On 25 April 2011 Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya was warmly welcomed by those affected by the recent incident at the Thai-Cambodian border in Surin province as he visited the area to observe first-hand the difficulties faced by the local residents, talk to injured soldiers, and provide reassurance that the government would do all it can to bring about peace and prosperity.
In a short remark delivered to the people gathered at the temporary shelter for villagers facing the Thai-Cambodian border clashes, Foreign Minister Kasit said that he realized the people’s plight, and that he was in Surin to obtain information about the area in order to notify the global community. He said that the end of the clashes was not up to the Thailand alone, but that Thailand was committed to negotiations to relieve the border tensions. He further asked for the local’s confidence and patience, while praising the army for defending Thailand’s territory.
In an interview to the media, Foreign Minister Kasit explained that the cancellation of Indonesian Foreign Minister’s visit scheduled for 25 April 2011 was because Thailand was in the process of revising minor details in the terms of reference (TOR) for Indonesia’s observers. The TOR should be ready to submit to the cabinet on 26 April 2011, and a letter of exchange could be given to the Indonesian Foreign Minister during the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Council Meeting in Jakarta on 28 April 2011.
Foreign Minister Kasit also urged the Cambodian side to return to the negotiation table under the numerous existing bilateral mechanisms, saying that the Cambodian side had not responded to Thailand’s proposals for the past 3 days. He said that army briefings noted the two sides participated in friendly sports events on 5 April 2011, and now, the Cambodian soldiers were obliged to follow orders. He also reiterated how it has taken ASEAN over 40 years to reach this stage in cooperation and that nobody had the right to tear ASEAN’s solidarity apart.
During the visit, the Foreign Minister talked to several local villagers at the temporary shelter to hear about their plight. He also had the opportunity to visit soldiers injured by the incident, as well as their families.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th