Monday, October 10, 2011

Thai, Cambodian People Join Merit Making for Tightening Ties

2011-10-09
Xinhua
Web Editor: liuranran

Thai Deputy Agriculture Minister Pornsak Charoenprasert on Sunday presided over a merit-making ceremony arranged by Thailand and Cambodia for the purpose of strengthening bilateral ties.

Over a thousand of Buddhist monks from both countries came to collect alms at the permanent Sa-Ngum border check point where the ceremony took place.

Over 2,000 Thai and Cambodian people joined this historical merit-making ceremony.

The deputy minister said that this event was the beginning of an effort to tighten relations between Thailand and Cambodia which were once deteriorated.

Relationships of the two neighboring countries turned sour quickly after listing of the controversial Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site by Phnom Penh in 2008, triggering military build-up along the border and sporadic clashes. Cross-border firings took place in February and April this year, killing at least a score of soldiers on both sides.

With the incoming of Yingluck Shinawatra government in July, relationships between the two neighbors have improved significantly.

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