Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor
Times Online (UK)
Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rockets and gunfire across their border today in a deadly battle over a small and remote plot of jungle adjoining an ancient Hindu temple.
At least two Cambodian soldiers were reported to have been killed and five Thais and two Cambodians were injured in the afternoon battle at the mountain-top Preah Vihear temple, a 1,100-year old World Heritage Site and tourist attraction.
Thailand’s foreign minister urged his countrymen to flee Cambodia for fear of reprisals after an incident which will further enrage nationalists in both countries and makes a diplomatic solution to the border dispute more difficult than ever.
Each side accused the other of opening fire first, and gave a different account of the duration of the battle, which began in the middle of the afternoon. Journalists on the Cambodian side of the border reported seeing rocket-propelled grenades fired by the Thais. At least ten Thai soldiers stationed in a pagoda surrendered to the Cambodians.
“We are not the ones who ignited the violence,” the Thai prime minister Somchai Wongsawat said in the Thai capital, Bangkok. “The situation has returned to normal now . . . It is not serious and I am convinced there will be resolution.”
But there was no immediate sign of dialogue between the two sides. In Phnom Penh, the Cambodian prime minister, Hun Sen, held an emergency meeting with ministers and generals, the day after threatening a “life-and-death battle” if Thailand did not pull its forces back.
Earlier in the day, Thailand had put jet fighters on alert, and prepared for a potential evacuation of civilians from border areas by placing Hercules transporter planes on standby at an air force base in Bangkok.
The foreign minister, Sompong Amornvivat, urged Thais in Cambodia to return home immediately. “Thai businessmen who have no need to be in Cambodia now, please rush back to Thailand,” he said. We have our evacuation plan ready.”
The territorial dispute which led to today’s battle dates back fifty years, but it is only since the summer that it has developed into a political and military crisis. Perched on the top of a 1,600 foot cliff, Preah Vihear can be reached far more easily from Thailand than from Cambodia. But the territory was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice after lengthy legal arguments about maps of produced during Cambodia’s French colonial period.
However, one adjacent packet of jungly land - 1.8 square miles in area - was never clearly allocated, and it is over this that the two countries fought.
The temple’s inaccessible position made it a natural fortress for successive armies which battled over Cambodia – it was the last hold-out of the forces of the Lon Nol regime, driven out by the genocidal Khmer Rouge in 1975. Even after their own defeat, Khmer Rouge forces occupied the temple until 1998, sowing the land around it with landmines.
Thai locals and tourists were allowed to visit the temple freely from Thailand without a visa, and the dispute was largely forgotten until July this month when the United Nations cultural organisation, Unesco, granted an application for Preah Vihear to be designate a World Heritage site.
When it turned out that the Thai government had supported the application, nationalists in Bangkok accused ministers of yielding sovereign territory in return for business concessions. Thailand’s constitutional court ruled that endorsing the Unesco application was illegal, and the former foreign minister resigned.
Since then, the Thai government has been under relentless pressure from nationalist demonstrators who want to force it from power. They have occupied the prime minister’s office and fought violent battles with the police.
To take a step back in the confrontation with its smaller neighbour, Cambodia, would invite further denunciation of the government, making it very difficult for Mr Somchai to be seen to compromise. But, apart from saving face, both countries could lose much in any extended military confrontation.
Cambodia is outgunned by Thailand, which has 300,000 troops equipped by the United States. The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces are barely a third as big and poorly equipped, but many of its men are experienced former fighters of the Khmer Rouge who could quickly bog the Thais down in a guerrilla war.
At least two Cambodian soldiers were reported to have been killed and five Thais and two Cambodians were injured in the afternoon battle at the mountain-top Preah Vihear temple, a 1,100-year old World Heritage Site and tourist attraction.
Thailand’s foreign minister urged his countrymen to flee Cambodia for fear of reprisals after an incident which will further enrage nationalists in both countries and makes a diplomatic solution to the border dispute more difficult than ever.
Each side accused the other of opening fire first, and gave a different account of the duration of the battle, which began in the middle of the afternoon. Journalists on the Cambodian side of the border reported seeing rocket-propelled grenades fired by the Thais. At least ten Thai soldiers stationed in a pagoda surrendered to the Cambodians.
“We are not the ones who ignited the violence,” the Thai prime minister Somchai Wongsawat said in the Thai capital, Bangkok. “The situation has returned to normal now . . . It is not serious and I am convinced there will be resolution.”
But there was no immediate sign of dialogue between the two sides. In Phnom Penh, the Cambodian prime minister, Hun Sen, held an emergency meeting with ministers and generals, the day after threatening a “life-and-death battle” if Thailand did not pull its forces back.
Earlier in the day, Thailand had put jet fighters on alert, and prepared for a potential evacuation of civilians from border areas by placing Hercules transporter planes on standby at an air force base in Bangkok.
The foreign minister, Sompong Amornvivat, urged Thais in Cambodia to return home immediately. “Thai businessmen who have no need to be in Cambodia now, please rush back to Thailand,” he said. We have our evacuation plan ready.”
The territorial dispute which led to today’s battle dates back fifty years, but it is only since the summer that it has developed into a political and military crisis. Perched on the top of a 1,600 foot cliff, Preah Vihear can be reached far more easily from Thailand than from Cambodia. But the territory was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice after lengthy legal arguments about maps of produced during Cambodia’s French colonial period.
However, one adjacent packet of jungly land - 1.8 square miles in area - was never clearly allocated, and it is over this that the two countries fought.
The temple’s inaccessible position made it a natural fortress for successive armies which battled over Cambodia – it was the last hold-out of the forces of the Lon Nol regime, driven out by the genocidal Khmer Rouge in 1975. Even after their own defeat, Khmer Rouge forces occupied the temple until 1998, sowing the land around it with landmines.
Thai locals and tourists were allowed to visit the temple freely from Thailand without a visa, and the dispute was largely forgotten until July this month when the United Nations cultural organisation, Unesco, granted an application for Preah Vihear to be designate a World Heritage site.
When it turned out that the Thai government had supported the application, nationalists in Bangkok accused ministers of yielding sovereign territory in return for business concessions. Thailand’s constitutional court ruled that endorsing the Unesco application was illegal, and the former foreign minister resigned.
Since then, the Thai government has been under relentless pressure from nationalist demonstrators who want to force it from power. They have occupied the prime minister’s office and fought violent battles with the police.
To take a step back in the confrontation with its smaller neighbour, Cambodia, would invite further denunciation of the government, making it very difficult for Mr Somchai to be seen to compromise. But, apart from saving face, both countries could lose much in any extended military confrontation.
Cambodia is outgunned by Thailand, which has 300,000 troops equipped by the United States. The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces are barely a third as big and poorly equipped, but many of its men are experienced former fighters of the Khmer Rouge who could quickly bog the Thais down in a guerrilla war.
13 comments:
Be prepared the coffuns for the khmene death. We are not going to withdraw our troops from our occupied territories. And on the otherhand, Hun Sen's government is living by beggar other countries. They don't have money to support the war. War or else?
At least two Cambodian soldiers were reported to have been killed
Moral of this story: Don't give bare-feet monkeys the RPGs. Monkeys ain't know shit in fighting. lol
9:34 PM
The Indochina war fought for 60 year without money, just rice and AK-47. 1987-1988 Thai-Lao war cost Thailand dearly, so if Thai think they can beat Cambodia, think twice because Thai will get beat again.
Special Forces Truth:
Human is more important than hardware.
Yes, Thai has modern hardware donated by the U.S, but in term of human experience, Khmers are more experience than Thai and Lao combined.
Be afraid of the bare feet monkeys..if they can killed almost two millions of its country men, I don't think they will have any hesitation in buthchering the thais..with or without shoes.
This is Stupid THAI and its king are the most stupid individual on this earth.
9:53 PM, stop being gay!
ah siam KHMERS can kill you like pigs. you are bad native. you go to hell.
HAHAHA
Khmers are full of shit!
They think they can kill others easily.
The proof: Their bare feet monkeys got hole in the heads!
What a laugh!
What a coward act, run you stupid mofosob. We're still good soldiers. Laugh your stupid Thai. We have your 10 soldiers who surrender like a coward yellow barstard.
Are you still laughing. Next fight will be your head mofosob.
Now kmene captured ten Thai soldiers .My suggestion cut their head put in the frozen box UPS Thai heads back to Bang Kok for Thai king Adon Yadeth friendly ship 's present, Good Thai is death Thai!
7 Siam injured, maybe dead by tomorrow. And 10 surrendered to Khmer soldiers. Don't underestimate these war hardened Khmer. I say Khmer should not return these Siam prisoners back to their country. Make them eat Khmer's shits first and then smoke them.
Who's bad now, motherfuckers? U guys may have more soldiers and superior weapons, but can never defeat our experienced guerrilla soldiers. U Siam wld have suffered more casualties if Khmer soldiers were to kill those 10 Siam soldiers they've captured. So stop bragging that u guys booted us. That aint going to happen. Fighting was less than 1 hour and yet Khmer had captured 10 of u guys already. What do u have to say to that?
Ah Thief Siam! Thief always commit crime and never admits itself stole things from the other. your fucker mother nations usually lie the truth, but don't forget that you coud not hide your original evil history that your bastard Siam ancestors are thieves!thieves!thieve!!! from Southern of China and invaded Khmer , Myanmar and Laos land.
Well, It's very sad that our two soldiers were killed in task of defending against thieve Siam invasion. Their death is full of bravery, honour, loyalty to the khmer nation. Their both souls are always in Khmer hearts to fight against the evil thieves Siam to the hell.
Anyway, Have you foolish monkey heard news from the frontlines that 2 Khmers killed=2 evil thieves Siam killed, 2 Khmers wounded<<< more than 70 evil thieves Siam wounded, 0 khmers surrounded<<< 10 evil thieves Siam surrounded.
So totally, I suggest you son of the bitch should prepare land and graves as much as possible to dig and bury your evil thieves Siam bodies becouse your wounded soldiers will be cut breath soon.
Hah.....!!!!! The more your mother fucker thieves come, the more your evil thieves soldiers die!!! Come on!!! Bravo Khmer!!! It's time for Khmer to unite to destroy enemy!!!Go to the hell ah evil Siam!!!
we demand a story done on those two Khmer men who died defending their nation so that we can honor them....
Give Khmers some shoulder-fired heat-seeking missiles to shoot the robber's jets. They like to show -off but will think twice when one or two of their jets fell from the sky.
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