Var Kimhong (R) and Asda Jayanama (L) during their meeting in Phnom Penh on 11th January, 2011.Writer: Thanida Tansubhapol & Wassana Nanuam
Published: 8/04/2011
Bangkok Post
Thailand and Cambodia have resumed Joint Boundary Commission talks in Indonesia to try to resolve their border spat which has seen bilateral relations plunge to their lowest point in years.
Former ambassador Asda Jayanama and Cambodia's top border negotiator Var Kimhong co-chaired the two-day meeting held in Bogor from yesterday.
At the meeting, which will be concluded today , Thailand and Cambodia agreed to work jointly on three issues to support border demarcation, said Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.
"Thailand and Cambodia have reached agreements to prepare for the survey of border posts 1 to 23 in Surin and Si Saket provinces; to select a company to take aerial photos of the disputed border line; and to conduct a study on the opening of a new border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo, opposite Stung Bot in Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province," Mr Chavanond said.
The three resolutions would be put in the record of discussion to be released today. But they would not be implemented until the Thai parliament endorsed the three minutes of the 2008 and 2009 JBC meetings, he said.
"The atmosphere [of the JBC meeting] was good," Mr Chavanond said. "However, Mr Var Kimhong has stressed that Cambodia wants to see the three JBC minutes get parliamentary endorsement so negotiations on other issues could proceed."
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa did not attend the JBC meeting, which lasted about two hours.
He only held separate talks with Mr Asda and Var Kimhong to help the two prepare the meeting procedure and agenda, Mr Chavanond said.
Thailand and Cambodia also agreed that the two nations should quickly turn to the negotiating table should any border clashes take place in the future, he said.
The latest armed clashes flared up in early February around the disputed border area near the Preah Vihear temple. At least eight people were killed and dozens were injured on both sides.
The skirmishes led to intervention by the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations on Feb 22, when the Informal Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held to end the fighting.
At the Feb 22 meeting, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to resume their bilateral negotiations through the JBC and the General Border Committee (GBC) mechanisms.
The two nations also agreed to accept observers from Indonesia, as the current chair of Asean, to monitor the respective sides of the border to observe the commitments made by both sides to avoid further clashes.
Mr Natalegawa said yesterday that the JBC meeting had made progress on the issue of observers.
Meanwhile, Mr Kasit yesterday said his ministry would take over from the Defence Ministry the task of defining the roles of Indonesian observers and the locations along the Thai-Cambodian border where they would be posted.
The ministry originally only had responsibility for extending diplomatic immunity to the observers while they were stationed in Thailand.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and the Indonesian foreign minister would be briefed about the change on the sidelines of Asean-Japan Special Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta tomorrow, he said.
The transfer of responsibility was decided on after Mr Kasit talked to Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon on the phone on Wednesday.
Thailand and Cambodia agreed at their meeting in Jakarta on Feb 22 to accept Indonesian observers to be stationed along their common border.
The move has upset the Thai military which announced on Tuesday it would not allow the observers to enter the disputed area.
But Mr Kasit said he had agreed with Phnom Penh and Jakarta that Indonesian observers could inspect the area. Fifteen Indonesian observers would be deployed in Thailand and 15 in Cambodia.
They would be allowed to approach the disputed area but would not be permitted to enter it. They must not be armed or wear military uniform, and must arrive as diplomats.
Gen Prawit said he had told Mr Kasit that he could make any decision himself during the JBC meeting [in Indonesia] as long as it did not violate the laws and the constitution of Thailand.
"No problem. I believe the minister knows what he should do," he said.
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