Somchai seeks talks with Hun Sen, says external mediation not necessary

Sunday October 19, 2008
WASSANA NANUAM AND REUTERS
Bangkok Post

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said he would seek face-to-face talks with Cambodian leader Hun Sen after the recent border clash near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

"I am looking for the right time to talk with him. We should have an opportunity to talk," Mr Somchai told reporters after visiting Thai troops stationed along the border yesterday.

The Thai leader echoed Hun Sen's comments on Friday that outside mediation was not necessary to solve the dispute.

"This is between Thailand and Cambodia. We should not let other countries get involved," Mr Somchai said.

Both sides have tried to ease tensions since at least two Cambodian soldiers were killed in Wednesday's 40-minute firefight.

Two Cambodians and seven Thais were wounded.

Both leaders were expected to attend an Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in Beijing next week to discuss the global financial crisis, but it was not clear whether they would meet on the sidelines.

Thailand's Second Army commander Lt-Gen Wibulsak Neepal said border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia are likely to ease soon as Cambodia is expected to be more willing to enter talks with Thailand.

He said military officers from both sides have been in regular contact and have worked closely together over the past two days.

"The situation should improve. Both sides have had lunch. We have been coordinating all the time," he said.

Lt-Gen Wibulsak, however, admitted that as long as Thai and Cambodian troops are stationed face-to-face, clashes at the border are possible.

Lt-Gen Wibulsak said army commander Gen Anupong Paojinda had given him full authority under the "Chakkri Phuwadol" national defence plan to take retaliatory measures in the event that Cambodian forces fired artillery across the border.

He said Thai troops would retaliate within reason but would try to prevent any small skirmishes from escalating.

Meanwhile, a Thai soldier patrolling at Phu Ma Khua was accidentally killed by a bullet from his own gun yesterday.

Private Winyu Polpruek, who was attached to the Second Infantry Battalion, suffered a gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to hospital in Ubon Ratchathani, where he was pronounced dead.

Somchai seeks talk

The Thai PM yesterday visited a military hospital in eastern Ubon Ratchathani province. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Oct 19, 2008
The Straits Times (Singapore)

KANTHARALAK - THAI Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said yesterday he would seek face-to-face talks with Cambodian PM Hun Sen after a border clash near a 900-year-old temple last week.

'I am looking for the right time to talk with him. We should have an opportunity to talk,' he told reporters after visiting Thai troops facing Cambodian forces along the border.

The Thai leader echoed Mr Hun Sen's comments on Friday that outside mediation was not needed to resolve the dispute.

'This is an issue between Thailand and Cambodia. We should not let other countries get involved,' he said.

The Thai PM yesterday visited a military hospital in eastern Ubon Ratchathani province, where one soldier remains critically injured following a gunfight with Cambodian troops on their disputed border on Wednesday.

'I am saddened that soldiers have been wounded so today I visited them,' he told reporters.

Mr Somchai later flew to neighbouring Si Sa Ket province, where the violence erupted near the Preah Vihear temple that left two Cambodian soldiers dead and seven Thai troops injured.

Yesterday, the atmosphere along the border remained calm as field commanders from both sides conducted a joint inspection of their troops, ate lunch together and discussed how to prevent future flare-ups of violence.

Meanwhile, a renewed sense of patriotism is emerging, especially in Cambodia. In Phnom Penh, a restaurant has changed its 'Thai' name, local media reported yesterday.

The Olympic Khmer-Thai, a joint venture between Cambodian and Thai businessmen, added an 'l' to its title - becoming Olympic Khmer-Thlai.

'Thlai' means 'expensive' or 'noble'.

Thai PM seeks direct talks over Cambodia border row

By Prapan Chankaew

On Saturday, a Thai soldier died after slipping while on patrol and accidently shooting himself, an army spokesman said

KANTARALAK, Thailand, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said on Saturday he would seek face-to-face talks with Cambodian leader Hun Sen after a border clash near a 900-year-old temple this week.

"I am looking for the right time to talk with him. We should have an opportunity to talk," Somchai told reporters after visiting Thai troops facing Cambodian forces along the border.

The Thai leader echoed Hun Sen's comments on Friday that outside mediation was not needed to resolve the dispute. "This is an issue between Thailand and Cambodia. We should not let other countries get involved," Somchai said.

Both sides have sought to ease tensions since three Cambodian soldiers were killed in Wednesday's 40-minute firefight. Two Cambodians and seven Thais were wounded.

Both leaders were expected to attend a Southeast Asian meeting in Beijing next week to discus the global financial crisis, but it was not clear whether they would meet then on the sidelines.

"At this moment, there is no change in schedule. After talking to him late yesterday, the prime minister will go to Beijing as planned," government spokesman Nattawut Saikuar told Reuters.

On Saturday, a Thai soldier died after slipping while on patrol and accidently shooting himself, an army spokesman said.

The armies have agreed to conduct joint border patrols and to hold more talks on reducing their forces around the Hindu temple, a source of border tension for generations.

Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander who has ruled Cambodia for more than two decades, said on Friday the stand-off would not escalate into a wider and more serious 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 reached another climax this week when Somchai faced calls from his own generals to quit.

Army chief Anupong Paochinda's televised interview on Thursday, in which he said Somchai should step down after bloody clashes between police and anti-government protesters last week, ignited fresh coup rumours two years after former premier Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a bloodless putsch.

But Somchai refused on Friday to resign or call a snap election, saying Anupong was expressing "one opinion".

Somchai said an investigation of the Oct. 7 street clash, which killed two protesters and injured nearly 500, would be completed in 15 days and decide who was responsible.

Analysts read Anupong's remarks as an attempt by the army, which is under pressure from the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), to undermine Somchai so much that he jumps without the need for a full-blown coup.

"As expected, (Somchai's) response puts the ball straight back in the military's court," the Nation newspaper said in an editorial on Saturday.

Somchai, Thaksin's brother-in-law and a political novice, came to power in September after a court removed his predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, for hosting a cooking show on commercial television while in office.

The political crisis dates back to 2005 when the PAD, which has the explicit backing of Queen Sirikit, launched street protests against Thaksin. It has meandered through a coup to elections and back to protests and shows no signs of resolution.

Even if Somchai did call a snap election, lingering rural support for Thaksin would be likely to return a broadly pro-Thaksin government, putting it on a collision course once again with the royalist and military elite in Bangkok.

(Additional reporting by Pisit Changplayngam; Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)