The meeting today between Thai and Cambodian delegations in Phnom Penh, to resolve their border disputes, was cordial and will resume tomorrow, Nikorndej Balankura, spokesman for the Thai Foreign Ministry, said late this afternoon.
The meeting, the first for the Joint Boundary Commission in 12 years, began about three hours behind schedule, as the heads of the two delegations, Prasas Prasasvinitchai of Thailand and Lam Chea, Cambodian minister in charge of the State Secretariat of Border Affairs, were engaged in a close-door discussion.
Nikorndej said that the talks are not over yet, but are expected to conclude tomorrow, adding that he hopes that they will lead to the easing of border tensions and a sustainable solution.
Regarding Cambodia’s insistence on referring the dispute, over Ta Moa Thom Ta Moan Tauch and Ta Krabei temples in Mom Bei area, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Nikorndej reconfirmed Thailand’s rejection of the jurisdiction of the ICJ and insistence on bilateral mechanisms to resolve the dispute between the two countries.
He cited the construction of the Thai-Cambodian Friendship Bridge, in Ban Nong Ian in Sakaeo province, as an example of the effectiveness of good neighbourly relations.
The JBC meeting will resume tomorrow at 9am.
