Cambodia, Thailand Commanders Pledge to Avoid Further Clash

2011-02-06
Xinhua

Cambodian and Thai military commanders on Sunday agreed to avoid further weapon eruption and send their respective villagers back to live as usual in their homes after two-day evacuations resulting from two military clashes over the border dispute areas near the 11th century temple.

The agreements were made following the second meeting, held at the archway to the Preah Vihear Temple, between Cambodian Major General Srey Doek, commander of Military Division 3 and Major General Chawalit Chunprasan, commander of the Suranari Military Camp in a bid to find ways to defuse tension after the deadly clashes twice on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning at the disputed border areas near the Preah Vihear Temple.

"Both sides agreed that there will be no troop mobility -- Thai troops won't try to push into Cambodia and Cambodian troops won't try to push into Thailand over the disputed areas," Srey Doek told reporters after the 80 minute meeting with his Thai counterpart.

"If Thai troops still try to move into Cambodian territory, we will use our self-defense rights to protect our territory -- so I believe that whether the future weapon eruption happens or not depends on Thai side," he said.

He added that both sides also agreed to reinstate five Cambodian troops and five Thai troops to station together at the Beehive area near the Preah Vihear Temple.

During the two clashes on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, more than 2,000 Cambodian villagers and about 50,000 Thai villagers living near the disputed areas have been evacuated to safe shelters, according to Cambodian officers.

"Now we agreed to move them back to their homes in order to enable them to earn their living because this time is the harvest season of their agricultural crops," Srey Doek said.

During the skirmishes, troops from both sides had exchanged fire of heavy weapons including rockets, machine guns and mortars, artillery.

Phay Siphan, spokesman of the Office of the Council of Ministers of Cambodia said on Sunday that following the 2-day armed clashes that occurred near the Preah Vihear Temple resulted in the deaths of 2 Cambodian soldiers, but one of whom was not killed by the bullets from Thai troops, but his own accidental bullet, and also another Cambodian civilian was killed on the first day of the clash. In addition to the deaths, 20 others were injured. For the Thai side, he said 32 were killed in Cambodian territory, but many others injured.

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated and the issue of the Preah Vihear Temple has been an age-old dispute.

Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple was enlisted as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand have had border conflict due to Thai claim of the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the temple, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.