Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said today that negotiations on the border dispute with Cambodia may take a long time to conclude and that, between some other countries, such problems have dragged on for a century or more.
He noted, however, that he is more worried about Cambodia’s tendency to flip-flop, with the two countries agreeing on one thing, but differing on other matters, which he has personally experienced while previously serving as the defence minister.
The Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting of the Thai and Cambodian armies is due to take place this Wednesday, at the headquarters of the Thai Second Army Region, said Phumtham, adding that the issues to be discussed may be slightly different from the RBC meeting last week, between the First Army Region and the Cambodian forces in Aranyaprathet, because of the different landscapes of the two regions.
For instance, he said the upcoming RBC meeting will consider the issue of the barbed-wire border fence, which was not discussed at the RBC meeting last week.
Cambodia is demanding that the Thai side dismantle the fence, erected by Thai troops, but the Thai army has rejected the demand, claiming that the fence was built on Thai soil and is there to prevent Cambodian forces from laying anti-personnel landmines on Thai territory.
Phumtham also said that, as long as the parties adhere to peaceful means and bilateral talks to settle the border dispute and protection of national interests, there should be no concern over how long it would take to settle the dispute.
