Mobilizing The Museum

September 27, 2010
Source: Strategy Page

Cambodia recently received 50 Russian T-55 tanks and 44 BTR-60 wheeled armored personnel carriers. Both vehicle types were introduced in the 1950s. The BTR-60 is a ten ton vehicle with a crew of three and eight passengers. It has a small turret armed with a 14.5mm machine-gun. There is also a 7.62mm machine-gun. Over 27,000 were built, before production ended in the 1970s. The armor provides protection from most machine-gun bullets and shell fragments.

The T-55 is a 40 ton vehicle that was the ultimate development of the World War II T-34. Armed with a 100mm gun, as well as a 14.5mm and two 7.62mm machine-guns. Over 90,000 were produced (even more than the T-34) before production ended in the 1980s. The crew of four is not well protected from anti-tank weapons, and the 100mm gun is largely useless against modern tanks. But against civilians, the T-55 has proved to be effective.

Cambodia is currently confronting Thailand over a border dispute, but the T-55 is not much help there. The Thais have superior U.S. M48 and M60 tanks. Cambodia already has over 200 T-54/55 tanks and over 200 BTR-60s. But these vehicles are old and worn out. The newly received vehicles were refurbished and have a lot of years left in them.

Cambodia is training almost 1,000 soldiers to use tanks

Hun Xen's B-70 bodyguard brigade (Photo: Reuters)

22 August 2010
By Lean Delux
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

The Cambodian ministry of Defense (MoD) is organizing a 2-month training for an army tank unit with the participation of more than 800 soldiers. Cambodia is currently strengthening its armed forces after Thailand threatened to use armed force to resolve its dispute with Cambodia. Recently, Thailand also ordered additional tanks and fighting planes from overseas as well.

A group of 876 soldiers from joint units of the MoD are currently being trained to increase their capacity to use tanks. The training took place more than 2 months ago. Cambodia is currently strengthening its troops capacity at a time when Cambodia is being aggressed by Thai troops and three armed clashes already took place. Furthermore, recently, the Thai PM threatened Cambodia that Thailand will use its armed force to resolve the border dispute.

During a meeting with the trained soldiers on 21 August, Tea Banh, the vice-PM and minister of Defense, indicated that tank units have strong influence during the war. On the contrary, Tea Banh indicated that the training of tank units by Cambodia at this time is not aimed at aggression or to wage war with any country.

General Chhum Socheat, MoD spokesman, told RFI that the training of troops is the norm for the army, in particular when the country is at peace, troops training is most appropriate.

It should be recalled that Cambodia and Thailand are currently disputing its common border and this led to the armed confrontation between the two armies for more than 2 years now. Recently, the Thai government ordered several dozens of jet fighting planes and tanks. 96 tanks were ordered from Ukraine at a cost of about 4 billion baths (~$12.7 million). Chhum Socheat said that Cambodia is not concerned about the Thai action. To Chhum Socheat, Cambodia has enough armaments and troops to defend its territorial integrity also (sic!?!?).

Thai, Cambodian troops exchange gunfire on border: Cambodia

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AFP) — Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged gunfire Wednesday along their border, a Cambodia army commander said, as a row over a disputed patch of land appeared to be escalating.

"Cambodian and Thai troops are opening fire at each other now," Brigadier General Bun Thean told AFP from the scene.

"Our troops prevented Thai troops from entering our territory, but they started to open fire at our troops right away," he said, adding there was "heavy gunfire" at two areas near Preah Vihear temple.

Reporters with local Thai television confirmed they witnessed both sides exchanging gunfire.

Thai government and military officials could not be reached immediately for comment.

Cambodia had earlier said that 500 Thai troops were massing near a disputed patch of land near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, while Thai television showed images of tanks heading to the area.

"They are coming near now. They are just about 50 to 60 meters (165 to 195 feet) away from the area," Bun Thean said.

No Thai officials were available to confirm any fresh deployment of troops, but Thailand's Channel Seven -- a military-run television station -- also reported Wednesday that both sides had reinforced soldiers in the area.

Tensions between the neighbours flared again this week after failed talks on Monday aimed at cooling a months-long stand off over land near Preah Vihear, a United Nations cultural heritage site which is in Cambodian territory.


On Tuesday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued an ultimatum to the Thai side after he accused 84 Thai soldiers of entering one of a handful of disputed areas -- leave before midday or risk conflict.

Cambodian officials insisted that the troops did leave before the deadline, but Thailand's foreign minister said they were standing their ground.

Witnesses along the border said the situation was a little calmer on Wednesday, despite the increase in troops.

"The situation is calmer. Nothing has changed yet," Cambodian Brigadier General Yim Pim told AFP.

The spat between the neighbours first flared in July after Preah Vihear was awarded World Heritage status by the UN cultural body UNESCO, angering some Thai nationalists who still claim ownership of the site.

The situation quickly escalated into a military confrontation, with up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops facing off for six weeks, although both sides in August agreed to reduce troop numbers in the disputed area.

Thai Troops Withdraw from Disputed Area in Cambodia

By Ron Corben
Voice of America
Bangkok
14 October 2008

Click here to listen to Corben report

Border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have again flared after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen accused Thai troops of entering his country. The confrontation follows talks between the foreign ministers of both countries over the land surrounding an ancient temple. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, the Thai government says it will defend its territory if Cambodia uses force.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thai troops had entered his country and on Tuesday issued an ultimatum for them to leave or risk conflict.

The once dormant dispute over 900-year-old Preah Vihear turned tense earlier this year after Thailand granted Cambodia the right to have the temple recognized as a United Nations World Heritage site. The temple sits on Cambodia's side of the border, but the main access route to it is in Thailand.

A public outcry in Thailand caused both governments to send troops to the area.

On Monday, the two countries' foreign ministers met to resolve the dispute over the border area, but the talks were inconclusive.

The Thai Foreign Ministry warned that if Cambodia resorted to force, Thailand would exercise its right to self defense. But the ministry also called for issue to be settled peacefully.

The Thai military and Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat met Tuesday to discuss the matter. Mr. Somchai proposed a joint committee to oversee any troop withdrawal.

Shortly before Cambodia's noon deadline for the Thai troops to move, the Cambodian army chief said all were back in Thai territory.

Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, says the two governments need to resume talks to avoid violence.

"The Thai military, it's quite clear they're not going to move back from the claimed territory. If the Cambodians want them to move out from these areas they may have to use force," said Panitan.

The countries have long disputed the ownership of the temple and the border. In 1962, the International Court of Justice granted sovereignty to Cambodia, but adjacent land remained under Thai control.

The dispute puts further pressure on the Thai prime minister. For weeks, opposition groups have occupied the main government office building, demanding the ouster of Mr. Somchai and new elections.

Anupong, PM call urgent meetings on border row

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

(BangkokPost.com) - The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, Gen Anupong Paochinda, on Tuesday morning held an urgent meeting with relevant army officials to discuss the deepening border row between Thailand and Cambodia. The meeting was held at the Royal Thai Army Headquarters.

Prime Minister and Defence Minister Somchai Wongsawat, meanwhile, called another urgent meeting with armed force commanders and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assess the situation after Cambodia told Thailand to withdraw troops from the disputed border area before noon Tuesday.

On Monday, the Cambodian authority said a "large-scale" armed conflict may happen, if Thai troops fail to be withdrawn from the border area near the ancient temple of Preah Vihear immediately.

In the meantime at Khao Phra Wihan (Preah Vihear) National Park, many Cambodian soldiers with full arms were dispatched near the temple and most of them were former troops of Khmer Rouge who were very familiar with the border surroundings and environment.

Thai armed forces consequently had tightened security around the national park.

However, the Commander of the Second Army Region, Lt-Gen Wiboonsak Neeparn, on Tuesday morning claimed that the situation at Preah Vihear had returned to normal, as troops from both sides engaged in more talks and shared a better understanding.

The Thai soldiers will do their best to protect the country’s sovereignty, Lt-Gen Wiboonsak added.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Sompong Amornvivat affirmed that Thai soldiers were patrolling with the Thai border and did not trespassed into Cambodia's territory.

He said Thai troops will not abandon the border area despite the neighbouring country's threat to launch an offensive attack.

"We are in our homeland. How can they expect us to leave our home," Mr Sompong told the reporter.

The minister believed the border dispute can be alleviated through dialogues between Prime Minister Somchai and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen.

Cambodia, Thailand Prepare for Fight Over Temple

25 Jul 2008
By Wendell Minnick
Defense News

TAIPEI - What started as a decision by Cambodia, with Thailand's blessing, to register the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has grown into a potential military conflict.

"This is a grave situation for Thailand's interests with potential for outbreak of hostilities," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.

The dispute goes back to 1904, when the border between the two countries was established by French authorities. The century-old decision is a model of how old colonial ghosts continue to haunt Southeast Asian politics.

As of press time, Thai and Cambodian troops were facing off at the border area near the Hindu temple, with ministerial talks between the two nations scheduled for July 28. However, diplomats will have a hard time sorting out the issue because of the twisted political causes for the recent spat.

In Thailand, it is mainly a domestic issue by the anti-Thaksin lobby, said Bertil Lintner, a Thailand-based researcher with the think tank Asia Pacific Media Services. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was deposed in a September 2006 military coup for alleged corruption, but has returned to Thailand and entered politics as a quiet cohort to the new administration.

In June, a joint communique was signed by then-Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama with Cambodia over the Preah Vihear Temple. When news of the communique was released, anti-government opposition groups began massive protests. The government responded by sending troops to the area, and Cambodia responded.

Lintner said there are allegations that Noppadon, who also was Thaksin's former legal adviser, agreed to the Cambodian proposal to list the temple with UNESCO "to curry favors with the Cambodian government because Thaksin is interested in investing in a casino in Cambodia."

Noppadon was appointed foreign minister in February 2007 under the new government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, but after the June agreement, protests in Cambodia erupted and Noppadon resigned.

The Thai Constitutional Court ruled July 8 that the agreement violated the charter that requires parliamentary approval for such agreements.

"The opposition here is playing on nationalist sentiments to stir up public opinion against Samak's government" and Thaksin, who is behind the government, said Lintner.

The temple's remote location and rugged terrain make it difficult for either side to justify an armed conflict, but the area has been a center of military activity in the past with both Royal Cambodian troops, Khmer Rouge rebels and Royal Thai troops occupying the area at some point during the past 50 years.

The area's unique geography makes the temple inaccessible from the Cambodian side of the mountain.

"I have been there twice, and you don't need a Cambodian visa to cross the border because you can't go anywhere in Cambodia from there," Lintner said.

Cambodia was recognized as the rightful owner of the temple in a 1962 International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision. The decision both defined and obscured the issue, Thitinan said.

"Cambodia further requested the ICJ's adjudication over the adjacent land area, but the judges placed their jurisdiction only over the temple as per Cambodia's original case submission," he said.

Thitinan suggests Samak depolarize the controversy by "appointing an autonomous team of diplomats and relevant officials and experts who are insulated from the cut-and-thrust of Thai political crisis to mount Thailand's case."

Equally important, anti-government groups "bent on overthrowing Mr. Samak's government" must drop the issue before it spins out of control.

"If they continue to exploit this matter to bring down the government, it would play into Cambodia's advantage," he said.

E-mail: wminnick@defensenews.com

Thailand oppose Cambodia's decision to list Preah Vihear as World Heritage site, warns about armed confrontation

Army warns dispute could have repercussions

Friday January 25, 2008
WASSANA NANUAM
Bangkok Post

The Defence Ministry is concerned about Cambodia's tough stance on seeking World Heritage listing of Preah Vihear, the ancient Khmer ruins on the Thai-Cambodian border. Defence Ministry spokesman Pichasanu Putchakarn said Cambodia has ignored the government's suggestion the two countries jointly propose the historical site for Unesco listing.

If Cambodia does it alone, it is feared that Thailand may lose its land around the ancient sanctuary, which has yet to be demarcated, he said.

''Thailand has to think of its national interests. We may protest to the Cambodian government through diplomatic channels and try to explain to other countries that Thailand has tried to cooperate with Cambodia in requesting the World Heritage listing of the sanctuary together.

''But Cambodia went ahead with the request unilaterally. We may also have to condemn Cambodia if the country still tries to do it alone,'' he said.

There was a possibility the dispute could affect diplomatic relations between the two nations, he said.

Thailand and Cambodia each assert sovereignty over some areas around Preah Vihear, known as Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand.

The World Court has judged the ancient ruins as being part of Cambodia. However, the two countries have not come to a demarcation agreement on some immediate border areas around the sanctuary.

Lt-Gen Pichasanu said the World Heritage listing could lead to the disputed areas being annexed by Cambodia which, he said, has tried to rally international support for the sanctuary to be given Heritage status.

He said the issue was significant and therefore warranted immediate government attention.

Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas felt the new government should put the issue on the national agenda, he said.

The country should also prepare for unrest which could arise from the dispute, which could provoke military hostilities along the border.

Second Army commander Sujit Sithiprapa said the army has notified Cambodian authorities it would like them to stop paving a road to the entrance of Preah Vihear because it could disturb the disputed area.

Because the sanctuary is perched atop a hill, entry has to be made from a point on the Thai side of the border.

The road's construction should be put off until the two countries have settled the demarcation issue, Lt-Gen Sujit said.

He said Cambodian soldiers had been deployed along the border zones leading to the sanctuary.

He had ordered his troops deployed to police the border as well.

Despite this, soldiers from the two countries retained close ties.

Gen Boonrawd voiced concern over a possible confrontation, saying top-levels discussions were needed to resolve the issue amicably.