Thai-Cambodia trade fair in Phnom Penh will go ahead : Hun Sen

via CAAI

By Xinhua

People's Daily online

A joint trade fair to be held in Cambodia this week will go ahead as scheduled despite military clashes at the border near Preah Vihear Temple, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday said Tuesday.

"Trades with Thailand are still normal," he said during opening the construction of a 144-km road in Banteay Meanchey province which is adjacent to Sa Kaew province of Thailand.

He said that a Thai deputy prime minister will come to Phnom Penh to open the trade fair to be held between Thursday and Sunday.

"We have to continue cooperation on all other sectors with Thailand. The area that has disputed, we resolve at that area and contain it from spreading further," he said.

"We have a policy to turn all Cambodian borders with neighboring countries to be a border of peace, friendship and cooperation."

Meanwhile Jiranan Wongmongkol, director of the Thai embassy's Foreign Trade Promotion Office in Phnom Penh, confirmed Tuesday that Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwankiri, will make a one-day visit to Phnom Penh to attend the event on Thursday.

He is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen, she said.

"We have already prepared for the exhibition--everything is on schedule," she said.

The fair is expected about 150 Thai companies and about 25 Cambodian companies will display their products in the event.

Bilateral trades between Cambodia and Thailand mounted to US2.54 million in 2010, up 54 percent from Bt1.65 billion in a year earlier, according to the statistics from Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.

Of the sum, Cambodia exported to Thailand was only US$214.7 million and Thailand exported to Cambodia worth up to Bt2.34 billion last year.

Cambodian and Thai troops clashed on February 1 near Preah Vihear Temple. The fighting killed three and injured many others.

Cambodia brought the dispute to the UN Security Council in a meeting on Monday. The UNSC resolved that both countries to display maximum restraint and to establish a permanent cease-fire.

It also expressed support for the active efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in this matter and encouraged the parties to continue their cooperation with the organization.