Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared on April 24 that the government will support the Army to defend Thai territory and is also ready to take part in bilateral meetings of the two countries’ border committees.

Abhisit Vejjajiva’s made the statement in the context of clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in the disputed border area stepping into the third consecutive day.

Speaking at the weekly Sunday programme broadcast live on NBT channel, the Thai PM said his government is willing to settle the conflict through meetings of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) and the Regional Border Committee (RBC), which may be held in Thailand or Cambodia .

The Cambodian Defence Ministry reported that four Cambodian soldiers were severely injured in the border clash with Thailand on the morning of April 24.

On the same day, the Cambodia Red Cross (CRC) said that 2,560 households with over 9,800 residents were evacuated from combat zones in Oddar Meanchey province. CRC said it had called on domestic and foreign organisations to provide food and drinks in emergency relief for people who lost their houses.

In an effort to ease tension on the Thailand-Cambodia border, on April 25, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa will arrive in Cambodia to discuss with the host country on new developments in the Thailand-Cambodia relations.

In a related development, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on April 23 urged Cambodia and Thailand to restrain themselves to the utmost and immediately take measures to come to an effective ceasefire agreement

Thailand and Cambodia cannot address their current conflict through military measures, he stressed, urging the two sides to hold serious dialogues for a long-term solution./.