Cambodia, Thailand to speed up border demarcation

Cambodian senior minister in charge of border affairs Var Kim Hong (R) shakes hands with Thai advisor to minister of Foreign Affairs and co-chairman of Thai Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary Vasin Teeravechayan (L) as they exchange documents during the special session of Cambodian-Thai Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary at Council of Ministers in Phnom Penh.

(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

PHNOM PENH, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials of the Joint Border Committee (JBC) of Cambodia and Thailand began a meeting here on Monday to discuss the border demarcation issue, which aims to ease military tension between the two countries.

Before the two-day special session of the JBC on demarcation of land boundary, Var Kim Hong, chairman of the border committee of Cambodia, told reporters that they want to speed up border demarcation to avoid further armed clashes between the two countries at the area near Preah Vihear temple.

After Monday's talk, Var Kim Hong told reporters that all questions will be responded after ending the meeting on Tuesday.

Two rounds of gunfire exchange took place last Friday after well-armed Thai troops intruded on Cambodian land near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, according to a statement issued by the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Since July 2008, troops from both sides have stationed near the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and two armed confrontations last year sparked brief concerns of war.

The two neighboring countries have never fully demarcated their disputed border, partly due to the landmines left over from decades of civil war in Cambodia.

Editor: Yan