On 7 April 2011, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, responded to media enquiries regarding the meeting of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on the Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) and other issues.

The Foreign Minister noted that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to hold the JBC meeting although the agreed minutes of the previous three JBC meetings have not yet been approved by the Thai Parliament.  In this regard, the Thai delegation led by former Ambassador Asda Jayanama, Chairman of the JBC-Thai, had already arrived in Bogor, Indonesia, to attend the said meeting, which would discuss preparatory work for the production of the orthophoto maps and the dispatch of the Thai-Cambodian joint field survey to conduct its work in Sector 5 between boundary pillars 1-23.  The agendas and format of the meeting were being discussed as he spoke.

Regarding the meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC), the Foreign Minister said that he had met with the Minister of Defence on 6 April 2011 to discuss the matter.  It was agreed that while the arrangement of the GBC meeting is under the purview of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be in charge of the consideration of the draft Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Indonesian observers.  This includes the issue of their privileges and immunities as members of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Thailand and the area of coverage as well as where the observers would stay, which at this point would not be in military areas.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been coordinating closely with the Ministry of Defence and would discuss further details with Indonesia.  Foreign Minister Kasit noted that since Thailand received the draft TOR, it has been working closely with the Indonesian side on the said draft.  The Foreign Minister himself has met with his Indonesian counterpart three to four times.  He would also be going to Jakarta, Indonesia, on 9 April 2011, for a meeting with the other ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan on the assistance to the latter.  He would use that opportunity to talk with Indonesia and Cambodia about the draft TOR for Indonesian observers.  He stated that Thailand has made clear to both Indonesia and Cambodia that the Indonesian observers could not be positioned in the 4.6 square-kilometer “disputed area.”

In response to media questions about Cambodia’s comments on the requests for royal pardon for Mr. Veera Somkwamkid and Ms. Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, Foreign Minister Kasit said that the legal process on the case of the two Thais had already been finalized, and both of them have submitted their requests for royal pardon.  It therefore depends on the Cambodian executive branch to consider the possibility of granting them royal pardons.  Although Cambodia’s position is that the two individuals have to serve two-thirds of their respective sentences before requesting a royal pardon, the Thai side would continue to discuss and convey to the Cambodian side that this issue has attracted the attention of people in both countries and should not be allowed to cause a rift in overall relations.

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7 April 2011