Thursday, April 28, 2011

Cambodian, Thai troops exchange gunfire for 7th straight day

PHNOM PENH, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Gunfire exchanges between Cambodian and Thai troops over the border area at the Ta Moan temple and Ta Krabei temple in Oddar Meanchey province broke out again Thursday morning, said a field military commander.

"The fighting started again this early morning around 3:50 a.m. at the two temples, Thai soldiers triggered the attack first," Suos Sothea, deputy commander of the artillery unit, told Xinhua by telephone from the battle fields.

"In fact, Thai troops have fired artillery shelling on our troops almost throughout tonight and they have increased shelling in early Thursday morning," he said.

"Thai forces have fired both small guns and heavy artilleries on our troops over the areas, they have ambitions to fight and capture the temples," he said. "We have also exchanged some small guns to defend our territory, we do not use heavy guns to fight back yet," he said.


The fighting marks the seven straight days of armed clashes between the two countries' troops. No immediate casualties are available for Thursday fighting.

The last six days of clashes has killed eight Cambodian and five Thai soldiers, and one Thai civilian.

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated. Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. But Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers (1.8 square miles) of scrub next to the temple.

Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand had a border conflict, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is clear who the bully is..., and who the victim is...but the rhetorics still tough by the Samdach!

The Thai foreign minister spoke to CNN that Thai does not want to put pressure/burderns on the United Nation. He said Thai favors bilateral peace making. He boasted that Thailand has a democratic government and his society is more civilised. He forgets how many elected Thai governments were ousted by the Thai Monarch and so-called "obedient" Thai Army? Really, his government is a "puppet" democratic Thai government!, (a Thai style - somtarm Thai style, krung tep nah krup!, Laos style more delicious....***LOL***)

Clearly, a bilateral solution is not working as evidence from clashes confronted since 2008. The Thai government is not fit politically to enter any workable agreement with Cambodia. Likewise, Cambodia under the leadership of Hun Sen does not has the capacity to make peace with Thai, and Thailand knows this. Because of the way Hun Sen rule Cambodia, his pillars of support/power, bilateral peace making only benefits Thailand. And Thailand wants the same benefits, more or less, as in the Eastern parts of Cambodia.

I agree with the Thai foreign minister, slightly, just slightly, that there are mechanisms already in place to solve border disputes. The mechanism I am referring to is the 1991 Paris Peace Accord. There were 19 countries, including Cambodia and Thailand, the signatories in that treaty. The treaty ensures Cambodian sovereignity and territorial integrity. Cambodian government of the day should use it, and summon these countries to a round table, so to ensure its sovereignity and territorial integrity is protected.

Lastly, Cambodia should unilaterally invite and accept international observers, others beside Viet & Thai, on its side of the border, embedding with Cambodian army close to the border, if Cambodia geniunely cares about its own border and sovereignity. In this way, Cambodia does not need Thai to consent to have these observers. But, if Cambodia too plays politics with its border issue as Thailand does, (as Thai election is approaching), or delays any further, the theory that in a 100 years times Vietnam and Thailand will be neighbours may be true and/or even come sooner.

Khmer in Cabramatta

Anonymous said...

http://asiancorrespondent.com/53330/will-thailand-and-cambodia-talk-to-each-other/

Anonymous said...

siem say they are more civilized! for your information, civilized country like siem thugs should steal from cambodia, really! and civilized country like siem thugs should respect the international law, international treaty and be effective in their gov't not flip flopping and biased toward cambodia and so on, you know! shame on siem bully! siems are fake, if you ask me; siems are hypocrites and puppets of some sort, worst off than cambodia, really! cambodia is always getting better and improving, reform, etc, etc. of course, cambodia got to start somewhere, somehow, you know! nothing good or bad can last forever, ok! what goes around comes around, really! god bless cambodia.

Anonymous said...

"They have ambitions to fight and capture the temple",

and what happend to Khmer troops? Khmer troops don't have the desire to defend. Sign of loose hope in Khmer part..

Anonymous said...

Khmer must unite

Communist Vietcong and its puppet CPP HunShit must go!

Anonymous said...

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,

Anonymous said...

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,

Anonymous said...

This is a deathly game being played by Thai politicians just to please a group of the yellow shirts and to win the election. They are devil-like that willing to kill innocent people just to gain popularity and to hang on to power as much as they can. They are also afraid of losing face by negotiating bilaterally with Cambodia and refusing to allow Indonesian observers in the area. How far is Thailand willing to go to war with Cambodia and spilling innocent blood?

Anonymous said...

for your information, the stupid KR and vietcong were history already, so stop using lame excuses or poor pretexts to attack and steal from cambodia, ok! get educated already, really! this is not some sort of dark ages era of cambodia, ok! cambodia is more advanced now than say during our dark ages era, you know. so, don't assume ignorantly that we are stupid and still in the dark ages, ok! get educated already!

Anonymous said...

Gods and Buddas won't help you Ah Hun Sen and his families, relatives or friends because they murdered thousands of Cambodian people life during their life time on Earth.

Anonymous said...

The OLD FART on the Thai throne is the real cause of the trouble.

He has been very quiet, but don't let that fool you.

Yesterday the royal privy came out to rally support for the Thai soldiers.

Hopefully Cambodia will have some peace after he is no longer around.

Anonymous said...

what Your Hun Sen says or does is useless when it comes to fight with Thai physically since Cambodia and Thai is like a cow and elephant unless legal and political means are implemented but Your Hun Sen does not have this skill nor willingness to do so. Because Cambodia does not belong to or is owned by Hun Sen, this individual must step down and let many other capable Cambodians to do the job solving border issues with Thai as well as with Vietnam.

Nak Sreh.

Anonymous said...

Cambodian officials should go to Thailand to get education.
There they can learn to manipulate, deceive, and make up lies.

Anonymous said...

it is impossible to make peace with 4.6 km2 for thai had claiming belong their own map .khmer had no double line border with thailand .khmer had international with court map .
so the war go on until one side out of fund and give up .

Anonymous said...

The truth is that Thai is big and strong and capable. There is no reason to put them down by word but to tell your leader how to deal with the big guy. It is true that Thai is strong and Khmer is weak politically and financially. Tell your lovely Hun Sen what to do to deal with the big guy or step down. It is useless to tell Thai what to do or what they are. They are what they are.

Nak sreh.

Anonymous said...

Thai army will shoot Hun Sen, families, relatives and friends in the head like Hun Sen regime shoot khmer people in the head in 1997 coup, K5 and so on...

Ah Hun Sen is closely run out of BM-21rockets and other tanks shells so Thai know that situation very well.