[Prawit Wongsuwon:] Troop pullout 'not on agenda'

27/06/2009
By WASSANA NANUAM
Bangkok Post

The Defence Ministry will not discuss the withdrawal of Thai troops from the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple ruins during the Thai delegation's visit to Phnom Penh today.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon made clear the stance yesterday in response to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's condition that he would discuss the temple issue only if it concerned the withdrawal of Thai soldiers.

The Thai delegation of about 15 officials, including Gen Prawit and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, is set to arrive in Phnom Penh today for talks after Thailand protested against the Unesco's World Heritage Committee's decision to register the Hindu temple ruins unilaterally on behalf of Cambodia last year.

Mr Suthep said yesterday he would go to Cambodia as planned on a mission to clarify with Hun Sen Thailand's objections to the listing of the Preah Vihear temple ruins.

He said his trip was aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.

Gen Prawit told reporters that Thai troops had to remain in the 4.6-square-kilometre area around Preah Vihear because it belonged to Thailand and both nations had reached an agreement that the land dispute would be handled by the Joint Boundary Committee (JBC).

About 3,000 Thai soldiers entered the disputed area on July 15 last year after Unesco listed the Preah Vihear temple on behalf of Cambodia.

"The Thai cabinet considers Unesco as a peace-oriented organisation. The rules and regulations that govern the World Heritage listing must be recognised by both countries.

"We believe that Unesco failed to observe the rules and regulations, so we must protest against Unesco and demand it respond," Gen Prawit said.

In response to reports of Cambodia's military reinforcements in the area, army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda said yesterday that Thailand would not start any violent actions and would not be reckless.

Lt Gen Wibulsak Neepal, commander of the 2nd Army, said Cambodia had deployed a number of soldiers and heavy weaponry and its forces in the area were nearly double those of Thailand's.

However, he confirmed that Thai soldiers there were prepared for any eventuality.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: A two-head Siemese

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Thailand 'won't withdraw' from temple [-Another Thai flipflopping?]

Wibulsak Neepal

7/02/2009
Bangkok Post

Thailand denied on Saturday a statement by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that it had agreed to a proposed troop withdrawal plan from disputed territory surrounding the Preah Vihear temple.

Lt-Gen Wibulsak Neepal, commander of 2nd Army Region, said no agreement on troop pullout was reached in a Friday meeting between Mr Hun Sen and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan during the latter's visit to Phnom Penh.

"There is no agreement. The matter has been raised during the defence minister's self-introduction visit to Cambodia after assuming office,'' he said.

He said that a troop withdrawal proposal would be developed by a working committee set up to handle border demarcation disputes and that he expected an outcome soon.

However, the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission, which is working to resolve the outstanding issues, met in Bangkok this week without making any progress. The delegations could not agree on the name of a military team which will monitor the border area and on the name for the temple.

Lt-Gen Wibulsak stressed that even if a troop pull-out agreement was reached, Thailand was unlikely to withdraw all forces from the disputed areas. Those in charge of coordination would remain in place.

He also said troop withdrawal would not put Thailand at a disadvantage, saying the military has procedures to follow to uphold sovereignty.

Lt-Gen Wibulsak noted that the army was considering reopening Pha Mor E Daeng in Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province to tourists. The area was off limits following border tension.

A source said Saturday the Cambodian prime minister demanded Thailand pull its troops out from the disputed area along the border.

"We never agreed. If we do, it will not be easy to send them back in again,'' said the source.

Supreme Commander Gen Songkitti Jaggabatara said Saturday border disputes were raised during the meeting but no agreement was reached.

He said the issues would be worked out by joint committees set up to demarcate and develop the Thai-Cambodian border.

"But we do agree there should not be any incident in the border areas,'' said the supreme commander.

Gen Songkitti was apparently referring to clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops in October last year which left four soldiers dead.

Tension along the border flared up last July when Cambodia moved to have the temple of Preah Vihear listed as a world heritage site.

[Thai] Armed forces chief denies troop withdrawals at Preah Vihear

BANGKOK, Feb 7 (TNA) -- Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara on Saturday denied an international news report from Phnom Penh that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to withdraw their troops from the disputed Preah Vihear temple.

The Thai rebuttal followed a news report Friday quoting Cambodia's prime minister after meeting Thailand's Defence Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan as saying that the two countries had resolved their main differences and had agreed to withdraw their troops Preah Vihear.

The report quoted Prime Minister Hun Sen as saying that the withdrawn troops would be replaced by joint observer teams next month to facilitate de-mining and border demarcation.

But Gen. Songkitti said Gen. Prawit's one-day official visit to Cambodia was meant only for introducing himself to Cambodian leaders after his appointment.

Despite it not being on the agenda, Gen. Prawit and Mr. Hun Sen discussed the Preah Vihear issue, but they only agreed that clashes should not occur there again, which is a positive sign, Gen. Songkitti said.

Regarding troop withdrawals from the temple area, Gen. Songkitti said, the issue would be left for further discussion by concerned committee members.

Tensions at the Thai-Cambodian border arose after Preah Vihear was awarded world heritage status by the United Nations last year. The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the 11th-century temple belongs to Cambodia, but the demarcation of the surrounding land remains in dispute.

Songkitti's slap on Hun Sen's face: No deal for troop withdrawal between Hun Sen and Prawit

Songkitti Jaggabatara

No deal on troop withdrawal at border: Songkitti

7/02/2009
BangkokPost.com

Thailand and Cambodia have not agreed on troop withdrawal from disputed area around the Preah Vihear temple when Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Supreme Commander Songkitti Jaggabatara said Saturday.

Gen Songkitti, however, said Thailand and Cambodia have discussed about border conflicts, and agreed that clashes along the border should not happen in the future.

On the troop withdrawal, committees in charge of the matter will have to discuss more thoroughly on the issue in order to solve the conflicts along the Thai-Cambodian border.

Cambodia, Thailand fail to set timeframe for military redeployment

Friday February 6, 2009
Kyodo

PHNOM PENH - Highest-level military talks between Cambodia and Thailand in Phnom Penh on Friday failed to reach any concrete agreement on redeployment of Cambodian and Thai armed forces near a disputed ancient Cambodian temple. Tea Banh, Cambodia's defense minister, told reporters after a one-hour talk with his Thai counterpart Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan he could give no timeframe for redeployment of about 60 troops each from areas near the Keo Sikhakiri Svara pagoda and the Preah Vihear Temple.

Temple talks in Cambodia

6/02/2009
BangkokPost.com

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan left for Phnom Penh on Friday morning to meet his Cambodian counterpart Teah Ban for talks aimed at withdrawing troops from disputed land around Preah Vihear temple.

"The meeting will discuss troop pullbacks in order to return the situation to normal," Cambodian Gen Neang Phat told the AFP news agency.

Accompanying Gen Prawit were Defence Permanent Secretary Apichart Penkitti, Supreme Commander Songkitti Jaggabatara and military top brass from Burapa and Suranaree task force commanders.

Gen Prawit and his entourage were scheduled to meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and other high ranking officials during his day-long visit to Phnom Penh.

Cambodia, Thailand agree border troop withdrawal

Cambodia-Thailand agreed to withdraw the remaining troops on their disputed border to avoid a repeat of last year's armed clashes.

Friday, 06 February 2009
Reuters

Cambodia and Thailand agreed on Friday to withdraw the remaining troops on their disputed border to avoid a repeat of last year's armed clashes near a 900-year-old Hindu temple.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, speaking to reporters after meeting Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, said they agreed to jointly demarcate the jungle-clad area where four soldiers died in a firefight last October.

"There will be no more military confrontation in that area," Hun Sen said, adding the two neighbours would work together to develop the area for tourism.

"I told the Thai delegation that this is an historic moment. We have solved the problems today so there will be no troubled legacy for our next generations," Hun Sen said.

Prawit, who was accompanied on the trip by Thailand's top military brass, told reporters: "Everything is OK. No problems."

One Thai and three Cambodian soldiers died in last year's exchange of rifle and rocket fire, which both sides accused the other of starting.

The Preah Vihear temple, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand, sits on an escarpment that forms the natural border between the two countries and has been a source of tension for generations.

The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but the ruling did not determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of adjoining scrubland, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.

Cambodia, Thailand hold troop withdrawal talks

Friday, February 06, 2009
ABC Radio Australia

Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has met his Cambodian counterpart Tea Banh in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, in a bid to broker a deal to end a military stand-off along their shared border, which was the site of deadly violence last year.

Cambodian General Neang Phat says the deal would see the withdrawal of soldiers from disputed land around Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple.

"The meeting will discuss troop pullbacks in order to return the situation to normal," he told reporters shortly before the meeting began.

Mr Prawit was also due to meet Premier Hun Sen at Cambodia's foreign ministry and other top officials during his one-day visit to Phnomh Penh.

Tensions over disputed territory along the border flared in July last year after the 11th century Preah Vihear was granted United Nations World Heritage status, and soldiers clashed there in October leaving four troops dead.

Subsequent talks between Cambodia and Thailand have failed to resolve the dispute.

Today's talks in Cambodia follow discussions in Bangkok earlier this week, where negotiators were unable to agree on a common spelling for the temple's name, but did agree to set up a working committee to look at legal issues and begin mapping the border area.

Thai defence minister visits Cambodia [-No border talks planned]

BANGKOK, Feb 6 (TNA) - Thai Defence Minsiter Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan left Bangkok Friday morning for Phnom Penh for his first official visit to Cambodia after assuming his post in December, but he has asserted that he would not raise ongoing border disputes in his introductory talks with Cambodian military leaders.

Gen. Prawit told reporters before leaving the Thai capital that his trip was intended as his introduction to Cambodian military leaders, and that he expected also to introduce the Thai commanders who are responsible for the Thai-Cambodian border talks.

However, he said that no discussions would take place regarding the border disputes, as the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) is working to resolve the outstanding issues.

The boundary commission met in Bangkok this week without making any headway. Thailand and Cambodia could not agree on the name of the surveillance group to be stationed in the area or an official name for the temple.

The JBC will next meet in the second week of April in Cambodia.

The Thai defence minister was accompanied by Defence Permanent Secretary Gen. Apichart Penkitti; Supreme Comander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara and military top brass including the Burapa and Suranaree Task Force commanders.

Cambodian Deputy Defence Minister Gen Neang Paht was scheduled to welcome when the Thai defence minister and his entourage arrived.

Gen. Prawit wil meet his Cambodian counterpart Gen. Tea Banh who is also deputy prime minister, and will make a courtesy call on Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Cambodian Foreign Ministry.

In the evening, Gen Tea Banh will host dinner for the Thai delegates before they return to Bangkok.

Tension at the Thai-Cambodian border rose after Preah Vihear was awarded heritage status by the United Nations last year. The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the 11th-century temple belongs to Cambodia, but the demarcation of the surrounding land remains in dispute.