By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
21 September 2009
The government on Sunday denied claims made by Thai protesters that Cambodians had encroached on Thai soil near the temple of Preah Vihear, where soldiers on both sides have amassed since July 2008.
About 30 Thai protesters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy were allowed access to the temple on Sunday morning, as 5,000 demonstrators gathered on the Thai side of the border. The government dismissed claims by the protest leaders as “crazy.”
Thailand and Cambodia both have troops amassed around a disputed 4.6 square kilometers of land near Preah Vihear temple, in a standoff that has simmered over into battles on several occasions, killing a total seven soldiers.
Agence France-Presse quoted protest leader Veera Somkwamkid as saying Cambodia had allowed soldiers and citizens to stay in the disputed area and urging Thailand to reclaim the area around the temple.
Chhum Socheath, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, told VOA Khmer Sunday from Preah Vihear temple, Sunday’s demands were “unacceptable.”
“The statement announced by the Thai yellow-shirt protesters is a very crazy stance,” he said. “We have a clear treaty, convention and borderline. So we rule out this problem.”
Koy Kong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the statements were baseless and unfair, and added that the protests came from only one political movement and would not therefore affect relations between the two governments.
The protesters had hoped to cross into Cambodia, which officials worried could further destabilize efforts to resolve the border crisis. However, Thai soldiers and police, as well as local villagers, prevented this.
“This shows the will of the Thai government, which has the intention of solving the border issue with Cambodia peacefully and within existing mechanisms,” he said.
About 30 Thai protesters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy were allowed access to the temple on Sunday morning, as 5,000 demonstrators gathered on the Thai side of the border. The government dismissed claims by the protest leaders as “crazy.”
Thailand and Cambodia both have troops amassed around a disputed 4.6 square kilometers of land near Preah Vihear temple, in a standoff that has simmered over into battles on several occasions, killing a total seven soldiers.
Agence France-Presse quoted protest leader Veera Somkwamkid as saying Cambodia had allowed soldiers and citizens to stay in the disputed area and urging Thailand to reclaim the area around the temple.
Chhum Socheath, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, told VOA Khmer Sunday from Preah Vihear temple, Sunday’s demands were “unacceptable.”
“The statement announced by the Thai yellow-shirt protesters is a very crazy stance,” he said. “We have a clear treaty, convention and borderline. So we rule out this problem.”
Koy Kong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the statements were baseless and unfair, and added that the protests came from only one political movement and would not therefore affect relations between the two governments.
The protesters had hoped to cross into Cambodia, which officials worried could further destabilize efforts to resolve the border crisis. However, Thai soldiers and police, as well as local villagers, prevented this.
“This shows the will of the Thai government, which has the intention of solving the border issue with Cambodia peacefully and within existing mechanisms,” he said.
8 comments:
comment peuvent-ils agir ainsi ces racailles siamois ? est-ce qu'une bombe de grande puissance, en les tuant tous en une seule fois, pourrait-elle sauver leurs ames debiles ? comment pourrait-on arreter ces "fous" extremistes ?...il faut les "rouges" pour qu'ils s'entretuent entre eux et nous pourrons recuperer un jour "Krong tep mohanokor mohatipedei"=Bangkok...
Hun Xen Gov. has given some land to Vietnam why not Thai.
He will remain in Power for ever if he respect and give some gifts to these two countrie.
7:43am comment is so outdated! in today's cambodia no one is given any khmer land to anybody like in the dark ages, you know. may be that was true once upon a time in the dark ages or stone ages, but nowadays, there are law that prohibits that. nobody buy your paranoia, here! wake up and be smarter, people! get rid of the old way of thinking, ok! it does no good for cambodia to think like that, ok!
9:44 AM,
I agree with you to some degree. If one country make war with another country with the intent to conquer another country's land the whole world will react as in the case of Vietnam occupation of Cambodia in 1979. However, in the case of Vietnam again, if one country encourage it's people to immigrate in mass to another country illigally and the host country did nothing and said nothing to stop the flow, the whole world will not say anything about it. And this method had been used before by the Viets to get some Khmer provinces during Chey Chetha II reign. Believe it or not, with 5Millions of Viets currently live throughout Cambodia and the migration continue with no sign of slowing down now we are not losing just part of our land but we are losing the whole Cambodia.
9:44 AM
I do support you. I like the stance of our government with Thai too. However, many lands around have been leased for 99 years to foriegn investors, that is no doubt.
Thanks
Making sure khmer soldier burns those PADs alive with RPG7 if they dare step inside khmer lands, don't hesitate to OPEN FIRE!! just keep shoot ta hell out of them Yellow Shits head mother fucker...
No need to burn them alive. We better send them to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Phnom Penh.
pad thugs are on drug! let the doctor examine their head, really!
Post a Comment