Friday, 28 January 2011

Thai FM Turns Down Protesters' Demands On Border Issues

via CAAI

BANGKOK, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya insisted on Thursday that the Thai government will not handle Thai-Cambodian border issues in response to demands lodged by the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and other civic groups, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.

Kasit said that the Thai government will, instead, base its solutions to problems with Cambodia on mutual development, and that he will discuss pending border issues with Cambodian authorities early next month at a meeting of a joint Thai-Cambodian commission on bilateral cooperation, set to be held in the Cambodian Siem Reap Province.

Meanwhile, Thai soldiers of the Suranaree Task Force and paramilitary rangers from the 23rd Paramilitary Task Force have stationed along the Thai-Cambodian border in Phumsarol Village of Kantharalak District of Thailand's northeastern Si Sa Ket Province, particularly in front of the office of the Preah Vihear National Park, and have prohibited people from approaching the border as a precaution -- following reports that some Cambodian soldiers and people were upset with the removal of a previous stone tablet accusing the Thai military put in front of Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara Temple.

However, order has remained along the border and Cambodian soldiers have not erected any other negative sign against Thailand -- although a Thai market close to the Chong Jom border checkpoint in nearby Surin Province was quiet Thursday.

Suthee Panich, the customs chief at the Chong Jom border checkpoint, said that the inactive border trade had resulted from economic problems in Cambodia and had nothing to do with Cambodia's previous tablet (a small piece of stone engraved with words) accusing Thai troops of intruding into the Cambodian territory.

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