Thai and Khmer PMs to meet in Beijing over border tension

Both leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Asian and European Summit scheduled for October 24 to 25.

Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said he will seek opportunity to meet with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on the sideline of the Beijing summit.

Somchai will leave for Beijing on October 23. The Beijing trip will be first oversea trip of Somchai, who took office in late September. Earlier he cancelled his familiarisation trips to some Asean countries to tend to the ongoing political crisis and the ongoing street protests against his administration.

In Phnom Penh, advisor to PM Hun Sen, Sri Thamrong, confirmed that the Cambodian prime minister will hold a bilateral talk with his Chinese counterpart, premier Wen Jiabao and one with PM Somchai.

Hun Sen departed for China on Monday from Phnom Penh.

It would be the first meeting between the two leaders since a deadly fighting on Oct 15 between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in a disputed border area near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

Border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia flared in July when Preah Vihear was awarded United Nations World Heritage status, rekindling long-simmering tensions over ownership of land surrounding the temple.

The tension was escalated to fighting last week when Cambodian troops at Preah Vihear opened fires on Thai soldiers. A Khmer soldier was killed and many Thai troops were injured.

Following the fighting, both sides hold an emergency talk and agreed to conduct joint border patrols. The day after ended with both Cambodian and Thai officials agreeing to joint border patrols -- which have not started yet -- but offered no lasting solution to the military stand-off along the border.

Meanwhile a Thai-Cambodia talk of senior military officials aimed at defusing border tension has been postponed.

Senior army representatives had been due to meet with their Cambodian counterparts on Tuesday in the Cambodian town of Siem Reap, but negotiations have been put off until later in the week.

A Thai army spokesman said the regional border meeting scheduled on October 21 was postponed until they receive a mandate from the Parliament.

"On the Thai side, we have to get approval from parliament before the government can sign any pacts."

The talks would now be held on Thursday or Friday, still in Siem Reap.

Thai and Cambodian border has been quiet and remained calm during the weekend. Soldiers from both could be seen chatting with each other.