Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Cabinet approves Foreign Ministry appointment of border commission head

BANGKOK, Oct 21 (TNA) - At its regularly-scheduled meeting Tuesday, the Thai Cabinet approved the Foreign Ministry's proposal to appoint former Thai ambassador to South Korea Wasin Teeravejayarn as chairman of the Joint Boundary Commission of Thailand (JBC), according to a government spokesman.

Mr. Wasin would be responsible for the border talks with Cambodia and Myanmar.

The boundary commission post is normally occupied by the deputy foreign minister, but as the Somchai government has only the minister himself supervising the ministry, Mr. Wasin is being appointed to fill the position.

The Wasin's appointment is seen as somewhat urgent, as the Thai-Cambodia border disputes must be resolved. One Thai and two Cambodian soldiers were killed and six other Thai troops were wounded in the border skirmish near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple last week.

The border dispute has yet to be settled. Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat may hold informal talks on the issue with his Cambodian counterpart during the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in China to be held later this week (October 23 to 25).

Mr. Wasin is a career diplomat who specialises in international law, and was once Director-General of the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs before being appointed ambassador of the Hague in the Netherlands in the year 2000. His last position was as ambassador to Seoul before officially retiring on September 30. (TNA)

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