DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Hun Sen rejects Thai call for border-area troop withdrawal+” plus 1 more

DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Hun Sen rejects Thai call for border-area troop withdrawal+” plus 1 more

Hun Sen rejects Thai call for border-area troop withdrawal+

Posted: 07 May 2011 05:16 AM PDT

JAKARTA, May 7 Kyodo - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen stated Saturday that Thailand's demand for withdrawal of Cambodian troopsfrom Cambodian territory on the disputed border between the twocountries is ''irrational and unacceptable.'' He made the statement at a plenary session of the 18th leaders' summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that began in Jakarta on Saturday morning.
''This condition is irrational and unacceptable. In fact, it is Thailand that must withdraw troops from the vicinity of the areas, according to the judgment of the International Court of Justice at The Hague dated 15 June, 1962,'' he said.
Hun Sen was rejecting a recent demand by Thailand that unarmed Indonesian cease-fire observers will be allowed along the disputed border only if Cambodia withdraws its own troops and civilians from what Cambodia sees as its own land.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva countered that Cambodia was violating a Memorandum of Understanding agreed in 2000 that troops and population based or living near the ancient Preah Vihear Temple on the border must be withdrawn.
The bloody border conflict, which has seen a shaky cease-firesince Tuesday, has grown into a heated regional diplomatic conflictsince ASEAN foreign minister gathered in Jakarta on Friday and the
leaders on Saturday.
In a six-page statement to the leaders' plenary, Hun Sen highlighted the border war with Thailand as well as other regional issues such as disputes among other members and China in the China Sea and terrorism.
He noted the border war may not only affect regional peace and security but may also ''create serious challenges for ASEAN in our pursuit towards the ASEAN Community in 2015.''''I believe that ASEAN should not ignore this serious issue.
Moreover, ASEAN must consider this dispute as the most important issue for the life of the community...ASEAN must establish a mediation mechanism for the effective settlement of the dispute,'' he told the other leaders.
In conclusion, Hun Sen urged the ASEAN leaders to ''provide support and put forth necessary measures in order'' to make all parties concerned cooperate and accept unarmed observers along the disputed Thai-Cambodian as soon as possible.
''ASEAN's prestige and credibility will be at high risk if the efforts to establish a permanent cease-fire will not materialize as planned,'' he warned.
But Abhisit stuck to the Thai demand that Cambodia withdraw troops and people, but he did say he was ready to talk directly with Hun Sen, Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn said after the session.
Abhisit also said Thailand has no intention of invading Cambodia and noted it had, in the past, assisted Cambodia in nation-building after the end of the Cambodian civil war, Panitan said.
The Thai premier also reiterated that Thailand has not rejected Indonesian observers out of hand, but he is ''still worried'' about deployment of troops and settlement of Cambodian people in disputed
areas, the spokesman added.
Panitan said other ASEAN leaders in the plenary meeting agreed both sides should resolve the conflict peacefully, under existing resolutions.
''The Indonesian president said in the meeting that this is a family problem that we should resolve it within the family,'' Panitan said.
Other sources at the plenary said Philippine President Benigno Aquino Jr. said his country is ready to offer mediation services and observers if Indonesia wants help.
The Malaysian and Laotian leaders also supported the need for ASEAN to solve the problem ''at home'' to keep the dispute from harming group plans for a single community, the sources said.
Yudhoyono added at the end of the session that he is ready to host Abhisit and Hun Sen for direct talks on the problem.
Officials said later the three may meet Sunday.
An Indonesian official said Yudhoyono will hold bilateral meetings with Hun Sen and Abhisit on Sunday morning and those meetings may be followed by a ''bilateral plus'' in which all three leaders will be in the same room together.
''We don't use the term 'tripartite' because the dispute involves two countries and Indonesia will only act as a
facilitator,'' the official explained.
The ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. ==Kyodo

Hun Sen rejects Thai call for border-area troop withdrawal+

Posted: 07 May 2011 01:56 AM PDT

JAKARTA, May 7 Kyodo - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen stated Saturday that Thailand's demand for withdrawal of Cambodian troops

from Cambodian territory on the disputed border between the two countries is ''irrational and unacceptable.''

He made the statement at a plenary session of the 18th leaders' summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that began in Jakarta on Saturday morning.

''This condition is irrational and unacceptable. In fact, it is Thailand that must withdraw troops from the vicinity of the areas, according to the judgment of the International Court of Justice at The Hague dated 15 June, 1962,'' he said.

Hun Sen was rejecting a recent demand by Thailand that unarmed Indonesian cease-fire observers will be allowed along the disputed border only if Cambodia withdraws its own troops and civilians from what Cambodia sees as its own land.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva countered that Cambodia was violating a Memorandum of Understanding agreed in 2000 that troops and population based or living near the ancient Preah Vihear Temple on the border must be withdrawn.

The bloody border conflict, which has seen a shaky cease-fire since Tuesday, has now grown into a heated regional diplomatic conflict since ASEAN foreign minister gathered in Jakarta on Friday and the leaders since Saturday.

In a six-page statement to the leaders' plenary, Hun Sen highlighted the border war with Thailand as well as other regional issues such as disputes among other members and China in the China Sea and terrorism.

He noted the border war may not only affect regional peace and security but may also ''create serious challenges for ASEAN in our pursuit towards the ASEAN Community in 2015.''

''I believe that ASEAN should not ignore this serious issue. Moreover, ASEAN must consider this dispute as the most important issue for the life of the community...ASEAN must establish a mediation mechanism for the effective settlement of the dispute,'' he told the other leaders.

In conclusion, Hun Sen urged the ASEAN leaders to ''provide support and put forth necessary measures in order'' to make all parties concerned cooperate and accept unarmed observers along the disputed Thai-Cambodian as soon as possible.

''ASEAN's prestige and credibility will be at high risk if the efforts to establish a permanent cease-fire will not materialize as planned,'' he warned.

The ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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