PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Thailand and Cambodia showed no signs Tuesday of resolving their long-simmering spat over a disputed border area near an ancient temple, with Bangkok insisting its troops would remain in place.
Thailand's statements came after an ultimatum from Cambodia to withdraw from the territory near the Preah Vihear temple -- a UN World Heritage site -- or run the risk of "large-scale armed conflict".
Early Tuesday, Cambodian officials said the Thai troops had left their positions near the centuries-old Khmer site, but Thai officials told reporters they had not budged -- and would not any time soon.
"All 80 troops will remain in the disputed area because Thailand has overseen that area for 20 to 30 years," Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat said, a day after returning from talks in Phnom Penh with his opposite.
"Of those 80 troops, 20 of them are mine clearance workers and the rest offer protection for the mine clearance troops. Thailand insists it has not encroached in any territory."
After meeting Thailand's military top brass to discuss the tensions, Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat also said troops would remain in the border area, but pledged to avoid confrontation and focus on talks.
"The Thai stance is that we adhere to peaceful co-existence and we will not be first to start aggression," he said.
But Cambodia's foreign ministry and military, as well as witnesses in the contested territory, insisted that the Thai troops had withdrawn early Tuesday after commanders from both sides held talks.
"They withdrew from the area around 10:20 am and went back to their headquarters, which is around a kilometre away," Cambodian Brigadier General Yim Pim told AFP by telephone from the area.
"There is no more confrontation now. The situation is eased now, but we are still on high alert."
The Thai army ratcheted up its rhetoric Tuesday, saying that it was prepared for a confrontation with Cambodia if the border dispute were to escalate.
The tit-for-tat statements followed a Monday ultimatum from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who warned that the soldiers had to pull back by midday (0500 GMT) or risk being caught in a battle zone.
The Thai foreign ministry said that Hun Sen's statement ran "counter to the spirit of neighbourliness" and flouted a regional treaty on cooperation.
"Thailand will have to exercise its right of self-defence" if Cambodia uses force, the foreign ministry said, adding it was investigating whether Phnom Penh had violated an international treaty by laying new landmines in the area.
Tensions between the neighbours first flared in July after the temple was awarded World Heritage status by the United Nations cultural body UNESCO.
The situation quickly escalated into a military confrontation, with up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops facing off for six weeks, although both sides in August agreed to reduce troop numbers.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple belongs to Cambodia, but surrounding land remains in dispute, and each side accuses the other of violating its territorial sovereignty.
Speaking at an economic forum in Phnom Penh on Tuesday before the reported withdrawal, Hun Sen maintained his tough rhetoric.
"I have ordered all military commanders to take responsibility for the area. The area is a life and death battle zone," he added.
After his trip to Phnom Penh, Sompong remained bullish.
"The problem now is not about withdrawing or not withdrawing -- it's our territory. How can they tell us that it is their territory?" he asked.
"As soon as I returned there was a report of a deadline. What can we do? We are in our own homeland, and they want us to evict us from our own home."
Thailand's statements came after an ultimatum from Cambodia to withdraw from the territory near the Preah Vihear temple -- a UN World Heritage site -- or run the risk of "large-scale armed conflict".
Early Tuesday, Cambodian officials said the Thai troops had left their positions near the centuries-old Khmer site, but Thai officials told reporters they had not budged -- and would not any time soon.
"All 80 troops will remain in the disputed area because Thailand has overseen that area for 20 to 30 years," Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat said, a day after returning from talks in Phnom Penh with his opposite.
"Of those 80 troops, 20 of them are mine clearance workers and the rest offer protection for the mine clearance troops. Thailand insists it has not encroached in any territory."
After meeting Thailand's military top brass to discuss the tensions, Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat also said troops would remain in the border area, but pledged to avoid confrontation and focus on talks.
"The Thai stance is that we adhere to peaceful co-existence and we will not be first to start aggression," he said.
But Cambodia's foreign ministry and military, as well as witnesses in the contested territory, insisted that the Thai troops had withdrawn early Tuesday after commanders from both sides held talks.
"They withdrew from the area around 10:20 am and went back to their headquarters, which is around a kilometre away," Cambodian Brigadier General Yim Pim told AFP by telephone from the area.
"There is no more confrontation now. The situation is eased now, but we are still on high alert."
The Thai army ratcheted up its rhetoric Tuesday, saying that it was prepared for a confrontation with Cambodia if the border dispute were to escalate.
The tit-for-tat statements followed a Monday ultimatum from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who warned that the soldiers had to pull back by midday (0500 GMT) or risk being caught in a battle zone.
The Thai foreign ministry said that Hun Sen's statement ran "counter to the spirit of neighbourliness" and flouted a regional treaty on cooperation.
"Thailand will have to exercise its right of self-defence" if Cambodia uses force, the foreign ministry said, adding it was investigating whether Phnom Penh had violated an international treaty by laying new landmines in the area.
Tensions between the neighbours first flared in July after the temple was awarded World Heritage status by the United Nations cultural body UNESCO.
The situation quickly escalated into a military confrontation, with up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops facing off for six weeks, although both sides in August agreed to reduce troop numbers.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple belongs to Cambodia, but surrounding land remains in dispute, and each side accuses the other of violating its territorial sovereignty.
Speaking at an economic forum in Phnom Penh on Tuesday before the reported withdrawal, Hun Sen maintained his tough rhetoric.
"I have ordered all military commanders to take responsibility for the area. The area is a life and death battle zone," he added.
After his trip to Phnom Penh, Sompong remained bullish.
"The problem now is not about withdrawing or not withdrawing -- it's our territory. How can they tell us that it is their territory?" he asked.
"As soon as I returned there was a report of a deadline. What can we do? We are in our own homeland, and they want us to evict us from our own home."
19 comments:
"All 80 troops will remain in the disputed area because Thailand has overseen that area for 20 to 30 years," Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat said, a day after returning from talks in Phnom Penh with his opposite.
You stupid Thai FM. You've found that land for the last 30 years, you said. How can you as an FM be so naive and stupid? That piece of land wasn't a no man's land. It was and has always been part of the great Khmer Empire. You damn bull. Shit on your head.
Ah Siam should be ashame of it claim. It does not even exist 900 year ago, when the temple was built. All templs in Cambodia and North of Siam were built by Khmer Empires...
It claims to overseen that area for 20 t0 30 years..Where were they when khmer rouge mine was plant in the area...???? Siam should be ashame!!!! Stupid dog will always eat khmer shit!!!...
I have siam,
Khmer Hero,
US must break it tie with Siam thief. They are terroist people.... To democracy in this stupid country....
Die siam...go to hell for all false claims and lie...Hell will judge siam and its stupid king will be down to the hell....He will be reincarnate as earth warm trying to eat others land...
Hey! You stupid Thai and Thai's king (Bhumibol), you said you have overseen this area 20-30 years why didn't you stop Khmer Rough back then cause they planted mines there.
And you said you have overseen this area 20-30 years, what about us (Khmer) overseen this area from 2000 years ago. We have overseen our former city (bangkok) 1200 years ago too.
What ashame for claiming stuffs that never belong to them.
Khmer PP,
I am not good about history, why does khmer have to refer to French map?
French map drawn by Thai and Khmer, agreed upon Thai King, not like current Thai draw their own map and claim the land. Any idiot can draw a map to steal land!
HUN SEN, you need to give SIAM the MoAB (Mother of All-Bomb).
And please declare war with SIAM as soon as possible!!
Khmer PP,
Khmers love to rely on the French map because during the time that Cambodia was ruled by French, the French drew the map and Thais, claiming that they never agreed to the French, but overpowered by French's military during the time... Thus, it's become a Matra for the Khmers because they know that if they stick to the French map, they are at their advantages.
The Nazi's map is rubbish.
Your fucking thai King is stupid and your queen is a whore.
Also your mother is a whore.
Hey, A siam PM where were you 20 years ago when Khmer Rouge layed mines?
Why don't you go to investigate that landmine in 20 years ago?
A siam dog, have you ever read a history of china. 900 years ago, you had never been on the map. How can this temple belong to you?
Fucking Siam.
In Thailand Language, "Siam" means "Theft","Robber". So, a siam king is a Robber.
The Siam, or the Shame, lacks all credibility in the dispute with Cambodia when it comes to territory. The Siam would has "zero" credibility to argue about the land in that part of the world. Because it was "all" owned by the great Khmer Empire.
The Khmer Empire had established its kingdom and its cities in the all the land many centuries even long before the existence of Siam in that land.
The Siam emerged. And the unrelenting wars the siam waged against the Khmer Empire caused the Khmer to lose so much.
Why then at the present the children of the Siam are still thinking that a portion of land now in dispute belongs to them?
Just what sort of human conscience do these Siamese possess when they can't even accept the truth of the matter yet cry for living peacefully with them, the Khmers, who they had robbed again and again?
These Siamese are not insane. They are evil and their master @ the present is a ruler of this planet. "THESE", with the help of their master the devil would destroy and steal and kill to satisfy their bottomless greed.
"In the end" you will be in the bottomless pit of hell, Siamese. Or so I hope.
The monkeys from Cambodia must be stopped from painting Khmer in Thailand as Thai just to steal their temple. Soon they will also painted their parent as Thai just to steal their asset from them.
Your fucking thai King is stupid and your queen is a whore.
Also your mother is a whore.
The temple belongs to Khmer in Thailand. Get the fuck outta here, you Fake Khmer.
that the furthest you can get with your argument that the temple belong to khmer in thailand. khnmer in thailand are in fact khmer by blood. cu you can't prove that it was the siem who built it, so all you an say is it belongs to khemr in surin, sisaket. but this temple has always in khmer kandal, under central power of phnom penh.
khmer never claimed back phnum rung
because we knew we lost it long ago. we only want to keep what we have been having in modern times - last 120 years. but thiefs tend to be greedy.
This is thailand 1932 all over again - phibul songream - from siam to more thailand of robbers. fake Luong Vichet takorn making up this claim, that claim.
Khmers hold on to the French map because all three parties agreed to it whether Siams were under pressure or not. French also gave Viet most part of now South Vietnam that used to be Khmers.
Khmers do not want to go with Siam's own revised map because it is illegal and unilatirally done by Siam. The advantages for the Khmer to hold on the French drawn/Siam agreed map are that after Siams robbed Khmers of all the land they used to have, the land defined by French and agreed by Siam is what we had left to hold on to.
Now the greedy Siams still want to do a gentleman-robbery to get whatever little is left of Khmer land. Siams have no shame.
Listen up, you monkey 9:29. The temple in Phnom Penh belongs to people who live in Phnom Penh. The temple in Prey Veign belongs to people who live in Prey Veign. The temple in Saigon, belongs to people who live in Saigon. And the temple in Issan Province belongs to people who live in Issan. You got that, you greedy motherfucker?
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