PHNOM PENH, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Village people left their homes for relatives far away, as Cambodia and Thailand built up their military presence at the border area over bilateral land dispute, a village chief said Wednesday.
"People are afraid when they see the troops from both sides in their area near the Preah Vihear Temple. Thai troops are still deployed inside the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda (some 300 meters away from the temple) and its adjacent places," Bun Leng, chief of Preah Vihear Village in eponymous province, told Xinhua over phone.
"They fear armed confrontation," he added.
Military standoff between Cambodia and Thailand entered into the eighth day, as both governments dismissed any possibility of evacuation but instead submitted different versions of maps to prove their legal possession of the 4.6-square-kilometer land nearthe temple.
Thai troops were reportedly over 500 with tanks and artillery, while Cambodian some 1,000. However, Phay Siphan, spokesman of theCouncil of Ministers of Cambodia, refused to confirm the figures.
"Each side has at least about 100 troops inside the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda," he told Xinhua.
The general situation inside and in the vicinity of the pagoda is calm and both sides don't have weapons inside, as the governments have agreed not to cause violence and armed confrontation, he said.
"Cambodia can control the situation along its border and our troops are also deployed at other places to guarantee safety and security for our people," he added.
Bun Leng said that Khmer-speaking Thai troops dug military bunkers at their side and it looked like they wanted to fight with the Cambodians.
Thai troops had clear strategies to block Cambodians from accessing the Preah Vihear Temple, because the pagoda stood on the way to it, he said.
Both troops haven't mobilized so far, but Cambodian soldiers started to send short messages to tell their friends and relatives to boycott Thai products, he added.
However, "people here need normal lives, so that they can make business with Thais near the border as they used to do," he said.
Cambodian tycoon Kith Meng, who runs TV channels and mobile phone service, arrived at the border Wednesday morning to donate food, raincoats and camp tents for Cambodian troops, he said.
Tuesday, officials from the Royal Palace of Cambodia also brought some food and materials for the people and troops, he added.
Earlier Wednesday, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stated that it failed to mediate between the two ASEAN members, saying that it would adversely affect the regional organization.
The UN Security Council is reportedly to convene an urgent meeting Thursday to find peaceful solution to the ongoing stalemate.
As Thailand refused to evacuate the alleged Cambodian territory, the Cambodian government has written letters this week to ASEAN, UNESCO and UN Security Council to ask for help and justice.
On Monday, bilateral top-level talks in Thailand failed to reach any agreement to end the military face-off.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the 11-century classic Khmer-style Preah Vihear Temple, together with the land it occupies, to Cambodia.
On July 7, the temple was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.
On July 15, three Thai protesters trespassed the border to reclaim the temple, but were immediately arrested.
Thai troops then came in to fetch them, thus triggering standoff with Cambodian soldiers there. Military force was then built up on daily basis until the current scale.
"People are afraid when they see the troops from both sides in their area near the Preah Vihear Temple. Thai troops are still deployed inside the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda (some 300 meters away from the temple) and its adjacent places," Bun Leng, chief of Preah Vihear Village in eponymous province, told Xinhua over phone.
"They fear armed confrontation," he added.
Military standoff between Cambodia and Thailand entered into the eighth day, as both governments dismissed any possibility of evacuation but instead submitted different versions of maps to prove their legal possession of the 4.6-square-kilometer land nearthe temple.
Thai troops were reportedly over 500 with tanks and artillery, while Cambodian some 1,000. However, Phay Siphan, spokesman of theCouncil of Ministers of Cambodia, refused to confirm the figures.
"Each side has at least about 100 troops inside the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda," he told Xinhua.
The general situation inside and in the vicinity of the pagoda is calm and both sides don't have weapons inside, as the governments have agreed not to cause violence and armed confrontation, he said.
"Cambodia can control the situation along its border and our troops are also deployed at other places to guarantee safety and security for our people," he added.
Bun Leng said that Khmer-speaking Thai troops dug military bunkers at their side and it looked like they wanted to fight with the Cambodians.
Thai troops had clear strategies to block Cambodians from accessing the Preah Vihear Temple, because the pagoda stood on the way to it, he said.
Both troops haven't mobilized so far, but Cambodian soldiers started to send short messages to tell their friends and relatives to boycott Thai products, he added.
However, "people here need normal lives, so that they can make business with Thais near the border as they used to do," he said.
Cambodian tycoon Kith Meng, who runs TV channels and mobile phone service, arrived at the border Wednesday morning to donate food, raincoats and camp tents for Cambodian troops, he said.
Tuesday, officials from the Royal Palace of Cambodia also brought some food and materials for the people and troops, he added.
Earlier Wednesday, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stated that it failed to mediate between the two ASEAN members, saying that it would adversely affect the regional organization.
The UN Security Council is reportedly to convene an urgent meeting Thursday to find peaceful solution to the ongoing stalemate.
As Thailand refused to evacuate the alleged Cambodian territory, the Cambodian government has written letters this week to ASEAN, UNESCO and UN Security Council to ask for help and justice.
On Monday, bilateral top-level talks in Thailand failed to reach any agreement to end the military face-off.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the 11-century classic Khmer-style Preah Vihear Temple, together with the land it occupies, to Cambodia.
On July 7, the temple was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.
On July 15, three Thai protesters trespassed the border to reclaim the temple, but were immediately arrested.
Thai troops then came in to fetch them, thus triggering standoff with Cambodian soldiers there. Military force was then built up on daily basis until the current scale.
8 comments:
ប្រយ័ត្ន ៖ អាក្បត់ជាតិហ៊ុន សែនកំពុងបោកប្រាស់បង្វែររាស្ត្រខ្មែរ អោយគិតដល់ព្រះវិហារ កុំអោយគិតដល់ ៖ ទំនិញឡើងថ្លៃ, យុវជនអត់ការងារធ្វើ, យួនអន្តោប្រវេសនៅពេញប្រទេសកម្ពុជា,...
កូនខ្មែរត្រូវតែមានជំហររឹងប៉ឹង ប្រយ័ត្នចាញ់បោកអាក្បត់ជាតិហ៊ុន សែន។
កូនខ្មែរត្រូវតែនាំគ្នាទៅបោះឆ្នោតអោយសម រង្ស៊ី ថ្ងៃ ២៧ កក្កដា ២០០៨។
Now, The war will be inevitable between Cambodia and thailande.
The scenario is the one of the war Iran-Iraq: war of position and trenches and of duration.
The superiority of weapons, the fire power and the superiority of the troops who make the difference.
It is necessary to note clearly that Cambodia cannot occupy the thailande.
The thailande cannot either occupy Cambodia.
The military strategy which is going to pay is the war of attrition, the psychological warfare, and political: we have to help all the thais which want the peace and the economic prosperity to knock down the thai monarch Bhumibol Adulyade and his clan the politicians’ corrupt and to install another thai’s political system and thai’s government.
It is one of long-term strategic objectives of this war: create an autonomous Muslim state in the South of the thailande by assistance and help of the Malaysia and the indonésie and of all the Muslims of the region.
To blogger 11:06 P.M
I think you seem concern very much about politic party but you don't care much about our country, our nation which faces with the evil neighboring country. If you think like this, you really think wrong with our nation. You are khmer people and live in Cambodia, so you must take care our territory and nation. i know clearly what you think, but our nation is most important than your politic party!!
Please change this idea from your mind if you are a khmer people.
I would like to apology if i make you get angry because of my recommendation. yours respectfully in name of Khmer people!
From Ramy, Chungnam University, South Korea
Hun Sen you should think about strengthening Cambodia-China relationship and buy guns from them.
Because obviously the UN and the other country don't really care about our hardship.
It's seems the Thai is the victim now.
Just buy guns quickly because we are not going to lose any territory.
Hun Sen's soliers are scaring like dog seeing tigerwood. The Thais army are looking tuff standing face to face with the Khmer undis
cipline army, wearing flip flop,+ they are just about ready to run for their lieves. They scare their families have no foods, no money, no home to live. If the war break out with Thailand, they will loose like khmene running down the mountain.
cambodia need to push forward with the UN council. thailand is to blame for displacement of the khmer people's livelihood, and home because of their troops incursion into cambodia sovereignty recognized internationally by the treaty of 1907 and the icj verdict. this is not fair for cambodia. thailand must pay for create this havoc with cambodia. cambodia don't let thailand dictate to us what to do. we must ask, persistently for the UN council to have a serious look into this matter once and for all. this is an international issue involving cambodia and putting our sovereignty at risk of losing to thailand's violation of the international law. thailand must pay for this havoc they cause in the first place. god bless cambodia.
Except, if Cambodia accepts the humiliations imposed by thais, by intransigence of the thais military with the support of the Thai’s monarch Bhumibol Adulyadej, the war is inevitable.
The royal government of Cambodia has to stop now following the politics of the other countries which sanction Burma.!
The Cambodian government has to improve its relations of all kinds with Burma.
We know all that Burma is the enemy of always Siamese monarches.
It is unheard of for any country on this planet Earth to have bilateral talk with the aggressor in hoping to find peaceful settlement! So tell all you UN stupid motherfucker, did Kuwaiti people give bilateral talk a chance in finding peaceful settlement with the Iraqi army? Of course not!
If the international community forces Cambodian leaders to have bilateral talk with the Thaicong aggressor then the International community is condoning and rewarding Thaicong aggression and make the door open wider for the Thaicong to commit future aggression on Cambodia!
The international community must not and can not accept any aggression whether it is big or small and international community must send a clear message to the Thaicong government to withdraw their troop from Cambodia before any peaceful bilateral talk can take place! The present of Thaicong military force on Cambodian soil is an act of defiant and the Thaicong government is violating international map, international law, and disrespect international community! For these reasons there is no point for Cambodian leaders to talk, to negotiate, and to discussion the naked Thaicong aggression on Cambodia any longer and it is a waste of time and time is what Cambodia doesn’t have!
Right now the Thaicong-Cambodian conflict is very small and manageable and the UN has a greater chance of success in solving it by acting now without delay! But once the bullets and the bombs start to fly and there is no point of return and the war can't be stop and that why Cambodian leaders still insist on third party (super powers, UN, and International community) intervention! Otherwise there is no reason for Cambodia to have bilateral talk because the Thaicong government doesn't even respect international map, international law and international community!
Cambodian leaders must draw a line on the sand and say no to Thaicong aggression!
NO TALK, NO DISCUSSION, AND NO NEGOTIATION AND NO TO NAKED AGGRESSION!
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