CAMBODIA: Residents flee as war fears stirred up

Cambodian military police try to maintain calm around Preah Vihear against possible panics (Photo: Geoffrey Cain/IRIN)

PHNOM PENH AND PREAH VIHEAR, 20 October 2008 (IRIN) - After three Cambodian soldiers were killed in an intense gun battle with Thai troops at Veal Antri on 15 October, Cambodians have been fleeing their homes at the border, fearing more violence.

At the same time, several hundred Thai residents have left the country.

"Everyone left last week and there are not many people left. I fear for my safety. Someone could break into my home," Kosal, who owns a guesthouse in the border town of O'Smach, told IRIN.

Robbers have taken advantage of the situation, stealing motorbikes and raising fears that homes could be looted, the Phnom Penh Post reported on 17 October.

The gunfire exchange came during a three-month border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over the ownership of the Preah Vihear temple.

"This panic is a natural reaction to the noise of the clash, because Cambodians have been used to peace for over a decade," Ngoeun Pen, adviser to the Council of Ministers in Cambodia, told IRIN.

Pen could not confirm reports, however, that border residents were fleeing.

Reports indicate troops fired small arms and rocket launchers, with one Thai army helicopter opening fire on Cambodian troops. Neither side took responsibility for firing first.

Both governments have attempted several negotiations since July – including seeking intervention from the UN Security Council – but have found no solution. The Cambodian government has rejected calls for mediation by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), citing Thailand's leadership role in the regional bloc.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued an ultimatum on 13 October to the Thai government to remove its troops or risk "full-scale armed conflict".

Since the 15 October battle, he has not mentioned the ultimatum, instead urging Cambodians living in border towns to remain calm while both sides engage in talks.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed concern over the exchange of gunfire, urging both sides to "exercise utmost restraint" and "expedite bilateral talks so that their differences can be resolved peacefully".

Both sides have been digging trenches and increasing their troop presence before the scheduled negotiations, the Phnom Penh Post reported on 20 October.

Many Thais and Cambodians still get along despite Wednesday's skirmish, as these opposing soldiers take a break together (Photo: Geoffrey Cain/IRIN)

Retribution fears

An estimated 500 to 700 Thai nationals out of 1,400 have left Cambodia, Kamrob Palawatwichai, press secretary for the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, told IRIN.

Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat advised Thai nationals to return home if it is not "immediately necessary" for them to stay in Cambodia. An evacuation plan was also in place should tensions escalate.

"Under Cambodian law, Thai nationals are protected along with all foreigners," Pen told IRIN. "We do not express any anger towards Thais over the clash as we seek a peaceful resolution."

"I am worried about the situation, but mostly as a precaution," one Thai citizen living in Cambodia, who requested her name not be revealed, told IRIN.

But unlike some, she sees no need to leave the country because she thinks no immediate threat exists.

The tensions stir up memories of anti-Thai riots in 2003 that led to the torching of the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh. The riots began when false reports were circulated that a Thai celebrity claimed the famed Angkor Wat temple was of Thai heritage, prompting Cambodian demonstrators to take to the streets, destroying Thai businesses.

"None of us expected the small problems would become so big," the woman told IRIN. "There were no winners in the situation. Thais lost good feelings, good friends, property, and almost some lives.

"I know most Cambodians are not extremely nationalistic, and that we can find a more intelligent way to solve this problem," she added. "My generation of Thais doesn't care about getting Preah Vihear. It's just stones."

She is one of the first Thai nationals to arrive in Cambodia, having settled in 1990 when the country was still closed under Hun Sen.

"Back then, I never felt tensions between Thais and Cambodians. Cambodians referred to us [Thais] as long-lost brothers and sisters," she said, referring to the first arrival of foreigners after the country was closed under the Maoist Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979.

Cambodia's youth see politics as a pointless, dangerous game

Young people on the campaign trail for Funcinpec in Sihanoukville. (Photo: VANDY RATTANA)

Thursday, 28 August 2008
Written by Mom Kunthear
The Phnom Penh Post

Young voters express frustration over the Kingdom's predictably confrontational politics and say fear of reprisal and self-interest keep them silent in public and absent from the polls

AS demographic data for July's election are still being tabulated, many younger voters are expressing pessimism, apathy and fear towards politics.

While some said they pay scant attention to how their nation is run, others said they follow the national discourse but are too afraid to join in.

"Of course I'm afraid for my security when I talk about politics because I'm risking my life - I can be killed, just like some political heroes who died over politics," said Ham Kimhoun, a 25-year-old who works with a local NGO.

He said his peers are uninterested in politics, focusing their attention elsewhere. "I see a lot of youths who think that politics is pointless, and they're only concerned with studies, work and their lifestyle, more so than politics," Ham Kimhoun said.

The last available figures for youth voting, from the 2007 commune election, show a low turnout, although voter participation is normally likely to be lower in non-national contests. Tep Nytha, secretary general of the National Election Committee, said that in the commune polls, just 3.2 percent of eligible voters aged 18-35 cast ballots, which translates to some 265,000 young people hitting the polling booths.

However, for the July 27 national election, Moa Pouthyroth, program coordinator of Youth Council of Cambodia (YCC), said her group, which worked in eight provinces and the capital, noticed large numbers of younger voters at the polls.

She estimated about 70 percent of eligible young voters cast their ballots. Until official numbers are available, it is impossible to verify this estimate.

Tailor Korn Channavy, 24, said she's never cared about politics and that what's most important for her is money. "Politics is useless and worthless for me to think and care about. My top priorities are money and work, because that's what will help me improve my lifestyle," she said.

[National politics] Resembles theatre: sometimes comedy, sometimes tragedy.

"Politicians only ever think of what benefits them, so I do too," she added. "My time is valuable; I don't waste it talking or thinking about politics."

Thon Saykhim, 20, a national youth coordinator for Khmer Youth and Social Development, said she finds politics frustrating and repetitive. "I'm fed up with national politics," she said. "Politicians don't think about the country's development; they're only concerned with power." She added that post-election disputes are the norm for Cambodia, from mandate to mandate.

Without expressing support for any party, she said "the opposition party often protests the ruling party but neglects their own shortcomings, and equally, the government is overly proud about their power. The parties don't understand each other".

Heng Thou of the Advocacy and Policy Institute said national politics "resembles theatre: sometimes comedy and sometimes drama".

She said she talks about politics with friends and co-workers, but she doesn't speak her mind in public because it's not safe. "A lot of people have been killed for talking about politics. Our country is not that free," she said.

Seng Rithy, director of education and advocacy at the Khmer Youth Association, lamented the culture of fear as an obstacle for youth participation in politics.

"It isn't right to threaten people for discussing politics," he said. "It's not a good environment for youths now, and for the future, because they're not free to discuss and exchange ideas and opinions."