AP & Neth Pheaktra
The Mekong Times
Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to a gradual “redeployment” of troops near Preah Vihear temple ahead of talks next week on territorial disputes, a Cambodian army general said Thursday.
The redeployment, slated to begin during the weekend, will first apply to Thai and Cambodian troops stationed inside the compound of a Buddhist pagoda near Preah Vihear temple, Cambodian Deputy Defense Minister General Neang Phat said.
The number of troops from both countries will be reduced “to the lowest number possible,” Neang Phat said, adding that security officials from the two countries had reached the agreement during a meeting Wednesday in Thailand’s Surin province.
Neang Phat said that both countries will pull troops back from Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda compound during the weekend before foreign ministers of both countries meet in Thailand Monday.
A similar step will be taken for troops stationed in areas surrounding the Buddhist pagoda and Preah Vihear temple after the foreign ministers’ meeting, he said.
“Both sides have agreed to minimize troop forces stationed in Keo Sikha Kiri Svara to avert confrontation,” said General Neang Phath, secretary of state for the Ministry of National Defense.
About 800 local troops and 400 from Thailand have been facing off in the area for a month.
Moving troops from the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda is considered significant, since it is where the troops first deployed. The two sides came close to a shoot-out on July 17 when Cambodian monks sought to celebrate Buddhist lent in the pagoda.
Troops on both sides raised their weapons, but no shots were fired, and the Cambodians eventually backed down.
The border standoff erupted near the temple last month when UNESCO approved Cambodia’s application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had backed the bid, sparking demonstrations by anti-Thai government protesters who claimed the temple’s new status would undermine Thailand’s claim to the surrounding area.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear and the land it occupies to Cambodia. The decision still rankles many Thais even though the temple is culturally Cambodian, sharing the Hindu-influenced style of the more famous Angkor complex.
The dispute has not been resolved despite two rounds of talks since last month, with the countries referring to two different maps.
Cambodia uses a French colonial map demarcating the border, which Thailand says favors Cambodia. Thailand relies on a map drawn up later with American technical assistance.
Both countries are also facing a military standoff at the Ta Moan temples on the border in Oddar Meancheay province. Cambodian military officials there said Thursday that, following high-level military talks, Thai troops have made good on their promise not to lock fences that would block access to Cambodian civilians and soldiers. Pol Thein, regional commander of the Ta Moan Thom temple area, said Cambodian and Thai troops are stationed in teams around 30 meters from the temple. Cambodian troops stationed in the area appealed for support from people for provisions.
The redeployment, slated to begin during the weekend, will first apply to Thai and Cambodian troops stationed inside the compound of a Buddhist pagoda near Preah Vihear temple, Cambodian Deputy Defense Minister General Neang Phat said.
The number of troops from both countries will be reduced “to the lowest number possible,” Neang Phat said, adding that security officials from the two countries had reached the agreement during a meeting Wednesday in Thailand’s Surin province.
Neang Phat said that both countries will pull troops back from Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda compound during the weekend before foreign ministers of both countries meet in Thailand Monday.
A similar step will be taken for troops stationed in areas surrounding the Buddhist pagoda and Preah Vihear temple after the foreign ministers’ meeting, he said.
“Both sides have agreed to minimize troop forces stationed in Keo Sikha Kiri Svara to avert confrontation,” said General Neang Phath, secretary of state for the Ministry of National Defense.
About 800 local troops and 400 from Thailand have been facing off in the area for a month.
Moving troops from the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda is considered significant, since it is where the troops first deployed. The two sides came close to a shoot-out on July 17 when Cambodian monks sought to celebrate Buddhist lent in the pagoda.
Troops on both sides raised their weapons, but no shots were fired, and the Cambodians eventually backed down.
The border standoff erupted near the temple last month when UNESCO approved Cambodia’s application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had backed the bid, sparking demonstrations by anti-Thai government protesters who claimed the temple’s new status would undermine Thailand’s claim to the surrounding area.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear and the land it occupies to Cambodia. The decision still rankles many Thais even though the temple is culturally Cambodian, sharing the Hindu-influenced style of the more famous Angkor complex.
The dispute has not been resolved despite two rounds of talks since last month, with the countries referring to two different maps.
Cambodia uses a French colonial map demarcating the border, which Thailand says favors Cambodia. Thailand relies on a map drawn up later with American technical assistance.
Both countries are also facing a military standoff at the Ta Moan temples on the border in Oddar Meancheay province. Cambodian military officials there said Thursday that, following high-level military talks, Thai troops have made good on their promise not to lock fences that would block access to Cambodian civilians and soldiers. Pol Thein, regional commander of the Ta Moan Thom temple area, said Cambodian and Thai troops are stationed in teams around 30 meters from the temple. Cambodian troops stationed in the area appealed for support from people for provisions.
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