Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday appealed to both Cambodians and Thais along the border to get on with each other to build a border of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development. Hun Sen said during a ceremony in western Pailin province bordering Thailand that authorities in the two countries' border provinces should try to build up good relations in the spirit of the two governments' national policies. Meanwhile, Thailand’s Commander of the Air Force and Air Chief Marshal Prajin Jantong said that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has agreed to establish a spokesperson group including civilians, police, and army to solve problems relating to sporadic border conflicts near the Preah Vihear temple. This group will inform the public about conflict issues, including the mediation process which the Thai government is implementing.

Photo:VNA

Cambodia and Thailand share an 805-km border. Relations between the two countries became strained after the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple was recognized as a world heritage in July, 2008, by UNESCO. The armies of the two countries have contested the area around the temple, killing dozens of people. In an attempt to resolve this dispute, both sides have agreed to submit their version of the dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which will conduct a hearing from April 15 – 19, 2013, in the Hague, Netherlands.