Published: 29/03/2011
Bangkok Post
Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon (pictured) has made a U-turn by agreeing to attend next month's General Border Committee meeting on the dispute with Cambodia - on the condition that host nation Indonesia does not get directly involved in the talks.
Gen Prawit had originally vowed to stay away from the talks, set for Bogor, Indonesia, on April 7 and 8, as he objected to the involvement of a third country in an issue which he says can still be resolved bilaterally.
However yesterday he said he had "no problem" with the location, so long as Indonesia did not take part in the forum.
Gen Prawit and Cambodian Defence Minister Teah Banh will co-chair the meeting.
A key issue in the talks between the two generals is the plan of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to despatch Indonesian observers to both sides of the disputed border area near the Preah Vihear temple, which has been the site of recent military clashes.
Gen Prawit insisted security problems at the border would be "able to be discussed" between the two countries without outside interference.
People contacts and border trade ties showed no ill-effect from the border tensions, he said.
Gen Teah Banh reportedly proposed the GBC talks be held in parallel with the next Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting.
However, Gen Prawit rejected the proposal and insisted that the JBC forum be organised first.
The JBC was formed to demarcate the border between the two countries under the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Bangkok and Phnom Penh in 2000.
The GBC's mission is to thrash out security issues between the two countries.
The next round of the JBC is subject to joint parliamentary approval of the documents in Bangkok.
Senators and MPs will resume discussions on the issue today amid continuing protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
PAD key members yesterday filed a letter asking MPs not to accept the three JBC documents, in what was the group's third push to derail the approval.
PAD spokesman Parnthep Pourpongpan and key member Praphan Koonmee filed the letter signed by alliance core leader Chamlong Srimuang with the parliamentary secretariat.
The letter argues that the 2000 MoU had not received the consent of parliament and His Majesty the King, so it was unconstitutional and the JBC was thus void.
Mr Parnthep also dismissed Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's recent remark that if the Thai parliament did not accept the documents, border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia might become multilateral issues.
Mr Parnthep said even if Thailand rejected the documents, it would be impossible for Asean and the United Nations to get involved in the border spat.
As the parliament will consider the issue today, a government source said the prime minister had urged his coalition partners during the cabinet meeting yesterday to have their MPs vote for parliamentary acceptance of the JBC's proceedings today.
Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon (pictured) has made a U-turn by agreeing to attend next month's General Border Committee meeting on the dispute with Cambodia - on the condition that host nation Indonesia does not get directly involved in the talks.
Gen Prawit had originally vowed to stay away from the talks, set for Bogor, Indonesia, on April 7 and 8, as he objected to the involvement of a third country in an issue which he says can still be resolved bilaterally.
However yesterday he said he had "no problem" with the location, so long as Indonesia did not take part in the forum.
Gen Prawit and Cambodian Defence Minister Teah Banh will co-chair the meeting.
A key issue in the talks between the two generals is the plan of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to despatch Indonesian observers to both sides of the disputed border area near the Preah Vihear temple, which has been the site of recent military clashes.
Gen Prawit insisted security problems at the border would be "able to be discussed" between the two countries without outside interference.
People contacts and border trade ties showed no ill-effect from the border tensions, he said.
Gen Teah Banh reportedly proposed the GBC talks be held in parallel with the next Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting.
However, Gen Prawit rejected the proposal and insisted that the JBC forum be organised first.
The JBC was formed to demarcate the border between the two countries under the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Bangkok and Phnom Penh in 2000.
The GBC's mission is to thrash out security issues between the two countries.
The next round of the JBC is subject to joint parliamentary approval of the documents in Bangkok.
Senators and MPs will resume discussions on the issue today amid continuing protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
PAD key members yesterday filed a letter asking MPs not to accept the three JBC documents, in what was the group's third push to derail the approval.
PAD spokesman Parnthep Pourpongpan and key member Praphan Koonmee filed the letter signed by alliance core leader Chamlong Srimuang with the parliamentary secretariat.
The letter argues that the 2000 MoU had not received the consent of parliament and His Majesty the King, so it was unconstitutional and the JBC was thus void.
Mr Parnthep also dismissed Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's recent remark that if the Thai parliament did not accept the documents, border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia might become multilateral issues.
Mr Parnthep said even if Thailand rejected the documents, it would be impossible for Asean and the United Nations to get involved in the border spat.
As the parliament will consider the issue today, a government source said the prime minister had urged his coalition partners during the cabinet meeting yesterday to have their MPs vote for parliamentary acceptance of the JBC's proceedings today.
1 comment:
Fucken SIAM-thief continue flip flop again and again..? What ta hell is wrong with Thailand??
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