Border talks end in deadlock

Border talks end in deadlock
Cambodia, Thailand to meet again in August

Supreme Commander Gen Boonsrang Niempradit, right, and Cambodian Defence Minister Gen Tea Banh, left, take questions from reporters at a joint press conference held in Sa Kaeo’s Aranyaprathet district after the two countries failed yesterday to find ways to end the Preah Vihear row. CHANAT KATANYU

SA KAEO: Talks between Thailand and Cambodia went nowhere yesterday after both countries refused to back down from claiming sovereignty over the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple.

But Supreme Commander Gen Boonsrang Niempradit and Cambodian Defence Minister Gen Tea Banh promised not to take any further military action that might heighten tension on the border between Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province and the Cambodian province of Preah Vihear, where the 900-year-old temple is located.

‘‘The two sides affirmed there will be neither a withdrawal nor reinforcement of their troops,’’ Gen Boonsrang said.

After eight hours of intense talks at a hotel in the border district of Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo province involving the two generals and selected officials, the two countries called it quits and agreed to adjourn the General Border Committee ( GBC) meeting to next month.

A government source said a new schedule has been tentatively set for Aug 18-20 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Gen Boonsrang, who is the GBC deputy chairman for Thailand, admitted the main obstacle was their ‘‘different legal documents’’.

He said Thailand and Cambodia insisted on using different agreements as a basis for the talks on the disputed border area.

Gen Boonsrang did not elaborate but was apparently referring to ways to resolve the 4.6-square-kilometre area of disputed territory.

‘‘The meeting yesterday was not easy,’’ he said.

Thailand insists on using the watershed mark as the border between the two countries.

Cambodia maintains the demarcation of the area has to be based on a map drawn in 1908.

Gen Tea Banh, who is also a deputy prime minister and chairman of the GBC for Cambodia, did not consider the talks a failure and said there was a need to ease the border tension.

‘‘We realise we have to reduce the [unfriendly] atmosphere, tension and [military] stand-off,’’ Gen Tea Banh said.

Thailand and Cambodia each have about 500 soldiers deployed in the overlapping area. Thailand has 2,400 troops and Cambodia has about 2,000 troops in the area as a back-up.

deadlock – a situation in which neither person or group involved in a disagreement is willing to change their opinions or position ความล้มเหลวในการแก้ไขความขัดแย้ง
joint – (of two groups or people) done together ร่วมกัน
sovereignty – the right to control or rule over อำนาจอธิปไตย
affirmed – stated that something is true ยืนยัน
withdrawal – the removal of an army from an area of fighting ถอนกำลังทหาร
reinforcement – extra soldiers who go to help an existing group of soldiers ทหารกองหนุน
intense – involving or done with a lot of effort, energy, attention, etc. อย่างเข้มข้น
adjourn – to temporarily end something, such as a meeting บอกเลื่อน เลื่อนออกไป
tentatively – not yet definite or certain คร่าวๆ โดยประมาณ
elaborate – to give more details or information about something ขยายความ
resolve – to solve a problem แก้ปัญหา
watershed – a high piece of land that divides the flow of water in an area ลุ่มน้ำ
demarcation – the establishing of a border การแบ่งเขต การกำหนดขอบเขต
ease – to make a problem, bad situation, or pain less severe บรรเทา เบาบาง
stand-off – a disagreement or fight in which neither side can do anything to achieve what they want ความโต้แย้ง / ขัดแย้งที่เจอทางตัน
deployed – put in place and ready to be used เคลื่อนกำลังพลพร้อมอาวุธไปอยู่ในตำแหน่งที่พร้อมจะต่อสู้ (ทางทหาร)
overlapping area – an area claimed by two different countries พื้นที่คาบเกี่ยว