Thai-Laotian talks fail to solve border dispute

Three days of high-level talks between Thailand and Laos aimed at resolving a border dispute ended in failure Wednesday, the armed forces chief of staff, Gen. Saiyud Jaerdphol, said. The Laotian delegation had refused to meet Bangkok's fundamental demand for an apology over an incident on the Mekong River, which forms the frontier, that rpompted Thailand to close the border.

Landlocked Laos depends heavily on Thailand for imported goods, which have piled up on the Thai side of the border. Diplomatic sources sadi that the closure was already causing serious food shortages.