On 10 May 2011 at 11.00 hrs. Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Director-General of the Department of Information and Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, gave a phone-in interview from Jakarta, Republic of Indonesia, on the discussions between the Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Mr. Hor Nam Hong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, and Mr. Marty Natalegawa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, on 9 May 2011 after the Prime Ministers of Thailand and Cambodia assigned their Foreign Ministers to continue talks on the border issue in Jakarta for an extra day. Gist as follows:

1. The meeting between the Thai and Cambodian Foreign Ministers was held on 9 May 2011 at 15.00 hrs. at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, with Mr. Marty Natalegawa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, in his capacity as the current Chair of ASEAN, attending and facilitating the said meeting.  The Thai and Cambodian Foreign Ministers agreed to propose to their respective governments a “roadmap” in the form of “a package proposal” on how to move forward.  This encompasses the issues of the exchange of notes between Thailand and Indonesia and between Cambodia and Indonesia regarding the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Indonesian Observers Team, the convening of a meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC), and the withdrawal of Cambodian troops from the Temple of Phra Viharn, Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda and the surrounding areas, namely, the local community and market, before the Indonesian observers can be deployed.  The afore-mentioned “roadmap” must be approved by both the Thai and Cambodian governments before further action.

2. The Foreign Ministry Spokesperson reiterated Thailand’s position that Cambodia must withdraw all of its troops from the specified areas before the Indonesian observers teams can be dispatched.  Both sides agreed to take the agreed roadmap to the respective governments for consideration, the implementation of which would be as a package. It is thus mutually understood that Cambodia must withdraw its troops from the specified locations before the Indonesian observers are sent in.

3. In response to the question about a time-frame for considering the proposed roadmap, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said that this would depend on when it would be included on the Cabinet’s agenda.  He noted that all concerned would like to see progress on this matter at the earliest possible but that it has to proceed in accordance with domestic processes of the respective countries.

4. Regarding the question on whether the proposed roadmap also calls for a ceasefire or cessation of hostilities in the border area, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson stated that this issue should be discussed in detail within the GBC framework, which Thailand has called for since the beginning.  Agreement in this connection would be considered as part of the package. Be that as it may, military units on both sides have been in contact and so far there has not been any recent clashes, which is a positive sign.

5. In response to a reporter’s question on Indonesia’s view on the matter, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson stated that Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa of Indonesia expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting, saying in a press interview that it was “better than expected.”  Thus, media reports suggesting that Indonesia was not satisfied with Thailand’s position are inaccurate.  As for the view of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Malaysia, which was reported in several media outlet, criticizing Thailand as the instigator of the Thai-Cambodian border dispute, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said that it was most likely due to his misunderstanding or a mistake made in the news report.

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10 May 2011