PHNOM PENH, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Bilateral disputes, especially border rows, have been posing a severe threat to the establishment of the ASEAN community in the next four years, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Keat Chhon, minister of economy and finance, said on Saturday.
“Bilateral disputes among a number of ASEAN member countries, such as border disputes, have become the foremost critical challenges for ASEAN in their pursuit towards the establishment of the ASEAN community in 2015,” he told the 7th Asian Economic Forum under the theme: “The Asian Century in the Making: The Role of the ASEAN”.
“Therefore, there is a need for ASEAN to put in place a practical mechanism for an effective dispute settlement in the region, thus ensuring regional peace, security and sustainability, especially among member countries,” said the Minister.
The remark referred to the simmering border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand over the area next to the 11th century Preah Vihear temple since 2008, which has claimed dozens of lives of the two countries’ soldiers and civilians.
“To address this issue, ASEAN still needs to complete the full legal framework in line with its charter including the institutionalization of a dispute settlement mechanism, improved operational efficiency of ASEAN bodies and modalities in order to transform ASEAN into a new stage of community building process and a rule-based institutional organization,” he said.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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