Failure of the Siem Reap talk [-Thai officials declared themselves "INCOMPETENT" on border issues]

23 Oct 2008
By Ung Chamroeun in Siem Reap
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French

Military officials participated in the meeting for border cooperation on 23 October, however, Thai officials declared themselves “incompetent” when the border issues came up.

General Chea Morn, responsible for Cambodian army region 4, and General Wiboonsak Neeparn, the representative of the Thai military authorities for zone 2, met each other on Thursday 23 October in Siem Reap.

The meeting of the representatives of the border zones (Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom for Cambodia; Surin, Buriram, Ubon and Si Sa Ket for Thailand) takes place at regular interval to discuss about economy and security.

“When we started talking about the border issue, at about 3:00 PM, the Thai party put an end to the meeting, saying that it did not have the competency to discuss this issue,” a participant of the meeting told “Cambodge Soir Hebdo.”

“Normally, during these meetings, we discuss mainly about trade and tourism, but this time, we will focus on border tension,” Neang Phath, the secretary of state for the Ministry of Defense, said in the morning.

This is the 11th meeting of this type, participants will meet again on Friday 24 October, but the agenda has not been established yet.

Hun Sen and Somchai Wongsawat should be talking about the Preah Vihear issue on Friday 24 October in Beijing as well. The two men travelled there for the ASEAN-European summit meeting.

Tenuous truce between Thailand and Cambodia along border

10/17/2008
THAILAND – CAMBODIA

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appeals for dialogue, but military tensions remain high. A patch or border land near the Preah Vihear Temple is at the centre of their dispute. Thailand’s political crisis shows no signs of abating amidst fears of another military coup.

Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an armed truce following a border incident on Wednesday in the area near the Preah Vihear Temple that left two Cambodian soldiers dead and several soldiers wounded on both sides. Against this backdrop Thailand continues to be torn by its domestic crisis amidst fear of a military coup after the prime minister rejected a demand by the army chief to resign.

This morning Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said: “We can still talk to each other and are not yet enemies unwilling to talk to each other at all. [. . .] There is no large-scale war occurring."

Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkumnerd said military officials from the two sides agreed Thursday to hold joint patrols to reduce tension and the chances of another clash.

However, General Ke Kim Yan, commander in chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, denied that any deal for joint patrols had been reached.

He said the two countries had only agreed to maintain their current troop deployments in the disputed area and inform each other about any troop movements to prevent further misunderstandings.

Thai military command blamed Cambodia for the incident, saying that Thai soldiers encountered their Cambodian counterpart who fired upon them. In reacting to the aggression the Thai side killed two Cambodian soldiers.

As a result of the clash thousands of Cambodian villagers in the area near the Preah Vihear temple have fled their homes amid fears of more violence.

For its part the Thai government has urged its citizens in Cambodia to leave as soon as possible.

Tensions between the two neighbours worsened in August when UNESCO declared Preah Vihear Temple a world heritage site. The place of worship is atop a hill and was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.

The surrounding area (4.5 km2) however is part of disputed territory with great tourist potential.

In Thailand itself the ongoing political crisis shows no sign of being resolved.

Hounded by the opposition that wants his resignation Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said today that he will not quit and leave office, resisting calls from army Chief Anupong Paochinda to quit.

Yesterday Anupong said that Somchai should resign to take responsibility for violent street battles on 7 October that pitted police against protesters in which two people died and hundreds were injured.

He also said that the armed forces had no plan to directly intervene at the moment.

PM sees dispute easing with operations level military talks [-Somchai is dreaming: nothing was agreed upon yet]

It looks like Somchai did not read AFP news, because if he was, he would have seen this photo of arrested Thai soldiers, wearing black, sit with Cambodian soldiers after the firefight. In addition to the two Cambodian soldiers killed, three were injured, and five Thai soldiers were injured. (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP/Getty Images)

BANGKOK, Oct 17 (TNA) – Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat on Thursday expressed optimism that the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand would ease after the commanders of military units from both countries talked directly with each other.

He believed the border conflict will not escalate because the military units at the scene from both countries have had good relations for years.

They clashed in the disputed area because they have the duty to protect their national territories, said Mr. Somchai, who is also Thailand's defense minister.

"It is a good sign that military officials of both sides have an opportunity to talk with each other. It is not worrying now," he said.

On the scene officials from both countries should talk more often, Mr. Somchai advised.

"Official-level talks will finally lead to a further meeting of top military commanders," he said.

However, the prime minister did not say that the talks would solve the problem. Asked when he would meet with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen, the Thai premier said he was waiting for an appropriate time.

Mr. Somchai said he is confident that the military officials at all levels of both countries are able to talk together for "a proper understanding", but that on-location operations commanders and government officials must be encouraged to talk with each other first.

He said he must visit ASEAN member countries to introduce himself to the region as having assumed the premiership, but the schedule has been postponed until various problems the country is facing both domestically and abroad are addressed.

Regarding reports that a group of Thai soldiers were captured during the border clashes, the premier said he had asked military commanders at the scene, who said they had no knowledge of such an occurance having actually taken place.

The premier affirmed that Thailand and Cambodia are still good neighbors.

Along tense border, armies back away

Friday, October 17, 2008
By Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

Thailand and Cambodia agreed on Thursday to joint patrols and left the more serious issue of troop reductions to the next round of talks aimed at easing tensions at their disputed border.

The decision was reached in five hours of negotiations under the Regional Border Committee between Second Army commander Lt-Gen Wiboonsak Neeparn and Cambodian Fourth Army chif Gen Chea Mon at the tourist service centre on Pha Mor E Daeng in Si Sa Ket.

Both sides will resume talks in Siem Reap next Tuesday, said Supreme Commander Gen Songkitti Chakkabatr.

At this stage, both sides will keep their troops in the area and have joint patrols, Gen Songkitti added. But he cautioned that Thai soldiers were ready to protect the country if it was invaded.

Lt-Gen Wiboonsak said joint patrols would be introduced to "prevent this kind of incident from happening again".

"We did not make much progress. Troops on both sides will stay where they are," he said.

The fighting between the two countries on Wednesday at Phu Ma Khua and Pha Mor E Daeng came after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday gave Thailand an ultimatum to withdraw its soldiers from the disputed area. Thailand insists it is part of Thai territory.

Seven Thai troops were injured and two Cambodian soldiers died in the clashes.

Army deputy spokesman Col Werachon Sukondhapatipak said no Thai soldiers were captured as claimed by Cambodia. The soldiers in the pictures were stationed at Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda near the Preah Vihear temple.

Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh called the outcome "a good result". "We understood each other," he said. "We cannot patrol individually because it could lead to a misunderstanding."

The clashes caused concern at the United Nations and among the international community

In a statement, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the two countries to "exercise utmost restraint and expedite bilateral talks so that their differences can be resolved peacefully."

There are 1,000 Thais in Phnom Penh and about 500 in Siem Reap.

Thai ambassador to Cambodia Viraphand Vacharathit said about 600 Thais had returned to Thailand after the Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that Thais who did not need to stay in Cambodia should return to the kingdom.

Cambodian riot police were deployed in front of the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, which was set on fire by anti-Thai rioters in 2003.

Cambodian Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said undercover police were monitoring Thai businesses to ensure their safety.

"We're protecting all Thai businessmen and citizens in Cambodia in case our people get furious and do something wrong that would not benefit either side," Khieu Sopheak said.

The current stand-off first flared in July after Preah Vihear was awarded World Heritage status, angering some nationalist Thais who claim Thailand 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 main disputed area. (with Agency reports)

Cambodian army source: 6 Thai soldiers killed

General Srey Doeuk leading Cambodian and Thai generals and staff to a pagoda near Preah Vihear temple on 16 October 2008 (Photo: AFP)

Cambodian and Thai army chiefs hold talks on armed confrontation

16 Oct 2008
By Moeung Tum
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Cambodian and Thai army chiefs held talks for 5 hours in Thailand near Preah Vihear temple on Thursday to try to resolve the armed confrontation between the two countries.

General Srey Doeuk indicated that the two sides agreed to maintain the situation in the various zones near Preah Vihear temple as it was before the fighting took place.

Furthermore, at the Prolean Entry (Eagle Field) area, the two sides agreed to maintain Cambodian troops where they are currently stationed, and Thai troops will stop trying to move into the area.

A Cambodian officer indicated that during yesterday’s fight, 6 Thai soldiers were killed.

Thai Border Talks Produce No Results

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong addresses reporters following talks with his Thai counterpart Monday.

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
13 October 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

The foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand on Monday failed to reach bilateral agreement on an ongoing dispute involving thousands of armed troops along the border that has led to at least one clash in recent weeks.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong met with Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat in Phnom Penh, following a brief skirmish in which both Thai and Cambodian soldiers were wounded near Preah Vihear temple early this month.

Cambodia said in a statement Monday it wanted an immediate meeting between task forces on each side for the “redeployment” of troops at a pagoda near Preah Vihear temple; the withdrawal of Thai troops from two temples in Oddar Meanchey’s Ta Moan temple complex; and that a third in the complex, Ta Krabey, remain unoccupied.

The standoff between the two countries began in July over the inclusion of Preah Vihear temple, and observers warn that a protracted standoff could end in violence.

Hor Namhong said ahead of Monday’s meeting failure to reach an agreement on the border could lead to a round of Cambodian appeals among the international community.

Sompong was to take Cambodia’s requests to the Thai government for consideration, a Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.