No [Thai] troop withdrawal from Preah Vihear temple: Thai army chief

December 20, 2010
Xinhua

Thai army chief Gen Prayuth Chan- ocha on Monday denied reports saying that Thai and Cambodian troops have agreed to withdraw their troops from the border areas surrounding the disputed ancient Preah Vihear temple.

He said it was just an adjustment of force deployment along the border near the Hindu temple in a bid to avoid confrontation and this followed Cambodia's demilitarization.

"It was only an adjustment and there was no agreement between both countries. The military is authorized to force adjustment but troop withdrawal rests with the government," the army chief said before leaving to the neighboring Cambodia.

Along with Region 1 (North) Army Commander Lt Gen Udomdet Setabut and Region 2 (Northeast) Army Commander Lt Gen Tawatchai Samutsakorn, Prayuth left for Cambodia to pay courtesy visit as a newly appointed army chief of Thailand.

When asked whether the border dispute would be raised or not, the army chief responded not only dispute but also good relationship between both countries, particularly military collaboration and other boundary cooperation, would be discussed.

The 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple and its surrounding area has been an age-old territorial dispute between the Thailand and Cambodia for more than half a century. Even after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decided to award the temple to Cambodia in 1962, the row over the land plot of 4.6 square kilometers around the temple has never been resolved.

The border dispute flared up again July 2008 when the temple was enlisted as a World Heritage site, triggering a military build- up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.

Preah Vihear temple: Thailand wants the cake and eats it, too!

Border to reopen near temple

2nd Army chief rejects idea of any troop cuts

1/12/2010
Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

Thailand and Cambodia are looking set to reopen their border crossings near the disputed Preah Vihear temple this week after a lengthy closure, an army source says.

The governor of Si Sa Ket and the Cambodian governor of Preah Vihear province have discussed the matter and are expected to reopen the crossings near the ancient Hindu temple and a nearby disputed, 4.6 square kilometre area on Friday, the source said yesterday.

This would be the first time both the Thai and Cambodian crossings have been open simultaneously since July 2008, when the Preah Vihear temple was granted Unesco world heritage status under Cambodian stewardship.

Second Army Region commander Thawatchai Samutsakhon yesterday insisted no troop withdrawals from the disputed area had or would take place.

The outcome of the last meeting of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) in Pattaya in October was only that both sides would adjust the positioning of their troops in the disputed area to lessen tensions, Lt Gen Thawatchai said.

"Cambodia wants us to reduce troops but we cannot just do so alone [without reciprocal action from Cambodia]. Besides, we're not confident in the situation," he said.

The number of Thai troops in the area, which he refused to disclose, would not be changed but they would be moved to another location nearby.

"We're not going to retreat, especially from Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara [the temple at the foot of the mountain where the disputed Preah Vihear temple is located] where Thai and Cambodian troops are positioned together."

"Cambodia should also clear [their troops and weapons] from the Preah Vihear temple."

The 2nd Army commander said he had been told by the Cambodian military during recent talks that Cambodia planned to soon reopen the road leading up to the Preah Vihear temple to tourists.

Thailand reopened the steep Mo E-daeng cliff near the Preah Vihear temple, which is the route leading to the temple on the Thai side of the border, a few weeks ago.

Both sides were trying to ease border tensions in order to boost tourism, Lt Gen Thawatchai said.

Another army source said Thailand and Cambodia maintained about 3,000 troops each in the disputed area.

In a related development, a new visa agreement between Thailand and Cambodia will take effect on Dec 16.

Thai and Cambodian citizens will be able to travel between the two countries without a visa and stay up to 14 days from the date of entry.

Thais Maintain Stance Over ‘Heritage’ Temple [-Siem min choal kbuon, Yuon min choal puth]

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
01 July 2009

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva reiterated his opposition to the listing of Preah Vihear temple as a Unesco World Heritage site Tuesday, despite a rejection of the UN agency that the temple be jointly managed.

Abhisit rankled Phnom Penh last month when he suggested that Thailand and Cambodian both maintain the 11th-Century temple, which has become the center of a longstanding military face-off along contested border areas nearby.

Abhisit told Thai media on Tuesday he stood by his position and would not remove the heavily armed troops that have been entrenched along the northern border since July 2008.

Thailand “needs to reserve the right to maintain its opposition to the temple listing,” Abhisit was quoted as saying. He also said the Preah Vihear issue would not affect relations between the two nations in other areas of cooperation.

Abhisit’s remarks follow the rejection of his proposal to Unesco last week and talks between the two governments to diffuse increased tensions and even more military build-ups along the border.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Tuesday Abhisit’s remarks were a pretext meant to appease the Thai populace.

Thailand has undergone serious political shake-ups in the past year, with protesters forcing the ouster of one administration and replacing it with Abhisit’s.

“His statement is only to deceive the citizens of Thailand, and legally it has no meaning,” Khieu Kanharith said.