Thailand and Cambodia have traded fire for a sixth day as an increasingly bloody border
dispute drags on. Wednesday's fighting centred around two crumbling stone temples
from the Khmer Empire at Ta Moan and Ta Krabey which have been caught in crossfire
since the weekend.
Talks between Thai and Cambodian defence ministers to end
the dispute were abruptly cancelled, dashing hopes of an imminent end to fighting
that has killed 14 people and sent more than 50,000 into evacuation centres.
“The
issue arrived at the UN two months ago, and the Security Council already issued that
ASEAN would solve the problem,” says Dr. Apichart Intravisit of Assumption University
in Bangkok. “So [ASEAN envoy and Indonesian Foreign Minister] Marty Natalegawa chaired
the meeting and acted as an intermediary.”
Mr. Natelegawa’s U.N.-backed ceasefire
deal in February included the deployment of 30 unarmed military observers to seven
border locations. But earlier this week, Mr. Natelegawa called off his trip to the
two countries to discuss the final draft of the terms.
“It is very likely that
China and Vietnam will join in the talk or help facilitate in this issue,” Dr. Intravisit
told Vatican Radio. “This is quite likely since Thailand has approached Chinese ambassadors
and Vietnamese ambassadors to help talk.”
Listen to Dr. Apichart Intravisit’s
interview with Kelsea Brennan-Wessels: