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Cambodian National Assembly President Heng Samrin, right, walks with his Thailand counterpart Chai Chidchob, center right, at the Cambodia National Assembly in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, July 23, 2009. Chai Chidchob pays a two-day official visit to Cambodia.

(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian civil society are disappointing at the behaviours of the Thai institutions for pointing fingers at each other when it comes to who has the powers to resolve border conflicts with Cambodia.

Mr. Heng Samrin reportedly told Mr. Chai Chidchob, who is an ethnic Khmer from Surin province, to withdraw Thai troops from Cambodian territories during a meeting at the parliament house on the afternoon of 23rd July, but the later can only promise to convey the message to the Thai government.

Mr. Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, said that he is disappointed with answers of the visiting Thai Speaker of the Thai parliament.

In the past, Cambodian leaders had made the same request to the leaders of Thai government about troop withdrawals but they responded the withdrawals cannot be done until the agreements were ratified by the Thai parliament.

Cambodia and Thailand signed several agreements about troop withdrawals but the agreements are still awaiting approval from the Thai parliament, nearly a year of the agreements were signed.

Mr. Rong Chhun said the finger-pointing between the different branches of the Thai institutions is disappointing. Mr. Rong Chhun said this is a Thai tactics of blame games because they have no real intentions of withdrawing their troops from Cambodian territories.

Mr. Rong Chhun urged the Cambodian government to stop engaging in bilateral negotiations with Thailand because numerous talks in the past resulted in no solution. He said the Cambodian government should take the matter to the international mediation by using the Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 as base.

Source: Khmer Sthapana newspaper
Reported in English by Khmerization