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| Cheeseman: Thailand ‘muddying the waters’ |
Anti-munitions group takes aim at Thailand cluster bomb denial
9/04/2011
Bangkok Post
The international anti-cluster munitions group insists Thailand is only "muddying the waters" by attempting to refute the allegation that it used cluster bombs during border clashes with Cambodia in late February.
Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) director Laura Cheeseman yesterday said the Thai army admitted to using Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) in fighting with Cambodia. The DPICM, she said, is a "classic example of a cluster munition".
Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi yesterday released a statement rebutting the CMC's claim. He said the group "misinterpreted" a statement made by Thai Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva Sihasak Phuangketkeow.
Mr Thani said the Permanent Representative had told the CMC that Thailand had used DPICM, not cluster munitions.
"How Thailand could come to such a conclusion is baffling," Ms Cheeseman stated. "The DPICM is the classic example of a cluster munition, which is essentially a large canister that opens up after deployment to disperse many submunitions over a wide area."
Defence Ministry spokesman Thanathip Sawangsaeng echoed an earlier denial made by Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon that the army has no cluster bombs in its arsenal.
"We may have some weapons with similar features to cluster bombs but they do not work like cluster bombs. They are not cluster bombs," Col Thanathip said.
A source in the army said the weapon in question could be the Caesar self-propelled howitzer, whose artillery burst into bomblets.
The army suspended its use after the border clashes in February.
Ms Cheeseman also countered an argument made by acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn that armies of different countries can categorise weapons differently. No country besides Thailand has ever questioned if the DPICM is a cluster munition, she said in an email to the Bangkok Post.
In the Foreign Ministry's statement, Mr Thani said Thailand's use of DPICM was in response to Cambodia's attacks with BM-21 rocket launcher systems, which struck at targets indiscriminately.
"Such attacks had impacted Thai civilians. It was therefore necessary for Thai troops to act in self-defence against such military targets."
Ms Cheeseman said instead of trying to muddy the waters with the question of definition, the Thai government should take steps to ban all cluster munitions by joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer and stockpiling of cluster bombs.
6 comments:
that's right, please don't let siem thugs get away with it for using cluster bomb against cambodia. siem are so evil, you know!
It takes a woman like Ms.Laura Cheeseman to tell these Siem thugs leaders that what they have said is so wrong!
So who is stopping the Siem military thugs from using the same weapons such as the BM-21? And why do the Siem military thugs resort to use cluster bombs called the Caesar salad? Do the Siem military thugs want to fight like a lady boy? Ahahhahah
Very evil human beings along with its ignorant incompetent gov't. They earned no respect from Cambodia. Bigger and richer but acting so cheap in the neighborhood.
Hun xen/manet don't be fooled by ah siam or thai. Make them pay for the damages that they caused to khmer.
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,
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