Thai border talks

Members of the Cambodia-Thailand General Border Commission are to meet this week in Thailand to devise an agenda for next month’s annual conference, Ministry of Defence spokesman Chhum Socheat said yesterday. Chhum Socheat said the Cambodian delegation would be led by Neang Phat, a secretary of state at the ministry. Whereas the bilateral Joint Border Commission covers demarcation issues, the General Border Commission deals with matters such as combating trafficking of workers and drugs, and promoting trade and tourism. Chhum Socheat said this year’s conference would focus primarily on “maintaining security” and avoiding armed conflict. The three-day meeting this week is to begin Wednesday, though Chhum Socheat could not provide specific dates for next month’s conference. “The formal conference is set for next month, but it depends on Thailand because they have still not resolved their internal matter,” Chhum Socheat said, in an apparent reference to the fallout from large-scale Red Shirt protests that were broken up in May. Neang Phat could not be reached for comment.