Thai Delegation to Visit Cambodia and Discuss Border

By Soy Sophea

Thai soldiers currently stationed in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear territory will withdraw, following the visit of Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya to Cambodia. This is an illustration of greater political stability in Thailand, according to Koy Kuong, Under Secretary of State and spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

An optimistic Koy Kuong said that the Thai army will leave the area after the visit of the Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. He and his delegation will meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen during the official visit.

The Thai delegation will also pay a courtesy call on His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, and Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya will hold talks with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation during a two-day visit scheduled from January 25.

“I believe that there will be a positive step forward in tackling the disputed border and the Thai army will retreat as the current Thai government follows the French-Siem convention and treaty, and MoU of 2000,” Koy Kuong told the Cambodia Weekly during a telephone interview on January 23. “Everything seems to be clear as the new Thai government follows international law,” he added.

The spokesman said that officials including Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong will talk with Kasit over the remaining documents generated during discussions with the previous Thai government and reach am agreement.

"We expect Kasit to be flexible and positive over the border issue," Koy Kuong said, adding that the new Thai Foreign Affairs Minister had promised a peaceful solution in a call made to his Cambodian counterpart last month.

Phay Siphan, Spokesman to the Council of Ministers, has told the Cambodia Weekly that he believed the new Thai Foreign Affairs Minister will follow agreements hammered out between former Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Sompong Amornwiwat and the Cambodian Foreign Affairs Minister during border negotiations in November 2008 in Siem Reap province, Cambodia.

“I am optimistic that Kasit will follow previous agreements when he visits Cambodia,” Siphan said. “The current Thai government has demonstrated a polite and diplomatic attitude when discussing the border dispute,” he added. “Redeployment of Thai troops will take place upon or after the Thai Foreign Minister’s visit.”

Siphan said that the current Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has demonstrated his willingness to find a peaceful resolution to the border dispute and behave like a good neighbor and member of the ASEAN family. “I note that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen have respect for each other and this is the best foundation for building peace.”The Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya was one of the most controversial appointments when the new Thai Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva named his cabinet on December 20. He played a pivotal role in the protests that closed Bangkok's airports in November and December.

The Cambodian-Thai border has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with land mines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.The most recent tensions began in July when the Khmer temple was awarded United Nations World Heritage status, rekindling a long-running disagreement over the ownership of the surrounding land.