Somchai, Hun Sen to talk in Beijing

Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said he would seek an opportunity to meet with his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, in Beijing.

Somchai will leave for Beijing on Thursday, his first trip abroad since taking office late last month. Earlier, he cancelled familiarisation trips to some Asean countries, in order to tend to the ongoing political crisis and anti-government street protests.

In Phnom Penh, Sri Thamrong, an adviser to Hun Sen, confirmed the Cambodian PM would hold bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, as well as with Somchai.

Hun Sen left Phnom Penh yesterday for China.

It will be the first meeting between the two leaders since a deadly clash broke out last Wednesday 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 UN World Heritage status, rekindling long-simmering tensions over ownership of the land surrounding the temple.

The tension escalated to fighting last week when Cambodian troops at Preah Vihear opened fire on Thai soldiers. Two Cambodian soldiers were killed and 10 Thai troops injured.

Following the fighting, the two sides held lower-level emergency talks and agreed to conduct joint border patrols - which have not started yet - but offered no lasting solution to the military stand-off along the border.

Meanwhile, Thai-Cambodian talks between senior military officials aimed at defusing border tensions have been postponed. Senior army representatives had been due to meet with their Cambodian counterparts today in the Cambodian town of Siem Reap, but negotiations have been put off until later in the week.

A Thai Army spokesman said they were waiting to receive a mandate from Parliament.

"On the Thai side, we must receive approval from Parliament before the government can sign any pacts."

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

The Thai-Cambodian border was quiet over the weekend. Soldiers from both sides could be seen chatting with each other.