BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand Cambodian forces are exchanging intermittent fire on their disputed border and the death toll from nearly two weeks of violence has risen to 18 but villagers were trickling home on Tuesday as the intensity of the clashes eased.
The latest exchanges follow a four-day confrontation in February making this year's violence the bloodiest on the poorly demarcated border for years.
A cease-fire agreed at the end of last week by regional army commanders was quickly breached and daily skirmishes have since been reported, each side blaming the other for firing first.
Clashes with guns and grenades broke out on Monday night, Thai army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on Tuesday, adding that one Thai soldier was killed and three were wounded. There was no report of casualties in Cambodia.
"Even though clashes continued, it has become less intense and the use of heavy weapons has stopped. Army representatives on both sides will meet twice a day to reduce tension and restore goodwill on the ground," Sansern said.
Civilians on both sides started to return home over the weekend when the use of the long-range weapons stopped. At least 65,000 people had been evacuated from villages along the border since April 22 when the latest round of skirmishes began.
The cease-fire agreed last Thursday was supposed to end the fighting that has fanned nationalist passions in both countries, threatening to overshadow elections due in Thailand and reinforcing doubts about Southeast Asia's ambitions to form a European Union-style community by 2015.
But tension remains high, with troops stationed in close proximity around two ancient temples in the poorly demarcated Dongrak Mountain Range.
ELUSIVE PEACE
Adding to the combustible mix, Cambodia went back to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday to ask for clarification of its 1962 ruling to award a separate temple, the 11th century Preah Vihear, to Cambodia.
The Preah Vihear temple, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand, is the focus of border hostility and is about 150 km (90 miles) to the east of the site of most of the latest clashes.
The original ruling over the 900-year-old ruins was never accepted by many Thais and there have been frequent clashes at the site since mid-2008, including during the past two weeks. The court never ruled on disputed land surrounding the temple.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said his government would do everything in its power to protect "Thai sovereignty" to make sure Thailand was not at a disadvantage if the ICJ accepted Cambodia's request for it to interpret the ruling.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the situation at the border had improved but acknowledged long-lasting peace might prove elusive.
"We have to keep a watch on the situation because it's difficult. Negotiation for a permanent cease-fire is hard and we have to be careful," Suthep told Reuters.
Under the April 28 cease-fire, the two sides had agreed to keep troops in the area but hold regular meetings between field commanders, leaving territorial disputes to a joint demarcation commission.
The latest round of fighting has killed nine Cambodians and nine Thais.
Thailand insists the stone-walled ruins of the 12th century Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples lie in its Surin province, based on a 1947 map. Cambodia says they are in its Oddar Meanchey province. Sovereignty has been in dispute since the withdrawal of the French from Cambodia in the 1950s.
Some analysts are sceptical the conflict is really about sovereignty and say it appears politically driven on both sides. Some say generals in Thailand are colluding with nationalists to foment a crisis and force the cancellation of upcoming elections to preserve the royalist establishment's hold on power.
(Reporting by Chalathip Thirasoonthrakul and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Ambika Ahuja; Editing by Alan Raybould and Robert Birsel)
1 comment:
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 30,000 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 30,000km2 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 30,000 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 30,000 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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