Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon says he
wants Thai-Cambodian border conflict talks to be held this month.
Defence spokesman Col Thanathip Sawangsaeng said Gen Prawit was ready to
meet his Cambodian counterpart on the condition that Cambodian soldiers
stopped firing at Thai troops.
The gate at the Chong Jom border pass which separates Thailand’s Kap
Choeng district from Cambodia’s O-Smach area remains locked yesterday
with the O-Smach Resort standing in the background. TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD
Gen Prawit had ordered the Thai military to contact Cambodian
authorities to advance the bilateral General Border Committee meeting
from June to this month as he wanted the panel to meet as soon as
possible.
He said yesterday he had not yet arranged a meeting with Cambodian
Defence Minister Gen Tea Banh as he wanted to ensure a truce was
honoured.
"Now there is nothing to talk about. A truce must happen first. I believe there is a positive sign," Gen Prawit said.
Lt Gen Tawatchai Samutsakhon, commander of the 2nd Army, who attended
a meeting of the Internal Security Operations Command in Bangkok
yesterday, said cross-border shellings by heavy artillery from both
sides had stopped.
Although fighting with small firearms has continued, he believed peace would return to the border soon.
A military source said army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha had ordered
army deputy chief-of-staff Sirichai Ditthakul, who heads the army
outpost in Surin, and army assistant chief-of-staff Wilas Arunsri to
closely monitor and assess the situation and work out a long-term border
solutions.
The Thai defence minister said Gen Prawit had discussed the border
problem with Chinese authorities during a visit to China last week. He
denied Gen Prawit had lobbied China for support.
"Gen Prawit did not make any request for China to negotiate with
Cambodia because China will not intervene in the affairs of other
countries. China supports bilateral solutions," Col Thanathip said.
He said Thailand and China agreed to continue with joint weapon development and large-scale military exercises.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry has received Cambodia's petition to
the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the ministry's Legal and
Treaties Affairs Department is studying it.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said the ICJ sent
Cambodia's request for legal clarification to the 1962 ruling on the
Preah Vihear temple.
He said the Legal and Treaties Affairs Department is studying the
measures which were mentioned in the Cambodian statement issued last
Friday.
The ICJ will consider whether to accept Cambodia's request and might interpret the ruling at the same time.
Mr Thani said the ICJ would inform Thailand at an appropriate time when to send information to defend the case.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on Sunday night flew to Paris to meet
three legal advisers from France, Canada and Australia to discuss
Cambodia's move.
Bangkok Post
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