Cambodian and Thai army commandersbased near the Preah Vihear Temple have agreed to jointly patrol anumber of disputed areas from Ta Sim pass all the way to the ChakChreng hill along the border.

Gen. Ek Dara,Commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), said Thailandrequested joint patrols during a recent meeting between the commanderof Cambodia ’s division No. 4 and his Thai counterpart from regimentNo. 6.

Cambodia accepted the request but under one condition: the joint patrolwill not cross into Thai territory, nor will it cross into Cambodianterritory, and it can only take place in the mid-zone, said Gen. EkDara, adding that, as of yet, no definite areas of joint patrol havebeen set yet.
Gen. Ek Dara said Cambodia is waiting for word on the boundaries of thearea to be patrolled, where it will be based, and what its route willbe, but have not yet received a reply.

In another move, the Cambodia-Thailand border committee plans to hold atalk in Bangkok on July 21, with the attendance of the Cambodia DefenceMinister, Tea Banh, and his Thai counterpart, Prawit Wongsowon.

A spokesman for the Cambodian Defence Ministry said the meeting aims toease tension in the common border area. However, it is unlikely tobring good results immediately, but will help to build mutual trustbetween the two nations./.