Hun Sen (L) shook nads with Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong.Aug 12 2010
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 12 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday he wants U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to help solve a prolonged border row between Cambodia and Thailand when the U.N. chief visits the region later this year.
In a speech to government officials, Hun Sen said he would ask Ban, who is scheduled to visit Cambodia on Oct. 27-28, to act as a mediator since the two countries seem to be unable to resolve the border row, which reignited in July 2008, on their own.
He said many rounds of talks and negotiations have been held by the two countries, including three times at the level of foreign ministers, but agreements reached therein have not been implemented, with the Thai side citing the needed for parliamentary ratification.
Hun Sen said there will thus be no more high-level political talks with Thailand until its parliament ratifies the agreements, though talks between defense officials could take place to avoid military clashes.
He was referring in part to a memorandum of understanding concluded between the two sides in 2000 on the survey and demarcation of their land boundary.
In addition to seeking intervention by the U.N. chief, Hun Sen also suggested that Indonesia or Japan could serve as go-betweens, while he said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Cambodia and Thailand are both members, could perhaps host an international conference to help resolve the conflict.
However, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told ASEAN journalists in an interview Thursday that ASEAN may not be capable of solving the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand since the 10-member grouping works by consensus and lacks the clout of a superpower.
Lee expressed a hope that the conflict will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law.
Last Sunday, Hun Sen sent letters to the presidents of the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council to decry remarks made at a rally a day earlier by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, in which he reportedly threatened to abrogate the 2000 MOU and use "both democratic and military means" to protect Thai sovereignty.
Two days later, Abihisit sent letters to the same bodies, saying his remarks as appeared in Hun Sen's letters were "misquoted, taken out of context and misunderstood."
"It is Thailand's conviction that any differences between countries shall be settled by peaceful means," Abhisit said, adding that Thailand remains committed to solving the boundary issue on the basis of the 2000 MOU.
He also accused Cambodia of encroaching on Thai territory in violation of the MOU.
Cambodia's Council of Ministers responded Wednesday by issuing a statement pointing out that Abhisit's remarks were widely reported in the Thai media.
If they were wrong, the statement said, he should have asked the media to set the record straight since his quoted words have implications for national security and international relations.
"If the Thai media is correct, it proves this fact that Mr. Abhisit is a liar, a rogue with a very sophisticated, manipulative mind," it said.
Thailand and Cambodia both claim a 4.6-square-kilometer area of land around Preah Vihear, an ancient Hindu temple that lies inside Cambodia according to a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice.
Since the temple was listed as a World heritage in 2008, Thai and Cambodian troops have faced off in the area and deadly skirmishes have erupted on several occasions.
Tension was renewed after Cambodia recently submitted a management plan for the temple that Thailand rejected on grounds that the border area has not been demarcated.
The Council of Ministers' statement said Thailand's use of a "unilateral and not internationally recognized" map to back up its border claims recalled the strategies of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy when they wanted to invade and occupy foreign lands.
In a speech to government officials, Hun Sen said he would ask Ban, who is scheduled to visit Cambodia on Oct. 27-28, to act as a mediator since the two countries seem to be unable to resolve the border row, which reignited in July 2008, on their own.
He said many rounds of talks and negotiations have been held by the two countries, including three times at the level of foreign ministers, but agreements reached therein have not been implemented, with the Thai side citing the needed for parliamentary ratification.
Hun Sen said there will thus be no more high-level political talks with Thailand until its parliament ratifies the agreements, though talks between defense officials could take place to avoid military clashes.
He was referring in part to a memorandum of understanding concluded between the two sides in 2000 on the survey and demarcation of their land boundary.
In addition to seeking intervention by the U.N. chief, Hun Sen also suggested that Indonesia or Japan could serve as go-betweens, while he said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Cambodia and Thailand are both members, could perhaps host an international conference to help resolve the conflict.
However, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told ASEAN journalists in an interview Thursday that ASEAN may not be capable of solving the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand since the 10-member grouping works by consensus and lacks the clout of a superpower.
Lee expressed a hope that the conflict will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law.
Last Sunday, Hun Sen sent letters to the presidents of the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council to decry remarks made at a rally a day earlier by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, in which he reportedly threatened to abrogate the 2000 MOU and use "both democratic and military means" to protect Thai sovereignty.
Two days later, Abihisit sent letters to the same bodies, saying his remarks as appeared in Hun Sen's letters were "misquoted, taken out of context and misunderstood."
"It is Thailand's conviction that any differences between countries shall be settled by peaceful means," Abhisit said, adding that Thailand remains committed to solving the boundary issue on the basis of the 2000 MOU.
He also accused Cambodia of encroaching on Thai territory in violation of the MOU.
Cambodia's Council of Ministers responded Wednesday by issuing a statement pointing out that Abhisit's remarks were widely reported in the Thai media.
If they were wrong, the statement said, he should have asked the media to set the record straight since his quoted words have implications for national security and international relations.
"If the Thai media is correct, it proves this fact that Mr. Abhisit is a liar, a rogue with a very sophisticated, manipulative mind," it said.
Thailand and Cambodia both claim a 4.6-square-kilometer area of land around Preah Vihear, an ancient Hindu temple that lies inside Cambodia according to a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice.
Since the temple was listed as a World heritage in 2008, Thai and Cambodian troops have faced off in the area and deadly skirmishes have erupted on several occasions.
Tension was renewed after Cambodia recently submitted a management plan for the temple that Thailand rejected on grounds that the border area has not been demarcated.
The Council of Ministers' statement said Thailand's use of a "unilateral and not internationally recognized" map to back up its border claims recalled the strategies of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy when they wanted to invade and occupy foreign lands.
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