Cambodia destroys 10 rounds of cluster bombs

July 08, 2011
Xinhua

Cambodia has destroyed 10 rounds of cluster bombs that were shelled onto Cambodia's territory by Thai troops during the exchange of fires between the two countries' forces in early this year, a senior demining official said Thursday.

Saem Punareay, head of Cambodian Mine Action Center based near Preah Vihear Temple, the centerpiece of the border conflict between the two nations, said by telephone that the 10 rounds of cluster bombs were destroyed at the Natural Village of Samdech Decho Hun Sen, located about 17 kilometers south of the disputed Preah Vihear Temple claimed by both sides.

The destruction ceremony was attended by Chuch Pheung, secretary of state of Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, and Phay Siphan, secretary of state of the Office of the Council of Ministers and as well as senior military personnel.

[Thai] Border troops reinforced

Ta Muen Thom temple in Phanom Dong Rak district of Surin is open to visitors again as the area has been free of border violence for almost two months. Visitors can enter the temple between 9am and 3pm every day. - NOPPARAT KINGKAEO

Keep it orderly ... A soldier watches over students at Phum Srol school in Si Sa Ket’s Kantharalak district near the Thai-Cambodian border amid the conflict between the countries over the small overlapping area near the Preah Vihear temple ruins. - Chanat Katanyu

Prayuth warns clashes becoming more likely

28/06/2011
Bangkok Post

Troop build-ups on both sides of the Thai-Cambodian border have heightened fears of clashes following Thailand's withdrawal from Unesco's World Heritage Convention.

Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said he had ordered troops stationed along the border to be prepared as the chance of clashes was high.

His comments came after the Second Army reported Cambodia was bringing in more troops to the border yesterday.

Gen Prayuth said he had decided to boost Thailand's troops and reinforce bunkers as a precaution. The moves were purely defensive and not intended to indicate military aggression.

It was all talk with nothing being said

21/02/2011
Bangkok Post

There's no doubt that the real winner in the ''speech'' contest in New York last Monday was the host, the United Nations Security Council.

The council called a meeting at the UN headquarters to hear statements on the Thai-Cambodian border strife from Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong, who then simply walked out of the room.

The UN body carefully and intentionally made sure this ''contest'' ended with the Thai and Cambodian speakers being able to return home claiming a moral victory.

The public, both here and in Cambodia, should not get carried away with the claims made by Mr Kasit, Hor Namhong, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva or Cambodian leader Hun Sen. What they said was merely for domestic political consumption. No one wants to admit they were the loser; that would be a political disaster for both countries.

[Thai] PM keeps options open on ceasefire

February 18, 2011
The Nation

Abhisit non-committal on four-point draft proposed by Hun Sen; Cambodia 'ready to station Asean forces' on its soil if Thailand rejects proposal

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday expressed some reservations about a ceasefire agreement proposed by his Cambodian counterpart.

"It's too early to talk about the signing of the agreement," Abhisit said. "I've not yet seen the details."

Abhisit, so far, has said he would welcome bilateral talks with Cambodia and support from Asean. He was convinced that Asean would not interfere in the content of the issues discussed at the negotiating table.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said during a rare press conference yesterday that Cambodia would ask Thailand to sign a permanent ceasefire, witnessed by Asean foreign ministers or the Asean chairman, next Tuesday at the meeting of the grouping's foreign ministers in Jakarta.

"It will be better if the Asean chair can sign on the permanent ceasefire," Hun Sen was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency. According to Xinhua, he has put forward four points for a permanent ceasefire:

Kasit's remarks on border unconvincing

January 30, 2011
Opinion by M Johnson, Bangkok
The Nation

Dear Sir:

Regarding "PAD acting like a cry baby: Kasit" (January 27, 2011) Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya criticises his former allies the PAD yellow shirts for their calling for a tougher line by the government on the Preah Vihear border dispute with Cambodia and claims that he hasn't changed his position since the time before he became a minister. He also says it is "inappropriate to invoke international relations as a bargaining leverage to advance a domestic political agenda". He also calls for common development of "rich resources in the sea," presumably referring to oil and gas deals.

Actually, your story is an example of the reason why the PAD has been criticising Mr Kasit and the Abhisit government.

Mr Kasit says that he has not changed and that "The Abhisit Vejjajiva government is not prone to use force nor to insult the neighbouring country" but in 2009, he himself was quoted as calling Hun Sen "a nakleng." In 2008, he was quoted as calling him a "thug" on the rally stage of the PAD.

Adding insult to injury: Cambodia allows a Thai general to participate in the smashing of the sign in Wat Keo Sekha Kiri Svarak

Lt Gen Tawatchai Samutsakhon(right), the 2nd Army commander, joins in the demolition of the tablet reading ‘‘Here! is Cambodia’’. The sign was smashed into pieces after he negotiated with his Cambodian counterpart to destroy it yesterday.

Loudmouth and useless Chea Dara(Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

Srey Doek (L) (Photo: Reuters)

Tablet talks a smashing success [for Thailand]

Cambodia demolishes claim to border area

27/01/2011
Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

Growing border tensions have eased again now that Cambodia has demolished a stone tablet that claimed it owned a disputed area.

"It has now ended," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told the press yesterday after he received a report from the army that the tablet had been destroyed.

The prime minister said Thailand had protested against the stone sign being erected in the disputed area and Cambodia had shown it was prepared to cooperate, which was a positive step.

Cambodia's decision to demolish the controversial tablet came after a tense Tuesday night at the border.

Both countries reinforced troops near the Preah Vihear temple and put them on full alert after Cambodia replaced the original tablet which accused Thai soldiers of trespassing with a new one. The new tablet carried an even stronger message, declaring that the disputed area in which it had been erected belonged to Cambodia.

The 2nd Army, responsible for the border area, moved in troops and heavy war weapons and conducted military training near the area.

Cut troops, cut tension

2/12/2010
Editorial
Bangkok Post

The reality we all have to accept is that closer relations between Thailand and Cambodia will not come about overnight, though one must agree that we are on the right track towards reaching that goal.

The latest sign of improving ties is a decision by the two governments on a visa-free agreement. The agreement, which was signed by Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong during the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy in Phnom Penh on Nov 16, will take effect on Dec 16.

It will undoubtedly encourage travel, foster people contacts and bolster the tourism sector of the two countries. Thais and Cambodians can stay in each other's countries for 14 days without the need to apply for a visa, as is required at present.

This visa-free initiative would not have been possible if the two countries were still at odds with each other. Back in July, Thailand and Cambodia were still on different paths over the management plan of Preah Vihear Temple, which in 2008 was listed as a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. Bangkok had blocked the plan on grounds that the overlapping area of 4.6 square kilometres around the ancient temple must be demarcated first.

But things have turned around, since ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra became no longer needed by Cambodia as an adviser to Phnom Penh and stepped down from that position in August. That cleared the way for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Cambodian Premier Hun Sen to try to restore deteriorating ties at a meeting in the United States a month later.

Although Thaksin no longer stands in the way for the two leaders to improve bilateral relations, the present atmosphere is not conducive for the two countries to sit down and search for a way out on the management plan for Preah Vihear. But they still have plenty of time to carefully and thoroughly work out the issue before it is tabled again at the World Heritage Committee meeting hosted by Bahrain in June next year.

The decision by Phnom Penh yesterday to delay the opening of the border with Thailand at the ancient temple underlines the sensitivity of the issue. Cambodia has closed this portion of the border opposite Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province since June 2008, following brief armed clashes. Recently improving relations have raised hopes that the border gates could be re-opened one day soon.

Thus far, this has not been realised.

Still, what is more important than the border re-opening is the serious effort to ease border tensions and prevent future conflicts in the disputed land area around the temple.

Bangkok and Phnom Penh have their troops stationed around Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara, located at the foot of Preah Vihear, to back their sovereignty claims. The Thai and Cambodian soldiers there are on amicable terms, though there is a certain amount of wariness.

So far both sides have been reluctant to reduce forces in the overlapping zone. Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Banh agreed in October to adjust the positioning of their troops. But that meant nothing except moving the soldiers away from one spot to another. And it certainly is not enough. Peace at the border will be possible only with fewer soldiers - if not the total withdrawal of all Thai and Cambodian troops from the area.

[Thai] PM firm on Preah Vihear stance [-Hun Xen is damned to turn against Abhisit, damned to approach Abhisit]

21/11/2010
Bangkok Post

The government opposes Cambodia's move to propose the plan to manage the area around the ancient Preah Vihear temple to the Unesco's World Heritage Committee, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said during his weekly broadcast on Sunday.

Mr Abhisit said he met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the 4th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Summit, held in Phnom Penh, to discuss the Preah Vihear issues.

"I've told the Cambodian counterpart that Thailand will continue using watershed mark as the border between both countries.

"Thailand will abide by the International Court of Justice's ruling in 1962 and is against Cambodia's move to submit its management plan for the Preah Vihear to the World Heritage Committee in June next year as it could lead to more conflicts," he said.

He said the government will do its best in protecting the country's sovereignty while avoiding using violent measures.

"I ask the public to be confident that the government has no hidden agenda in this issue," the premier added.

[Thai] PM: Conflict's solution is demarcation [...but Thailand always stall the border demarcation talks...]

29/07/2010
Bangkok Post

The conflict over Preah Vihear should be brought back into the framework of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Thailand and Cambodia in 2000, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.

The MoU was about demarcating the boundary of Preah Vihear temple. The work was carried out by the Thai-Cambodia Joint Commission on the Demarcation of the Land Boundary (JBC).

Mr Abhisit said the sidelines meeting between Thai and Cambodian diplomats during the World Heritage Committee meeting in Brazil had not been fruitful.

"Thailand has made it clear that we will accept Cambodia's management plan for the temple only if the temple is jointly listed between the two countries," he said.

The WHC approved Cambodia's listing of Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site two years ago.

Responding to Cambodia foreign minister Hor Namhong's comments that Cambodian troops would fire at Thais who intrude into the disputed land, Mr Abhisit said that Thai security forces were prepared in case of violence.

He also said that Thailand's stance is not that much different from Cambodia's.

PAD puts pressure on govt over 'loss' of disputed land

A Cambodian settlement in the disputed territory near the Preah Vihear temple ruins.

17/09/2009
Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya's weekend visit to the area around Preah Vihear, a sore point in Thai-Cambodian relations, has left many wondering what the latest fuss is about.

Usually, a military standoff sends border security temperatures soaring. But this time, it's talk of the possibility of the country losing a 4.6 square-kilometre overlapping area near Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia that has roused national fervour.

While the Abhisit government was busy fending off the myriad political threats to its survival, the unresolved territorial dispute over the historical ruins has continued to put the two countries' diplomatic ties on edge.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has even turned on one of its own men, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, for what it views as his being complacent. Such an attitude is in total contrast to the early days in office when Mr Kasit demonstrated how fired-up he was in guarding the country's territory.

Another person who has kept a watch on the Preah Vihear development is president of the Privy Council, General Prem Tinsulanonda. Gen Prem is reportedly concerned about the possibility of tensions spinning out of control if it is not attended to properly.

A source said former supreme commander Gen Mongkol Ampornpisit, one of Gen Prem's closest aides, paid a visit to Chuan Leekpai, the former prime minister and chief adviser of the ruling Democrat Party, at the party's headquarters in August, to convey Gen Prem's concern over the border developments.

Gen Prem's worry could have been the nudge that spurred Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva into instructing Mr Kasit to organise a TV broadcast assuring the Thai public that the country has not yet lost a single inch of land area in regard to the Preah Vihear dispute.

Last week, Mr Abhisit and Mr Kasit asked Second Army commander Lt Gen Wibulsak Neepal to update them on the latest situation.

The meeting reportedly included a discussion on plans to reduce the size of Thai troops stationed at the 4.6 sqkm no man's land buffering the border. The troop reduction proposal would require parliamentary approval before it is put on the table for another round of discussions with Phnom Penh.

Mr Kasit subsequently led a trip to Preah Vihear, the first in many years by a foreign minister. The visit was widely covered by the media. Mr Kasit set off on foot to Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri temple where he met Cambodia's deputy supreme commander Gen Chea Dara, reputed to be Prime Minister Hun Sen's right-hand man. It is believed that the way to gain favourable terms with Mr Hun Sen is through this general. Securing that vital connection with the Cambodian leadership is in order, as the government seems more desperate now than ever to rebut the PAD's insistence that Thailand has tacitly ceded its sovereignty over the no man's land to Cambodia.

The PAD has argued that Cambodian soldiers have occupied much of the disputed land. Although Thai troops are also stationed in the area, it is the Cambodian team which is perceived as having a command-and-control advantage.

The PAD took matters into its own hands when, on Aug 28, core leader Veera Somkwamkid led a march of several hundred supporters on a trek up to the Mor E Daeng cliff located on the threshold of the Preah Vihear sanctuary.

The marchers were prevented from accessing the 4.6 sq km disputed zone. Eventually, the army agreed to permit eight of the group members, including Mr Veera, to enter the area. Mr Veera later concluded there were a few areas where Cambodian soldiers had indeed taken control and that the Thai military could do nothing. It was a de facto loss of our land, Mr Veera said.

He vowed to head another march to the hill-top sanctuary this Saturday, the very day when the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) plans to hold a major rally in Bangkok to mark the third anniversary of the Sept 19 military coup.

The PAD's planned march has alarmed army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda. He is concerned that if any trekker were to be "captured" by the Cambodian soldiers, the incident would set off a chain of reaction that could have far-reaching consequences on national security and bilateral relations.

Mr Veera has reportedly distributed leaflets to villagers in provinces close to Preah Vihear in an apparent bid to drum up local support "to reclaim Thailand's rightful ownership" of the ancient Hindu temple and the disputed land.

The military has coordinated with the provincial authorities in recruiting volunteers to keep the Veera march from trespassing into sensitive areas. No military personnel will be deployed as crowd control, so as to prevent any untoward incident and preclude any claims that the military was using force against the PAD members, a military officer revealed.

The source added that, after all, the march may simply be intended to steal the public spotlight from the gathering by its rival the UDD in Bangkok on the same day.

A high-level source in the army conceded the significance of the Preah Vihear issue has been somewhat uderplayed by the government and the Foreign Ministry. The military has tried to mend fences with Cambodia and cool the bilateral heat, although any reduction of troops in the disputed area would be for the government to decide. Still, the same source maintained that the military was also wary about the Preah Vihear affair becoming further complicated by the country's internal politics.

The trouble with the disputed area is that Cambodian soldiers and villagers had constructed houses and shops there long before the Thai troops started to make a "counter-presence".

The Cambodian occupants had taken root in the area since 1999, whereas the Thai soldiers have only gone into the zone in July last year.

The source said the Cambodian occupants are uncompromising in their stand that the disputed land belongs to their country and that they were only allowing the Thai soldiers to "stay" there temporarily.

The best the Thai soldiers can do now is practice restraint, stand their ground and refuse to see the border land chiselled away.

Wassana Nanuam reports on military affairs for the Bangkok Post.

[Prawit Wongsuwon:] Troop pullout 'not on agenda'

27/06/2009
By WASSANA NANUAM
Bangkok Post

The Defence Ministry will not discuss the withdrawal of Thai troops from the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple ruins during the Thai delegation's visit to Phnom Penh today.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon made clear the stance yesterday in response to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's condition that he would discuss the temple issue only if it concerned the withdrawal of Thai soldiers.

The Thai delegation of about 15 officials, including Gen Prawit and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, is set to arrive in Phnom Penh today for talks after Thailand protested against the Unesco's World Heritage Committee's decision to register the Hindu temple ruins unilaterally on behalf of Cambodia last year.

Mr Suthep said yesterday he would go to Cambodia as planned on a mission to clarify with Hun Sen Thailand's objections to the listing of the Preah Vihear temple ruins.

He said his trip was aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.

Gen Prawit told reporters that Thai troops had to remain in the 4.6-square-kilometre area around Preah Vihear because it belonged to Thailand and both nations had reached an agreement that the land dispute would be handled by the Joint Boundary Committee (JBC).

About 3,000 Thai soldiers entered the disputed area on July 15 last year after Unesco listed the Preah Vihear temple on behalf of Cambodia.

"The Thai cabinet considers Unesco as a peace-oriented organisation. The rules and regulations that govern the World Heritage listing must be recognised by both countries.

"We believe that Unesco failed to observe the rules and regulations, so we must protest against Unesco and demand it respond," Gen Prawit said.

In response to reports of Cambodia's military reinforcements in the area, army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda said yesterday that Thailand would not start any violent actions and would not be reckless.

Lt Gen Wibulsak Neepal, commander of the 2nd Army, said Cambodia had deployed a number of soldiers and heavy weaponry and its forces in the area were nearly double those of Thailand's.

However, he confirmed that Thai soldiers there were prepared for any eventuality.

Preah Vihear claims one more Thai soldier's leg

Thailand: Soldier Loses Limb In Land Mine Blast

2009-04-02
AP

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA: Thai and Cambodian military officials said a Thai soldier lost his leg after stepping on a land mine Thursday (2 April) but disagreed over which country he was in at the time, the latest flare-up in a tense border dispute.

The soldier was injured near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, which is on a cliff along the countries' ill-defined border and has been a source of conflict for decades.

Troops from both countries have been stationed at the border since July 2008, and two clashes near the temple last year sparked brief concerns of war.

According to Phnom Penh, the mine exploded after a group of Thai soldiers crossed into Cambodian territory. The blast prompted the soldiers to fire shots into the air and put Cambodian troops on alert, said Yim Kheang, a Cambodian soldier at the border.

"We have received an order from the commander that if Thai soldiers enter Cambodian territory (again), we have the right to open fire," he told The Associated Press.

Thai Maj. Gen. Tawatchai Samutsakorn disputed that account.

"The Thai troops were not in Cambodian territory," he told the AP, saying the wounded soldier was a 46-year old paramilitary trooper on a patrol near the border in Thailand's northeastern Sisaket province.

Stretches of the Thai-Cambodian border remain strewn with land mines from Cambodia's civil war in the 1970s.

Last week Cambodia accused some 100 Thai soldiers of entering Cambodia at the same location, and at one point said the two sides were getting ready to fight. Thailand insisted all was calm and the border had not been breached.

The two countries share a 500-mile (800-kilometer) land border, much of which has never been clearly demarcated because the countries refer to different maps.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Warlord & his Underpants

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the wev at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)