APR 10, 2009
PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) -- Thai Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva will hand over an ancient Khmer artifact to his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen during the ASEAN summits to be held in these days, a senior adviser said here on Friday.
"If the schedule does not change, this afternoon, the two premiers will meet to discuss the bilateral ties and the Thai prime minister will hand over a piece of our ancient Khmer artifact to Prime Minister Hun Sen as a symbol (of our friendship)," Sry Thamrong, advisor to Hun Sen, told reporters prior to the departure of a senior Cambodian delegation for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summits in Pattaya of Thailand.
Later when Abhisit Vejjajiva visits Cambodia on April 18, at least 7 out of 24 pieces of ancient Khmer artifacts will be returned to Cambodia, he said.
"Those Khmer artifacts were stolen and trafficked out of Cambodia, but finally arrested by the Thai authorities. We have shown the Thai side with our documents as proof, so they will return them to us," he said.
During the two premiers' talks, they will also discuss the border issues between the two countries, said the advisor.
In addition, Hun Sen will join the summit meeting of CVL (Cambodian, Laos and Vietnam) with Japan, which will focus on the development of the Mekong region and the triangle area among the three ASEAN countries, he said.
While in Thailand, Hun Sen will also meet with the Chinese Premier, UN secretary general, Malaysian prime minister and Australian premier over issues of bilateral cooperation, he added.
According to an official press release, the Cambodian delegation for the ASEAN summits includes Prime Minister Hun Sen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Nam Hong, Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh and other governmental officials.
