Preah Vihear. ©DRCambodge Soir
21-10-2008
The Prime Minister declared that Cambodia and Thailand could still solve the row themselves as Hun Sen tries not to implicate Asean.
On Friday 17 after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, Hun Sen declared to journalists that he hopes that Cambodia and Thailand continue a bilateral dialogue on the Preah Vihear conflict.
“I would like to thank Indonesia for proposing mediation on behalf of Asean but it is not the right time", declared Hun Sen, adding that both countries had at their disposal the relevant mechanism to solve the border issue.
The Prime Minister added that in the temple area the situation was back to normal this morning as meetings between both parties eased the tension.
On October 22-23, Hun Sen flies to Nanning, China, as Cambodia is the honorary guest of this year China-Asean exhibition. He will then travel to Beijing for the 7th Asean-European Union summit on October 24-25.
When asked about Thailand flexing its muscles, Hun Sen was not impressed: “we know their weapons very well as we were victims of them".
Regarding Thai media accusations that Cambodia was assisted “by other States” during the skirmishes, Hun Sen that this was “despising Cambodian people”: “Whatever is said, I think that what happened is just an engagement and not a conflict” he added.
Thailand also accused Cambodia of mining the area along the border trod by two Thai soldiers—deminers according to Thai sources—on October 6, leaving then seriously injured. “Cambodia signed the Ottawa Convention on the use of landmines and still pays a hard tribute to mines” stated the Prime Minister to prove his good faith. "These mines are soviet made and have been there since the 1980s.” According to the Thai government, the area where the landmines exploded had been previously demined.
As for the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it judged that by conducting unilateral demining operations, Thailand had violated the 2002, 2006 and 2008 Khmer-Thai agreements. The official death toll of the skirmishes remains at three dead on the Cambodian side. The five dead mentioned by Cambodian soldiers were still not confirmed late Friday October 17 in Bangkok.
21-10-2008
The Prime Minister declared that Cambodia and Thailand could still solve the row themselves as Hun Sen tries not to implicate Asean.
On Friday 17 after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, Hun Sen declared to journalists that he hopes that Cambodia and Thailand continue a bilateral dialogue on the Preah Vihear conflict.
“I would like to thank Indonesia for proposing mediation on behalf of Asean but it is not the right time", declared Hun Sen, adding that both countries had at their disposal the relevant mechanism to solve the border issue.
The Prime Minister added that in the temple area the situation was back to normal this morning as meetings between both parties eased the tension.
On October 22-23, Hun Sen flies to Nanning, China, as Cambodia is the honorary guest of this year China-Asean exhibition. He will then travel to Beijing for the 7th Asean-European Union summit on October 24-25.
When asked about Thailand flexing its muscles, Hun Sen was not impressed: “we know their weapons very well as we were victims of them".
Regarding Thai media accusations that Cambodia was assisted “by other States” during the skirmishes, Hun Sen that this was “despising Cambodian people”: “Whatever is said, I think that what happened is just an engagement and not a conflict” he added.
Thailand also accused Cambodia of mining the area along the border trod by two Thai soldiers—deminers according to Thai sources—on October 6, leaving then seriously injured. “Cambodia signed the Ottawa Convention on the use of landmines and still pays a hard tribute to mines” stated the Prime Minister to prove his good faith. "These mines are soviet made and have been there since the 1980s.” According to the Thai government, the area where the landmines exploded had been previously demined.
As for the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it judged that by conducting unilateral demining operations, Thailand had violated the 2002, 2006 and 2008 Khmer-Thai agreements. The official death toll of the skirmishes remains at three dead on the Cambodian side. The five dead mentioned by Cambodian soldiers were still not confirmed late Friday October 17 in Bangkok.
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