Thai PM: Thailand can not withdraw from border area now
14/10/2008 17:24
Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said this morning that Thailand
could not pull out troops from the disputed border area near Preah Vihear temple
as demanded by Cambodian Prime Minister Hunsen now, local news network The
Nation reported.
However, news from PHNOM PENH said that all 84 Thai troops
withdrew around 1100 a.m. (0400 GMT) from the Veal Intry area where they entered
yesterday, after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a deadline to Thailand
today, said a Cambodian senior military officer.
The officer, speaking on
condition of anonymity, didn't elaborate on the withdrawal.
Hun Sen today set
12:00 am (0500 GMT) as the ultimate time for the 84 Thai troops to pull out from
the Veal Intry area, about 2,000 meters west of the Preah Vihear
Temple.
Somchai said the joint committee of the two countries needed to reach
an agreement on how to carry out the pullout first before it could be
done.
Somchai said he will summon all agencies concerned to consult on the
matter today afternoon.
Meanwhile, Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat
said Thai soldiers will not withdraw from the disputed border area near the
Preah Vihear temple despite an ultimatum from Cambodia to withdraw by this
noon.
"We are in our homeland. How can they expect us to leave our home?" he
told reporters.
Yesterday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said a "large-
scale" armed conflict may happen, if the Thai troops fail to be withdrawn from
the border area near the ancient temple of Preah Vihear immediately.
In July,
tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world
heritage status by UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim
ownership of the site.
The tension later turned into a military
confrontation, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six
weeks. In mid-August, most troops evacuated and just a few dozen soldiers
stationed near the temple.
However, bilateral talks to discuss withdrawing
troops from around the temple were postponed late August amid political turmoil
in Thailand.
In October at the border area, at least one Cambodian soldier
and two Thai troops were wounded during an exchange of gunfire, and two other
Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine.
Xinhua
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