Southeast Asian leaders fail to resolve deadly border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong (pictured) rejected a Thai demand to withdraw troops from an 11th-century Khmer temple at the disputed border, saying Bangkok was not sincere about peace. The Indonesians are trying to broker a ceasefire and the deployment of neutral military observers to the flashpoint area on the border where some 18 people have died in fighting in recent months.
(AFP/File/Tang Chhin Sothy)

By Associated Press,
The Washington Post
Updated: Sunday, May 8,

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Southeast Asian leaders made little headway Sunday in helping Thailand and Cambodia end a deadly border dispute that could undermine peace and stability in the region as it pushes for economic integration.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was also poised to agree to Myanmar taking over the rotating chair as scheduled in 2014 despite doubts about the country’s human rights record, according to draft statement seen by The Associated Press.

The Cambodian and Thai prime ministers held talks Sunday — mediated by Indonesia’s president — as part of efforts to hammer out a lasting cease-fire.

But neither seemed in any mood to back down.

“There’s no conclusion,” Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told reporters after the trilateral meeting, providing no details. “We’ll need further talks after this.”

During the plenary session between ASEAN leaders Saturday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called a demand by Thailand to withdraw troops from the area “irrational and unacceptable.”

“It’s Thailand that has to withdraw its troops from the vicinity,” he said, warning that unless ASEAN stepped in, the border dispute could undermine many of the regional grouping’s loftier goals of achieving economic integration by 2015.

And returning to his earlier stance, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the dispute, which has claimed nearly 20 lives in the last two weeks, should be settled between the two countries alone.

Also on the agenda of the two-day ASEAN summit that wraps up Sunday was Myanmar’s bid to take over the rotating chair of the 10-member regional grouping in 2014 — which appeared set for approval.

A draft of the ASEAN chairman statement says Southeast Asian leaders “consented to the proposal.”

The regional grouping is supposed to rotate the post every year between its 10 member countries.

Myanmar was forced to skip its turn in 2005, however, after coming under heavy pressure from the international community over slow progress on national reconciliation and human rights.