Thailand-Cambodia set up joint panel on realignment of troops

BANGKOK, January 18 (TNA) - Cambodia and Thailand have already set up a Joint Working Group (JWG) to work on a realignment of their troops in a demilitarized zone along the common border near the 11th century Preah Vihear Temple. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Banh reportedly told the media on the update on Tuesday, saying that Phnom Penh is now waiting for an invitation from Bangkok to convene a meeting in Thailand later this year to further discuss a plan for the redeployment of Thai and Cambodian troops in the Provisional Demilitarized Zone (PDZ) along the common border. The agreement to set up the JWG was reached on December 21, 2011 after the 8th meeting of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC), which was co-chaired by Tea Banh and his Thai counterpart General Yuthasak Sasiprapa. The JWG is then working for the complete and reciprocal realignment of the Thai-Cambodian military personnel from the PDZ under the observation of the Joint Observer Team comprising Cambodian, Thai and Indonesian monitors. The talks on the realignment of Thai-Cambodian troop in the PDZ was opened after the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Cambodia and Thailand on July 18, 2011 to withdraw their military personnel from the PDZ and allow ASEAN observers' access to the PDZ instead. (TNA)