On 21 February 2011, Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Director-General of the Department of Information and Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, gave an interview to the Thai media in Jakarta reaffirming Thailand’s readiness for the Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (IAMM).  Gist as follows:

1.  The IAMM comes following the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting which urged both Thailand and Cambodia to resolve the their dispute peacefully and through bilateral dialogue with ASEAN support and facilitation.  Thailand would therefore inform the meeting about the border incidents that occurred as well as the progress achieved thus far by existing bilateral mechanisms, namely, the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), the General Border Committee (GBC) and the Regional Border Committee (RBC).  In this regard, the Thai Parliament was expected to finish its consideration of the Agreed Minutes of the previous three JBC meetings by the end of this month, which would pave the way for the JBC to continue its work.

2.  Thailand would also reiterate its sincerity and readiness to continue talks with Cambodia under the above-mentioned mechanisms and express hope that Cambodia would likewise show its sincerity by returning to the negotiations.  Indeed, the Thai side had already proposed that the next meeting of the JBC be held later this month and that a GBC meeting be convened as soon as possible to discuss ways and means of avoiding further clashes between both countries.  Additionally, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson expressed hope that ASEAN would be able to support and facilitate the bilateral process and help encourage Cambodia to continue its dialogue with Thailand.

3.  Responding to a question about the expected outcome of the IAMM, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said that normally, an informal meeting such as this one would most likely issue a chairman’s statement, the format and substance of which would be discussed in further detail during the meeting.  Such a statement could be expected to welcome progress made thus far and encourage both Thailand and Cambodia to continue their dialogue. 

4.  It was also expected that Thailand’s readiness to invite Indonesia, as the current ASEAN Chair, to observe the avoidance of future clashes in the affected area would also to be raised at the IAMM.

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22 February 2011