Prayuth: Indon observers not wanted

23 Mar, 2011
Source: Bangkok Post

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and commanders of all the armed forces have resolved not to allow Indonesian observers to enter the 4.6 square kilometre dispute area on the Thai-Cambodian border, army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Wednesday.

Gen Prayuth said the top brass wanted the Thai-Cambodian conflict to be solved by bilateral negotiations between the two countries, without outside involvement.

He said the army had made a proposal to Cambodia through the Foreign Ministry that if there were to be joint checkpoints in the disputed area, then a special centre should be set up to coordinate their operation.

The coordination centre must be manned by Thai and Cambodian soldiers only. It was not necessary to have Indonesian observers.

If Cambodia insisted on having Indonesian observers, they should be allowed to perform their duty outside the disputed area, Gen Prayuth said.

"Why do they want to enter the disputed area? It's not safe there. The question is, if Indonesian observers come, will they be able to order Cambodian soldiers not to violate the Memorandum of Understanding?" he asked.

The army chief was firm in his stand that the Thai-Cambodian conflict over the Preah Vihear temple area was a matter to be solved by Thailand and Cambodiam, and that Indonesia or any other third country should not be allowed to be involved.

"Thailand and Cambodia, can reach a settlement through negotiations, especially between the soldiers," he said.

Gen Prayuth reaffirmed the Thai top brass would not attend the General Border Committee (GBC) meeting in Indonesia on April 7-8.

"The 8th GBC was initially to be hosted by Cambodia. If Cambodia cannot host the meeting, we would offer to host it in Thailand. We are contacting Gen Tea Banh, the Cambodian defence minister, over this matter," he said.

Asked what would happen if Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen insisted on not holding bilateral talks, he said: "If the meeting cannot be held, it will not be held."

Talks must be bilateral and foreigners should not interfere, Gen Prayuth said.

Regarding the map to be used in talks to settle the border conflict, Gen Prayuth said Thailand stands firm on using the 1:50,000 map, not the 1:200,000.

"Fighting will not bring anything good, only losses. Problems must be solved through negotiations," he said.