Cambodia Says Thai Shells Damaged Ancient Temples

By SOPHENG CHEANG Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia April 25, 2011 (AP)

Cambodia accused Thailand of damaging two ancient temples during three days of border clashes that killed 12 people, as Southeast Asian diplomats struggled Monday to find a way to end the repeated deadly flare-ups.

A precarious calm held Monday in the disputed border region where Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples lie. The nearly 1,000-year-old stone temples date back to the Khmer empire that once ruled over much of both Cambodia and Thailand.

The land around the temples and several other crumbling stone monuments has fueled profound nationalistic fervor in both countries for decades. While a wider war seems unlikely, several cease-fires have failed to prevent new border violence.

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said the two temple complexes, caught in crossfire over the weekend, had been hit by bullets and shells, but there was no word on how bad the damage was. Thailand authorities had no immediate comment on the allegation.

The latest fighting comes as Thailand prepares for general elections expected by early July. The Thai army, which staged a coup in 2006 and continues to hold influence in domestic politics, has effectively vetoed a plan to station Indonesian observers to monitor the border situation.

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan alleged Sunday that Bangkok was stirring up fighting "for their (own) political issues." He did not elaborate.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa was in "intense" talks with both sides to secure an end to the conflict in his role as current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to foreign ministry official Hamzah Thayeb.

Natalegawa postponed a scheduled trip to Cambodia, Thayeb said, as Indonesia continued to push to send military observers to the region — a move that Thailand has so far vehemently rejected. The trip's cancellation cast doubt on hopes the simmering dispute might be resolved quickly.

The conflict involves small swaths of land along the border that have been disputed for more than half a century. Fierce clashes have broken out several times since 2008, when Cambodia's 11th-century Preah Vihear temple was given U.N. World Heritage status over Thailand's objections.

In recent years, political groups on both sides have accused their opponents of using the skirmishes to stir nationalistic fever and further their own domestic political agendas.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has harnessed the dispute in the past to build political support. And during the last round of fighting in February around the more well-known Preah Vihear temple, Thai nationalists launched a sit-in outside government buildings in part to demand the country take a tough stand against Cambodia. The group is widely seen as playing the patriotism card in a bid to exercise more influence over politics at home.

The current round of clashes are the first since February, when eight soldiers and civilians were killed near Preah Vihear, which suffered minor damage from exploding artillery and mortar shells that knocked small chunks out of a few of its walls.

The latest fighting over the last several days broke out about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Preah Vihear. After easing earlier Sunday, fighting resumed later that night, both sides said, raising the toll from 10 to 12.

Thai Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Cambodian troops opened fire, killing a Thai soldier. Chea Samrach, a Cambodian soldier on the front line, said Thai snipers killed one Cambodian soldier and wounded two others. Ten soldiers died in the first two days of the clashes.

Cambodia's Defense Ministry said Thai forces fired 1,000 artillery and mortar shells Sunday. Some shells landed about 12 miles (20 kilometers) inside Cambodian territory, forcing 17,000 people to flee and destroying one school and a dozen homes and setting ablaze some farming fields, the ministry said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a cease-fire, but the prospects for peace appear shaky.

Indonesia's efforts to mediate have been stymied for weeks by Thailand's refusal to allow Indonesian military observers in the area of dispute. Thailand insists the problem should be solved through bilateral talks with Cambodia, but Cambodia wants third-party mediation.

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Associated Press writers Thanyarat Doksone in Bangkok and Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.