Sompong (L) and Namhong (R) talk to the press after the meeting.THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL
Bangkok Post
The recently ended meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission between Thailand and Cambodia in Siem Reap turned out to be more successful than first thought.
Before the meeting, the Thai side did not expect any concrete results because of the border tension. Some even expected a quarrel between those representing the two countries at the negotiating table.
But the result, as well as the atmosphere, at the meeting was better than expected.
There were only two minor items needing parliamentary approval in Thailand because the Thai delegation did not want to get into trouble if the negotiators made an agreement without the authority of parliament.
The first was the term Thailand should use to refer to the 11th century temple, which has been internationally referred to as Preah Vihear. It is called Phra Viharn in Thai, and this name is used in government documents.
But Cambodia wanted to use Preah Vihear in the minutes of the meetings because the International Court of Justice, which ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia in 1962, used that term.
After a long discussion, Cambodia agreed to refer to the disputed area as "Sector 6", to avoid referring to the name of the temple. But the Thai delegation did not make any commitment over this matter.
Another issue was the two countries agreeing to scale down their military presence in the area. Cambodia wanted all 10 Thai troops stationed in the area to stay away from the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda and another 20 to stay away from a nearby area. But the Thai side insisted certain low-ranking soldiers should stand by in the area for safety reasons.
"The Thai side had already asked parliament to approve a framework for negotiations on these issues with Cambodia before going to the meeting, but after the meeting there were some minor changes to the wording [about the military presence], so the Thai side must ask for approval from parliament again before signing an agreement with Cambodia," said the source.
Bangkok Post
The recently ended meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission between Thailand and Cambodia in Siem Reap turned out to be more successful than first thought.
Before the meeting, the Thai side did not expect any concrete results because of the border tension. Some even expected a quarrel between those representing the two countries at the negotiating table.
But the result, as well as the atmosphere, at the meeting was better than expected.
There were only two minor items needing parliamentary approval in Thailand because the Thai delegation did not want to get into trouble if the negotiators made an agreement without the authority of parliament.
The first was the term Thailand should use to refer to the 11th century temple, which has been internationally referred to as Preah Vihear. It is called Phra Viharn in Thai, and this name is used in government documents.
But Cambodia wanted to use Preah Vihear in the minutes of the meetings because the International Court of Justice, which ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia in 1962, used that term.
After a long discussion, Cambodia agreed to refer to the disputed area as "Sector 6", to avoid referring to the name of the temple. But the Thai delegation did not make any commitment over this matter.
Another issue was the two countries agreeing to scale down their military presence in the area. Cambodia wanted all 10 Thai troops stationed in the area to stay away from the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda and another 20 to stay away from a nearby area. But the Thai side insisted certain low-ranking soldiers should stand by in the area for safety reasons.
"The Thai side had already asked parliament to approve a framework for negotiations on these issues with Cambodia before going to the meeting, but after the meeting there were some minor changes to the wording [about the military presence], so the Thai side must ask for approval from parliament again before signing an agreement with Cambodia," said the source.
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