Thailand's Foreign Minister Surapong
Towichukchaikul yesterday briefed his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa
about compliance with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s order for all
troops to pull back from disputed areas around Preah Vihear Temple on the
border with Cambodia.
Surapong
also told Marty that Thailand would host a meeting of the Thailand-Cambodia
joint working group from today till April 6 in Bangkok to discuss the matter,
Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said.
The
working group was set up in December in accordance with an agreement by the
General Border Committee (GBC) to take care of border security at disputed
areas adjacent to the Hindu temple.
The
working group meeting in Bangkok this week would discuss the general security
situation, plus confidence building measures between the two neighbours and
compliance with the ICJ's order, Thani said.
Thailand
and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over Preah Vihear Temple for decades.
Phnom Penh asked the international court to clarify a ruling it made in 1962 in
regard to land adjacent to the temple.
The
court ruled in 1962 that the temple is situated on territory that belongs to
Cambodia but Thailand argued that it has sovereignty over surrounding areas.
Military
clashes over control of disputed areas totalling 4.6 square kilometres near the
temple have led to the loss of many lives on both sides.
The ICJ
last year ordered Thailand and Cambodia to withdraw troops out of the area to
set up a 'demilitarised zone'. It also asked Indonesian observers to monitor
the withdrawal.
Surapong
met Marty in Phnom Penh yesterday on the sidelines of the Asean summit.
Foreign
ministers from the regional group also discussed the plan to set up an Asean
Economic Community by 2015.
Foreign
Minister Surapong proposed that Asean consider disaster management cooperation
and measures to prevent negative impacts from the Asean integration, such as
drug trafficking across regional borders, Thani said.
Leaders
attending the summit in Phnom Penh this week would also endorse a declaration
to make Asean a drug-free region by 2015, he said.
During
the foreign ministers' meeting, Surapong expressed his condolences to Malaysia
over the death of one of its nationals in a bomb in Hat Yai on March 31. Asean
ministers also expressed sympathy over the loss of lives to both Thailand and
Malaysia.
Nantida
Puangthong
The
Nation
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