Thai troops shooting in Veal Entry; Thai commandos trespass into the forbidden zone where clashes took place earlier

23 April 2009
Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The confrontation between Cambodian and Thai troops along the disputed border near Preah Vihear temple is turning tense again following a lull during the New Year celebration.

In the afternoon of Wednesday 22 April 2009, a RCAF official stationed along the frontline of the Preah Vihear temple zone said that, a few days following the New Year, the situation is not very good, i.e. troops must stand ready to fight 24 hours long. Furthermore, in the morning of 22 April, at about 6:40AM, several Thai commandos attempted to crawl into the Veal Entry zone, a forbidden zone, they then shot about 10 bullets in an attempt to provoke Cambodian soldiers to return their fire.

A Cambodian officer, who is an aid for army Unit 81, Battalion 8, based on Veal Entry, confirmed the information indicated above. He also added that the area where Thai commandos were crawling in was an area where armed clashes took place and it was there also that a landmine exploded. Commanders from both armies have met and agreed to consider this zone as being a “white zone” [No Man’s Land], however, Thailand does not respect this agreement and they kept on sneaking into that zone, as well as opening fire to create trouble also. The same Cambodian officer added that Thai soldiers never learnt their lesson, because during the latest clash, Cambodian troops arrested Thai soldiers and confiscated their weapons and base. But later, the Cambodian troops released these arrested Thai soldiers back, unlike what the Burmese and Lao troops did. Because of this, Thailand took advantage of the situation and it delayed its negotiations with Cambodia. Now, Thai troops are very daring also.

General Chea Keo, commander of army region 4 in Preah Vihear, said over the phone in the afternoon of 22 April that he did not receive the information yet about Thai troops trespassing into Veal Entry and started the shooting because he is busy in Siem Reap province. However, he said that the troops stand ready for a fight because troops must always be careful and they cannot neglect their duty to defend the country’s territorial integrity and not to loose an inch of our land.

Along the border near O’Smach, Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodian villagers reported that they heard several rounds of automatic rifle shot in the morning of 22 April, and some of them became scared of this situation. However, a Cambodian office stationed in that area claimed that there were no face off between Cambodian and Thai troops, and the shooting was done by a Cambodian soldier trying a 12.7-mm type gun near the bottom of Phnom Sruoch hill, located about 4 kilometers from the border, therefore people should not be surprised by this.

Thai troops insistence on trespassing into Cambodia in Veal Entry led to several bloody clashes in the past, and the most recent one took place on 03 April 2009. In this latest clash, Cambodian soldiers claimed that 22 Thai soldiers died and 27 were injured, and the Cambodian side did not sustain any casualty or injury. However, 257 Cambodian houses located in Phsar Krom market, next to the staircase leading to Preah Vihear temple, became the target of Thai rockets and they were completely burnt down. The Preah Vihear temple itself sustained 60 shots. Meanwhile, the border dispute between the two countries still continues to persist.