By The Nation
Published on July 19, 2008
Boonsarng to lead delegation
Supreme Commander General Boonsarng Niumpradit will on Monday take Thai delegates to an urgent meeting of the General Border Committee in Sa Kaew in the hope of defusing the provocative border confrontation with Cambodia.
Thai and Cambodian forces stationed across the border were reportedly "pointing guns" at each other.
In a bid to prevent further escalation, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who is also defence minister, yesterday appointed Boonsarng his representative in talks with his Cambodian counterpart.
Some 300 construction workers near the border returned to Thailand due to the conflict over the Preah Vihear Temple.
Lt-General Niphat Thonglek, chief of the Army's Border Affairs Department, said a decision on withdrawing troops from the border area would be made after pending issues were discussed at the border meeting.
"We'll meet on the basis of good bilateral relations and understanding," he said.
Boonsarng and his Cambodian counterpart, Defence Minister Tea Banh, know each other well, so Boonsarng's taking the place of Samak does not mean a downgrade, he said.
Suraphol Puanayakan, secretary-general of the National Security Council, said the two countries would use peaceful means to solve their problems.
Military sources said the standoff across the border was verging on a "shoot-out".
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sun wrote to Samak asking for some 400 Thai troops to be withdrawn from the area.
Cambodia has dispatched some 2,000 troops to strategic spots along the border, citing the need to beef up security for tourists, residents and traders. Their presence caused a drastic drop in cross-border trade.
The dispute revolves around the registration of Cambodia's Hindu temple as a World Heritage Site amid angry protests from some Thais who blame the government for failing to oppose Cambodia's listing application.
The People's Alliance for Democracy dispatched members to the temple to express disagreement with the World Heritage designation on the grounds that Thailand should have had the right to associate itself with the application.
Three PAD members stormed into the temple on Tuesday. Many protesters clashed with residents of Si Sa Ket's Kantaralak district, where the temple entrance is located, who had grown frustrated with the tense situation and loss of income after the temple was closed to tourists for several weeks after the protest began.
The 11th-century temple of Preah Vihear was ruled by the International Court of Justice in 1962 as belonging to Cambodia.
Published on July 19, 2008
Boonsarng to lead delegation
Supreme Commander General Boonsarng Niumpradit will on Monday take Thai delegates to an urgent meeting of the General Border Committee in Sa Kaew in the hope of defusing the provocative border confrontation with Cambodia.
Thai and Cambodian forces stationed across the border were reportedly "pointing guns" at each other.
In a bid to prevent further escalation, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who is also defence minister, yesterday appointed Boonsarng his representative in talks with his Cambodian counterpart.
Some 300 construction workers near the border returned to Thailand due to the conflict over the Preah Vihear Temple.
Lt-General Niphat Thonglek, chief of the Army's Border Affairs Department, said a decision on withdrawing troops from the border area would be made after pending issues were discussed at the border meeting.
"We'll meet on the basis of good bilateral relations and understanding," he said.
Boonsarng and his Cambodian counterpart, Defence Minister Tea Banh, know each other well, so Boonsarng's taking the place of Samak does not mean a downgrade, he said.
Suraphol Puanayakan, secretary-general of the National Security Council, said the two countries would use peaceful means to solve their problems.
Military sources said the standoff across the border was verging on a "shoot-out".
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sun wrote to Samak asking for some 400 Thai troops to be withdrawn from the area.
Cambodia has dispatched some 2,000 troops to strategic spots along the border, citing the need to beef up security for tourists, residents and traders. Their presence caused a drastic drop in cross-border trade.
The dispute revolves around the registration of Cambodia's Hindu temple as a World Heritage Site amid angry protests from some Thais who blame the government for failing to oppose Cambodia's listing application.
The People's Alliance for Democracy dispatched members to the temple to express disagreement with the World Heritage designation on the grounds that Thailand should have had the right to associate itself with the application.
Three PAD members stormed into the temple on Tuesday. Many protesters clashed with residents of Si Sa Ket's Kantaralak district, where the temple entrance is located, who had grown frustrated with the tense situation and loss of income after the temple was closed to tourists for several weeks after the protest began.
The 11th-century temple of Preah Vihear was ruled by the International Court of Justice in 1962 as belonging to Cambodia.
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