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| Dee Savi at a shelter in Samraong (Photo: Contributor/IRIN) |
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| Recent arrivals to Samraong (Photo: Contributor/IRIN) |
SAMRAONG, 25 April 2011 (IRIN) - At least 36,000 people were displaced on 23-24 April amid fresh fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border, officials say.
The two countries are at loggerheads over ownership of an 11th century Hindu temple, registered as a UN World Heritage Site in 2008.
Each side accused the other of firing rockets and mortars over disputed territory along their 798km border, forcing civilians to flee the area.
Cambodia's Defence Ministry alleges that Thailand fired heavy weapons more than 21km into Cambodian territory.
In a shelter in the town of Samraong, Dee Savi, 46, said she fled with her family after mortar fire near her village, Sambor Meah.
"I couldn't continue farming. It became too dangerous for me and my children. We had to escape," she said.
Kim Bonatha, 59, a doctor from Phnom Penh's Calmette Hospital, who has been treating displaced civilians sheltered in a pagoda in Samraong, said diarrhoea and fever were already becoming a source of concern.
Stephane de Geef, with Jesuit Relief Services, an international Catholic NGO with an office in Cambodia, said there could have been dozens of civilians casualties if not for the evacuation.
Nearly 10,000 Cambodians were relocated to temporary shelters away from the fighting, according to the government’s National Disaster Management Committee.
Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said Cambodian fire fell "more than several kilometres" inside Thailand.
At least 26,000 Thai civilians were evacuated from border communities in Buriram and Surin provinces and are now being housed in temporary shelters, he said.
Blame game
Each side blamed the other for initiating the violence, in which 12 soldiers have reportedly died and dozens been injured since fighting erupted again on 22 April.
In statements, Cambodia's Foreign Ministry said Thai troops launched a "fierce armed offensive", and Thailand's Foreign Ministry alleged Cambodian troops prompted the flare-up with an "unprovoked attack".
Cambodia accused Thailand of firing toxic gas into Cambodian territory, though independent reports from civic groups suggest the smoke plumes came from exploding mortars.
However, claims that the Thai military used cluster munitions during fighting in early February have been corroborated by several NGOs, including the UK-based Cluster Munition Coalition.
Civic groups urged Thailand as well as Cambodia to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an accord supported by 108 countries to outlaw the weapons, which are especially dangerous to civilians because they scatter over a vast area.
"Rise above politics"
Each side has accused the other of exploiting the conflict for political gain.
In his weekly televised address, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Cambodia wished to attract international intervention by intensifying "the conflict so violently that the dispute can no longer be solved at the bilateral level".
In a letter to the UN Security Council, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Thailand's argument that bilateral negotiations were more productive was "a pretext for using its larger and materially more sophisticated armed forces against Cambodia".
Emma Leslie, director of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, a Phnom Penh-based NGO, said political gamesmanship needed to be put aside in the interests of affected civilians.
"This is the moment for Thai and Cambodian leaders to rise above politics, and bring together two nations with shared history, culture and religious traditions," she told IRIN by email.
"The welfare of the Thai and Khmer people along the border is paramount, and the peace and prosperity for border communities should be the primary concern of decision-makers in Bangkok and Phnom Penh."
On 23 April, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on both sides to exercise maximum restraint and an effective and verifiable ceasefire.
11 comments:
The victims are only
1) Khmers Surin
2) Khmers Cambodian
Thais want Khmers Surin and Khmers Cambodian hate each other
evil siem thugs caused khmer people lots of suffering, etc! they must pay for khmer suffering, you know!
khmer people already know the siem thugs game pinching khmer in cambodia with khmer in surin and other isan province. khmer must not let siem thugs do this to our people. we must be smarter and clever and wiser than the evil siem thugs, ok!
IF THE FULL SCALE WAR ERUPTS THAI WILL USED F14 TOMCAT F15 EAGLE F-16 FALCON F18 HORNET TO DISTROY HUN SEN'S COMMNAD AND CONTROL CENTER AND HUN SEN'S BUNKER IN TUOL KRASANG AND CONTROL HUN SEN' AIR SPACE IN THE MATTER OF HOURS.
USED A-10 TO DISTROY HUN SEN'S SAM MISSILE SITES, T54-T55, ARMORED VEHICLES AND BM-21 POSITIONS.
USED 105mm, 155mm AND 175mm howitzer to fire and fire will
APACHE M1-A1/M1-A2 M60-A1 TO ADVANCE
AND TO DISTROY HUN SEN' REPUBLICAN GUARDS.
FAST ADVANCE 3 COLUNMS DIVISION FROM THE NORTH; 3 COLUNMS DIVISION FROM THE SEA TO PHNOM PENH AND ALL MILITAY KEY IN THE PROVINCES TO PUSH THAT KHMER-VIETMINH (hun sen)TO VIETNAM BORDER; THEN PUSH THEM TO END AT SOUTH CHINA SEA AND TAKE OVER CAMBODIA AND CHANGE OR INSTALL NEW GOVERNMENT.
Bully Thais are robbing Khmer land while the full world are watching. If Khmers have powerful Weapen like north Korea, us Iran and Israel etc.. They will pull out in a blink. Thai bustards go to hell.
Vietcong+CPP = KR 2.0
12:51 AM
Hen Sen wants Khmer to die fighting with Khmer Surin from Thailand so he can give Cambodia to Vietnam with little resistance.
Var Kim Hong does recognize that Cambodia, if compared to the colonial Service Geographique de l’Indochine scale map 1/100,000 and the 1985 delimitation treaty, will loses 9,000 hectares; and compared to U.S Army Mapping Service scale map 1/50,000 with the 1985 Treaty, would lose about 7,900 hectares to Vietnam. This statement was confirmed by Var Kim Hong to Mr. Touch Bora Esq through a telephone conversation on 30 August 2002 at 4:30 p.m. (Sydney time), which Mr. Touch Bora Esq wrote in his letter dated on 9 September 2002 sent to Sam Dach Ta Noroudom Sihanouk concerning over border affairs.
In fact, the loss is absolutely more than the 1000 square kilometers stated by MP Sam Rainsy in his statement, if we add the size of the historical water of 30000 square kilometers awarded to Vietnam under the 1982 Agreement which has been into affect and now already become under the full control of Vietnam. And this would not be the last if the equidistance principle be used to delimit the maritime boundary, Cambodia will lose an additional area of sea and seabed measuring at least 860 square nautical miles from the Brevie Line to the north, analyzed by Mr. Touch Bora Esq or another 10000 square kilometers confirmed by Mr. Sean Pengse, the President of the Cambodian Border Committee Worldwide, which exclusively include another Koh Poula Wai to Vietnam added to the previous lost islands- Koh Tral (Dao Phu Quoc) and Koh Poulo Panjang (Dao Thu Chu).
This is why sVar Kim Hong said in front of Students´s Movement for Democracy (SMD), and Sam Dach Ta Norodom Sihanouk on 22 Janaury 2000 during our audience with him concerning the border resolution with Vietnam that; “If we want peace, we must sacrifice our flesh to the tiger.” The truth is discovered now that, “Sacrifice the flesh to tiger actually means cutting our land to the Viet.” This word was clearly spoken out from his mouth and there were Sam Dach Ta as witness and 31 members.
We must condemn this Var Kim Hong for his role in helping the traitorous regime of Hun Sen.
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,
Vietnam take over 30 000km2 of Cambodia by using Hun Sen to sign the illigal treaties so the khmer king is very angry about this issues so Khmer King ask Thai king to do his favor by using Thai Royal Amry to remove Hun Sen.
Let's see who will win at the end!
Hun Sen VS Thai King Amry + Khmer king and his people = No more Youn slave regime and 30 000km2 return back from viet
សៀមធ្វើអោយខ្មែរសុរិន្ទ ៣ លាននាក់ ស្អប់ខ្មែរ
កណ្ដាល ដើម្បីបំបាត់ពូជសាសន៏ខ្មែរនៅសៀម។
យួនវៀតមិញធ្វើអោយខ្មែរក្រហម និង ខ្មែរវៀតមិញ
ស្អប់គ្នាក្នុងសម័យប៉ុល ពត ស្អប់ខ្មែរសំលាប់ខ្មែរ។
ហ៊ុន សេន បញ្ជូនទ័ពខ្មែរទៅវាយទ័ពខ្មែរសុរិន្ទ
តាមបញ្ជាយួន ដើម្បីសម្លាប់ខ្មែរកណ្ដាលអោយ
យួន ដូច្នេះសៀម យួន មិនចង់ឲ្យខ្មែរបានសុខ
សាន្តទេ។
ខ្មែរត្រូវធ្វើជាកញ្ជះយួន និងសៀមទើបបានក្ដីសុខ។
ក្រោយពីសម័យអង្គរមក សៀមយួនធ្វើបាបឥតល្ហែ.
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