Sides fail to agree on troop cut

By: Thanida Tansubhapol and Wassana Nanuam

Published: 5th Feb, 2009

Newspaper section: News

Attempts to reduce the number of troops in the disputed area around Preah Vihear temple made no progress on Wednesday, says the lead Thai negotiator.

Joint Boundary Commission chairman Vasin Teeravechyan said the troop reduction issue failed to move forward as Thai and Cambodian officials could not settle on the name of the joint committee to be used in the documents.

Thailand proposed "the military monitoring group" be used for joint operations in the 4.6-square-kilometre area claimed by the two countries, but this was opposed by Cambodia, Mr Vasin said.

The Cambodian officials insisted on using the name "the temporary coordinating team".

The disputed area overlaps Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket and the Cambodian province of Preah Vihear.

The two sides also could not settle on the name of the temple for inclusion in documents. Thailand wanted to refer to it as "the Temple of Phra Viharn-Preah Vihear" but Cambodia again objected.

Mr Vasin said any change in the names of the temple and the joint military patrol panel needed parliamentary approval in Thailand. The Thai side had to stick strictly to the names endorsed by parliament, he said.

The deadlock meant the minutes were not signed at the end of the two-day meeting yesterday.

The two sides only agreed in principle on technical issues, including the setting up of a team to survey the border from Nam Yuen district in Ubon Ratchathani and Phu Sing district in Si Sa Ket.

However, Cambodian Senior Minister Var Kim Hong expressed hope that the two countries would find a way to solve the problems over the disputed border region.

"We need to discuss and clarify some points and [I] hope that the next meeting will find a suitable solution," he said.

The next round of talks is scheduled for April.

Thailand and Cambodia pledged at a meeting in November last year to slash troop levels in the areas claimed by the two countries.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said he would not raise the Preah Vihear issue in talks with his Cambodian counterpart Gen Tea Banh and other top military leaders when he visits Cambodia tomorrow.

Gen Prawit said his agenda was only to introduce himself as the new defence minister.