Hun Sen agrees to jointly develop Khmer maritime territories with Thailand?

Cambodian PM agrees to ease border tension, promote economic cooperation

BANGKOK, July 27 (TNA) - Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban ended his one-day visit to Cambodia on a mission to clarify Thailand's objection to the listing of the Preah Vihear temple ruins as a World Heritage Site to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Mr. Suthep told reporters on his arrival in Bangkok that he had met with the Cambodian prime minister and Mr. Hun Sen asked him to convey the message to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the Thai people that Cambodia will try to ease tensions along the border to create the good atmosphere to foster the bilateral economic cooperation and good relations.

The deputy prime minister said both sides agreed that the previous incidents at the border, particularly near Preah Vihear temple, would be considered the past and like a nightmare ,and now the two nations should look ahead without looking back.

"I do not want to go in to the details but both sides affirm to jointly ease the border tension," the deputy prime minister said.

In 1962 the International Court of Justice ruled that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia, but the most accessible entrance begins at the foot of a mountain in Thailand, and both sides claim overlapping portions of the surrounding territory.

Armed clashes between the two countries’ military forces have occurred periodically since then, near the temple, especially in a 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area.

Thai prime minister Abhisit said earlier that the government would ask UNESCO's World Heritage Committee to review their last year's decision to register Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site when the meet in Spain, during the week just ended.

During the one day visit, Mr. Hun Sen welcomed Mr. Suthep and Thai Defence Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan at his home and the prime minister’s wife cooked lunch for the Thai guests.

Mr. Suthep said the talks were conducted in a friendly atmosphere as the two nations shared the same target -- to build a constructive bilateral relationship and strengthen economic cooperation.

Thailand and Cambodia agreed to move ahead with plans to build Stung Nam dam in Cambodia's Koh Kong province to supply electricity to Thailand's Trat and Chantaburi provinces, particularly to the Map Ta Put Industrial Estate, he said, adding that the project had been discussed by many governments but had not materialised.

The government, therefore, will re-launch the project, Mr. Suthep said.

Both sides will jointly develop the overlapping area in the Gulf of Thailand in order to share benefits from the undersea natural gas field, he said.

Cambodia, Thailand meet as temple tensions simmer

Saturday, June 27, 2009

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met behind closed doors with Thailand's deputy premier on Saturday as diplomatic tensions mounted over a 900-year-old temple that sits on the border between the two countries.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva sent his right-hand man, Suthep Thaugsuban, to meet Hun Sen to explain why Thailand was challenging a U.N. decision to make the Preah Vihear temple a world heritage site under the sole jurisdiction of Cambodia.

Thailand wants joint development and supervision of the Hindu temple perched on an escarpment that forms a natural border between the Southeast Asian neighbors and could one day be a lucrative tourist site.

Thailand's latest questioning of the temple's status has angered Phnom Penh, and both sides have sent more troops to the disputed area around Preah Vihear.

Reporters were kept away from Saturday's two-hour meeting on the outskirts of Phnom Penh and officials from both governments would not comment on the subject of the talks.

Hun Sen had earlier said Preah Vihear was not up for discussion and on Friday told local television that Suthep was welcome "to raise the issue of withdrawing Thai troops from the border."

In an interview with Reuters on Monday, Abhisit blamed the border tensions on UNESCO for "trying to register and manage the area when the process of demarcation hasn't been completed."

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

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Martin Petty and Sugita Katyal)

Hun Sen met with Suthep, Bun Rany cooked lunch for him

Cambodia PM meets Thai minister on border dispute

Saturday, June 27, 2009

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen hosted one of Thailand's deputy premiers at his home on Saturday in an attempt to diffuse a long-standing border row with friendly chat.

Hun Sen's wife cooked lunch for Suthep Thaugsuban and Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon at his residence in southern Kandal province, Suthep said, after tensions recently escalated over the UNESCO listing of an ancient temple.

Troops from both sides have built up on the Thai-Cambodia frontier in recent days near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, where seven soldiers have died in clashes since tensions flared last year.

Thailand's decision to ask world heritage body UNESCO to reconsider listing the temple has angered Hun Sen, but despite claiming the issue would not be discussed Saturday, Suthep said they had agreed to reduce tensions at the site.

"Prime Minister Hun Sen asked me to convey the message to our Prime Minister Abhisit (Vejjajiva) and the Thai people that Cambodia will try to reduce tensions (along the border) to assist economic cooperation between the two countries," Suthep told reporters after returning to Thailand.

"We should let bygones be bygones, forget the nightmare of the past and look forward to a positive future for both countries," he said.

Suthep also announced that a dam would be constructed in Cambodia to channel water to Thailand's eastern seaboard.

Foreign ministry spokesman Kuoy Kong said the pair had simply had a "friendly talk".

Hun Sen vowed on Thursday to take a hard stance on the dispute over the temple, the ownership of which was awarded to Cambodia by the World Court in 1962, sparking decades of tensions.

Unrest flared in July 2008 after UNESCO granted world heritage status to the ancient Khmer temple with its crumbling stone staircases and elegant carvings.