Thursday, 18 September 2008

PM scolds Thailand over border row

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Cheang sokha and Thet Sambath
Thursday, 18 September 2008

Hun Sen raises stalled talks in meeting with Negroponte

PRIME Minister Hun Sen has blasted Thai authorities for allowing their soldiers to continue occupying Cambodian temple complexes along the border.

"I have told US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte that we currently have no channels of negotiation with Thailand," he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after a meeting late Monday with the visiting US official.

"Thailand continues to send soldiers to temples such as Ta Moan and Ta Krabey, or they are coming themselves to steal our land," he said.

Hun Sen said he would appeal to the UN Security Council to intervene before the conflict becomes violent.

Negroponte arrived in Cambodia on Sunday as part of a three-day visit to strengthen bilateral ties between the Kingdom and the US and to announce US$24 million in funding to strengthen economic development.

The US has also agreed to provide $1.8 million to support the cash-strapped Khmer Rouge tribunal.

Hun Sen acknowledged that Thailand's internal political conflicts have derailed negotiations to resolve the dispute, but said that it should not be used as an excuse to prolong the presence of Thai soldiers on disputed soil.

No comments: