Monday, August 22, 2011

Indonesian Observers "a Must" For Disputed Area Near Preah Vihear Temple: Cambodia

PHNOM PENH (ANTARA/Xinhua-OANA), Aug 21 - Cambodian Ministry of Defense on Saturday evening issued a statement rejecting a Thai media report that the Indonesian observers may not be needed to deploy in the newly defined demilitarized zone surrounding the 11 century Preah Vihear to ensure a ceasefire.

"Cambodia sticks to its ground to straightly comply with the order of the International Court of Justice issued on July 18," said the statement.

The ICJ ordered Cambodia and Thailand to immediately withdraw their military personnel currently present in the provisional demilitarized zone (PDZ) around the area of Preah Vihear temple and also ordered both parties to continue cooperating within ASEAN and allow appointed observers access to the PDZ.

"Cambodia's stance has been clearly announced by Prime Minister Hun Sen and Defense Minister Tea Banh already," it said. "There is nothing changed."


Hun Sen earlier this month said that the pullouts of troops from the area of about 17-kilometer PDZ surrounding Preah Vihear temple must be done simultaneously and with the presence of Indonesian observers to monitor a ceasefire until the ICJ interprets the verdict in 1962 concerning the ruling of the temple to Cambodia.

The defense statement was made after the Bangkok Post online newspaper reported on Saturday that Thai Defense Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa said that Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh told him that if Cambodia can reach an agreement in bilateral talks with Thailand on the withdrawal of troops from both sides, Indonesian observers may not be needed to monitor a ceasefire.

"The spokesman of Cambodian Defense Ministry totally rejects this fabricated information that Gen. Tea Banh has either talked with Gen. Yutthasak Sasiprapa, or said Indonesian observers may not be needed to monitor a ceasefire," it said.

Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflict over territorial dispute near the Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed Cambodia`s Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.

Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have happened, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides.

However, the military tension has been eased since the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra`s Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory in the general elections on July 3.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Everyone,

One of KI-Media member who has his name in Facebook as Khmer Sovannaphumi but his real name is Pang Sokhoeun, former political asylum and now living in Sweden. He always copies news from here to post in his facebook profile to promote himself, but right now, he tries to remove and blocked anyone who dares to reveal his con activity particular he tries to hide what he has cheated his wife (Sreypov Chea) by having a girlfriend (Sokunthear Sam) behind his wife back. Now, his girlfriend had run way from him after she knew his cheating.

A con man Pang Sokhoeun as well as KI-Media like to insult to the government officers who have affairs, but himself does even worse than other people. What a shame!

When one person had posted in KI-Media and accused that a con man Pang Sokhoeun is a brother of Som Ek (former Chief of Tiger's head sign guerilla, who was arrested and put in prison by Cambodian government) during that time, a cheater Pang Sokhoeun came to deny in his blogs immediately and had pointed the blame to Mr. Sourn Serey Rotha, but this time, he has bury his head in the sand because he cannot deny the truth that he has cheated his wife. Right now, all he can do is removed and blocked anyone who dared to reveal his cheating.

Anonymous said...

That is the right things to do in dealing with unscrupulous Thailand. Please use official path to deal to work with Thailand. No more considerations, soft stance and sweet talks.