DPA
'The [Thai] government, the foreign minister, says one thing while the [Thai] military says another thing.
'We don't know who we can trust, who to deal with. We don't know who really has the right to negotiate.'
Jakarta - Cambodia on Saturday expressed frustration over conflicting messages from Thailand on Indonesia's role as mediator in a border dispute between the two nations.
Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers agreed in February to accept Indonesian observers stationed along their common border to monitor a ceasefire in a dispute over land surrounding an 11th-century Hindu temple.
But Thailand's military insisted the issue be resolved bilaterally and rejected the involvement of Indonesia, the current chair of the Association of South-East Asian Nations.
'We can't understand,' Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said in Jakarta. 'If Thailand wishes really to have a ceasefire on the border, why should they hesitate to receive Indonesian observers?'
Hor Namhong said Thailand accused Cambodia of starting the fighting every time an armed clash broke out.
'Frankly speaking, it's really difficult to deal with them,' he said. 'The government, the foreign minister, says one thing while the military says another thing.
'We don't know who we can trust, who to deal with. We don't know who really has the right to negotiate.'
Thai and Cambodian diplomats held talks Thursday and Friday in the Indonesian city of Bogor to try to resolve the dispute.
The Bangkok Post reported Friday that Thailand's Foreign Ministry would take over from the Defence Ministry the task of defining the roles of Indonesian observers and where to post them along the Thai-Cambodian border.
The ministry originally only had responsibility for giving the observers diplomatic immunity while they are stationed in Thailand.
The move upset the Thai military, which announced Tuesday that it would not allow observers to enter the disputed area, the Post said.
Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya reportedly said he had agreed with Phnom Penh and Jakarta that Indonesian observers could inspect the area.
The Bangkok Post said 15 Indonesian observers would be deployed in Thailand and 15 in Cambodia
Thailand has blamed UNESCO for exacerbating the dispute with its 2008 decision to list the Preah Vihear border temple as a heritage site despite Bangkok's objections.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the 11th-century temple belonged to Cambodia but stopped short of determining the border demarcation in a nearby contested area.
Both countries claim a 4.6-square-kilometre plot of land near the temple, which has been included under Cambodia's management plan for UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.
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KAMPUCHEA KROM AT A GLANCE
Kampuchea Krom is composed of 68,965 square kilometers, 21 provinces and municipalities, two large islands - Koh Tral and Koh Tralach, 171 districts, 1,368 communes, 14,778 villages, more than 13 million Khmers, more than 567 Buddhist pagodas and more than 20,000 Theravada Buddhist monks.
99% of populations are Theravada Buddhists.
The Khmer kings, governments, regimes and citizens have never relinquish (give up) this part of their country to foreigners.
Kampuchea Krom has been under an ongoing colonial control since her division from motherland, Cambodia.
June 4, 1949 is the date that the Khmer Kampuchea Krom citizens grieve. The Khmer Kampuchea Krom people have organized Buddhist Service annually to honor the fallen Khmer Buddhist monks and heroes, who sacrificed their lives for Kampuchea Krom and Theravada Buddhism.
Colonial France divided, ceded and transferred Kampuchea Krom to colonial Vietnam on this date. The freedom of Khmer Kampuchea Krom has been mostly stripped by the Vietnamese ruling regimes and governments since. The French colonial administration committed injustice upon the more than 13 million Khmers of this beautiful fertile land.
Justice remains elusive for Cambodia, Kampuchea Krom and her citizens.
And...The struggle to regain freedom and human rights by the Khmers in Kampuchea Krom continues as long as injustice commits by the ruling Vietnamese regime(s) has not produced a fruitful result.
Koh Tral (Tral Island)
in Vietnamese - Phu Quoc island
circa 1939 Vietnamese encroached and conquered
Koh Tral Island has an area of 567 square kilometers; about 62 kilometers long and between 3 kilometers and 28 kilometers wide. The island physically is located closest to Cambodia's Kep seaside city. Visitors can see Koh Tral Island from the coastline of Kep. It is about a 30-minute motorized boat ride.
By Smart Khmer Girl, Ms. Rattana Keo
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 10,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 10,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 10,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The 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 protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 10,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
THIS IS HOW THE THAI ARE.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHO TO DEAL WITH.
YOU MUST BE DUMB JUST TO TRY TO DEAL WITH THEM.
WHY DON'T YOU DUMMIES JUST FORGET
THE THAI AND TAKE THE CASE TO THE
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF THE HAGUE???
WE WILL WIN THE CASE AND STILL CAN BE FRIENDLY WITH THE SIAMESES, THAT
WHAT I CALL WIN - WIN SITUATION.
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