BANGKOK, April 3 (TNA) - Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Friday said Thai and Cambodian military officers discussed defusing tensions, after the two countries border guard troops exchanged gunfire in an early morning border incident in disputed territory near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
A Thai soldier lost a leg in a land mine explosion on Thursday but Thai and Cambodian officers disagreed over which country he was in at the time.
Gen. Prawit said the incident was the result of a misunderstanding between operations officers of both sides along the border.
His remarks came two days after the Cambodian premier Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed the disputed border.
Maj-Gen. Thawatchai Samutsakorn, deputy chief of Thailand’s second army, said the exchange of gunfire took place about 7am on Friday, three kilometres west of Preah Vihear temple or Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand. There were no reports of any casualties from either side.
The clash broke off in the yet-to-be-demarcated disputed area of 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq miles) where Sgt-Maj. Suwat Chanaboon lost his left leg after stepping on a landmine while patrolling the border, the senior military officer said.
Cambodian forces said the Thai soldier was on their soil when the mine exploded.
Cambodia accused Thai troops of crossing the border, a charge Thailand has publicly denied.
Gen. Thawatchai rushed to the clash site to discuss the situation with Cambodian military officers.
It was the latest incident in a long-standing conflict over contesting claims to land surrounding the historic Preah Vihear temple, awarded World Heritage Site status by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) last year.
The incident marked the first deadly cross-border shooting since last October's border clash which left four troops dead.
The two countries have not yet resolved their border dispute in recent border talks.
A Thai soldier lost a leg in a land mine explosion on Thursday but Thai and Cambodian officers disagreed over which country he was in at the time.
Gen. Prawit said the incident was the result of a misunderstanding between operations officers of both sides along the border.
His remarks came two days after the Cambodian premier Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed the disputed border.
Maj-Gen. Thawatchai Samutsakorn, deputy chief of Thailand’s second army, said the exchange of gunfire took place about 7am on Friday, three kilometres west of Preah Vihear temple or Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand. There were no reports of any casualties from either side.
The clash broke off in the yet-to-be-demarcated disputed area of 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq miles) where Sgt-Maj. Suwat Chanaboon lost his left leg after stepping on a landmine while patrolling the border, the senior military officer said.
Cambodian forces said the Thai soldier was on their soil when the mine exploded.
Cambodia accused Thai troops of crossing the border, a charge Thailand has publicly denied.
Gen. Thawatchai rushed to the clash site to discuss the situation with Cambodian military officers.
It was the latest incident in a long-standing conflict over contesting claims to land surrounding the historic Preah Vihear temple, awarded World Heritage Site status by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) last year.
The incident marked the first deadly cross-border shooting since last October's border clash which left four troops dead.
The two countries have not yet resolved their border dispute in recent border talks.
31 comments:
Deum Ampil News: A WAR BETWEEN CAMBODIA AND THAILAND HAS STARTED.. STARTING FROM THE PREAH VIHEAH AREA...
Now.. there is a large-scale fighting in the Preah Vihea area.. stay tuned..
Can someone please confirm this? I'm real curious....
ahhhhhh booo boooooo booooo!!!!!.....thailand SUCKS................................GO CAMBODIA
Heavy gunfire at Thai-Cambodia border: commander
5 hours ago
PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Heavy gunfire broke out Friday on the disputed Thai-Cambodian border, a Cambodian commander told AFP, following a brief exchange of shots earlier in the day.
"We are in a gun fight with the Thai soldiers now. There is heavy gunfire along the border," commander Bun Thean told AFP.
He said shots had been fired between troops in at least three spots near the ancient Preah Vihear temple on the border, which has never been fully demarcated.
Cambodian soldier Yeim Kheang, stationed at the border, confirmed to AFP by telephone that both sides were firing shots, saying the exchange began at 2:00 pm (0700 GMT).
There was no immediate response from Thailand.
Tensions had been raised since an exchange of shots early in the morning after Cambodian soldiers went to investigate the spot where a Thai soldier stepped on a landmine a day earlier and lost his leg.
Thai and Cambodian government officials both accused the other of violating its sovereignty and of triggering the gunfire, which left no reported injuries.
The landmine incident a day earlier had already put Cambodian troops on "high alert" they said, two days after their premier Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed their disputed frontier.
Tensions flared in July last year after the 11th century temple on the border was granted United Nations world heritage status. Soldiers clashed in the area in October, leaving four troops dead.
God Bless Cambodia!
-- I am nobody
Updates from Deum Ampil News:
Now our Cambodian soldiers have occupied all positions held by the Siems.. They have abandoned their position!
3:03 PM
It is my sincere hope that Mr. Sopheap does not use the incident to politiceze and further the regime that he's unflinchingly supporting. Moreover, the news must be fair and balanced, otherwise your credibility does not count.
--I am nobody
3:08 PM
I am NO POLITIC. Just being worried of my home land.. Hope they don't have to go into war, YET AGAIN, esp. in this time of economic downturn..
We should be fighting a recession now instead of literally fighting the THAI aggressors.. i feel bad..
..and the sad thing is we are left with no choice..
guys, patient. Stop reading around and blowing things out of proportion. I just read the Deum Ampil site and that news about a whole war broken out was dated back to Nov 30. This is April. Watch the date so not to confuse your fellow readers.
3:24 PM
You confused yourself, dude. I think there's a technical problem on the display date on that website.. Didn't u realize the year is "1999"?
Whatever it is, the news is real and hot.. the official article will follow, dude.
3:32 PM
I'm just saying we shouldn't jump conclusion, you know. I rather wait for the news to be solid to spread it. If we just say things that come to our mouth without credible verification, we sound stupid and not grounded. That's all.
I'm trying to search google on other news that mention whatever that site says but couldn't find any and it's 3:45am here and I got school tomorrow. Damn! I'm gonna be so tired to go to class this morning, just trying to stay updated.
3:35PM, Yeah i fully understand your concern. Just like you i didn't know either whether or not the news is real. But then Deum Ampil website has its reputation to live upon. I did ring my friend in Cambodia and he confirmed, it is real!
The latest news is that the fighting has now stopped, about 10mn ago. You should go to sleep now and get ready for your school tomorrow :) The official news article will come out soon after.. Good night to you!
L’accrochage de vendredi 3 avril a fait deux morts côté cambodgien, a indiqué Khieu Kanharith, le porte parole du gouvernement, cité par l’Agence France Presse.
©Archives.Des échanges de tirs nourris à l’arme lourde ont eu lieu vendredi 3 avril vers 14 h, rappelle-t-on.
Interrogé par « Cambodge Soir hebdo », le porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères Koy Kuong a indiqué que le responsable militaire de la région IV cambodgienne était actuellement en pourparlers avec son homologue de la région II thaïlandaise.
« Le ministère est en train de préparer une note diplomatique de protestation contre cette invasion brutale dans les zones de Phnom Trop, Veal Entry et la zone proche du marché », a poursuivi Koy Kuong.
Les Thaïlandais ont d’ores et déjà affirmé que la mine qui a explosé jeudi 2 avril avait été posée sur le territoire thaïlandais.
« Cette invasion viole le traité franco-siamois de 1904 et le jugement de la cour internationale de justice de La Haye en 1962 », a ajouté Koy Kuong.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j4qrmczUw-ulEgZA9xcFNnSPy1RQ
Cambodian forces killed at least 50Thai soldiers and 100 other injured. Cambodian forces have no casualties. Fighting more 5 hours reported from Preah Vihear.
4:40PM, i thought 2 Cambodian soldiers were dead? please read AFP article as given by 4:34PM.
My Khmer brothers, we have to get out our side of the story in this incident out because I just read all the Western, especially the American ones, medias such as Bloomberg and CNN, they all seem to report from the Thai side accusing us of firing upon them after the Thai invited us to see the landmine location that blew off one Thai's soldier. I know many of you are from the West but the Western Media is biased against us because Thailand has been their friend longer than we have.
Please try to spread our side of the story so people wouldn't be blinded by the bullshit Western Media like they always do in the international events involving their allies.
Khmer Help Khmer!
Khmer from Chicago
5:38 PM
This is nothing new, particularly during war time. Certainly, political rhetoric is the most powerful weapon -- accusations, allegations, or what have you -- that is. Quite frankly, it is unfortunate, but it is the reality of politics.
--I am nobody
If Thailand does not heed the warning from the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, blood will be spilled, and, of course, many lives will be lost.
Moreover, the order has been specifically given to Cambodian commander to fire at will if the Thai soldiers ignored and disrespect Cambodian sovereignty.
Again, a direct order has SPECIFICALLY given, and the Thais should not take this warning lightly.
--I am nobody
Preah Vihear : pas de mort cambodgien (officiel)
03-04-2009
Khieu Kanharith a démenti l’information de l’Agence France Presse, qui faisait état de deux morts cambodgiens.
Preah Vihear. ©DRCôté thaïlandais, le porte parole du gouvernement cambodgien évoque un chiffre de quatre morts et de dix soldats fait prisonniers.
Le bilan humain de l'incident de frontière du 3 avril fait l'objet de nombreuses spéculations. Sept Thaïlandais auraient ainsi été tués et plusieurs dizaine d'autres blessés, indique une source proche du ministre des Affaires étrangères.
L’accrochage à l’arme lourde a eu lieu après qu’un soldat thaïlandais a sauté la veille sur une mine située dans la zone de Veal Entry.
Thailand is playing a game here. They are testing us to see how reactive we are while at the same time present it to the world as misunderstanding because they know they can't go full blown war with Cambodia or else the international community will sanction them.
Thailand has better equipment and training than Cambodia but Khmer are the defenders here. A defender will stand fight and die. An invader will fight and if not winning, they'll run.
Khmer government can't do much either. We can't go to war with them with the condition of our country and military right now. We have the experience and morale but we need weapons to match them.
This whole conflict will be won wholly through politics. That's Khmer best way. That's why Khmer have been very patient with Thai provoking us. We show to the international community that we're the aggressor here.
If Khmer had the military capacity just half of Thailand, I'm sure we can overrun them and drive through Bangkok. Thai soldiers have all the equipment and training but they lack in real experiences. When was the last time Thailand had a real war with anyone?
***
"Not the aggressors."
only after being insulted did hun sen
give the order to fire. he placed his pride before his country.dangerous "gangster"!
7:04 PM
Stop putting your politics before country goes for you.
The order to fire was given not at as a response to the insult but as a response to Thai's recent provocation in trying to set up camps in the disputed areas in Cambodia.
Continuing from above,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPiVPrej69k
This is the reason why the order of fire at will was given. Look at how Thai are trying to come in and set up camps. That's the reason for the order. So I suggest you learn to put your country first before your politics, mister.
blind patriotism is just as dangerous.
why did hun sen wait for almost a year before he reacted. that allowed the thais to consolidate the territories they stole.i just don't follow blindly follow a half blind dictator.he could have been more decisive.
we are not defending our land but trying to get back our land stolen by the thais because of the incompetent government.
7:44 PM
Politics. Khmer government can win this whole problem through political process. If Khmer is trying to defend itself with cold war era weapons against Thai force equipped and backed by the all powerful US.
That's the reason why Khmer government can't just kick thai out. US got Thai back. We Khmer can win this only through the slow and painful political ways in the eye of the international community. Understand?
If Khmer had military power matched to Thai and US isn't backing Thai, we're drinking snake wine in Bangkok already, buddy.
7:51
dude, you better wake up and learn the english language.
no one wants to follow a half blind dictator to war. the thais view hun sen as a thug. all threat but no actions.that's why they play games.they called the bluff and won and now they insult him.got it! so don't bullshit me with your propaganda.
respect has to be earned , sometimes the hard way.
8:10 PM:
So, only you, yourself are the best, right? Person like you never accepts the truth.
Bravo to our soldiers to defense our country, freedom.
New Phally
Siem naked aggression will not be rewarded!
Forget what the fucken Siem bastards have to say and it is their action that is matter and their action will be observed by international community!
I need a photos of recent situation in veal eagle, anyone can upload such in this link? Thanks
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