Written by DAP NEWS -- Thursday, 03 September 2009
The Cambodia-Thai border dispute looks like it could soon be resolved and return to the situation before July 15, 2008, as the Thai Parliament on Wednesday gave the nod to Cambodia-Thai border demarcation.
The Thai Parliament on Wednesday approved reports from the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Border Commission (JBC), a move that essentially gives the go-ahead to boundary demarcation at a disputed area around Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple, according to The Nation newspaper.
The Cambodia-Thai border dispute looks like it could soon be resolved and return to the situation before July 15, 2008, as the Thai Parliament on Wednesday gave the nod to Cambodia-Thai border demarcation.
The Thai Parliament on Wednesday approved reports from the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Border Commission (JBC), a move that essentially gives the go-ahead to boundary demarcation at a disputed area around Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple, according to The Nation newspaper.
“The joint session between the lower and upper house in their closed-door meeting voted in favor of the reports 306 against 6,” The Nation confirmed. “The Cabinet submitted for the parliament approval the three agreed-minutes of Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) as required by the article 190 of the constitution.”
Var Kimhong, head of the Cambodian side of the JBC, on Wednesday told DAP News Cambodia he welcomed for the Thai approval. he said the move would help reduce tension around the Khmer temple of Preah Vihear. he noted that the border demarcation in the area has stalled since 2006.
“We congratulate and warmly welcome this new information and Cambodia will send expert officials working with this issue to talk and negotiate with Thailand,” added Var Kimhong.
Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Foreign Affair and International Cooperation Ministry (MFA), on Wednesday also welcomed of the Thai Parliament’s approval.
“We welcome the information that Thai parliament approved to demarcate Cambodia-Thai boundary,” said Koy Kuong. “It shows a positive sign for the two nation’s cooperation.”
“Both joint boundary committee expert officials will work together to study the area where we demarcate,” Koy Kuong confirmed.
The Thai Parliament also voted in favor of a framework for the negotiations of Thailand-Laos Joint Boundary Commission and Thailand-Burma Regional Border Committee, the agency stated.
The framework of border negotiation between Thailand and Malaysia as well as the framework of relation of high level commission between Thailand and Indonesia also got approval from the parliament.
However the Thai Government withdrew the draft of World Bank’s Public Sector Reform Development Policy Loan (PSRDPL) from parliamentary consideration, saying it will be re-submitted again later since members need time to consider.
The JBC met in November last year, and in February and April this year to set a framework for border demarcation and provisional arrange- ment at what the Thais claim is a “disputed area” near Cambodia’s ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Thailand and Cambodia have long been at loggerheads over areas adjacent to the temple since last year. The JBC was asked to set a provisional arrangement to jointly run the disputed area while the demarcation takes place.
The Cambodia-Thai borer standoff started on July 15, 2008 after the temple was declared a Cambodian UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some Thais mistakenly view the temple as Thai propery.
The tensions have has been eased following the recent exchange of official trips by high ranking officials. As the last a two-day official visit of supreme commander of Thai Royal army chief to Cambodia in August 24, 2009 was to joint agreed with Cambodian side’s development at the two nation borders.
The first real sign negotiations would bear fruit was after Cambodian Deputy Prime Ministry Hor Namhong attended the Cambodia-Thai Cooperation Summit in Thailand on August 5, 2009. The Cambodian and Thai Governments have reached agreements to extend bilateral cooperation to avoid the possibility of armed conflict at the border near the Cambodian temple of Preah Viear.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen recently announced he will cut troop levels at the disputed area around Preah Vihear temple in northern Cambodia in response to a similar move by Thailand.
Opposite Pursat province, Thailand has recently cut the number of its soldiers to just 30, the premier said. He did not specify how many Cambodian soldiers would be withdrawn.
“We have a plan to change the deployment a little,” Hun Sen said. “If anything happened, it wouldn’t take long to send our troops up again, but I hope there won’t be any fighting there.”
“In our modern age, we need to discuss matters with each other and we do not want to see people shed their blood.”
Songkiti Jaggap Batara, supreme commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, made a two day trip to Cambodia on August 24.
In a remarkable defusing of the tense Cambodia-Thai military standoff around Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Temple, army chiefs on Monday last week agreed to boost cooperation in development of border areas to improve living standards of the citizens of both countries. Cambodian troop deployments were said to have been scaled back.
Both nations have had soldiers killed and wounded in clashes in the area since mid-2008, when the temple was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO, the UN’s cultural body.
The violence drove relations between the two ASEAN members to a low point and caused concern among other members of the regional bloc.
Most of view expects that the border at Cambodia´s Preah Vihear temple which kicked off while Cambodia´s Preah Vihear temple was inscribed as a World Heritage Site on July 07, 2008 will be eased tension gradually. Afollowing week, Thai soldiers encroached illegally into Cambodia´s territory.
Cambodia are waiting for the result of this work as Thai parliament approved its Joint Boundary Committee on Wednesday to pay the way for demarcating with Cambodia.
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