Thailand, Cambodia agree to discuss border issue more

The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand on Sunday agreed to let their foreign ministers stay a day longer in Indonesia to discuss the deadly border skirmishes between the two countries. At separate press conferences, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said their respective foreign ministers will meet to talk about the recommendation reached during the Thai-Cambodia meeting that was facilitated by Indonesia Sunday morning. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono received the Thai Prime Minister and Cambodian Prime Minister as state guests and held a tripartite meeting to discuss the border conflict between the two nations. The tripartite meeting was held before they attended the second day of the 18th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held at the Jakarta Convention Center. The two-day meeting started Saturday. The three state leaders during the meeting sat face-to-face in a triangular formation. Abhisit Jejjajiva sat on the left side of Yudhoyono while Hun Sen was on his right side. The three were able to come up with a recommendation to resolve the dispute. "The recommendation has been accepted by Thailand and Cambodia," Hun Sen said without disclosing the details of the recommendation. Hun Sen said Cambodia wanted that Indonesia and ASEAN should be involved in the peace talks, which would be carried out by a team with some members dispatched to the Cambodia area and some others to the Thai area along their borders. After all, according to Hun Sen, the United Nations Security Council had decided that the border problem between the two neighboring states should be resolved first in the ASEAN forum before it could be taken to the UN. At his press conference, Abhisit questioned Cambodia’s intention for “internationalizing" the issue by raising it before the UN Security Council and International Court of Justice. He asked why Cambodia did not push for the need to involve third parties or observers in the recent clashes where more people were killed and properties were destroyed. On Saturday, Hun Sen raised the issue before the plenary session of ASEAN although it was not part of the agenda. Cambodia and Thailand have been in a deadlock since July 2008, when 11th-century Preah Vihear temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status, which Thailand opposed on the grounds that the land around the temple had never been demarcated. The temple is located between the Choam Khsant district in the Preah Vihear province of northern Cambodia and the Kantharalak district (amphoe) in the Sisaket province of Northeastern Thailand. An international court awarded the temple to Cambodia 49 years ago, but both countries lay claim to a 4.6 sq km patch of land around it. Philippines offers venue for dialogue During a break on the plenary session, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III approached the two leaders and even offered the Philippines as a venue where they can talk. However, he failed to get a positive response. In an interview with the Philippine media Saturday night, he said he approached Abhisit but the latter told him "perhaps you can talk to Prime Minister Hun Sen." "Nilapitan ko (si Hun Sen), medyo kabiruan ko naman ng kaunti. Sabi ko sa kanya, Mr. Prime Minister we are really interested in solving this problem and all you have to do is tell us how we can help. We are not meddling, we are helping.we will do that," he said. "If you would like us to provide for a venue, we will give you the best resort that there is in the Philippines. I will go to the extent of kung kailangang ipagtimpla kita ng kape, magkalmahan tayo dito," he narrated his conversation with the Cambodian Prime Minister. Aquino expressed concern that ASEAN's objective of being one communiy in 2015 will be adversely affected if the situation will escalate. "If more clashes will precipitate something worst and how can we have this one Asean, one family na meron tayong dalawang major components na hindi magkaisa," he said. When asked what Hun Sen said in reply to his offer, he said "iyon ang masakit, walang response committed . Parang thank you, I’ll think about it siguro."- KBK/MRT, GMA News