Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Cambodia invites Thailand for 8th GBC meeting on Dec. 20-25: defense spokesman

  PHNOM PENH, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia’s Ministry of Defense on Tuesday sent a letter to Thailand’s Defense Minister  Gen. Yuthasak Sasiprapa to propose the 8th Cambodia-Thailand General Border Commission (GBC) on Dec. 20-25 in Phnom  Penh, Lt. Gen. Chhum Socheat, spokesman for Cambodian Ministry of Defense, confirmed Wednesday.
  The letter, signed by Cambodia’s Minister of Defense Gen. Tea Banh, was sent to the Embassy of Thailand to Cambodia on  Nov. 29, he said.
  “Now we’re waiting the reply from the Thai side for the proposed schedule of the meeting,” he told Xinhua.
  The upcoming meeting will focus on strengthening security along the border by cracking down on cross border crimes and other  offensive activities, he said.
  Also, the two ministers will discuss troop withdrawals from the provisional demilitarized zone (PDZ) of about17 kilometers near  Preah Vihear temple to comply with the order of the International Court of Justice.
  Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflict over territorial dispute near Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple since  the UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.
  On July 18, the International Court of Justice ordered Cambodia and Thailand to immediately withdraw their military personnel  from the provisional demilitarized zone on the disputed border near Preah Vihear temple and to allow ASEAN observers access  to the provisional demilitarized zone to monitor ceasefire.
  The border tension has eased since the opposition Pheu Thai Party, led by ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's  youngest sister Yingluck, won a landslide victory in Thailand's lower house election on July 3. 

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