DPA
Phnom Penh - The number of Thai troops in territory Cambodia considers sovereign continued to increase Thursday, and a high level Cambodian government delegation was to visit the site imminently, officials said. Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kaharith declined to say which government ministers would be on the helicopter flight scheduled for Friday, but Defence Minister Teah Banh, who found sanctuary in Thailand during the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime and who speaks fluent Thai, is expected to be included.
Officials and local media reported Thursday that fearful Cambodian residents had begun evacuating the area of a border dispute over an 11th-century Hindu temple as Thai troop numbers grew to around 400 and Cambodia continued to try to double that number.
Preah Vihear, perched on a 525-metre high cliff on the Dongrak mountain range that defines the Thai-Cambodian border, turned into a flashpoint Tuesday when three Thai nationals entered the temple compound to protest its July 9 listing by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
"Powerful people in Thailand want to solve this," government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said by telephone, but did not elaborate.
Thailand maintains the area occupied by its troops is a disputed no man's land and they are not in Cambodia, but Cambodia disagrees.
"Cambodia would like a memorandum of understanding from Thailand, but we value our cooperation too much to press hard," a senior government official said on condition of anonymity.
"This hurts, and it violates Cambodia's national integrity, but we will do everything we can to solve this diplomatically."
Local newspapers Thursday printed front page pictures of Thai troops standing at Cambodian checkpoints, with Cambodian Khmer-language signs clearly visible.
Cambodia is scheduled to hold talks with Thailand over the issue Monday and Prime Minister Hun Sen held "cordial talks" with his Thai counterpart Samak Sundaravej by telephone Wednesday night.
Kanharith said Thailand called for the urgent meeting to defuse the row over joint claims to the temple ruins compound. An emergency meeting of the General Border Committee will be held Monday in Thailand's border province of Sa Kaeo.
It was not clear whether the meeting of the committee, set up years ago to cope with joint border problems, would be attended by Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej in his capacity as defence minister.
The anonymous government offical backed claims by both Koh Santepheap and the Cambodia Daily newspapers that Cambodian residents were evacuating the area.
"All civilians have left the area and gone to the town seven kilometres away, as I am aware," he said.
Around 900 Cambodian families live around the temple.
Tensions began rising Tuesday, when Cambodia detained and then released three Thais it said had illegally crossed the border.
Officials and local media reported Thursday that fearful Cambodian residents had begun evacuating the area of a border dispute over an 11th-century Hindu temple as Thai troop numbers grew to around 400 and Cambodia continued to try to double that number.
Preah Vihear, perched on a 525-metre high cliff on the Dongrak mountain range that defines the Thai-Cambodian border, turned into a flashpoint Tuesday when three Thai nationals entered the temple compound to protest its July 9 listing by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
"Powerful people in Thailand want to solve this," government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said by telephone, but did not elaborate.
Thailand maintains the area occupied by its troops is a disputed no man's land and they are not in Cambodia, but Cambodia disagrees.
"Cambodia would like a memorandum of understanding from Thailand, but we value our cooperation too much to press hard," a senior government official said on condition of anonymity.
"This hurts, and it violates Cambodia's national integrity, but we will do everything we can to solve this diplomatically."
Local newspapers Thursday printed front page pictures of Thai troops standing at Cambodian checkpoints, with Cambodian Khmer-language signs clearly visible.
Cambodia is scheduled to hold talks with Thailand over the issue Monday and Prime Minister Hun Sen held "cordial talks" with his Thai counterpart Samak Sundaravej by telephone Wednesday night.
Kanharith said Thailand called for the urgent meeting to defuse the row over joint claims to the temple ruins compound. An emergency meeting of the General Border Committee will be held Monday in Thailand's border province of Sa Kaeo.
It was not clear whether the meeting of the committee, set up years ago to cope with joint border problems, would be attended by Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej in his capacity as defence minister.
The anonymous government offical backed claims by both Koh Santepheap and the Cambodia Daily newspapers that Cambodian residents were evacuating the area.
"All civilians have left the area and gone to the town seven kilometres away, as I am aware," he said.
Around 900 Cambodian families live around the temple.
Tensions began rising Tuesday, when Cambodia detained and then released three Thais it said had illegally crossed the border.
8 comments:
AH HUN SEN thug is the most hypocrite animal on the planet Earth! Here AH HUN SEN the animal is willing to negotiate with the Thaicong aggressor but for ordinary Cambodian people, Cambodian opposition, and Cambodian monks and he is willing to kill them in a heart beat without any negotiation to show that he is the strongman of Cambodia!
AH HUN SEN glory day is over! If the Thaicong dare fire a single shot and it will be the present from God above and AH HUN SEN can no longer protect his power! Cambodia desperately need a new war to remove AH HUN SEN regime! And it will be the same way how the Vietcong remove POL POT regime!
Cambodia need chaos and out of chaos there will be ordered but this time Cambodia won't have AH HUN SEN to order them around!
Khieu Kanharith, 3 days without your mistresses and you saying rubbish.
The thais are threatening us with war you idiot!
Reminds me of saddam hussein's spokesman when the americans were in bagdad. " we are in complete control of the situation"
I give up on you but not the khmer nation.
I am a Khmer living in Issan region and a Thai citizen. I do agree with those Khmers living Preah Vihear Province. I think Preah Vihear Temple belongs to people living in Preah Vihear province. No body else who does not live in Preah Vihear province has a rights on deciding the ownership of the temple. Keep in mind the Preah Vihear Province do exist. It is in northern region of Cambodia. But, Issan do not exist. Only the region does. But, mostly Loas people live there. We khmers are small numbers compare to others in the region. I hope this is clear to my brother who claims to be Khmer Issan in Issan province. You don't represent all the Khmers living here. So, stop using the name Issan.
11:30 a chkout. Too old to think in such a way that foreign invation will bring benefit to cambodia.
Bring yoursle mother fucker to the war alone.
11:30 kon duay me a min krup tik
JUST REPLACE AH UNEDUCATED CRIMINAL HUN SEN , EVERYTHING WILL BE UNDER CONTROL WENT THE NEW GOVERMENT'S FORM .
WE NEED THE LEADERS THAT USE THEIR HEAD TO DEAL WITH SIAMS AND YOUNS , AH HUN SEN DON'T HAVE HEAD AND BRAIN.
It's not time to say that, man. now it's time to unite...
To 1:29AM and 1:31AM
Even if the Thaicong win the war in Cambodia and they take over Cambodia with their occupational military force and do you think there will be Khmer pro-Thaicong government like Cambodia of today have AH HUN SEN pro-Vietcong?
You are one stupid mother fucker to think like that! You mother fucker wouldn't understand the ramification of the fucken war in Cambodia! Tell you what if the Thaicong take over Cambodia tomorrow and the Thaicong are now bordering with the Vietcong!
The whole scenarios will play out like in the 1980 when China, US, and the Thaicong were supporting the Khmer Rouge to bleed the Vietcong in Cambodia for 10 years! But this time, the Vietcong will support the Khmer resistance fighters to bleed the Thaicong in Cambodia for as long as it will take to make the Thaicong withdrew their troop from Cambodia!
The Vietcong is just waiting for the opportunity to take revenge for what the Thaicong did to them in the 1980 by supporting the Khmer Rouge to kick their arse for staying in Cambodia!
I have no doubt the dynamic of war and politic will change complete but Cambodian people can rest assure that there won't be pro-Thaicong government in Cambodia!
Cambodia will not be the loser in this war but the whole Indochina and the Asean are the one that is a loser! The Thaicong should know better if they want to use Cambodia as the AFGANISTAN in the Southeast Asia because the Thaicong have more at stake than Cambodia!
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