Thai border meeting study may stall talks with Cambodia

News Desk
The Nation (Thailand)
Publication Date : 17-08-2010

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Monday (August 16) the government agreed with the setting up of a parliamentary joint panel to study minutes of the Thai-Cambodian joint boundary committee meeting, which could further delay negotiations on a border settlement near the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear. The Foreign Ministry submitted for Parliament's reading proceedings from the Thai-Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission's (JBC) three meetings on border settlement. If the JBC's minutes are approved by Parliament, the commission will continue its negotiations with Cambodia over the boundary demarcation. A group of senators opposed the approval and called for the government to revoke a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for land boundary demarcation signed with Cambodia in 2000, which is a basic legal document for the JBC. The MOU, signed during the Democrat-led administration under Chuan Leekpai, recognised a French-made map of 1:200,000 scale, which indicates a boundary line in favour of Cambodia. Under pressure from the Senate and the nationalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), Abhisit said he supported a Senate proposal to have a joint parliamentary panel study the JBC's document before Parliament approved it. Activist Veera Somkwamkid yesterday lodged petitions with Parliament speaker Chai Chidchob and Premier Abhisit, demanding they withdraw the JBC documents from Parliament's consideration. Parliament was supposed to discuss the JBC document late last year but Abhisit's government put it off after a diplomatic row with Cambodia over an appointment of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an adviser to the Hun Sen government. Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over Preah Vihear since the World Heritage Committee added it to the World Heritage List of 2008. The listing has nothing to do with the boundaries, but Thailand feared Cambodia would use the disputed areas adjacent to the temple as a buffer zone. The government managed to buy time for the World Heritage Committee's consideration of the temple's management plan. The move prompted anger from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who said the two countries might not be able to solve the problem bilaterally. Hun Sen wrote letters to the United Nations accusing the Abhisit government of threatening to use force against Cambodia. Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong wrote to seek assistance from Asean to end the conflict with Thailand and discussed the issue with Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan in Phnom Penh Monday. "We certainly would like to see a peaceful resolution to any problem in Asean," Surin said after meeting Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong. He said he would await a decision by Asean foreign ministers before responding to Cambodia's request for regional help in resolving the row, which Hun Sen has warned could lead to bloodshed. Surin, a former Thai foreign minister, also listened to Hun Sen on the issue.