Sunday, 3 August 2008BBC News
Cambodia has accused Thai troops of occupying a temple complex on Cambodian land, threatening to escalate a row over a separate, disputed temple.
About 70 Thais have been at the 13th Century Ta Moan temple complex since Thursday, the Cambodians say.
The Thai foreign ministry has denied any troops have moved into the area.
The two nations have for weeks been locked in a military stand-off over disputed land further east, around the ancient Preah Vihear temples.
High-level diplomacy has been taking place to resolve the Preah Vihear dispute, which revolves around border areas drawn up by French cartographers a century ago.
And an agreement was reached, following a meeting between foreign ministers from both countries, to reduce troop numbers near the temple.
Prevented access
But Maj Sim Sokha, a Cambodian border-protection officer, told reporters on Sunday that Thai soldiers had been making moves hundreds of miles west of Preah Vihear.
He said the Thai troops had been deployed in an 80m (262ft) radius around the Ta Moan Thom temple ground, and had prevented Cambodian troops from entering.
He said about 40 Cambodian soldiers were in close proximity to the Thai troops, but had been ordered to exercise restraint while the government tries to resolve the issue with Thailand.
"[Thai troops] said they will pull back only when the issue near Preah Vihear temple is resolved," he told the Associated Press by telephone.
The Ta Moan complex is in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, which shares much of its border with the Thai province of Surin.
About 70 Thais have been at the 13th Century Ta Moan temple complex since Thursday, the Cambodians say.
The Thai foreign ministry has denied any troops have moved into the area.
The two nations have for weeks been locked in a military stand-off over disputed land further east, around the ancient Preah Vihear temples.
High-level diplomacy has been taking place to resolve the Preah Vihear dispute, which revolves around border areas drawn up by French cartographers a century ago.
And an agreement was reached, following a meeting between foreign ministers from both countries, to reduce troop numbers near the temple.
Prevented access
But Maj Sim Sokha, a Cambodian border-protection officer, told reporters on Sunday that Thai soldiers had been making moves hundreds of miles west of Preah Vihear.
He said the Thai troops had been deployed in an 80m (262ft) radius around the Ta Moan Thom temple ground, and had prevented Cambodian troops from entering.
He said about 40 Cambodian soldiers were in close proximity to the Thai troops, but had been ordered to exercise restraint while the government tries to resolve the issue with Thailand.
"[Thai troops] said they will pull back only when the issue near Preah Vihear temple is resolved," he told the Associated Press by telephone.
The Ta Moan complex is in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, which shares much of its border with the Thai province of Surin.
24 comments:
"[Thai troops] said they will pull back only when the issue near Preah Vihear temple is resolved,"
Second invasion and a black mail now.
Don't export your internal problem to my country Samak.
This succintly demonstrates the tenuousness of the government's aversion against the backdrop of a tenuous economy and a de facto government. In other words, the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen needs to take draconian measures againt the recent incursion of Preah Vihear temple -- and yet another incursion in Ta Moan temple. Mr. Hun Sen needs to unequivocally demonstrate his leadership by tenaciously show this country and its people that he cares about the Cambodian sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Mr. prime minster, the country is calling you for your leadership response to the crisis.
Khmer farmer
What is the hell going with stupid Thailand??????
Don't they feel ashame to the world???
Which part of language they don't understand??
HUN SEN, please do something!!
Kick the Thai ignorant ass!!
Thai army will stay there or move into cambodian land because thai need to protect Hun Sen.
When Hun Youn (PM cambodia) gains full power to control for the next five years, thai will wait for order from Hun Youn (khmer PM).
Please watch this exceptional video!
Thai vs South-East Asia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZd8we-nS9U&NR=1
Dude you just made the fucking nonsense comment, and make Opposition party look very bad.
Cambodian have to united for the national interest. Put the poliic part. All Cambodian should write letters to their representative who they just vote for to presure the government to solve the problem as soon as possible. No need to wait the shameless Thai to get approval from their paliarment.
Preah Vihear - A Mountain of Undeniable Fact
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Originally posted at M|O|N|G|K|O|L
My friend Ann Sovatha, a fellow Fulbright scholar and recent graduate in anthropology from Northern Illinois University, recently submitted the following commentary to the Phnom Penh Post.
I thought the piece was very interesting and contained a lot of heartbreaking but true facts about an event happening to the first batch of Cambodian refugees to Thailand less than thirty years ago. Personally, reading this reminded me of my uncle and his family, who were victims of this cruelty and remained scarred till this very moment. Shame on these evils!
នេះហើយឬ ភាពមនុស្សធម៌របស់ថៃ ដែលយើងខ្មែរគួរតែដឹងគុណ? សូមមិត្តអ្នកអានមេត្តាប្រើវិចារណញ្ញាណក្នុងការអានវិចារណកថានេះ!
The dispute over the sovereignty of Preah Vihear temple has been in the headlines in recent days. The usual themes expressed regarding the dispute center on the loss of territory, burying the past, or correcting fake information. I share these sentiments. However, this dispute involves a much deeper issue that extends beyond these themes.
Many Cambodians have already buried more than enough of the past. Buddhism has taught Cambodians to forgive and forget to the point that they can even forget tragic events that involve the loss of thousands of lives. The point I want to make here, which has not surfaced in the news media, involves an event that happened on this disputed site less than three decades ago. If the Thais still remembered this event, they should be hesitant to discuss Preah Vihear temple site at all. This site should be the site of shame for them, rather than one of pride. The event I am talking about is the ‘forced repatriation’ of thousands of Cambodian refugees who sought refuge inside Thailand’s border after the Khmer Rouge period ended in 1979.
As a post-war generation Khmer, I did not experience these events, but in order to understand these extremely sad and heart-breaking events, one only needs to flip through a few pages of two books: “The Quality of Mercy: Cambodia, Holocaust and Modern Conscience” by William Shawcross (1984) and “To Destroy You Is No Loss” by Joan Criddle and Teeda Butt Mam (1987.)
When the Khmer Rouge were ousted in 1979, thousands of refugees fled the country to the West. These refugees settled in temporary camp sites along Cambodia-Thai border. Lacking support from the international community to handle this huge number of refugees, the Thais resolved to push them back into Cambodia. Shawcross provides a moving account of this event below:
“On the morning of Friday, June 8, 110 buses pulled up at the border site of Nong Chan, a few miles north of Aranyaprathet, where several thousand refugees were now camped in fields. Thai soldiers in the buses told the refugees they were being moved to another, better camp.
Some refugees seemed to believe what they were told and were happy enough to leave the squalid, overcrowded conditions of Nong Chan. Others were not; one woman, who had walked out of Cambodia to Nong Chan with her three children only a week before, said later that she was terrified when the Thai soldiers began to herd them into buses.” (pg. 88 )
In her first-hand account, Teeda Mam provided a perspective on what it was like to be one refugee inside one of those buses. After finding out that the bus was not going to Bangkok but back to Cambodian border, “each person, murmuring angrily or fighting back tears, tried to come to grips with catastrophe in his own way. Shocked disbelief showed on every face. … We had just come from hell and were being sentenced to return. We couldn’t believe our awful fate. Defeated, many wished only for a quick death.” (pg. 251)
She further wrote how cruel she felt being pushed back:
“Cruel as it was, we could understand the lie, but it was doubly cruel to push us back across in the north when arrangements had been made for returning us to the south. It seemed little short of cold-blooded, premeditated murder. The remote jungle had been chosen deliberately. The Thais wanted an international incident and we were to be it.” (pg. 251)
The Thais wanted to make a statement, which was that they could not handle the refugee crisis unless international aid was provided immediately. However, to make such a statement at a cost of thousands of lives was a rather inhumane one. How inhumane this statement was can be measured by what happened when these refugees arrived at the Preah Vihear site. Shawcross continued:
“Loaded with Cambodian refugees from temporary camp sites all over eastern Thailand, hundreds of buses converged on a mountainous region of the northeastern border near the temple of Preah Vihear, whose ownership had long been a source of bitter dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. They arrived, with military precision, after dark.
The border had been sealed off by Thai soldiers; the area was flooded with troops. The refugees were ordered, busload by busload, to walk back into Cambodia. They were told that there was a path down the mountains but that on the other side the Vietnamese army was waiting to welcome them. Thai soldiers also said, ‘Thai money will not be valid in Kampuchea; we ask you to make a voluntary contribution to our army.’” (pg. 89)
Teeda Mam also described the scene when her bus arrived at Preah Vihear site. She wrote:
“The buses lurched to a standstill. We were ordered out. People refused to budge until forced from their seats at gunpoint. If only we could hold out a little longer without going back across the border, perhaps the order would be rescinded. Everyone knew that shock waves from Thailand’s decision to return us were reverberating throughout the world. Thailand’s point had been made, and we did not want to be the victims of its strong message that help was needed immediately.
Camping on the Thai side of the border had been made impossible. Refugees, herded like cattle one busload at a time, were funneled between lines of soldiers to the summit of a steep ridge that marked the border, then pushed over. Wielding guns, Thai soldiers shouted, “Go down, Go down.” They began shooting at those who refused to start down the face of the cliff.” (pg. 251-252)
Shawcross added to the description, “The path down the mountains became steeper, the jungle thicker. Dozens, scores of people fell onto mines. Those with possessions had to abandon them to carry their children down.” (pg. 89) Once the refugees began to descend down the cliff, the scene became more horrific. Even after almost three decades, I believe those who descended down the cliff and survived still have a hard time coming to terms with that event. Teeda Mam described this unimaginable descent into hell:
“Below the ridge, we could hear people screaming and moaning. Those who had been forced over the border during the past two days stubbornly refused to move off the mountainside trails, yet the press of refugees from above kept pushing them farther down. The entire face of the hill had been heavily mined by the Khmer Rouge four years ago, and everyone was terrified to break a new trail in the five-mile-wide no-man’s-land. Occasionally, a mine exploded as the crowd pushed someone off the trail. Since everyone wanted to step only where they had seen others step, they slid cautiously downward only when forced from above by the pressure of others moving downhill. Descent proceeded at a snail’s pace.” (pg. 252)
Some of the refugees tried to buy their way out of this deadly descent. Shawcross wrote:
“One group of refugees desperately pooled whatever valuable they had left, filled two buckets with them and walked back up toward the Thai soldiers, carrying a white flag. The soldiers took the buckets and then opened fire on the refugees.” (pg. 89-90)
Teeda Mam confirms this cruel account:
“The Chinese gentleman and his party had pooled their Thai money in a red plastic bucket. Quietly, he offered it to the soldier, then asked to be pointed in a direction leading to freedom. The soldier accepted the bucket and motioned with his gun down a side path as he looked the other way. No sooner had the group started down this path, however, than the guard turned and raised the muzzle of his submachine gun. They fell like dominoes.” (pg. 253)
I believe that any sane person would be brought to tears by this account, but the story is worse when we realized that it continued for days. Shawcross further wrote:
“For days this operation went on. Altogether, between 43,000 and 45,000 people were pushed down the cliffs at Preah Vihear. It took three days to cross the mine field. Water was very hard to find. Some people had salt. Very few had food. The Thais had distributed at most a cup of rice per person before the buses were emptied.
One refugee who finally managed to escape back to Thailand told UNHCR officials: “The crowd was very dense. It was impossible to number the victims of the land mines. The wounded people were moaning. The most difficult part of the walk was near the dead bodies. Tears I thought had dried up long ago came back to my eyes-less because of the sight than from the thought that those innocent people had paid with their lives for their attempts to reach freedom in a world that was too selfish.”” (pg. 90)
For Teeda Mam, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge years, what happened at Preah Vihear even surpassed these terrible years. She wrote:
“I thought the nightmare I had lived through for years and the trauma of our escape had exposed me to all the suffering and horrors this world had to offer. I was wrong. Nothing had prepared us for this first night on the trail. Descent from the cliff was like being lowered into the jaws of hell.” (pg. 255)
What I intend to do with this article is not to provoke anger or revenge, as Buddhism, the religion Cambodians share with their Thai neighbors, has taught us that revenge is won by taking no revenge ‘pea rum-ngoab doy ka min chong pea.’ My intent is to point out the undeniable fact that terrible things happened at Preah Vihear site three decades ago that involved the loss of thousands of Cambodian lives. The fact that no one has raised these events in discussions of Preah Vihear in the media is shocking. In fact, many Cambodians, especially those of my generation who was born in the 1980s, are not even aware that this horrible event took place. What they were taught was about the Khmer Rouge period, but not about what happened at Preah Vihear. The events at Preah Vihear, which was inflicted by the Thais, cost the lives of many Cambodians. But unlike the Khmer Rouge leaders who are being tried now, Cambodians do not even ask who was responsible for the people who died at Preah Vihear. So the question is, how can the Thais take the pride in arguing for the sovereignty of this site when this should be a site of shame for what they did?
This one eyed dog only good at throwing hand grenade on peaceful protest and using force on monks and unarmed civilian. But when it comes to facing something more powerful than he, he became paralized.
I have been observing Khmer politic for many years now and it seems that this one eyed viet dog only care for his personal power. He willing to kissing viet's and Thai's ass anytime of day as long as it would insure him that he would stay in power until its time for him to go to hell.
All Cambdian people who love the country and care for democracy should not lend any support to this one eyed viet slave. By doing so it would only to insure his stay in power forever. Cambodia is a country recognized by the UN and its map is also recognized by the UN therefore we should not concern over small Thai incursion. As long as Ah Kvak dont sign any new treaty with Thai and Viet, this small Thai incursion should not be a concern.
LV
HUN SEN , HOR NAM HONG...AND SO...ON WANT PEACEFUL SOLUTION UNTIL THAI TROOPS AT THE DOOR OF PO CHENTONG AND TAKHMAU...THEN THEY WILL DO SOMETHIN' LIKE PACKING UP AND RUN TO LIVE IN FRANCE OR WHEREVER THEIR MONEY ARE...SWISS...
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STRONGMAN, STRONG IRON FIST???????WITH THE FOREIGNERS HE'S MASHMALLOWS!
WHERE is the big mouth and angry newly elected cheating PM HUN SEN?
I visited Prasat Ta Moan Thom at the start of 2007 and within 50 metres of the Ruins of Ta Moan Thom there was a THAI Army Base and also food vendors....
They have already paved a "Thai Road" along the route through Prasat Ta Moan, Prasat Ta Moan Touch and Prasat Ta Moan Thom
Don't ever let the fucken Thai get away for stealing Khmer land!
Beware! The Siam is using their roads as the border line and border marker!
It is very important to verify every square inch of Khmer land through the use of GPS base on International Map!
Ah Hun one eye did not care at all whoever wants to take Cambodia. This animal cares only himself.
the IRON MAN has only one eye. He keeps it to watch opposition and miserable Khmer. No EYE for him to WATCH the border
Thai's govt !
Now you knew that HUN SEN will not dare to challenge you ,so why don't you just come all the way to the bigger one that's ANGKORWAT ?.Believe me ,even if you go that far ,our weak khmer's govt would not DARE to do a shit to you any way .Our govt is for oppressing our people only.Do it now THAI,just invade the whole fucking Cambodia.
The Strongest man of Cambodia BUT the Weakest one worldwide.. Loung Vek Prak Doung/Phnom Penh Dollars.."
Anti-Thai Sentiment increses only with simple citizens But Leaders are Quiete....////
" Patience/non-violence are Pretext of Fears..."
Samdach Excellency Bandit/Phd. General 7 diamond stras Oknha Acharknoy(Phd. from Chea Chanreourn Unv. PPenh
Dude we are facing gradually abused land-encroachment piece by piece by the HELL, NO-GOOD-WILL, AND NEVER-TRUSTWORTHY CUNNING neighbours in the midst that the leaders care only their position, interest and their clans'well-being for generations to come. We Cambodian are weak coz we are intimidated, suppressed to adapt ourself and even surrender our souls to any NEGATIVE, VISIBLE INJUSTICE ACTS OR IMPLEMENTATION AND WE HAVE BEEN LONG TREATED LIKE SLAVES OR ANIMALS DETAINED IN THE CAGE OR SYSTEMATIZED CORRUPTED HELL-DOWNGRADED CELL!!!!!!
FACING ALL THE ENCROACHMENT FROM THE NEIGHBOUR, RCG LEADERS ASK CAMBODIANS TO DONATE THE MONEY-THE QUESTION IS: IF THERE IS NO SUCH INCIDENTS, WILL THOSE LEADERS CARE THE TROOPS AT THE BORDER? HOW ABOUT AFTER THE WAR, WILL THEY BE CARED AS MUCH AS THEY ARE EXTREMELY NEEDED NOW???? Cambodia MUST reinforce this culture: DO NOT BLAME THE SUBORDINATES, RATHER IN BIG CASES OF THE NATIONAL INTERESTS, THE TOP OF THE MINISTRY HAS TO RESIGN!!!!!!! LIKE THAILAND (Excuse me: Foreign Affair Minister resigned coz the supreme court of Siam rules that the backing for PVs was unconstitutional!!!!!). Look at the legal cases lingered to top officials in cambodia-they will be just transferred and serve at another post handsomely. This is due to the fake that they are CLANS OF HUN'S OR HENG'S OR SIM'S OR RANY'S ETC. ISN'T IT THE FACT EVERYONE KNOWS?????
WHAT HAS TO BE DONE IN THE MIDST OF SUCH EXTREME CRISIS????SHOULD WE BACK ALL OF THESE LOW-QUALITY, LOW-GRADED LEADERS?????YET THESE LEADERS WILL BE DEEMED TO COMMITTING ACTS OF TREASONS IN THE EYES OF CAMBODIAN PEOPLE IN THIS MODERN TIME IF EVER THEY SURRENDER FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR INTEREST!!!!!!!!LET'S KEEP EYES ON THE CURRENT LEADERS!!!!!!!
Okhlahoma
Very hurtful for Cambodian people. Why our country was located with the thief country? why God is unfair with us???????????
Mr. Hun Sen please hurry up to complain to UNSC and ICJ for facing from Thai's aggression. I beg you Mr Hun Sen, we can't cool with Ah Siam thief like this. We have to find the internationl community to deal this problem with international law.
Now you have won the election poll already, you must do it quiclky for khmer people that love and choose you. Hope you don't hesitate to complain to UNSC, UN and ICJ. Yours respectfully.
From Khmer Angkor
Cambodian Strong man..But weakest one with Foreigners.." .. Peaceful/patient non-violent means= mean Cowardice..."
Cambodian parts do not mind so much about territory.. main thing is Power among Cambodians... Positions within ministries which will be appointed soon after election.."
WE have USED ALL FORCES MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, FINANCIALLY TO FIGHT WITH OUR COMPATRIOTS ESPECIALLY IN ELECTION... TRICKS, MEANS, TACTICS HAVE BEEN USED TO GAIN THE POWER... WHEN FOREIGN ENNEMIES ARRIVED NOTHING TO USE TO PROTECT OUR LAND.. JUST PRAY....
THIS IS THE ROOT OF SO_CALLED STRONG MAN.."
Excellency Bandit General Samdach ACHAR Okhna KNOY
Commanders of Cam Armed Forces know well just Grab Lands from Poor People.....
Some Generals do not know how to read Map(simple topo- map......
This showed when looking for Craft airplane in the last few months... How can those generals would attack Siams?????
Siams Look down on Khmewr Governments due to their Bad Behaviours, inmcompetent Just fighting with Khmers to gain Power.....
Thais also want to test the Knowledge of all Khmer Phd. in various subject/Laws, intern. laws Polictics especially PHd from CHEA CHAMROURN UNIV. PPenh who produces many Phd./Honor. Phd, every months..
Thais Want to test many Generals.. how can they manage to protect their territory ?? hgow can they read Maps???
Thai wants to apply win-win policy written by Khmers(50% Thai, 50% Khmers, 100% wasd Khmer land)
Achar Knoy=Phd./Bandit from Chea Chamroeurn Univ., PPenh
Moreover, what the Siam is doing to us is no difference from the Hun Sen's administration is doing to our pregnable people.
remember these Khmer are experieces fighter//
Khab Khun Kab 12:11pm Khmer are expierienced Fighters But experience only with YOUR FELLOW KHAM/Khmers....With Thais is far differenmt..
And it is not just experiences in war But YOU NEED GOOD LEADERS/with capability nationalisdtic... TO LEAD YOU TO FIGHT .. OTHERWISE YOU WOULD ATTACK KHMERS AND KILL 3 MORE MILLIONS KHMERS AS KR TIME..
You need economic capability....your leader just loan money from foreigners... how can you fight against khun thais...?"
Wichai Rung Rat
Krung thep Mohanokorn
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