Abhisit insists on bilateral talks to resolve border dispute with Cambodia ... he refuses to take issue to ASEAN or UN Security Council: Why?

Bilateral talks are the way : PM

October 1, 2009
The Nation

Refuses to take issue to Asean or UN Security Council

The dispute with Cambodia over land near the Preah Vihear temple must be solved bilaterally by the joint boundary commission, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday - rejecting any move to raise the issue at international forums.

The Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) has been negotiating boundary demarcation in the area.

"We refer to the memorandum of understanding signed in 2000 not to make any changes before completion of the boundary demarcation," he said.

"The best way [for now] is to prevent clashes along the border."

The disputed area near the Hindu Khmer temple of Preah Vihear has been a source of conflict between Thailand and Cambodia for a long time. It heated up when the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has ties to the government, rallied in Si Sa Ket on September 19. The PAD mob demanded that Cambodians be removed from the disputed area.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen hit back on Monday, warned that troops would "shoot to kill" any trespassers who entered land he deemed Cambodian territory.

Some 4.6 square kilometres near the Preah Vihear temple is claimed by both countries. The JBC demarcation process requires approval by the Thai Parliament.

Prime Minister Hun Sen vowed to raise the issue with Asean and the United Nations Security Council if the dispute was not settled soon.

Abhisit said the issue could be resolved at a bilateral level and not be put to Asean.

"We are very cautious about the Cambodian move to raise the issue to international level," he said.

Defence Ministry Permanent Secretary General Apichart Penkitti said the two countries should resolve the dispute peacefully. "If the military takes action, it could be worse. The best solution is negotiation," he said.

"Of course, we don't want to lose the territory but force cannot solve the problem. As both sides claim the same area, we must sit and talk," the general said.

Meanwhile, the House committee on foreign affairs yesterday urged tolerance over the border dispute, saying the issue should not be used by people who want to sour ties with Cambodia.

The panel said it opposed any use of violence and called for the government to engage in talks with Phnom Penh to avoid armed conflict, according to spokesman Danuporn Punnakanta, an MP from the opposition Pheu Thai Party.

Deputy panel spokesman, Democrat MP Ratchada Thanadirek, said bilateral talks on border demarcation had made much progress, but more work was needed in the long term, possibly over the next decade.

She called on the government not to respond negatively to aggressive comments from the Cambodian prime minister, saying it would worsen the dispute.

Security Council mulls Thai-Cambodia emergency session

BANGKOK, July 25 (TNA) - The 15-member United Nations Security Council--the world's top body for responding to or preventing wars and likely military conflict-- has not yet opted to add the Thai-Cambodia emergency to its agenda as requested by Phnom Penh to defuse tensions along their border, according to the Thai envoy to the world body.

Thai Permanent Representative to the United Nations Don Pramudwinai said the Security Council was mulling over whether to address the tense military standoff between Cambodia and Thailand as the two neighbors mass more troops along their border.

Mr. Don said, after the meeting ran for one hour, that no decision had yet been made as to whether or when to meet as the membership could not agree upon the solution.

Ambassafor Don said the Security Council had to agree unanimously for the solution.

The request for the emergency meeting was made by Cambodia after it claimed that Thailand had deployed large numbers of troops along Thai-Cambodian border.

The dispute focuses on an area that both nations claim as their own, adjacent to Preah Vihear temple, an ancient Hindu edifice built at the height of the Khmer empire in the 11th century.

The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, in a decision that Thailand was reluctant to accept. Nevertheless the only practical access for visitors from either country, or from abroad, is through Thailand.

On July 8, the temple was added to the World Heritage List maintained by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Cambodia said earlier that it hoped the UN would help broker a solution to the standoff, which has essentially existed since 1962 when Thailand was essentially forced to accept a decision. Thailand holds that the two sides can resolve the matter without an outside mediator.

Meanwhile, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Banditkul said Wednesday that three permanent members of UNSC and its two non-permanent members agreed Wednesday with Thailand that talks on the Thai-Cambodian border dispute should be held and settled through bilateral means.

Mr. Sahas, representing Thailand at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers meeting in Singapore, said he had met with Russian, American and Chinese foreign ministers on the sidelines of the ASEAN ministerial meeting and briefed them on the dispute over the 4.6-square-kilometre area adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

Russia, the US and China are permanent members of the UNSC and are dialogue partners of ASEAN.

Mr. Sahas said he had also discussed the issue with Indonesia and Vietnam, both non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, and both agreed with Thailand that the problem should be solved through talks between Bangkok and Phnom Penh.

Bangkok has proposed that the dispute should be settled by means of bilateral talks but Phnom Penh wants the Security Council to hold an emergency meeting over the issue on Monday over Thailand's objections.

What does Bangkok has to hide from the UN Security Council?

Major powers agree to support Thai bilateral stance

SINGAPORE, July 23 (TNA) - Three permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and its two non-permanent members agreed Wednesday with Thailand that talks on the Thai-Cambodian border dispute should be held and settled through bilateral means, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Banditkul said Wednesday.

Mr. Sahas, representing Thailand at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers meeting in Singapore, said he had met with Russian, American and Chinese foreign ministers on the sidelines of the ASEAN ministerial meeting and briefed them on the dispute over the 4.6-square-kilometre area adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

The 11th century mountaintop Khmer religious edifice designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site earlier this month.

Russia, the US and China are permanent members of the UN Security Council and are dialogue partners of ASEAN.

Mr. Sahas said he had also discussed the issue with Indonesia and Vietnam, both non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, and both agreed with Thailand that the problem should be solved through talks between Bangkok and Phnom Penh.

Bangkok has proposed that the dispute should be settled by means of bilateral talks but Phnom Penh wants the Security Council to hold an emergency meeting over the issue on Monday over Thailand's objections.

Thai-Cambodian diplomacy 'has yet to be exhausted' [-Thailand starts its PR campaign ahead of the UNSC meeting]

Wed, July 23, 2008
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

Singapore - At least three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council agrees it is premature at this time for the body to discuss the row between Thailand and Cambodia over Preah Vihear Temple, Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Banditkul said Wednesday.

Sahas, who led the Thai delegation to an Asean meeting, discussed the issue on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Asean Ministerial Meeting.

Sahas met and discussed issues with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, on Tuesday after Phnom Penh asked the Security Council to convene a special session on the standoff.

"Three permanent members of the Security Council whom I have met with here said Cambodia had been in too much of a hurry in putting the issue before the UN. Thailand and Cambodia can resolve the problem bilaterally," Sahas told reporters.

Don Pramudwinai, Thailand's permanent representative to the UN, said the world body would include Cambodia's request in an emergency session today.

A formal discussion of the row may take place next week, he said.

"We expected this to happen, because it is in line with UN regulations. Now we are discussing the matter," Don said in a telephone call from New York.

The Security Council has 15 members. Its five permanent members are China, France, US, Russia and the UK. The other 10 are chosen on a rotational basis.

Vietnam and Indonesia are presently among the nonpermanent members.

Sahas also discussed the issue with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, whose country currently chairs the Security Council, and Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda.

Both agreed the row should not be put to the Security Council as long as bilateral mechanisms were available for resolving it, he said.

"I gave all of the ministers I've met here the facts of the matter, and I did not blame Cambodia for its move," he said. "Due to time limitations, I also handed them fact sheets about the situation and our position on it."

In Bangkok, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Thailand's diplomatic position would take a defensive stance until Cambodia finished its general election next Sunday.

"Let Cambodia carry on. We're not being harmed. I hope they'll calm down after the election. I will talk [to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen] later," he said.

UN to form ad hoc meeting to decide on Thailand and Cambodia

July 23rd, 2008

Thailand’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Don Pramudwinai spoke of the United Nations Security Council move to setup an ad hoc meeting on the subject of the Phear Vihear National Park conflict, saying that the action was prompted by Cambodia’s request for the UN to intervene in the matter by July 28th.

Tomorrow (July 24th) initial steps will be taken towards the emergency meeting as the Cambodian memo would have made its round amongst 15 key member nations. A conference within the Security Council will determine whether or not to fulfill Cambodia’s request. Thailand has also submitted a similar memo detailing that both nation’s are working on the issue and admitting that the problem has gone on for sometime.

Thailand’s UN Representative said that it would be up to the member nations of the UN to decide if the matter warrants intervention and commented that Thailand must await the decision and act accordingly. He continued to note that he personally does not want the meeting to occur as he view it detrimental to ASEAN fundamentals.

Source : National News Bureau, Public Relations Department of Thailand