Foreign Ministry: Cambodian premier to attend ASEAN Summi

BANGKOK, Oct 2 (TNA) – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will attend the 15th Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Summit in the Thai seaside report of Hua Hin at the end of this month, a senior Thai foreign ministry official said on Friday.

Speaking to journalists after a preparatory meeting planning arrangements for the upcoming ASEAN summit scheduled for October 23-25, Veerasak Futrakul, Permanent-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said bilateral talks between Thai and Cambodian leaders regarding the border dispute near the ancient Preah Vihear temple has not yet been set up.

The Thai permanent-secretary for foreign affairs added that an attempt to solve the border dispute is underway through the existing mechanism agreed by both sides.

Tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border near the 11th century temple renewed after the Cambodian premier announced on Monday that he had ordered his troops to shoot any intruders from Thailand who stepped on Cambodian soil.

Mr Hun Sen’s stern statement came shortly after yellow-shirt protesters of Thailand’s Peoples’ Alliance for Democracy (PAD) rallied in the Thai province of Si Sa Ket to oppose Cambodia’s plan to build new structures in the contested 4.6 square kilometres zone surrounding Preah Vihear temple and clashed with local police and residents.

The United Nations cultural body UNESCO approved Cambodia’s sole bid in July last year to list the 11th century temple as a world heritage site while the question of sovereignty over the land has never been clearly resolved.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva however shunned Mr Hun Sen’s threat, saying his remarks were aimed for his domestic benefit and had happened many times.

He also affirmed the situation at the border is normal, the kingdom also remains ready to protect its sovereignty. (TNA)