On 14 February, 2011, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya delivered his statement at the meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in New York on the skirmishes along the Thai-Cambodian border 4-7 February 2011.

In his statement, the Foreign Minister reaffirmed to the UNSC that Thailand and Cambodia are close neighbours – with shared interest – and have to live together side by side, and that Thailand harbours no ill-intention towards Cambodia.  He also informed the UNSC members of the facts concerning the clashes and rectified any misunderstanding or confusion they might have regarding the Thai-Cambodian relations. The Foreign Minister reaffirmed that Thai troops never fired first and had always exercised maximum restraint. Nevertheless, in the face of the violations of Thai sovereignty and attacks on Thai civilians and property, they had no choice but to respond in self-defence and on the basis of necessity and proportionality, aiming only at military targets. He also stressed that Thailand has always attached great importance to maintaining and promoting friendly relation with Cambodia. The two countries have cooperated in many areas, and Thais and Cambodians are like siblings, with much commonality in culture and way of life.  Thailand therefore has no reason to instigate any conflict with Cambodia.

Foreign Minister Kasit underscored Thailand’s commitment to continue its efforts to resolve the problem peacefully through existing and ongoing bilateral mechanisms. This, he noted, is the best solution.  In this connection, he reiterated Thailand’s invitation extended to Cambodia to participate in the meeting of the Joint Commission for Demarcation of Land Boundary (JBC) proposed to be held in Thailand in late February 2011. At the same time, he expressed Thaialnd’s appreciation for the support and encouragement from ASEAN, which could play a part in providing support for the bilateral process as appropriate. Thailand is scheduled to attend the informal meeting of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers in Jakarta on 22 February 2011. (See the link below for the full text of the Foreign Minister’s statement.)

After the UNSC meeting, the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, as the UNSC President, made her remarks to the media that the UNSC members called on the two sides to display maximum restraint and avoid any action that may aggravate the situation.  They urged the parties to establish and fully implement a permanent ceasefire, as well as to resolve the situation peacefully through effective dialogue. The UNSC members also expressed support for ASEAN’s active efforts in this matter and encouraged the parties to continue to cooperate with the organization in this regard. 

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14 February 2011

                                                                           
Click here video of media stakeout by the Foreign Minister on 14 February 2011
Click here video of press conference by the Foreign Minister on 14 February 2011