Sunday, 29 November 2009

Cambodia Cancels MoU with Thailand


Saturday, 28 November 2009 04:39 DAP-NEWS

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Friday announced that the Cambodian Government has cancelled an MoU on a road construction loan with Thailand after the diplomatic relations between Thailand and Cambodia have continued to deteriorate. Cambodia and Thailand have already recalled their respective ambassadors.

The Government decided to cancel the MOU at the last minute, Koy Kuong, MFA spokesman and undersecretary of state, told DAP News Cambodia late yesterday evening.

Now the Government has enough to build 117 km of National Road 68 linking from Kralanh to O’smach to neighboring Thailand without any loans, he said.

The MoU in question was signed on 27 August, 2009 and which have seen Thailand provided a concession loan worth US$41 million.

In a separating issue, yesterday defence ministers from Thailand and Cambodia conducted a Joint Border Committee (JBC) meeting in Pattaya to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries along the border. “Thai and Cambodian armed forces will support every mechanism between the two countries to improve ties,” Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan quoted as saying by Reuters in a news conference after meeting his Cambodian counterpart in Pattaya, southeast of Bangkok.

“The highest goal would be the safety of the public and sustainable peace at the border,” he said after a two-day meeting of the Thai-Cambodia General Border Committee, a forum that meets a few times a year to discuss military ties. “Cambodia will not do anything that would affect the public in both countries. We will avoid any action that would lead to a conflict between the two countries,” Cambodian Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh told the news conference. Cambodia and Thailand relation have soured since July 2008 when Thai troops encroached on areas around Cambodia’s 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

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