Thai and Cambodian troops exchange fire near ancient temple [-... the fighting is fuelled by political interests on both sides]

Tue Apr 26, 2011
By Martin Petty

PHANOM DONG RAK, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai and Cambodia troops fought with short-range rockets and guns near 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple on Tuesday, opening a second front in a five-day confrontation that has killed 13 people in Southeast Asia's bloodiest border dispute in years.

The fighting raised concerns that hostilities had spread 150 km east of two other ancient Hindu temples where Thai and Cambodian troops have clashed sporadically since Friday, sending more than 50,000 people into evacuation shelters.

Thai regional army spokesman Prawit Hukaew said Cambodia fired rockets after two Thai F-16 jets patrolled the area, but he described the clash as "minor." He said he believed Cambodia was responding to the presence of Thai fighter jets which he said never strayed beyond Thai airspace or opened fire.

"We are keeping it contained to a small area," said Thai army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd, calling the confrontation a "misunderstanding."

Sovereignty over the three ancient, stone-walled temples -- Preah Vihear, Ta Moan and Ta Krabey -- and the jungle of the Dangrek Mountains surrounding them has been in dispute since the withdrawal of the French from Cambodia in the 1950s.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was "deeply concerned" about the fighting and urged restraint, a comment echoed by China's Foreign Ministry.

"We hope that both Cambodia and Thailand will maintain calm and restraint, and resolve their problems through consultation," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a briefing in Beijing.

Until Tuesday, hostilities had been contained to jungles near the 12th-century Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples. Thailand says the ruins reside in its Surin province according to a 1947 map. Cambodia says they are in its Oddar Meanchey province.

Preah Vihear, scene of intense clashes on February 4-7 that killed 11 people, has been a source of tension for generations and the two countries have been locked in a standoff since July 2008, when the temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

Thailand opposed the listing on grounds that the land around Preah Vihear was never demarcated. An international court awarded the temple to Cambodia 49 years ago, but both countries lay claim to a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) patch of land around it.

Thailand has pressed for a bilateral solution but Cambodia on Tuesday ruled out talks until a May 7-8 leaders' summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, insisting on third party mediation.

"We will wait until then and we will meet and talk," Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith told reporters. "The meeting can be bilateral and if the talks are about border clashes, a third party must be involved."

POLITICAL INTERESTS

Although on the surface, the conflict appears to be a dispute over sovereignty and territory, many experts believe the fighting is fuelled by political interests on both sides.

The two governments could be seeking to discredit each other and appeal to nationalists at home, especially as Thailand prepares for a general election expected by July.

A change in government could be in Cambodia's interests.

Analysts said the Thai military could also be flexing its muscles to preserve its sizeable stake in Thailand's political apparatus and to satisfy conservative elites at odds with the country's powerful opposition forces.

"The army has nothing to lose in a border clash. They show their relevance and show who is wielding the power," said Karn Yuenyong, head of the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank.

The clashes are a setback for ASEAN, a 10-member bloc modelled on the European Union with ambitions to become a regional community by 2015, illustrating the limits to regional diplomacy after the Thai army rebuffed international monitors proposed by ASEAN foreign ministers in February.

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan has urged immediate dialogue and said ASEAN's reputation was at stake.

Thailand has evacuated more than 30,000 villagers in two border provinces, while Cambodia said 24,000 people had been moved to safety, accusing Thailand of attacking villages 20 km (12 miles) into its territory.

(Additional reporting by Ambika Ahuja in Bangkok, Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh and Ben Blanchard in Beijing.; Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Andrew Marshall)