Thai, Cambodian commanders hold border talks

[CrazyExpat]

SA KAEO, Dec 31 -- Thailand's First Army Area Commander Lt-Gen Udomdej Setaboot today led top Thai military brass and civil officials to visit the scene where seven Thais were taken into custody by Cambodian troops earlier this week.

The Thai team today held talks with Cambodian Region 5 Army commander Lt-Gen Boon Seng to avoid misunderstanding between the countries.

Gen Udomdej, accompanied by Sa Kaeo governor Sanit Naksooksri, Burapha Task Force commander Maj-Gen Walit Rojanapakdi and Sa Kaeo province's Khok Sung district chief Yuthana Nujchanart inspected the area and met in closed door talks with Gen Boon Seng.

After the talks neither Gen Udomdej nor Gen Boon Seng spoke to reporters about the meeting.

However, Mr Sanit said that Gen Boon Seng came to the Thai military base in Sa Kaeo discuss with Gen Udomdej as Cambodian authorities are concerned that the arrest of the seven Thais may be blown out of proportion so he wanted to avoid misunderstanding and did not want the local residents of both countries along the border to be affected by the incident.

Gen Boon Seng said the Thai trespass case was now in court procedures with which the Cambodian government could not interfere.

The seven detained Thais, including Democrat Party member of parliament Panich Vikitsreth and members of the so-called 'Yellow Shirt' People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest movement, were apprehended by Cambodian troops on Wednesday while they inspected the border areas near Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province, which borders Thailand.

Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya on Thursday went to Phnom Penh in an attempt to secure their freedom, but he failed accomplish that. The seven were charged by the Phnom Penn Municipal Court with illegal entry and illegally entering a military base along the border, crimes carrying penalties of up to six months and one year, respectively.

Gen Udomdej said earlier that the situation at the border in Sa Kaeo remained normal and that there was no reinforcement of troops by either Thailand or Cambodia. (MCOT online news)

http://www.mcot.net/cfcustom/cache_page/150114.html