Abhisit: Soldiers to stay for time being.
Next govt to decide on bilateral Cambodia talks
Published: 20/07/2011
Bangkok Post
Outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva (pictured) said the decision on bilateral negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia to comply with the International Court of Justice's ruling will rest with the next government.
Mr Abhisit discussed the implication of the court's verdict ordering both Thailand and Cambodia to withdraw troops from a provisional demilitarised zone which the court defined around the Preah Vihear temple with security authorities, the Foreign Ministry and the Council of State yesterday.
He ordered foreign affairs and defence officials to set a direction for negotiations to take place.
Mr Abhisit said he hopes the new government will follow the direction to be proposed by the authorities and that the new government will do its best to protect Thai territory.
For the time being, Mr Abhisit insisted that Thai soldiers would stay in their present locations to protect the areas Thailand considers its territory.
He said the court's order for a troop withdrawal concerns many people in both Thailand and Cambodia. After the meeting, Mr Abhisit said the demilitarised zone drawn up by the ICJ covers an area of 17.3 square kilometres and reaches deeper into both sides of the watershed line that Thailand viewed as its border with Cambodia.
According to Mr Abhisit, the DMZ comprises 8.5 sq km of Thai soil and 8.8 sq km of Cambodian soil.
The Thai part includes 4.5 sq km of the 4.6-sq km disputed area surrounding Preah Vihear temple.
Sources familiar with the court procedure said this was the first time the court specified a map for both parties to work on.
The reason could be that the court believes with each side holding on to its own territorial claims, Thailand and Cambodia would not talk to each other to end the conflict.
The sources said they do not understand what basis the world court used to draw the DMZ.
That the troops-free zone is larger than the 4.6 sq km disputed area could mean the court did not want to rule on the boundary issue yet or to disappoint either country, the sources said.
According to Mr Abhisit, Cambodia would have to pull about 4,000 soldiers from the zone if it is to honour the court's provisional measure. The number of Thai soldiers to be pulled out was much smaller, he said.
The PM indicated that a process must be established to assure that Cambodia would not send its military personnel to the DMZ again. This includes a means to detect if soldiers are sent into the area in civilian guise.
Mr Abhisit said it would be necessary to check if Cambodians who live in the disputed area are really civilians.
Mr Abhisit insisted that the order would not have any impact on Thai territory.
The setting up of the DMZ is a temporary measure to reduce the risk of clashes while the court considers Cambodia's request for reinterpretation of the 1962 ruling which awarded it Preah Vihear, he said.
Sources said the Monday ruling which demanded Cambodia to also pull its soldiers from the area must be disappointing for the country.
"Cambodia has refused to withdraw military personnel from the temple even though it was required by the 1999 memorandum of understanding signed by both countries and despite repeated requests by Thailand," the sources said.
Mr Abhisit said there has not yet been any sign of military withdrawal by Cambodia.
On Tuesday, Bayon Radio of Phnom Penh announced that Cambodia had "won" the court case at the ICJ.
The radio also stated that Cambodian soldiers would stay put at their present locations. Cambodian people could rest assured that the temple area and places where there are Cambodian communities belong to Cambodia.
Col Prawit Hukaeo, spokesman for the 2nd Army supervising the Thai border with Cambodia, said situations along the border have remained calm but both Thai and Cambodian soldiers were still deployed on the border.
Col Prawit said his unit despatched public relations officers to meet villagers living near the border.
He said most residents had a good understanding about the situation but some people had already packed their belongings and were ready to evacuate the area.
Surapol Pongthadsirikul, deputy permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry, said the ministry has prepared evacuation plans for people living near the border.
It has also put into place measures to prevent acts of espionage and sabotage on Thai soil.
Meanwhile, the United States renewed its call for Thailand and Cambodia to resolve their rift peacefully.
"The United States has consistently called upon both sides to continue dialogue and exercise maximum restraint in order to peacefully resolve their disputes and strengthen regional stability," said State Department spokeswoman Heide Bronke Fulton.
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