Thai, Cambodia PMs to discuss border issues in ASEM

Source: Xinhua
04 Oct, 2010

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he would consult with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on the two countries' border dispute on the sidelines of the 8th Asia-Europe Meeting in Brussels, on 5-6 October.

After the latest talks of the two leaders in New York late last month, more discussions on the border issue especially on actions of concerned government agencies of each country are possible, Abhisit said.

The Thai News Agency quoted Abhisit as saying that the border problem with soldiers of both countries facing each other on the border may be discussed further.

Thailand and Cambodia have an age-old dispute over the area along their border and over the 900-year-old Hindu Preah Vihear Temple. In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled the temple belongs to Cambodia although its main entrance lies in Thailand.

Tensions flared up again as the UNESCO named Preah Vihear a World Heritage in 2008 and once again as Cambodia appointed Thailand's ousted ex-PM Thaksin as its economic adviser in November 2009. Armed clashes resulting in casualties on both sides have occurred occasionally in the area since then.

Thailand protested against Cambodia by recalling its ambassador soon after Thaksin's appointment, and then Cambodia followed suit. The two countries' diplomatic relations did not resume to normal until Aug. 25 of this year, when they reinstated the ambassadors to each other, following Thaksin's resignation.