Army chief confirms adjustment of troops near Preah Vihear, but no withdrawal

via CAAI

BANGKOK, Dec 20 - Thai army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha on Monday dismissed reports that the army has withdrawn troops from the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple, but said the Thai troop deployment has been adjusted and that their Cambodian counterparts had begun such moves first.

Gen Prayuth made his remarks as he was departing for Cambodia Monday to introduce himself after taking up his post.

The army chief, accompanied by the commanders of Thailand's First and Second Army Areas who supervise the territory adjacent to Cambodia, is scheduled to discuss with his Cambodian counterpart regarding the long-established relations between the two neighbouring countries and the current dispute on several issues.

As Cambodia adjusted its troop deployment, the Thai Army chief said," and the 2nd Army Area think that our troop deployment should also be adjusted to reduce possible confrontations."

"With troops from both sides only 20-30 metres away from each other, clashes could possibly occur, so we just step out a bit from the area," Gen Prayuth said, while reaffirming that both Cambodia and Thailand still maintain their army personnel in the disputed area to certify that no party will infringe the existing agreement made by the two kingdoms.

Gen Prayuth asserted that the soldiers are ready to return to their posts near the disputed zone immediately if any untoward incident occurs.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva earlier asserted that Thai troops stationed at the Thai-Cambodian border in Si Sa Ket province will not be withdrawn when Cambodia reopens the border gate to the 11th century Preah Vihear temple but said the military may consider a adjustment the assignment of its troops.

Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over Preah Vihear since the World Heritage Committee added it to the World Heritage List in 2008. The listing has nothing to do with the boundaries, but Thailand feared Cambodia would use the disputed areas adjacent to the temple as a buffer zone, particularly the 4.6 square metre area which is claimed by both countries.

Since the conflict started, there has been a military standoff, on and off, along the two countries' border and several military clashes resulted in limited casualties on both sides.

The International Court of Justice on June 15, 1962 ruled in favour of Cambodia, saying Preah Vihear belongs to the Khmers.

However, relations between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit appear to have improved in recent months following a series of meetings held on the sidelines of international and regional summits. (MCOT online news)