DEPUTY Prime Minister/Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai admitted that a retired Thai military officer did hold talks with a Chinese man at the Defence Ministry as seen in a video clip and that an investigation has been launched, Amarin TV said today (June 9).
The officer was a personnel of the Defence Ministry who retired in September last year, he said, with the ministry’s Permanent Secretary having set up a committee to investigate this incident and if he has done something wrong he will be punished accordingly.
Asked whether the retired officer would be liable retroactively, Phumtham said he did not know and would have to look at the law to see how to deal with the incident.
Measures might have to be implemented to solve this problem if it were true and caused damage, he added.
Meanwhile Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said today that the situation at the Thai-Cambodian border is improving for the better while confirming that the Joint Boundary Committee (JBC) meeting scheduled for Saturday June 14 will be taking place.
This development shows that in the end good relations are essential during times of misunderstanding and the government is using this and not emotions to resolve the problem with this being an important lesson, he said.
Regarding other issues the JBC will negotiate but the atmosphere at the moment is very good, he added.
Maris also said that it is not necessary to use the term Cambodian troops retreating to their territory in referring to a pullback along the border, with talks to be held on these issues later.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page: Deputy Prime Minister/Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, right, and the Chinese man at the Defence Ministry, left. Photo: Amarin TV
Insert: Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa. Photo: Amarin TV
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