Friday, July 18, 2008

Troop build-up at hill-top temple

About 1,200 troops are now stationed near Preah Vihear temple

Thursday, 17 July 2008
BBC News

Cambodia and Thailand moved more troops into an ancient border temple, as a stand-off triggered by a territorial dispute entered its third day.

Four hundred Thai troops and 800 Cambodian soldiers are now stationed at Preah Vihear temple, a Cambodian military chief said.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen urged his Thai counterpart, Samak Sundaravej, to withdraw his troops in a letter.

The two sides have agreed to hold talks on the issue early next week.

The International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear to Cambodia in 1962, but areas around it remain the subject of rival territorial claims.

Two weeks ago Unesco listed the temple as a Cambodian World Heritage Site, reigniting nationalist tensions, particularly in Thailand.

Opposition forces there have been using the issue to attack the government - which initially backed the heritage listing.

'Very bad for relations'

Military leaders from both sides say troops have been ordered not to use force unless attacked.


Political tensions driving temple row
In pictures: Preah Vihear

Government officials, meanwhile, have confirmed that defence ministers from the two countries will discuss the dispute on Monday.

In a letter to the Thai prime minister, Hun Sen called for the immediate withdrawal of Thai troops and protesters from the area.

He said the row was "very bad for relations between our two countries", reported Reuters news agency.

The stand-off began on Tuesday, when Cambodian guards arrested three Thai protesters.

Thai troops then began crossing the border, Cambodia said. Thai military officials say their troops are deployed in Thai territory.

Fearful local residents are reported to have vacated the site.

So far, however, the only casualty of the stand-off is a Thai soldier injured by a landmine - probably left over from when the Khmer Rouge occupied the site.

And in a sign of divisions within Thailand over the issue, several hundred local villagers blocked a group of protesters from marching to the temple on Thursday morning.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pol Pot knew that he couldn't defeat the Vietcong and so he open Cambodia to Vietcong military force so the Vietcong can claim their victory! But what the Vietcong didn't know that Pol Pot military force make the Vietcong spent $1 million dollar a day just to maintain their troop in Cambodia and with the Russian help they manage to stay in Cambodia for 10 years! Now the Vietcong claimed that back then they were young, inexperience, and arrogant because they were intoxicated by all their military success against the French, the Jap, and the American and China. They think that they can conquer Cambodia easily and now they know realize their military capability and just want to be good neighbor! Ahahhahah

It is time to open Cambodia to the Thaicong military occupation so that the Thaicong can realize their military capability! Ahahhah

I never thought that the Thaicong can be so stupid!

Anonymous said...

1/Why is troops only building up with Thailand?
The whole of KOH TROL is invaded by Vietnam & still is why didn't Hun Sen/CPP send the troops to try and protect our island now...is it because it not an election time?.

2/Over 30 years, correct me if i'm wrong. But have a look at the uniform and gears of the Khmer Soldier Hun Sen is sending to the boarding.
they come as follow:
>Flipflop shoes instead of boot like the Thai.
>Plastic bag to carried their gear unlike a bag pack
>Poor weapons unlike Thai.
>The khmer soldier Uniform itself is design from 1975 plaform.

so in conclusion not on the Thai lost face in Preah Vihear, in the BACKGROUND they gain more land from Cambodia. Because A Khvar Hun Sen dont know where the boarder is?
Cambodian soldier are STILL LOOK LIKE THE PRE-HISTORIC KHMER ROUGE TROOPS back in 1975 ONLY IN DIFFERENT COLOUR.
So it show how show How Much the current CPP government is INCOMPETENT of running Cambodia.

Again let look at over 30 years under Hun Sen Leadership...
WE GONE FROM OWNING A HOUSE TO BECOMING HOMELESS, ONTOP OF BEING HOMELESS WE ARE SLOWLY LOOSING LANDS/SEA TERRITORY TO VIET & THAI.
May it worth Letting SRP running the country, he can only do better!

Anonymous said...

Preah Vihear temple is now belonging to United Nation list as World Heritage Site.
If Thai create the war it will destroy 900 years old temple.
How Thai will explain to United Nation?.

Anonymous said...

4:25 AM...SRP is just one of the many CPP branches. It was created in order to play politics to get money from western countries. Sam Rainsy and Hun Sen play golfs together all the time in free time.

Anonymous said...

5:59 AM this is a cheap propaganda that is spreaded in Cambodia by the CPP and its allies so that the SRP will lose credibility with the population. I heard this rubbish when i was there and abroad as well. It's all rubbish.

Anonymous said...

Throw all the greedy monkeys over the the cliff back to Cambodia now. They have no business in Issan Province.

Anonymous said...

greedy monkeys??? Wrong description, ah Nan Chao shitface. hahha. It should be that bury all ah Nan Chao Shitfaces under their own poops instead and then ship all of their dead body back to nan Chao. hahha.

Anonymous said...

DEFEND THAT FLAG!!! BROTHERS

Anonymous said...

Our wise cambodian leaders just don't want to create war and conflict especially with foreign country because Cambodia has known too much suffering from the war. Negotiation and diplomatic channel are better to save each sides time and people from dying.
However, don't worry about the cambodian army capabilities. What you see in the newspapers'pix is only window dressing of poor cambodian soldiers. Be assure that our wise leaders has prepared everything and they have a lot of material and human resource power in the army that will surely defeat the thais katoeuy. Cambodia has a lot of elite troops very well trained and very well equipped, the officers has followed also training in Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, USA.
Years of war experience by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces with components from the former communist viet-khmer troops, khmer rouges, son san and funcinpec army who know guerilla tactics versus the thai katoeuy conventionnal army that is not even able to hunt the young muslims in the south equipped with tong.
For Thailand: PAD is a bunch of shit. Most thais people don't want war and most of the thais acknowledge the fact that Preah Vihear belongs to khmer as well as thailand country came from the Khmer Empire.
This is just fucking thai politics with the PAD that want to overthrown the actual thai government under the influence of Thaksin.
Remember that Thaksin had conflicts with the Thai royal family.
Therefore, guess who is beyond all these trouble?!!!
Definitively, royals in Thailand and in Cambodia are very shit.
Long live the republic and long live our president Samdach Hun Sen!