THAILAND, CAMBODIA TO MISS OPPORTUNITY FOR BORDER TALKS

By Jamaluddin Muhammad

BANGKOK, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- Thailand and Cambodia will miss an immediate
available opportunity to sort out their border disputes after postponing their
general border committee meeting scheduled for end of this month.

The postponement of the Aug 27 meeting in Pattaya was decided by its
co-chair -- Thailand Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon and his Cambodian
counterpart General Tea Banh.

Thai Defence Ministry said the meeting had to be postponed because several
documents, including the agreements on the joint cooperation for the clearing of
land mines, suppression of illicit drug and human trafficking, to be signed at
the meeting, were not ready.

Political observers, however, believe that the postponement was to allow the
"cooling off period" to take place in the wake of the rising tension between the
two neighbours over the border issues.

The border committee meeting is among the mechanisms in which both countries
seek to resolve the issues through the implementation of a memorandum of
understanding on land boundary demarcation which they signed in 2000.

The Thai-Cambodia border disputes have now reached the United Nations when
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen wrote a letter to the world body on Sunday
claiming that Thailand had threatened to use military force to resolve the
problem.

"By seriously threatening to use military force against Cambodia to settle
the problem of the border, Thailand flagrantly violates Article 2.3 and 2.4 of
the United Nations Charter," Hun Sen said in the letter.

The two countries are at loggerheads over a 4.6 sq km area around the Preah
Vihear Temple, with Thailand claiming the area as part of its Si Sa
Ketskarntharalak district while Cambodia maintains that the area is within its
Preah Vihear province.

The 11th century Hindu temple is located in the Cambodian territory as ruled
by the International Court of Justice in 1962.

In 2008, Unesco listed the temple as a world heritage site, further
straining the ties between the neighbours.

On July 29, the border issue heated up again when Cambodia submitted the
management plan for the temple at the Unesco World Heritage Committee meeting in
Brazil.

This led to a protest from Thailand, which said that the plan included part
of the disputed territory.

Thailand's Patriot Network, led by People's Alliance for Democracy leaders
associated with the yellow shirts, held a protest in this capital city on Aug 7
demanding that the Thai government revoke the 2000 border memorandum of
understanding.

The group claimed that Thailand was at a disadvantage, saying the memorandum
was the source of the problem because it allowed Cambodians to trespass and
settle in the disputed area.

Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva defended the memorandum which was
signed during the Chuan Leekpai administration, saying it was beneficial to
Thailand.

Abhisit said the memorandum stated that Cambodia and Thailand had to consult
each other if they wanted to carry out activities in the disputed territory.

He also said that the memorandum did not allow Cambodians to occupy the
area.

On Wednesday, it was Abhisit's turn to write to the UN in response to Hun
Sen's letter.

Abhisit explained that his remarks on the border issue were misquoted, taken
out of context and misunderstood by his Cambodian counterpart.

The Thai premier wrote: "It is Thailand's conviction that any difference
between countries shall be settled by peaceful means.

"Thailand is pleased to note the re-affirmation by the prime minister of
Cambodia that it is not the policy of Cambodia to use force to settle any
problem with neighbouring countries. Thailand too, has the same policy," he said
in the letter.

Both countries had also raised the issue of illegal occupation of each
other's land.

Phnom Penh claimed that Bangkok had stationed soldiers in the Keo Sikkhakiri
Svara pagoda of Cambodia, about 300 meters from the temple.

Bangkok reacted by asking Cambodians, who encroached into its territory at
the border, to leave.

Despite current challenges in bilateral relations, Abhisit said in his
letter, both nations maintained close cooperation and coordination within the
bilateral and regional frameworks.

"Leaders and officials at all levels have maintained regular contacts and
exchanges of visits, especially in the framework of sub-regional cooperation,"
he said, adding that border trade, cross-border tourism and people-to-people
contacts continued unabated.
-- BERNAMA