Bangkok Post
By: WASSANA NANUAM
Published: 8/02/2009 at 12:00 AM
Thailand has not agreed on the proposed troop withdrawal from the disputed territory surrounding the Preah Vihear Hindu temple as claimed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Wibulsak Neepal, commander of the 2nd Army Region, said no agreement on a troop pullout was reached at Friday's meeting between Mr Hun Sen and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan during his visit to Phnom Penh.
"There is no agreement. The matter has been raised during the defence minister's self-introduction visit to Cambodia after assuming office," he said. He added that the troop withdrawal call would be looked into by a working committee set up to handle border demarcation disputes and that he expected an outcome soon.
However, the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission, which is working to resolve the outstanding issues, met in Bangkok this week without making any progress. The delegations could not agree on the name of a military team which will monitor the border area and on the name for the temple.
Lt-Gen Wibulsak stressed that even if a troop pullout agreement was reached, Thailand was unlikely to make full withdrawal from the disputed areas. Those in charge of coordination would remain in place and the troop pullout would not put Thailand at a disadvantage, he said, pointing to the fact that the military has procedures to follow to uphold sovereignty.
Lt-Gen Wibulsak noted that the army was considering reopening Pha Mor E Daeng in Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province to tourists. The area has been off-limits following the flare-up of border tensions. A source said yesterday the Cambodian prime minister demanded Thailand pull all its troops out of the disputed border areas.
"We never agreed. If we do, it will not be easy to send them back in again," said the source.
By: WASSANA NANUAM
Published: 8/02/2009 at 12:00 AM
Thailand has not agreed on the proposed troop withdrawal from the disputed territory surrounding the Preah Vihear Hindu temple as claimed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Wibulsak Neepal, commander of the 2nd Army Region, said no agreement on a troop pullout was reached at Friday's meeting between Mr Hun Sen and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan during his visit to Phnom Penh.
"There is no agreement. The matter has been raised during the defence minister's self-introduction visit to Cambodia after assuming office," he said. He added that the troop withdrawal call would be looked into by a working committee set up to handle border demarcation disputes and that he expected an outcome soon.
However, the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission, which is working to resolve the outstanding issues, met in Bangkok this week without making any progress. The delegations could not agree on the name of a military team which will monitor the border area and on the name for the temple.
Lt-Gen Wibulsak stressed that even if a troop pullout agreement was reached, Thailand was unlikely to make full withdrawal from the disputed areas. Those in charge of coordination would remain in place and the troop pullout would not put Thailand at a disadvantage, he said, pointing to the fact that the military has procedures to follow to uphold sovereignty.
Lt-Gen Wibulsak noted that the army was considering reopening Pha Mor E Daeng in Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province to tourists. The area has been off-limits following the flare-up of border tensions. A source said yesterday the Cambodian prime minister demanded Thailand pull all its troops out of the disputed border areas.
"We never agreed. If we do, it will not be easy to send them back in again," said the source.
No comments:
Post a Comment