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| Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen shows a document to reporters during a news conference at the Council of Ministers in Phnom Penh July 22, 2011. Hun Sen on Friday proposed a coordinated agreement with Thailand to withdraw troops simultaneously in compliance with the United Nations' court ordering both nations to pull out military personnel out of the newly defined demilitarized zone on disputed border. (Credit: Reuters/Samrang Pring) |
By Prak Chan Thul
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia's prime minister proposed Friday a deal with Thailand to simultaneously withdraw troops from a newly defined demilitarized zone, in compliance with a United Nations court ruling aimed at defusing tensions in a disputed border area.
Hun Sen said Cambodia wanted to respond quickly to Monday's verdict by the International Court of Justice in the Hague, which ordered troops from both countries to pull out of the territory around an 11th century temple to prevent further flare-ups.
Thai and Cambodian forces traded gunfire and shelling at two stretches of the 800 km (500 mile) frontier in February and April, killing a total of 18 people and displacing tens of thousands of villagers.
"Troop withdrawal must be done simultaneously. The ruling requires both sides to withdraw troops, not just Cambodia," Hun Sen said at a rare news conference that lasted two-and-a-half hours.
Indonesia, chairing the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), agreed in February to send 15 unarmed observers to preserve a ceasefire, but that mission never materialized and Thailand, and in particular its military, has been accused of dragging its feet on the issue.
Sovereignty of large stretches of the Thai-Cambodia border has been disputed since the French withdrew from Cambodia in the 1950s, with the Preah Vihear temple the thorniest subject.
The temple was awarded to Cambodia in a 1962 international court ruling but both nations lay claim to 4.6 sq km (2.5 sq miles) of land around it.
Hun Sen said both sides should cooperate fully with the observers, when deployed, and give details to the ICJ about the number and location of their military personnel. He did not propose a timeframe, but said talks should begin immediately.
Relations between the historic foes have been strained since Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government came to power in December 2008 and reversed a previous administration's decision to back Cambodia's listing of Preah Vihear as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Hun Sen said he was looking forward to working with a new Thai government led by Prime Minister elect Yingluck Shinawatra, the sister of self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, an ally of the long-serving Cambodian strongman.
(Editing by Martin Petty and Miral Fahmy)
5 comments:
Every Khmer citizen is responsible to protect Cambodia's land. Cambodia has been shrinking until this day because of our mentality of 'DON'T CARE'; what's about your children and grand children's future??? Would you like to see them be slaves and be abused by others???? Thailand and Vietnam have taken more than enough from Cambodia; it is time to stop them. If they can...they will take more.... that is the fact throughout history.
to prevent any future stealing and illegal immigration to cambodia, cambodia must look into making a priority in reforming of our immigration law and its enforcement, and also, look into strengthen our foreign policy as well. and of course, educate our people and emphasize to our people the importance of getting educated. yes, fight against illiteracy and ignorance in cambodia, ok! be smart from now on, ok! always put the right, capable people in power, forget teh weak, ineffective, coward, lazy ones, that is! be different while maintaining and promoting our strong khmer identity, language, etc, etc, ok, cambodia! god bless.
What do you try to do ah Kwack Lop Theat????
Do as the court order, fool! (ah Chkout) Why you play the looser game not the court ordered!
Do not give Thai the reason, ah pleu stupid Hun Xen! obeiy the court oders and let the Thai be the fool by itself!!!!!
USE THE BRAIN AH KWACK!!!! forget your PhD from Hanoi! Ah Youn do not want Cambodia to have peace and do the right thing!
People at Phnom Penh and country side are ready, Mr Sam Rainsy. We are waiting for your call to rise up as one in every provinces and the cities.
We Are Ready To Rise Up To Fight With No Fear.
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, President Ms. Rattana Keo,
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