The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia's prime minister has accused Thailand of firing more than 50,000 artillery and mortar shells in more than a week of border clashes.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that some shells that landed in Oddar Meanchey province have not exploded and must be disarmed before civilians return to evacuated areas. Cambodia still face the problem of unexploded ordnance, especially mines, from the Vietnam War era and guerrilla wars in the decades afterward.
While much of the area remains inaccessible to journalists, witnesses did not report such intensive fire that could account for so many shells.
"It is impossible for us to fire such a number of shells," Col. Prawit Hukaew, a spokesman for Thailand's army in the northeast, said Wednesday. He put the number of shells fired in the hundreds.
The fighting that started April 22 has quieted in recent days. But Thailand's state broadcaster MCOT reported a Thai soldier was killed Monday night, bringing the death toll to one Thai civilian and a total of 17 soldiers from both sides.
The conflict involves small swaths of land along the border that have been disputed for more than half a century. The latest fighting was the sixth since 2008, when Cambodia's 11th-century Preah Vihear temple was given U.N. World Heritage status over Thailand's objections.
Local commanders for both countries last Thursday held talks that led to a de facto cease-fire, which did not actually end the clashes but reduced their intensity. On Monday, tens of thousands of refugees from the combat zone began returning to their homes.
Hun Sen said the two sides' regional commanders would meet to seek to implement a true cease-fire.
Hun Sen is supposed to meet Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for talks on the border issue at a weekend meeting in Indonesia of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The two countries have tentatively agreed to allow Indonesia observers be stationed at the border and are also seeking more lasting solutions to their dispute.
Cambodia last week asked the United Nations' highest court to order Thailand to withdraw troops and halt military activity around a temple at the centre of a decades-old border dispute that has flared into deadly military clashes.
In a request filed April 28 and made available Tuesday on the court's website, Cambodia asked International Court of Justice judges to urgently deal with its request "because of the gravity of the situation."
Cambodia claims that according to a 1962 ruling by the court the temple is on its territory and warns that if the intervention request is rejected and clashes continue, "the damage to the Temple of Preah Vihear, as well as irremediable losses of life and human suffering ... would become worse."
Rulings by the court are supposed to be final and binding.
Cambodia has formally applied for an "interpretation" — a written explanation — by the court of its 1962 judgment, and argued in its written application that the court's opinion "could then serve as a basis for a final resolution of this dispute through negotiation or any other peaceful means."
___
Associated Press writer Mike Corder in The Hague contributed to this report.
9 comments:
Cambodians can't count or what?
To fire 50,000 shells, you need to fire 3 shells/minute 24 hours a day for 12 days!
Idiot!
Thai army fired around 3,000 shells and killed around 300-400 Khmer monkeys.
That's a more possible number.
Fuck you Thai Shit invader. You had fired more than 50 000 shells into innocent khmer villages.
400 artilleries fired only 1 shell each per 2 minutes will be more than excess 50 000 for 10 days.
Fuck you Thai motherfucker! Why don't you go and fight with Burma if you dare?
Hun Sen must sue Thai shit for compensation OK! Don't let's Thai get aways from it with international world court and UN
If Thai fired 50000 shells for 10 days and only 8 Cambodian soldiers was killed and 30 injured, so Thai army forces is only paper tiger and so bad traimming. During fighting against Khmer Rouges and Vietcong between 1970-75, if Gen. Lon Nol's soldier fired 50 000 shells for 10 days like this report, then the most KR was already disappeared on the Earth. Could someone believe this sheels counter from Cambodia? This new is no difference from CPP TV Bayon, exaggerating propaganda. Please say the trust, otherwise the Khmer peasants will be foolish.
Yes. 50K shells were found lodged into the ladyboyz bum hole
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,
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,
2:46 PM
American B52 dropped on Khmer Rouges as much as twice the weapon that used during the world war two but did not wipe out the Khmer Rouges. Your comment did not justify.
Mr. Sam Rainsy and KI media must provide all Cambodian people about the documents and detail to prove that over 30 000Km2 lost to Vietnam by Treaties from 1979 to 1985.
Please Mr Sam Rainsy provides all the detail that Hun Sen with CPP Treaties from 1979 to 1985 result in lost over 30 000Km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam.
2:46 PM,
American B52 dropped on Khmer Rouges as much as twice the weapon that used during the world war two but did not wipe out the Khmer Rouges. Your comment did not justify.
Nice to hear from you 2:46 PM because B52 stop in 1973. A lot of Khmer Rouge whom I met after April 1975 those told me that "If B52 drop Bomb till end 1974 those would run to Khmer Republic because their life like rats and thier blood dropped down from their ears". That is the trust. Well, maybe you had a good luck at that time.
Post a Comment