Pattaya, Thailand- Thailand and Cambodia Friday agreed to
strengthen cooperation and make greater efforts in future to prevent
violent incidents along their common border.
Thailand's prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, and Cambodian leader
Hun Sen met at the sidelines of a regional summit of the Association
of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the resort town of Pattaya.
It was the first high-level bilateral meeting since clashes
between Thai and Cambodian troops near a disputed temple area that
left several soldiers dead earlier this month.
'We agreed that the accidents [last week] were the result of a
misunderstanding that it should not be allowed to affect our
relations and cooperation,' Abhisit told journalists after the
meeting.
Mechanisms are now in place to resolve the conflicts along the
border and prevent problems flaring up again, the Thai government
spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told the German Press Agency dpa.
The Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Committee met earlier this week
and approved significant steps to defuse the tension along the border
near Preah Vihear temple, among them an agreement to establish a
joint military monitoring group.
The 11th century Hindu Preah Vihear temple, or Khao Phra Viharn in
Thai, is situated on an escarpment that forms part of the natural
border between the two countries and has been a source of tension
between Cambodia and Thailand for generations.
The International Court of Justice awarded the site to Cambodia in
1962, but the ruling did not determine the ownership of some 5 square
kilometres of scrub land next to the ruins.
Fighting erupted along the border last year after the temple was
declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO despite Thai objections.
The border had been quiet for months as the neighbours sought
jointly to demarcate the jungle area around the temple. But tensions
rose again last month when Thai troops crossed into a disputed area
near the temple and were stopped by Cambodian soldiers.
'Both countries agreed to exercise extreme caution in future and
not allow such incidents to re-occur,' Abhisit told journalists.
The two prime ministers discussed several major projects which
involved substantial Thai investment, including improving the highway
that connects the two countries and the construction of
hydro-electric dam that would provide electricity in Cambodia and
provide water to parts of south-eastern Thailand.
The Thai prime minister is scheduled to visit Cambodia later this
month.
USA
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