"An informed source said there were currently around 5,000 Cambodian troops and 3,000 Thai soldiers in the disputed area."The army plans to reduce troop numbers around the disputed Preah Vihear temple in a bid to ease border tensions with Cambodia.
"Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the Thai delegation had asked the WHC to comply with regulation 13, one of the World Heritage listing regulations. The regulation states that a bilateral listing would replace a unilateral listing if the listing had led to growing border conflicts between two concerned parties, he said." - [KI-Media: Thailand stirs the border dispute on purpose?]
Army chief Anupong Paojinda yesterday said there would be a reduction soon in the number of soldiers deployed around the mountain, where the ruins of the ancient Hindu temple sit, to comply with a recent agreement reached with Cambodia.
The agreement was reached between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon at the weekend, he said.
"But there won't be a complete pullout. It will simply be an adjustment to bring down the number of troops stationed there," Gen Anupong said.
"We still need troops in the area to reinforce our position that the area is ours."
Troop numbers around Preah Vihear should be reduced to the level the army maintained before the recent reinforcements were called in, Gen Anupong said. No exact timeframe has been set for the reduction. Further talks would be needed to specify troop levels that both sides would find acceptable, he said.
An informed source said there were currently around 5,000 Cambodian troops and 3,000 Thai soldiers in the disputed area.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti told the cabinet yesterday Unesco's World Heritage Committee (WHC) had decided not to review the temple listing as a World Heritage site until its annual meeting in Brazil next year, as requested by Thailand.
Mr Suwit, who has just returned from observing the WHC meeting in Seville in Spain, said the committee's decision was to allow Thailand to make better preparations for its objections to Phnom Penh's push to have the temple listed.
Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the Thai delegation had asked the WHC to comply with regulation 13, one of the World Heritage listing regulations.
The regulation states that a bilateral listing would replace a unilateral listing if the listing had led to growing border conflicts between two concerned parties, he said.
