Saturday, February 19, 2011

Cambodia makes border mountain a strategic point [-It's on Cambodian land anyway!]

February 19, 2011
The Nation

Phu Makhua has caught the media limelight since it became a clash point between Thai and Cambodian soldiers early this month.

The border skirmishes caused casualties and sent thousands of people fleeing for safety.

Locals along the borderline have known the Phu Makhua very well.

It is a mountain full of stripe eggplant during rainy season. The plant, known as "makhua lai" in Thai, has given the mountain its name.


Phu Makhua is located in a disputed area near Wat Keow Sikha Kiri Svara and the Preah Vihear Temple. Thai rangers used to have a base on Phu Makhua but abandoned it about a decade ago for unknown reasons.

Cambodian troops have clearly marked Phu Makhua as a strategic location. This explains why Cambodia has installed iron ladders with more than 900 steps for its troops to climb up to the top of Phu Makhua. Cambodia has also constructed a system for two makeshift cable cars for the purpose of carrying its troops and military supplies up to the mountaintop.

The cable-car system is on a spot known among Thai soldiers as "hua doh". Thai villagers have called the spot "pa lan tham phra" because it is a quite spacious stone yard.

Presently, some 1,600 troops from a Cambodia's special-warfare unit are now deployed at Phu Makhua. This is in addition to a military unit widely known as Hun Sen's loyal bodyguards. Members of this unit are war orphans supported by Hun Sen. They are thus very loyal to Hun Sen and his family. This unit is now under the supervision of Hun Sen's beloved son, Hun Manet.

These soldiers are on top of troops positioned on the frontline.

Cambodia, moreover, is now clearing way for its plan to construct a road that will run from Komui village of Cambodia's Preah Vihear province to Phu Makhua, and to the Preah Vihear Temple.

The construction of the road is now 70-per-cent complete.

The new road is clearly a strategic route for military operations. Many of Cambodia's military bases will enjoy access to this road.

The road is also part of Cambodia's management plan for the Preah Vihear Temple complex, which it hopes the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) will approve.

The management plan follows the Unesco decision to inscribe the ancient Hindu temple as a world-heritage site in Cambodia three years ago.

Since Cambodia unilaterally sought the inscription, border tension has intensified. Thailand has now objected to the management plan proposed by Cambodia with the argument that some parts of the Preah Vihear complex are located on Thai soil.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah siem or thai keep on crying.

Anonymous said...

Abhisit = new hitler in asia.
kasit = new Mussolini.

Anonymous said...

everyone who deal with cambodian and siem issue on this conflict should take a closer look at the 1907 map. the so-called disputed area is actually located and belongs to cambodia, really! so, stop saying that the icj 1962 ignored the adjacent area, etc, ok! the ruling then was based on this same map and the map hasn't changed since, so why are they kept on saying the area is isn't cambodia according to the international treaty map of 1907! take a look at the map, people and comment on it here, ok! according to the law, the 1907 map is the legal map, not siem's unilateral, illegal map that stealing from cambodia, ok!

Anonymous said...

stop calling cambodia's veal antry as your phu mukhua or whatever! take a closer look at the 1907 map, if you are so lost, ok!

Anonymous said...

Phu Makua or Veal Intree is in Khmer territory, by the 1907 Franco Siamese treaty. The ICJ also confirmed this treaty during the 1962 judgement. Thailand is a sour grape loser. Abbishit said OK there was a 1962 ICJ ruling in Khmer favor, BUT HE INSISTED THAT THALAIND WILL FIND NEW EVIDENCE that PREAH VIHEAR BELONGS TO THAILAND FOR the ICJ. AbbiSHIT is a SOUR GRAPE LOSER.

Anonymous said...

The world court was
decided by 12 judges,
9 judges for Cambodia
3 judges for Thailand
The Preah Vihear is
Cambodia(in english).
Le Preah Vihear est
Khmer(French).
Khmer won Preah Vihear in1962.

Anonymous said...

Why do Kos Trol, sea and lands proximately over 10 000 km2 have been lost to Vietnam by who treaty? Why don't Cambodia goverment transparency explain to cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?

Cambodian army are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 and what's about over 10 000km2 of cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian army you are decide the fade of your nation, Cambodian army as well as cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?

Kos Trol, Sea and lands over 10 000km2 have been lost to Vietnam by who treaty at 1979 to 1985 treaty! treaty! Cambodian army at front line as well as all cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protect a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group rather in the real name of protecting khmer nation?

Cambodian army at front line suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs,lack of foods, lack of nutrition, their families have no health care help, no securities after they die but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning with young girls message, have super health care from oversea medical treatment, they are billionairs, millionairs who sell out the country to be rich and make cambodian people suffer everyday as cambodian people know already.

Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that result lost over 10 000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why don't they transparency inform all Cambodian and cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't include Kos Trol ( Kos Trol size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen with planty of natural resources ) in education

Smart Khmer Girl Ms.Rattana Keo,

Anonymous said...

Please do on the other side too! I mean on Vietnamese side.

Anonymous said...

Phu Makhua, I think they mean Phnom Trap. Because to climb to the mountain soldiers a local made cable car driven by diesel engine (the one that is used for Ko Yon car). It is very dangerous to use that cable actually.

Anonymous said...

logic tells us that 1907 comes before 1962, so the 1907 map was official even going way before the 1962 ruling that based on that map anyway! siem so stupid, really!