Fears battle over disputed land around Preah Vihear temple could reignite tension between south-east Asian neighbours
Friday 4 February 2011
guardian.co.uk
Two Cambodian soldiers and a Thai villager were killed in a two-hour border clash today, the latest in an ancient feud over land surrounding a 900-year-old Hindu temple.
The fatalities were the first in the militarised area since a Thai soldier was shot dead a year ago and could rekindle diplomatic tensions between the south-east Asian neighbours over the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.
The Cambodian foreign minister, Hor Namhong, said Phnom Penh would file a complaint with the UN security council, accusing Thailand of invading his country's territory.
Both sides have accused each other of firing first in the 4.6sq km (1,137-acres) disputed area around Preah Vihear, a jungle-clad escarpment claimed by both countries, where deadly, sporadic clashes have taken place in recent years.
Several Thai soldiers were also wounded and four Thai villages were evacuated, Thai media reported. Five Thai soldiers were captured, said an army spokesman, Sansern Kaewkamnerd.
"It seems to have been a result of a misunderstanding," the Thai army chief, Prayuth Chan-ocha, told reporters. "There is no point in fighting because it could escalate and damage relations ... We don't want that."
Phnom Penh has accused the Thai army of targeting Cambodian villagers and said the fighting erupted when Thai soldiers illegally entered Cambodian territory.
"We said to them, 'Don't come in the area,' and they still came. We fired into the air and they began to shoot at us," said a Cambodian government spokesman, Khieu Kanharith.
The clash comes three days after a Cambodian court handed down jail terms of six and eight years to two Thai nationals found guilty of trespassing and spying in the border region, a verdict that has angered some in Thailand.
Shelling began at about 3pm local time and continued into early evening. Artillery shells landed on several villages on the Thai side, setting at least four houses on fire, witnesses said.
A Thai police colonel, Chatchawan Kaewchandee, said at least one villager had been killed during the shelling. "We found one body of a male villager and there might be more," he said.
The temple, known as Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, sits on land that forms a natural border and has been a source of tension for generations. The international court of justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962 but the ruling did not determine the ownership of the scrub next to the ruins, leaving scope for disagreement.
14 comments:
kanduoy mae ah chhkae, theu aeng teub ning phnheak khluon tha bdeung tov sahak prochea cheat, ah chhkae bam bong bay.
Now it make me believed that Sam rainsy team are the same team as Kmher rough, All Sam rainsy Newspapers since 1998 are very disloyalty to Khmer, Kill Rainsy this Idiot are thai spy
រថ ក្រោះសៀម២គ្រឿងឆេះ និងទាហានសៀមច្រើននាក់ស្លាប់រាយប៉ាយពេញសមរភូមិ ទាហានកម្ពុជាមិនទាន់យល់ព្រមឈប់បាញ់ (ថ្មី)
រថក្រោះសៀម ២គ្រឿងឆេះ និងទាហានសៀមច្រើននាក់ស្លាប់រាយប៉ាយពេញសមរភូមិ ទាហានកម្ពុជាមិនទាន់យល់ព្រមឈប់បាញ់
ការផ្ទុះ អាវុធអូសបន្លាយជាង១ម៉ោងទាហានកម្ពុជាបានវាយលុកចូលកាន់ កាប់លេណ ដ្ឋានរបស់ទាហានសៀមជាច្រើនកន្លែង ដែលមានទីតាំងស្ថិតនៅហួសផ្ទះក្រហមបន្តិច ដោយរឹបអូសបានសំភារសឹកមួយចំនួន ព្រមទាំងគ្រឿងឧបភោគ បរិភោគជាច្រើនទៀតផង...រថក្រោះរបស់ទាហានសៀម២គ្រឿងត្រូវបាន បាញ់ឆេះ និងទាហានសៀម៦នាក់ត្រូវបានចាប់ខ្លួន ហើយជាមួយគ្នានេះផងដែរ មូលដ្ឋានឈរជើងរបស់ទាហានសៀមមួយ
អាយ៉ងក្បត់ជាតិ ហ៊ុន សែន ជាមេឃាតករឈាមត្រជាក់ ហើយក៏ជាមេគ្រោះថ្នាក់ធំជាងគេ បើមិននាំគ្នាកំចាត់
វាចោលទេ ប្រទេសខ្មែរគ្មានថ្ងៃបានសុខសាន្តឡើយ។
ThaiLand is doing the right things.
As long as Cambodia has VIOLATED the 23 October 1991 peace Agreement
Thailand has the rights to do so...
If Vietnam can do Thailand and Laos can do too.
There is nothing wrong with that, due to PARIS PEACE AGREEMENT.
I say Thailand's doing the great job!
Invade as much as Thai can do....
If Viet can do same as Thai and Laos, doing their part.
Thank You Thai...
ឆេះរ៉ឡូកិនថ្ម មួយគ្រឿង និងអេស្កាវ៉ាទ័រមួយគ្រឿង??
រថ ក្រោះសៀម២គ្រឿងឆេះ និងទាហានសៀមច្រើននាក់ស្លាប់រាយប៉ាយពេញសមរភូមិ
For the next round of fighting let it go longer. If possible push toward Bangkok.
barking dog never bite, Soy Sopheap. Cambodia will never sue complaint to UN.
I undeniably like the first 9:52PM very much, because this dude is extremely patriotic about wanting to kill SamRainsy, instead of SenVarman and perhaps he is scholarly and academically successful at school in philosophy and poliSickal science.
Why wait? CPP should be gone quickly to UN at the first time? How many innocent Khmers that SenVarman want to die?
Soy Sopheap is Hun Sen's dog..
Breaking News.
Hun Sen is shit on his pans and stay in Toul Krasang all night long. keep looking to the sky scared of F15.
No fly zone in PP even the kite.
Breaking News...
Let me know if your F15 shit can pass through the border.
siem didn't build or invent f15 jet, they bought them from the USA! khmer ancestors are the ones who built all khmer temples that siem pad thugs wanted to steal from cambodia. that is so true, really!
To the people who support foreigner such as Thais or Viet to invade our motherland are traitors. These people have no place in Cambodia, what they said it just pro invader Thais or Viet and accuse Khmer for everything so Khmer became the scapegoat of these traitors.
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