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| A photographer takes photos of Cambodian soldiers after a firefight broke out with Thai soldiers near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, some 543 kilometers north of Phnom Penh on October 15, 2008. (Photo: Getty Images) |
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
By SOPHENG CHEANG / AP WRITER
PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's leader offered words of peace Tuesday to Thailand, a day after the United Nations rebuffed his request to intervene in his country's sporadic armed border conflict with its bigger neighbor.
Thailand said one of its soldiers was wounded in fresh skirmish Tuesday, though Cambodia denied any fighting.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said his country needs peace with its neighbors to foster development. He urged that the deadly border issue be quickly solved and that fighting not be allowed to spread.
At least eight people on both sides have died in fighting that began Feb. 4. The two nations have clashed several times in the area since 2008, when the UN declared Preah Vihear a World Heritage site. But the latest skirmishes were the most intense yet, marking the first time artillery and mortars have been used, according to soldiers and locals.
The UN Security Council expressed "grave concern" Monday at the clashes and gave strong backing to the efforts of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) — which includes both countries — to help end the conflict. Asean foreign ministers will discuss the clashes at Feb. 22 meeting.
Hun Sen had been calling for UN peacekeepers or observers at the site, while Thailand wanted bilateral talks, an approach rejected by Phnom Penh.
The last major fighting was a week ago. The Thai military said one of its soldiers was wounded Tuesday morning, claiming its forces fired back briefly after Cambodians threw grenades at them.
Cambodian soldiers at the front line denied there had been any clash.
Sa Mey, a Cambodian soldier stationed near the temple, said there was no fighting at all Monday morning, but that on Sunday night and Monday night, Thai troops had thrown several hand grenades into the Cambodian side, and some of them actually fell into territory controlled by Thailand. The Cambodians refrained from retaliating, he said.
Hun Sen, speaking to villagers in Banteay Meanchey province near the border with Thailand, said his country needed peace with its neighbors to foster development.
"Our policy is to change former battlefields into marketplaces and development zones," Hun Sen said, referring to the warring has bedeviled Cambodia over the past 40 years. "We will also turn our border with all our neighboring countries into a border of peace, friendship and cooperation."
Thai Prime Minster Abhisit Vejjajiva said the UN's decision not to become involved was what his country had hoped for.
"Today it is clearly visible that the world community wants to see the issues resolved through talks, and Cambodia may not have a reason to argue with this. (We) now have to talk again," Abhisit said in Bangkok.
4 comments:
Fighting to protect our identity is not a terrorist act.
Remembered of the all new countries split from the former Yugoslavia. They all started with that kind of terrorist acts and the world community also supported them.
Cambodia should use all human resources, rebuilding our Cambodian military forces to protect our sovereignty.
Therefore, we have the right to recruit all Khmer around the world to work for our military forces. In Mekong Delta, we have not just Khmer, but also have a lot Khmer/Viets (father or mother Khmer).
We also have the right to recruit the Khmer descents from other side of our today border and other parts of the southern of Thailand, who love and ready to protect our country. They are still Khmer Descents, under the new Cambodian Constitution, as Khmer citizen like we all.
Dear PM HUN SEN,
Please don't talk directly with Abhisit regading border issue. The more you talk to him the more the war will be escaleted.
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Dear Mr. Sam Rainsy,
I highly admire you. You know the situation and make the right decision on time.
I wish PM HUN SEN sincerely accept your letter and kindly respond to you as a true patriot Khmer.
Khmers must unite. I am in USA. I am neither CPP nor SRP. I stand with PM HUN SEN to defend our country and support our troops.
From my view point, don't get in to war with Thailand to solve the border dispute. Cambodia is in upper hand to win the case as Mr. Sam Rainsy makes a recommendation to take the case to ICJ without delay.
Cambodia will win over Thailand at the ICJ without a single bullet.
Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong has been doing right to defend Cambodian territorial integrity.
SALUTE AND SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AT THE FRONTLINE!
Cambodian/American in USA/BP
Thailand and its leader is using terrorist diplomatic tactic against cambodia
Hun Sen is asking for peace but the Siem thuggish leaders never want peace and there is nothing Hun Sen can do anything about it or the world! Since Hun Sen can't deliver the peace and the Siem thuggish leaders wouldn't give a damn about peace then what is become of Cambodia?
If Cambodia is part of world community then Thailand will be condemned according to international law for their naked aggression on Cambodia! But if Cambodia is not part of world community then no one in the world would give a damn about Cambodia! So the only option now is to gear up the whole country for war whether Cambodia is winning or loosing doesn't matter now because this is about fighting to preserve Cambodia, Cambodian people identity, and Cambodian way of life!
If Thailand is bending on destroying Cambodia as a nation and Cambodia must do the same!
Cambodian leaders don't need to beg for peace from Siem thuggish leaders because Cambodia is not a helpless nation that is willing to be stepped on by any nation into submission!
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