(BangkokPost.com, Agencies)
Cha-am - Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong agreed on Tuesday to settle the dispute surrounding the Preah Vihear temple peacefully, but made no specific progress.
"This is the 21st century. We are beyond the stage of resorting to military confrontation," Hor Namhong told a joint press conference.
The ministers met for hours at Cha-am in two separate sessions. Their final decisions:
*
Talks rather than military might must be used
* Border disputes will be discussed and finally settled by existing commissions
* A parallel argument over ownership and care of the 13th century Ta Moan temple would be submitted to a future bilateral meeting
"Both sides agreed to consider raising the issue of Ta Moan at the next foreign ministers' meeting," said Mr Tej, reading a joint statement.
Hor Namhong said that Cambodia would remove all its troops from the disputed area around the temple, leaving only police to guard the temple. The Thai side said it would need to consult the military about a similar complete withdrawal.
"If we can solve this problem the temple will be reopened to tourists soon," he said. It has been closed to the public since mid-July.
The two sides agreed to hold further border committee-level meetings on the Preah Vihear on August 29 and in early October, after which there will be another foreign ministers meeting.
Earlier report:
Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong met for hours at Cha-am on Tuesday but failed to reach any new agreement on the disputes concerning the Preah Vihear temple.
The Phetchburi province meeting and a parallel study group by military and related border affairs officials took place in a resort hotel.
The meeting lasted some six hours with a short lunch break before the two ministers left for a scheduled audience with His Majesty the King in nearby Hua Hin.
A Cambodian spokesman said in Phnom Penh Tuesday evening the government was pleased with progress of talks, but he cautioned that talks would have resume later over a second disputed temple complex.
"The two governments have already discussed withdrawing remaining troops from Preah Vihear temple and the talks are cordial," Phay Siphan said.
The ministers are trying to find a peaceful solution to a dispute regarding a 4.6-sq-kilometre overlapping area around the 11th-century ruins of the Khmer-style Hindu temple.
They seek to lay down foundations for future cooperation on demarcation and demining work along the disputed border.
They will return to the hotel in the evening to continue the meeting, which was supposed to end within the day.
However, the anticipation for a conclusion of success or breakthrough was low, as both sides had strong claims over some points that made the negotiation hard to pass through, sources said.
This is the second-round talks on a ministerial level. The two foreign minister had their first talks on July 28 in Siem Reap.
As a result of the talks and a good gesture before the second meeting, however, the two sides did remove most of their military personnel, which have been quickly strengthened since mid-July to an estimated 1,000 more from each side, along the disputed border around the temple since Saturday.
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Earlier report
Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong met in Hua Hin on Tuesday, following informal talks on Monday evening on border dispute over Preah Vihear temple.
Director of the Department of Information and Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said the meeting will continue discussion from the previous Joint Border Committee (JBC) meeting in Cambodia’s Siem Reap on July 28 regarding possible reduction of troops from both sides at the disputed border area.
He said the two neighbouring countries hope the meeting can prevent confrontation and restore normalcy.
According to Mr Tharit, the bilateral ties between Thailand and Cambodia are moving in a positive direction, but the problem takes time and patience from both sides.
Relative calm and normalcy have returned to the ill-defined Thai-Cambodian border as the foreign ministers of the two neighbours welcomed one another to a new round of discussions aimed to put to rest differences that have contributed to bad feeling on both sides of the border.
While both countries retain small token military forces in some of the ancient Preah Vihear temple along the border, the large numbers of combat-ready troops who crowded the ancient temple environs a few weeks ago have since been pulled back, and those who remain are 'friends' again.
In 1962 the International Court of Justice ruled that the Preah Vihear temple is part to Cambodia, but the surrounding land remains in dispute.
Landmines from several wars still produce casualties among Cambodian and Thai farmers and anyone attempting to cross the border. The landmines are seen as part of the reason that the border has never been fully demarcated.
Mr Tharit said that the situation had improved greatly and that the tensions that were previously clearly apparent have largely eased.
The Thai foreign ministry spokesman said he expected the situation to return to normalcy soon.
Cha-am - Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong agreed on Tuesday to settle the dispute surrounding the Preah Vihear temple peacefully, but made no specific progress.
"This is the 21st century. We are beyond the stage of resorting to military confrontation," Hor Namhong told a joint press conference.
The ministers met for hours at Cha-am in two separate sessions. Their final decisions:
*
Talks rather than military might must be used
* Border disputes will be discussed and finally settled by existing commissions
* A parallel argument over ownership and care of the 13th century Ta Moan temple would be submitted to a future bilateral meeting
"Both sides agreed to consider raising the issue of Ta Moan at the next foreign ministers' meeting," said Mr Tej, reading a joint statement.
Hor Namhong said that Cambodia would remove all its troops from the disputed area around the temple, leaving only police to guard the temple. The Thai side said it would need to consult the military about a similar complete withdrawal.
"If we can solve this problem the temple will be reopened to tourists soon," he said. It has been closed to the public since mid-July.
The two sides agreed to hold further border committee-level meetings on the Preah Vihear on August 29 and in early October, after which there will be another foreign ministers meeting.
Earlier report:
Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong met for hours at Cha-am on Tuesday but failed to reach any new agreement on the disputes concerning the Preah Vihear temple.
The Phetchburi province meeting and a parallel study group by military and related border affairs officials took place in a resort hotel.
The meeting lasted some six hours with a short lunch break before the two ministers left for a scheduled audience with His Majesty the King in nearby Hua Hin.
A Cambodian spokesman said in Phnom Penh Tuesday evening the government was pleased with progress of talks, but he cautioned that talks would have resume later over a second disputed temple complex.
"The two governments have already discussed withdrawing remaining troops from Preah Vihear temple and the talks are cordial," Phay Siphan said.
The ministers are trying to find a peaceful solution to a dispute regarding a 4.6-sq-kilometre overlapping area around the 11th-century ruins of the Khmer-style Hindu temple.
They seek to lay down foundations for future cooperation on demarcation and demining work along the disputed border.
They will return to the hotel in the evening to continue the meeting, which was supposed to end within the day.
However, the anticipation for a conclusion of success or breakthrough was low, as both sides had strong claims over some points that made the negotiation hard to pass through, sources said.
This is the second-round talks on a ministerial level. The two foreign minister had their first talks on July 28 in Siem Reap.
As a result of the talks and a good gesture before the second meeting, however, the two sides did remove most of their military personnel, which have been quickly strengthened since mid-July to an estimated 1,000 more from each side, along the disputed border around the temple since Saturday.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Earlier report
Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong met in Hua Hin on Tuesday, following informal talks on Monday evening on border dispute over Preah Vihear temple.
Director of the Department of Information and Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said the meeting will continue discussion from the previous Joint Border Committee (JBC) meeting in Cambodia’s Siem Reap on July 28 regarding possible reduction of troops from both sides at the disputed border area.
He said the two neighbouring countries hope the meeting can prevent confrontation and restore normalcy.
According to Mr Tharit, the bilateral ties between Thailand and Cambodia are moving in a positive direction, but the problem takes time and patience from both sides.
Relative calm and normalcy have returned to the ill-defined Thai-Cambodian border as the foreign ministers of the two neighbours welcomed one another to a new round of discussions aimed to put to rest differences that have contributed to bad feeling on both sides of the border.
While both countries retain small token military forces in some of the ancient Preah Vihear temple along the border, the large numbers of combat-ready troops who crowded the ancient temple environs a few weeks ago have since been pulled back, and those who remain are 'friends' again.
In 1962 the International Court of Justice ruled that the Preah Vihear temple is part to Cambodia, but the surrounding land remains in dispute.
Landmines from several wars still produce casualties among Cambodian and Thai farmers and anyone attempting to cross the border. The landmines are seen as part of the reason that the border has never been fully demarcated.
Mr Tharit said that the situation had improved greatly and that the tensions that were previously clearly apparent have largely eased.
The Thai foreign ministry spokesman said he expected the situation to return to normalcy soon.
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