon Nhel told a Thai parliamentary delegation here on Thursday that the approval of a series of border meeting minutes was crucial for stability between the two countries.

“Through the visit of Thailand’s National Assembly delegation, we would like to urge and to demand the National Assembly of Thailand to approve the minutes of three joint border commission meetings to eliminate the conflict between our two countries and two peoples, so that we can build up a peaceful and friendly border demarcation,” Ngun Nhel said.

Thai parliament has not ruled on the meeting in part due to extreme political instability there. But officials in Phnom Penh have continued to push the Thais to do so.

Earlier this week, the same message was delivered to a delegation led by Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Pirumya and Thai army chief Paryuth Chan-ocha.

Ngun Nhel’s appeal went straight to parliament, with the delegation led by Gittipot Viriyaroj, the head of the foreign affairs committee and chairman of the Thai National Assembly’s Thailand-Cambodia Friendship Group.

Gittipot told reporters on Thursday he would push for approval of the meetings.

“I will try to promote a full border resolution between the two countries,” he said. “Our only purpose is to bring development and progress to our respective countries.”

Abhisit takes to facebook to defend controversial charter Amendment

5/12/2010
Bangkok Post

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has turned to Facebook to defend the government's controversial move to amend the 2007 charter, saying the process will lead to a peaceful general election.

Posting his thoughts online in response to public confusion over the charter rewrite, he defended the state's stance and called for people to help "tune Thailand into a balance".

"What I want the civil sector to learn is that it is impossible that we can satisfy all our desires," he wrote.

Those who disagree with the government have no need to pile pressure on it, he said. Reasonable requests are enough to get its attention.

The anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy, which opposes the charter amendment, says it will protest on Jan 25 against changes to Section 190.

It is worried the amendment will put Thailand at a disadvantage in its negotiation with Cambodia to settle the dispute over an overlapping area of 4.6 square kilometres near Preah Vihear temple. It fears Thailand will lose territory to Cambodia.

Section 190 requires parliament's approval for international agreements which can affect the country's economic, social affairs and territorial integrity. The cabinet has agreed with the amendment of Section 190, following a proposal that guidelines should be made to determine endorsement on a case-by-case basis.

A joint parliamentary panel is considering the issue amid reports that Mr Abhisit proposed on Nov 26 that more clauses should be added to Section 190.

"As long as I am the leader of the government, I will protect the national sovereignty to the utmost," he wrote.

He said Thailand would maintain troops in the disputed area and insisted a watershed line be used to divide the countries. "We will not let Cambodia manage areas belonging to Thailand," he said. He referred to the overlapping territory also claimed by Cambodia.

He still believes in the merit of the charter amendment, which he said would pave the way for a smooth election.

"It is not always necessary that we love each other, but we must be able to live together with different views without causing a division in society," he said.

Meanwhile, Democrat spokesman Buranat Samuttarak yesterday applauded Democrat MPs who submitted meeting records of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission to the Constitution Court to give an opinion on whether they fall under Section 190.

[Thai] PM Abhisit asks Cambodian counterpart to confer on Preah Vihear temple

BANGKOK, Nov 21 (MCOT online news) -- As Thai activists plan to rally at Parliament later this week to protest two government-sponsored constitutional amendments, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday defended his administration's policy on the ancient Preah Vihear temple which has soured relations with neighbouring Cambodia for some past years.

During his weekly TV and radio address, Mr Abhisit said he met and discussed with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on the sidelines of the 4th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Summit, held in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh last Wednesday, on the temple and its surrounding area.

The Thai premier said last week's meeting was the fourth time he had met and discussed with his Cambodian counterpart and that relations between the two neighbouring countries have obviously been improved.

Mr Abhisit said he had told Mr Hun Sen that the temple problem arose because Cambodia had asked UNESCO to name Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site, despite the two countries still not agreeing on the area surrounding it.

The 2000 agreement between the two countries on the Survey and Demarcation of the Land Boundary plus the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) set by the memorandum of understanding are important as they prevent Phnom Penh from managing the contested area surrounding the temple, he said.

“JBC memos haven’t yet been approved by the Thai Parliament and are now stalled, preventing Cambodia from proposing a management plan for the area temple environs,“ Mr Abhisit said.

Three previous JBC memos must be endorsed by the Thai parliament as required by the Constitution, which states that any pact with other countries needs House approval.

Mr Abhisit said Mr Hun Sen understood the Thai process at last week's meeting and agreed to avoid military confrontation along the border and would proceed handling the issue under the JBC framework.

His comments were made as the 'Yellow Shirt' People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) activists plan to protest at Parliament Tuesday, Wednesnay and Thursday Nov 23-25 during a joint sitting of both houses to consider charter amendments to change Thailand’s electoral system and systems of approving international agreements which require parliamentary approval.

The PAD opposes parliamentary endorsement of three previous memos by the JBC, claiming they may end up in the loss of Thai territory adjacent to the temple. They also demand revocation of the MoU signed in 2000.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled that the 11th century temple belongs to Phnom Penh, and UNESCO named it a World Heritage site in 2008 after Cambodia applied for the status.

Both countries claim a 1.8-square-mile (4.6-square-kilometre) strip of land adjacent to the cliff-top temple.

Giving reassurances that his government has no hidden agenda behind the controversy, Mr Abhisit said the most important thing now is to “protect Thailand’s sovereignty and benefits”.

Cambodian, Thai Premiers Hopeful on Border Resolution

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) shakes hand with his Thai counterpart Abhisit Vejjajiva before the opening of the 4th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) summit in Phnom Penh November 17, 2010. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Thursday, 18 November 2010

“Both sides have hope for passage by Thailand’s joint parliamentary committee on the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Boundary Committee's three-document meetings, led by both foreign ministers in 2008 and 2009.”

Cambodian and Thailand may have broken a deadlock in a three-year border dispute, officials said Thursday.

The hope comes amid expectations that Thai parliament will approve the minutes of three joint border commission meetings early in December, despite an expected protest in Bangkok of the People's Alliance for Democracy.

In a bilateral meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart, Abhisist Vejjajiva, in Phnom Penh Wednesday night, the two discussed reducing tensions along the border near Preah Vihear temple, officials said.

Abhisit told Hun Sen during the meeting he expects the minutes to be approved, Koy Kuong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.

“Both sides have hope for passage by Thailand’s joint parliamentary committee on the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Boundary Committee's three-document meetings, led by both foreign ministers in 2008 and 2009,” Koy Kuong said.

Both sides have troops amassed along the border in Preah Vihear province, along a disputed strip of land near the ancient temple complex, which was listed as a Unesco World Heritage site under Cambodian management in 2008.

Efforts to reconcile the dispute stalled when Thai parliament failed to approved the meeting minutes, which outline steps leading to border demarcation, including the disputed area near Preah Vihear temple.

Thailand considers a land treaty with neighbouring Cambodia

November 3, 2010
ABC Radio Australia

Thailand has established a border committee to decide whether to accept a treaty that some say gives away land to Cambodia.

The committee will consist of 30 Thais from the Senate and House of Representatives and is expected make a decision on the sensitive border issue in a month.

The latest border conflict between Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia over the ownership of land surrounding the ancient temple of Preah Vihear has been simmering for over two years.

Presenter: Liam Cochrane

Speakers: Sondhi Limthongkul, spokesman, Yellow Shirt movement; Panitan Wattanayagorn, spokesman, Thai government

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

Thai nationalists rally at parliament

November 02, 2010
Xinhua

Several thousands of nationalist "yellow-shirt" supporters on Tuesday morning protested against the parliamentary endorsement on documents about the Thai-Cambodian boundary demarcation.

The "yellow-shirt" People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters, led by PAD core leader Sondhi Limthongkul, occupied the road in front of the parliament to sway vote on the framework documents to negotiate with Cambodia on the demarcation line between the two countries' joint border.

In a speech to the crowds, Sondhi said the secretary of Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told him that there will be no vote on the documents on that day. The "yellow-shirts", however, will occupy the venue until the parliamentary meeting end to make sure of no parliamentary endorsement.

Sondhi also threatened that if PAD demands were not met, they will stage a protest again on December 11.

The framework papers pave the way for the government to settle the border dispute over the 900-year-old Hindu Preah Vihear Temple with Cambodia. The dispute dated back to 1962 when the International Court of Justice ruled the temple belongs to Cambodia, rejecting Thai claims.

PAD [Thai] threatens to stage mass rally

2/11/2010
Bangkok Post

Co-leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) Sondhi Limthongkul announced on Tuesday that if the House does not reject the three controversial border memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Camboldia, the PAD will hold mass protests against the government.

“The mass rally will take place on Ratchadamneon Avenue near Makkawan bridge on Dec 11,” Mr Sondhi said, the Bangkok Post reported .

He said on the rally stage in front of parliament that secretary to foreign minister Chavanont Intharakomalsuth told him this morning that the government has agreed to set up a committee, which will also comprise representatives from the people's sector, to consider the three MoUs.

“Mr Chavanont said the panel would be set up within 30 days, but I turned down the offer because I do not want the government to buy time anymore,” he said.