Cambodia seeks UN help over spat with Thailand

Leslie Koh
The Straits Times

Cambodia has asked the United Nations to intervene in its border dispute with Thailand, a Thai official said yesterday, as Asean chief Surin Pitsuwan called for 'maximum restraint' in the stand-off between the two neighbours.

A quick end to the crisis is critical as around 1,000 Cambodian troops and more than 500 Thai soldiers continue to face each other, guns drawn, on the disputed land.

"The Thai ambassador to the UN has reported to the Thai government that Cambodia has filed a complaint with the UN over the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia," Thai government spokesman Wichianchote Sukchotrat said.

Cambodia wanted the UN to intervene, he told reporters. The Thai government would study the complaint before sending a letter to UN officials, he added.

The statement came on a day when officials from the United States, China, France and Viet Nam flew by helicopter to the disputed territory to add diplomatic pressure for an end to the stand-off.

Meanwhile, Dr Surin, a former Thai foreign minister, called on his country and Cambodia to resolve the issue. The secretary-general of the regional grouping urged ministers from the two countries to talk. Asean leaders are arriving in Singapore this weekend for a ministerial meeting that starts tomorrow (July 21).

"The ministers may wish to address the issue...trying to encourage early resolution and maximum restraint, in order to avoid any repercussions on the image of the organisation," he told reporters after a meeting of senior Asean officials at the Shangri-La Hotel.

His remarks came as Thailand and Cambodia continued to reinforce troops yesterday near an ancient temple on the border. Ironically, the tense situation comes just as Asean leaders at the meeting plan to discuss further integration and cooperation, among other things.

Pointing to a possible bilateral meeting between the Thai and Cambodian ministers, Dr Surin said: "I think the ministers certainly will discuss the issue and try to encourage reconciliation as soon as possible."

The tension could put Asean solidarity to the test, although a Malaysian official said yesterday (July 19) that there were "no problems at all" when both countries' senior officials met at Asean meetings here last week.

The military stand-off started last Tuesday, after Cambodia arrested three Thais who it said had illegally crossed the border to protest against Cambodian ownership of the Preah Vihear temple. The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but the land around it remains in dispute.

The two prime ministers, Cambodia's Hun Sen and Thailand's Samak Sundaravej, have called for the removal of troops ahead of a meeting between military leaders tomorrow in Thailand to resolve the issue. But both maintain respective ownership of the disputed area.

The Phnom Penh Post reported some villagers in the area fleeing, fearing a clash between the troops. About 300 Thai workers based near the border have also returned home.Additional reporting by Wong Mei Ling/Additional information from agencies