PM clinches rogue red shirt deal in New York

via CAAI

ABHISIT PRAISES HUN SEN AFTER US MEET

Published: 26/09/2010

NEW YORK : Cambodia has pledged to send rogue red shirts caught on its territory back to Thailand and resolve the border dispute near Preah Vihear temple through talks, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday.

The Thai and Cambodian leaders met on Friday for the first time since Thailand opposed Cambodia's management plan for the Hindu temple at the World Heritage Committee meeting in Brazil in August.

"Cambodia's Premier Hun Sen told me that if he finds wanted red shirt protesters in his country, he will send them back to Thailand," Mr Abhisit said yesterday.

They met after the summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the United States on Friday.

Relations between the countries eased after former premier Thaksin Shinawatra gave up his job as economic adviser to Phnom Penh in August.

Cambodian authorities arrested wanted red shirts Kobchai Boonplod, 41, and his wife Varissareeya Boonsom, 42, in Siem Reap on July 3 and handed them over to Thailand two days later in Phnom Penh.

They are fighting charges of possessing and setting off explosives to cause harm to people and property, and taking a bomb into a public area.

Police suspect they are the masterminds of the June 22 bombing near the Bhumjaithai Party HQ. The pair, who allegedly fled to Cambodia to escape the law, denied the charges.

Mr Abhisit praised Hun Sen for Phnom Penh's cooperation in sending the two back to Thailand.

Some leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship are believed to have fled to Cambodia after the army dispersed their protest in May.

Mr Abhisit said he and Hun Sen agreed that work on demarcating the boundary between the countries should proceed as planned.

Thailand and Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding in 2000 to set up a Joint Boundary Commission to demarcate overlapping parts of their boundary.

But the framework for border demarcation has not been approved by parliament as required by the constitution.

"We would like the [negotiation] process to move forward and will not let border problems affect our overall relationship," said Mr Abhisit.

The two leaders also agreed to foster ties through various activities to avoid conflicts.

"I think the relationship between us will improve if we proceed as agreed," said Mr Abhisit.

Before returning to Bangkok, the prime minister met a group of Thais who live in the US.

He said a better political atmosphere is needed in the country before he calls a general election. "I have never ruled out an early election although I can serve my full term and stay until early 2012.

"I am willing to hold an early election if it will solve political problems. But if dissolving the house leads to violence, an election will be meaningless," he told his Thai audience.

Thirty red shirt protesters shouted at Mr Abhisit in front of the Plaza Athenee hotel on his way back from the Asean-US summit at the Waldorf Astoria hotel.

Yelling at his motorcade, they protested against the military crackdown on red shirt demonstrators in May.

The group held aloft banners, with one reading: "PM: You can't fool the world. 91 killed."