Abhisit rejects Hun Sen's ceasefire plan

18 Feb, 2011
Source: Bangkok Post

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has rejected Cambodia's proposal for the two countries to sign a ceasefire agreement.

The prime minister said it was too early to talk about such a move.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen proposed yesterday that Thailand and Cambodia sign a permanent ceasefire deal, witnessed by other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or the Asean chair, when Asean foreign ministers meet in Jakarta next Tuesday.

"We were not the ones that started the fight. It is still too soon to talk about signing any agreement," Mr Abhisit said.

"Thailand said from the beginning that we were not the first to open fire. We did what other countries would - that is, when we are fired at or attacked first, we fire back. We have the right to protect our sovereignty."

Mr Abhisit said the two countries in conflict must hold talks and Asean could act as a facilitator.

Asean is not in a position to be involved in the matters to be discussed by Thailand and Cambodia, he said, adding Hun Sen's proposal was still not clear.

The United Nations Security Council on Monday called for a permanent ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, and asked that they negotiate an end to their dispute.

Hun Sen said in Phnom Penh yesterday that Cambodia would urge Thailand to agree to a peace deal during the Asean meeting.

"During the upcoming Asean meeting, Cambodia will request that a ceasefire agreement be signed between the Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers under the witness of Asean or the Asean chair," he said.

Cambodia planned to go to the International Court of Justice to seek a ruling on the disputed area, Hun Sen said.

Legal officials are preparing documents to bring the case back before the court to ask for a clarification concerning the disputed plot of land, he said.

"We will return to the court to have it resolved," Hun Sen said.

The two sides are at odds over a 4.6 square kilometre area near the Preah Vihear temple.

The ICJ ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but both countries claim ownership of the land surrounding it.

Despite the border tensions, a meeting yesterday between Hun Sen and Deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwannakhiri and Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot in Phnom Penh was described as friendly.

Mr Trairong, who headed a Thai delegation to the first Thai-Cambodian business summit and the Thailand Trade Fair, said Hun Sen asked him to convey a message to Mr Abhisit that Cambodia intended to end the border conflict and to cooperate with Thailand on a joint demarcation effort.

The United Nations Security Council on Monday urged the two nations to establish a "permanent ceasefire" but did not endorse a Cambodian request to deploy UN peacekeepers in the contested area.

It did, however, express support for mediation efforts by Indonesia, the present chair of the 10-nation Asean group.