Golden memories . . . Dangrek Range and Prasat Preah Vihear

Arial view of Prasat Preah Vihear - Image google

Gathering Lustral Water at Preah Vihear's sacred pond Srea Meas - image devata.org

The troupe of Nginn Karet Foundation dancers gather at Preah Vihear - image devata.org

Khmer Prasat Preah Vihear temple sits atop the Dangrek escarpment. Colonial France and French geographers had found the physical features provided by the Dangrek Range a convenient natural boundary marker in territorial settlement between "French Indochina" and Siam, and although both the temple and the Range have come to denote the frontier dividing two nations in modern time, their historical significance might have rested with the centrality of the geography as mid-point and centre or heart of the vast Khmer Empire. The  Temple's long north-south axis construction perching atop the narrow cliff - unlike most Khmer temples built in a rectangular mode and facing east - affording a hemispheric overview of the great plains/plateaus immediately to either side of the Range also alludes to, or perhaps, underscores the structure's strategic significance as the Empire's guarding post and watch tower - School of Vice [credit: google]

Prasat Preah Vihear

 Khmer Song 

Preah Vihear dispute weighs on army brass

Bangkok Post, May 24, 2012

The uncertain situation on the border with Cambodia could be why the army will enjoy the largest chunk of the defence budget in the next fiscal year.

Supreme Commander Gen Tanasak Patimapakorn, left, and Royal Thai Armed Forces’ Chief of Staff Gen Worapong Sa-nganet, second right, are the two key men handling the Preah Vihear issue. WASSANA NANUAM

The defence budget in the 2013 budget bill is set at 180 billion baht, 88.8 billion of which is earmarked for the army alone. Most of the army budget _ 87.45 billion baht _ will be used for security preparations on the front lines with all neighbours with a focus on the eastern neighbour, as both are entangled in the controversy over the Preah Vihear issue. The International Court of Justice is expected to rule on the sovereignty of disputed land around the Hindu temple early next month.

The government, led by the Pheu Thai Party and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, is on good terms with Cambodia due to amicable ties between her brother Thaksin and Cambodian leader Hun Sen, after rocky relations persisted during the previous administration.

Part of the budget will be used to bolster cooperation, including meetings, formal and informal visits, and humanitarian and military aid for Thailand's neighbours. But a source at the Defence Ministry said other objectives of future spending will be geared towards border security preparations with the priority area having been set on the Thai-Cambodian border.

Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered the 2nd Army Region and the Suranaree Task Force to stay alert even before the 2013 budget, now in parliament, is approved by lawmakers. The navy and air force also are ready in case border clashes resume.

Thailand's military budget is small compared to other Southeast Asian nations.

"Our defence budget cannot match that in many countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia or Myanmar," the source said. "Their defence budgets are around 5% of GDP. Ours in 2013 is only 1.44%, although we should get up to 2% of GDP."

The budget includes no allocations for new arms purchases, the source said.

Another military source on the border with Cambodia said around 2,000 troops from each side are stationed in the area near Preah Vihear with no signs of cuts. The only obvious moves are when the two countries rotate their personnel to keep soldiers fresh as they never know what will happen in the future.

Cambodia has conducted a military exercise deep inside its frontier and Thailand undertook its Command Post Exercise with the participation of all three armed forces plus the Royal Thai Armed Forces _ formerly known as the Supreme Command _ last month and two more will be held next month and in July. "We have no intention to stage a war with anyone. We only make ourselves ready in all areas because we have no idea what our neighbours, particularly Cambodia, have in mind," a source at the Royal Thai Armed Forces said.

Thailand has reason to worry as a troop withdrawal from the area claimed by the two countries has not taken place despite an injunction from the World Court until the ruling is handed down. That could make Phnom Penh unhappy, which might interpret the move as an attempt by the Thai Army to drag its feet on this issue.

The army's reluctance is making the government uncomfortable and that was reflected in the Foreign Ministry's position which called on the army to strictly follow the court's temporary order for fear that failing to do so could paint a negative image of Thailand as a "bad boy", which could possibly affect the court's decision next year. But a source at the Defence Ministry said "the army will follow the court's direction because we want to be a 'good boy'. But we have procedures to do it."

In an attempt to restore peace between the two countries, Asean has already agreed to send Indonesian observers into the disputed area.

Supreme Commander Tanasak Patimapakorn, serious about the dispute, is paying extra attention to the Joint Working Group (JWG) which is negotiating the issue with Cambodia. He selected Worapong Sa-nganet, his close friend at the Armed Forces Academics Preparatory School's Class 12, who is the Royal Thai Armed Forces' chief of staff, to be the team leader in the group. The first meeting with Cambodia was held on April 4-5 in Bangkok with Cambodian Deputy Defence Minister Nieng Pad as the counterpart to Gen Tanasak. But the maiden talks did not touch on a troop withdrawal, and the only outcome was an agreement to clear landmines in the area.

The decision to omit the troop withdrawals may have been due to better ties between the two countries. That was reflected in Gen Tanasak's statement made at the armed forces leaders' meeting on the border issue at the air force head office last week. "Ties between Thailand and Cambodia have been improving over the past nine or 10 months. What happened before that was an accident. Now we can talk and clear up any doubts," he said.

"If the policy of the Foreign Ministry and the government is to allow Indonesian observers to observe the situation, the armed forces will do it. But the best way is to see the two countries talk it over first," he added.

The army's reluctance stems in part from military leaders wanting to avoid going down in history as the ones responsible for withdrawing troops or giving up land claimed by Thailand.

Gen Tanasak has said the Indonesian observers are not needed.

Once they are there, Thailand will have to ask for permission to enter the area and that implicitly means Thailand has lost its territory, he said.

This issue is expected to be high on the agenda when Defence Minister ACM Sukumpol Suwanatat meets privately with Hun Sen during the Asean Defence Minister Meeting in Phnom Penh on Monday and Tuesday, although the main issue at the talks is the signing of an agreement to foster unity and security cooperation to build trust among the bloc's 10 members.

A source said the Southeast Asian defence ministers will set up the National Centre for Peacekeeping Force, Mine and Explosive Remnants of War Clearance to showcase how serious Cambodia is in clearing landmines in the disputed area in line with the JWG's agreement last month. Gen Worapong said the second JWG meeting will be held soon in Phnom Penh after Gen Nieng Pad sets the date to turn the mine clearance deal into reality.

Ties between the two countries are smooth due to close relations between leaders in Bangkok and Phnom Penh. But the different approaches of the Thai government and the armed forces on the troops in the area near Preah Vihear could become a big issue as military leaders have vowed to protect sovereignty over the disputed land. The issue could even become controversial in the future if the People's Alliance for Democracy moves against the attempt to withdraw soldiers from the area.

Protesters stymied in march to PM’s house

Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Phak Seangly
The Phnom Penh Post

Police blocked more than 100 protesters from Preah Vihear’s Svay Chrum village from approaching the prime minister’s home yesterday in Phnom Penh, in an attempt to submit a letter asking the premier to resolve their recent land eviction.

This is the third time in nearly three weeks the protesters have gathered in Phnom Penh after the National Authority of Preah Vihear began destroying their homes in the Choam Ksan district to create space for government offices, in late December.

The residents were forced to move to a nearby village, which they said lacks basic amenities and infastructure.

COMFREL Release the Result of Workshop on Voter's Voice in Preah Vihear and Mondulkiri province

Dear all,

COMFREL is please to release its press release on the result of workshop on voter's voice in remote areas; 1-Romonear commune, Sen Monorom district, Mondulkiri province was held on November 15, 2011 and 2-Po commune, Tbaeng Meanchey district, and Preah Vihear province was held on November 18, 2011.

Please see the attached document for details.

FYI : If you need releases or articles related to workshop on voter's voices, elections reforms, democracy/political reforms, decentralisation and governance, please feel free to visit our website :

www.comfrel.org

Best regards,

COMFREL


http://www.box.com/s/15nvjkl1j4ch91nhu40h


http://www.box.com/s/bf6jyet4zdf5uqxe4dvq

On the borderline

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx7WoY_MTC8

An ancient temple on the border between Thailand and Cambodia is at the heart of a deadly territorial dispute.

25 Jun 2011

101 East

An ancient temple on the border between Thailand and Cambodia is at the heart of a deadly territorial dispute, creating some of the fiercest fighting in southeast Asia for years.

Twenty-seven people have been killed since February in clashes along the border, while many more have been injured and tens of thousands of villagers have been forced to flee.

Both governments claim ownership of the 4.6 square kilometres of land surrounding the temple. But some say nationalism and domestic politics are the real driving forces behind the conflict.

On this edition of 101 East, we go to both sides of the borderline to look at the fight for Preah Vihear.

Who suffers the most from the conflict?

Cambodia, Thailand border spat heads to UN court

5/19/2011
Agence France-Presse

The UN's highest court is to have public hearings later this month after Cambodia requested an order against Thailand to withdraw its troops from a disputed border area, the court said Thursday.

Locked in a bitter quarrel with Thailand over an patch of land around the ancient Preah Vihear temple, Cambodia late last month filed the urgent request before the International Court of Justice, based in The Hague.

"The International Court of Justice will hold public hearings in the case," the ICJ said in a statement adding the hearings "will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures filed by Cambodia."

"This means the hearing will focus specifically on Cambodia's urgent request for an order for Thai troop withdrawal," a source close to the court told AFP.

Viet companies continue to destroy Prey Lang

Prey Lang destruction is going unabated as shown on this 13 March 2011 photo (Photo: Uon Chhin, RFA)

14 March 2011
By Tin Zakariya
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer

The demands made by people living in the Prey Lang forest community, asking Vietnamese companies to stop their forest destruction activities, have not met with any result up to now.

One SRP MP from Kampong Thom province indicated on 13 March that he will take the complaints from people living in the Prey Lang forest in 4 provinces to give to the president of the National Assembly and to Hun Xen at the beginning of next week. The complaints ask for intervention to stop the Viet companies from destroying Prey Lang forest as such destruction affects the livelihood of the people.

Men Sothavrin, an opposition MP from Kampong Thom, indicated that, as a representative of the people and as a citizen, he plans to send a complaint to the president of the National Assembly and to the prime minister because there is no resolution to the problem caused by the Viet companies which are still destroying the Prey Lang forest. The Viet companies’ activities affect the livelihood of the people: “It destroys the environment, it destroys Prey lang. I will write to the prime minister, only him can resolve this problem.”

STRONG MAN OF CAMBODIA always finds himself hard to walk and stand up on his own feet!

Hoon Xen (C) is assisted as he walks down a steps during a visit to the Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, 500kms north of Phnom Penh, near the disputed border with Thailand, on February 6, 2010. Hun Sen visited a disputed border area with Thailand, angering the neighbouring nation amid an ongoing diplomatic spat. The Cambodian prime minister began a tour of the area close to the ancient Preah Vihear temple at the centre of the land dispute by opening a school and giving supplies to villagers caught up in violence last year between the two countries’ troops. AFP PHOTO/TANG CHHIN SOTHY (Photo credit should read TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP/Getty Images)

Governor backs NGO on abuse allegations

Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post

Click here to read on what the villagers and Adhoc have to say about DARPO/ADSP which is headed by a powerful CPP 2-star general-businessman.

THE governor of Preah Vihear province yesterday moved to quash allegations that a local NGO was guilty of ongoing human rights violations in the province.

Last week, local rights group Adhoc deployed human rights monitors to Preah Vihear to investigate complaints filed by 57 villagers, who say that employees of an NGO identified as the Drugs and AIDS Research and Prevention Organisation had committed acts of rape, land-grabbing, violence and intimidation.

Chan Saveth, a senior monitor for Adhoc, said the government had granted DARPO a 556-hectare social land concession in Choam Khsan district in 2007, in a move intended to aid poor families in the area.

Chan Saveth said yesterday that he could not disclose information about the investigation because it was ongoing, but that Adhoc would “continue to consult with local authorities” on the issue.

But Provincial governor Sar Thavy yesterday denied that such violations would occur in Preah Vihear.

“There is nothing like that here, and we, the local authorities, would not allow such serious human rights violations to happen in this modern age,” he said.

“We are waiting to see the faces of the victims and waiting for their official complaints before proceeding with our work and investigation.”

Interior Ministry Spokesman Khieu Sopheak urged any victims to file complaints in order to ensure that they are properly investigated by the authorities.

Tour To Start On Late Mass. Cambodian Monk's Book

Mar 28, 2010

LOWELL, Mass. (AP) ― Organizers behind the publication of a poetry collection by a late Lowell Cambodian monk are scheduled to launch a nationwide tour promoting the book.

The Light of Cambodian Children and Cambodian Expressions will release the book by Ly Van Aggadipo (AHG'-gah-DEE'-poh) on Thursday at Middlesex Community College in Lowell.

The book describes the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime through the eyes of Ly Van, who died in January 2008.

Following the Lowell event are stops in Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Paul, Minn., and Long Beach, Calif. Tour stops will feature readings and accompanying musical performances by two Cambodian artists.

The book's editor, Samkhann Khoeun (SAM'-Khan COW'-un), said the tour will bring the monk's story to various Cambodian American communities across the country.

Preah Vihear temple raises Thai-Cambodian tensions

After last October’s clashes, which left four soldiers dead, the movement of 100 Thai troops into the disputed area causes alarm. Both governments try to downplay the incident.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand flared up suddenly today when Thai troops crossed into a disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple claimed by both countries. Last October, clashes left four soldiers dead.

Thai soldiers entered the area where they were faced by Cambodian troops, but both sides quickly issued statements in order to avoid clashes.

"We are trying to push the Thais back to their border through negotiation. We do not want violence again,” Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said.

“Both sides move their troops from time to time. We inform our Cambodian friends of our movements and vice versa,” Major General Kanok NetraKaveysana said.

An old Hindu temple, Preah Vihear was built in the 12th century.

Sitting on an escarpment the temple became an issue when in July of last year UNESCO decided to list it as a World Heritage Site. The International Court of Justice had already awarded it to Cambodia in 1962.

The original ruling did not however determine the ownership of a 4.6 sq km area of scrub next to the ruins.

In the wake of last October’s clashes Thailand and Cambodia agreed to demarcate the border once for all.

Thai troops 'cross into Cambodia'

Wednesday, 25 March 2009
BBC News

Thai soldiers have reportedly entered Cambodia near a disputed temple where the two sides briefly exchanged fire last year.

A spokesman for Cambodia's government said that about 100 troops had crossed the border.

A Thai border commander denied there had been any troop movements and said there had been no increase in tension.

Thailand and Cambodia both lay claim to the temple area. Despite several rounds of talks, a settlement remains elusive.

Soldiers from the two countries have been stationed in the area since the clashes in July last year.

Temple tensions

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan told reporters that Thai troops had gone about a kilometre into Cambodian territory.

"We are negotiating with their commanders to ask them to leave the area now because it is Cambodian territory," he said.

Col Pichit Nakarun, a Thai army commander at the border, denied any Thai troops had crossed the border.

"The situation is not more tense than usual," he told the Associated Press.

An international court awarded the Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962 but land surrounding it remains the subject of rival territorial claims.

Last year Unesco decided to list it as a World Heritage Site, reigniting lingering tensions over unresolved border disputes.

Thai troops moved into an area both sides claim after Cambodian guards arrested three Thai protesters there.

Both sides then rapidly increased their military presence at the site, and in October two Cambodian soldiers were killed in an exchange of gunfire.

Cambodia threatens retaliation, say Thai soldiers crossed border

Wed, 25 Mar 2009
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia on Wednesday threatened to use military force against up to 80 Thai soldiers who reportedly entered a disputed border region and set up camp, officials said. Government spokesman Phay Siphan said Cambodian military police threatened to open fire unless the Thai soldiers retreated from the area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple site, where a fatal skirmish between Cambodia and Thailand erupted last year.

The Thai soldiers entered the area Wednesday afternoon and were immediately confronted by Cambodian military police, Phay Siphan said.

He said Cambodian military officials were negotiating with their Thai counterparts to prevent an armed confrontation.

A Cambodian military police officer who asked not to be named said hundreds of additional Thai soldiers were stationed on the other side of the border.

Both countries say the 11th-century Hindu temple falls within their borders, and the South-East Asian neighbours amassed troops along the border in July after UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage Site.

Thai, Cambodian troops face off again near temple

PHNOM PENH, March 25 (Reuters) - Thai and Cambodian soldiers faced each other near a 900-year-old Hindu temple on their disputed border on Wednesday, but both sides pledged to avoid a repeat of last year's armed clashes.

Tensions rose when 100 Thai troops crossed into a disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple and were stopped by Cambodian soldiers, Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said.

"We are trying to push the Thais back to their border through negotiation. We do not want violence again," he said, referring to a firefight that killed 4 soldiers last October.

Thailand's military commander in the area said the troop movements were routine.

"Both sides move their troops from time to time. We inform our Cambodian friends of our movements and vice versa," Major General Kanok NetraKaveysana told Reuters.

The border had been quiet for months while the Southeast Asian neighbours sought to jointly demarcate the jungle-clad area where one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers died in last year's exchange of rifle and rocket fire.

Cambodia's deputy military commander in chief, General Kun Kim, said the Thais had only entered the disputed area and had not crossed into Cambodian territory.

"We would have shot the Thai soldiers if they had crossed into our land," he told Reuters by telephone from the border.

Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand, sits on an escarpment that forms the natural border between the two countries and has been a source of tension for generations.

The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but the ruling did not determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.

Thai soldiers pull back from encroachment into Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Mar. 25, 2009 (Kyodo News International) -- A tense standoff between Thai and Cambodian troops ended late Wednesday afternoon when as many as 100 fully armed Thai soldiers pulled back from Cambodian territory near a disputed border temple.

Gen. Yim Pim, commander of Cambodia's Brigade 43 in the area, told Kyodo News the Thai troops returned to their previous position around 5 p.m., about four hours after crossing into Cambodian territory.

The general said that after negotiations between the two sides the Thai troops agreed to leave the dispute up to a joint Cambodian-Thai border commission.

Earlier Wednesday, Phay Siphan, spokesman for Cambodia's Council of Ministers, told Kyodo News the Thai troops crossed into Cambodia at 1:45 p.m. at a site known as Eagle Field where the Cambodian and Thai militaries had a tense confrontation last year.

Eagle Field is about 2 kilometers west of the disputed Preah Vihear Temple.

Initial reports said the Thai troops planned to reoccupy the area, but the Cambodians wanted them to return to their previous position about 800 meters away.

In Bangkok, Thai army sources rejected Cambodia's version of the incursion.

In late February, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with his Thai counterpart on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Thailand, during which the two leaders reaffirmed their intent to solve the seven-month-old border dispute, but they set no deadline.

The area near Preah Vihear Temple was the scene of a tense standoff between Cambodian and Thai armed forces that left several dead on both sides. The situation has since eased, but the military presence remains.

The Cambodian government insists that Thai troops are deployed on Cambodian soil, while Thailand says its troops are only in a disputed zone.

Since the border issue erupted last year, many rounds of talks at different levels, including at the defense and foreign ministerial levels, have been held but a concrete agreement or solution has proved elusive.

Senior Thai army officer denies news report of troop crossing Cambodian border

BANGKOK, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's senior army officer denied on Wednesday a news report, which said that Thailand's troop did cross the border to Cambodia.

According to the news report by a foreign news agency, Cambodian officials disclosed that on Wednesday Thai soldiers had entered into Cambodia near a disputed temple, where the two neighboring countries briefly exchanged fire last year.

About 100 troops had crossed the border, the foreign news agency quoted a spokesman for Cambodia's Council of Ministers as saying.

But, Lt-Gen. Wiboonsak Neeparn, Thailand's Second Army Region commander refused the news report. Thai soldiers had just surveyed sources of water due to the drought problem, Lt-Gen. Wiboonsak told Xinhua during a telephone interview.

Significantly, the water sources are located on an area which has not been demarcated, said the Thai Second Army Region commander.

And, this disputed borderland has been guarded by both Thai and Cambodian soldiers for six months, said Lt-Gen. Wiboonsak.

Right now, the situation returns to normal as the two sides have realized the survey of the sources of the water by the Thai troop created misunderstanding among the Cambodian soldiers, said Lt-Gen. Wiboonsak.

Thai troops accused of crossing Cambodia border

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (CNN) -- Nearly 100 Thai soldiers crossed into Cambodian territory Wednesday near a disputed border temple that was the site of clashes last year, Cambodian officials said.

Cambodian troops guard the Preah Vihear temple late last year amid heightened tensions with Thailand.

The Thai army denied the claim.

Thai soldiers crossed into the area of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple about 1:40 p.m., said Phay Siphan, secretary of the Cambodian Council of Ministers.

The two sides did not fight and Cambodia has asked Thailand to pull back.

Thai Army Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd said the troop movement was part of a normal rotation and that Thai soldiers had not gone anywhere they were not permitted to be.

For months last year, the two countries saber-rattled over the ancient temple. The nations differ on whether some territory around the temple forms part of Thailand or Cambodia.

Both countries posted troops in the area after the United Nations in July approved Cambodia's application to have the temple listed as a World Heritage Site -- a place the United Nations says has outstanding universal value.

The temple sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side.

The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962. Thailand claims, however, that the 1.8 square mile (4.6 sq. km) area around it was never fully demarcated.

Thailand says the dispute arose from the fact that the Cambodian government used a map drawn during the French occupation of Cambodia -- a map that places the temple and surrounding area in Cambodian territory.

The United Nations' decision re-ignited tensions, with some in Thailand fearing it will make it difficult for their country to lay claim to disputed land around the temple.

Last year's flare-up began July 15, when Cambodian guards briefly detained three Thais who crossed into the area. Once they were let go, the three refused to leave the territory.

Cambodia claimed Thailand sent troops to retrieve the trio and gradually built up their numbers. Thailand denied that, saying its troops are deployed in Thai territory.

Preah Vihear: Sides fail to agree on troop cut [-Thai defense minister visit to Cambodia will be another useless visit]

5/02/2009
By Thanida Tansubhapol and Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

Attempts to reduce the number of troops in the disputed area around Preah Vihear temple made no progress on Wednesday, says the lead Thai negotiator.

Joint Boundary Commission chairman Vasin Teeravechyan said the troop reduction issue failed to move forward as Thai and Cambodian officials could not settle on the name of the joint committee to be used in the documents.

Thailand proposed "the military monitoring group" be used for joint operations in the 4.6-square-kilometre area claimed by the two countries, but this was opposed by Cambodia, Mr Vasin said.

The Cambodian officials insisted on using the name "the temporary coordinating team".

The disputed area overlaps Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket and the Cambodian province of Preah Vihear.

The two sides also could not settle on the name of the temple for inclusion in documents. Thailand wanted to refer to it as "the Temple of Phra Viharn-Preah Vihear" but Cambodia again objected.

Mr Vasin said any change in the names of the temple and the joint military patrol panel needed parliamentary approval in Thailand. The Thai side had to stick strictly to the names endorsed by parliament, he said.

The deadlock meant the minutes were not signed at the end of the two-day meeting yesterday.

The two sides only agreed in principle on technical issues, including the setting up of a team to survey the border from Nam Yuen district in Ubon Ratchathani and Phu Sing district in Si Sa Ket.

However, Cambodian Senior Minister Var Kim Hong expressed hope that the two countries would find a way to solve the problems over the disputed border region.

"We need to discuss and clarify some points and [I] hope that the next meeting will find a suitable solution," he said.

The next round of talks is scheduled for April.

Thailand and Cambodia pledged at a meeting in November last year to slash troop levels in the areas claimed by the two countries.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said he would not raise the Preah Vihear issue in talks with his Cambodian counterpart Gen Tea Banh and other top military leaders when he visits Cambodia tomorrow.

Gen Prawit said his agenda was only to introduce himself as the new defence minister.

Khmer soldiers accused Thai soldiers of destruction of forests near Preah Vihear temple

Thai soldiers built their camps inside Khmer territories near Preah Vihear temple on 18th August 2008.

By Sav Yuth
30th October, 2008
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

Cambodian soldiers said that hundreds of trees near the sites where Thai soldiers set up their camps have been destroyed by Thai soldiers because they cut down the trees to use them to cover their trenches to protect themselves from artillery shells should fighting break out.

A Khmer soldier stationing near the Preah Vihear temple said on 30th October that hundreds of trees the size of human thighs were cut down to build their trenches which made the dense and forested jungle become barren like an empty field. He said: "The trees are the sizes of our thighs. They said that the areas belong to them too so they cut down all the trees, even the ones opposite us. They cut down the trees next to their frontlines."

In regard to the Cambodian allegations, a Thai border official said that he did not receive any information about this matter yet.

A Thai border official based at Sisaket, Mr. Svang Prachumwong, said that he did not know clearly about the issue, but said that he went to the border areas very often and saw that not only Thai soldiers, but Cambodian soldiers also, cut down the trees. He added that they only cut down small trees.

A Khmer border official said that, while the border issues are not yet resolved, the cutting down of the trees are forbidden.

Mr. Var Kim Hong, chairman of the Cambodian Border Committee, said that he did not see with his own eyes about the forest destruction by the Thai soldiers. But if large numbers of trees were cut down by the Thai soldiers, it would be a violation of the joint Memorandum of Understanding on border issues, signed by both countries in 2000 to maintain the status quo.

Mr. Var Kim Hong said: " I did not see with my own eyes but if the allegations are true then it would be a violation of article 5 of the joint Memorandum of Understanding of 2000 because we promised to maintain the status quo, and not to change anything."

Cambodian soldiers said that since troops were sent to occupy Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda on the 15th of July, many Thai troops have set up camps opposite the Preah Vihear temple and they have cut down many trees to build their camps or to use as firewoods. They said that some high quality hardwood have been cut down to make axe handles or even cut down into small pieces and put in their knapsacks and took with them to Thailand.

Since 1997, Cambodia has banned logging which has seriously destroyed the environments and perpetrators of forest destruction will be severely punished by laws.//

Families of the dead soldiers appeal for help

Family members mourned the dead soldiers.

Radio Free Asia
By Sav Yuth
26th October 2008
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

The wives and children of the soldiers killed during a fighting with the Thai soldiers on the 15th October on the borders near Preah Vihear temple have appealed to government officials and generous donors to help them as some of them become orphans and poor because they don’t have rice fields, vegetable gardens or jobs to feed their families. They do not even have a place to stay.

The government has been very generous with the families of the dead soldiers by donating thousands of dollars ($US8,000) and help with funeral expenses as well as donations to the families of the wounded soldiers.

However, the families of the dead soldiers said that they still need government’s help such as providing lands for them to build a place to live and farm to feed their young families, as their husbands are dead and cannot provide for them any more.

Mrs. Bea Sann, 46 years old, from Veal Rumpouk village, Preah Klaing commune, Tbeng Meanchey district, Preah Vihear province, said that her husband, Mr. Phert Khambai, was killed during the fighting. As she has no job, she is facing hardship to feed her 7 young children.

Mrs. Bea Sann said that she no place to live and no rice field to farm in order to feed her children. When her husband was alive, her family live with him in his barrack and raise her family with his salary of 200,000 Riels ($US50).

She added that, after her husband was killed she want to appeal to the government to provide her with some lands in the Preah Vihear provincial capital so she can make a living from the lands.

Mrs. Bea Sann said: “I have no place to live. Currently I live in the barrack belonging to Battalion 21. I am very poor. I don’t have any rice farm. I don’t have any vegetable farm and I have 7 children. My first child is a soldier, my second child is unemployed, my third children is studying in grade 4, the 4th and the 5th stay home. I am very poor. I want a house, big or small I don’t care as long as I have a house to live in.”

A neighbour of the late Mr. Phert Khambai said that his family is very poor. He said: “The family of the wife the late Mr. Phert Khambai is very poor, her house has holes everywhere, she lives next to me. When her husband was killed she is very miserable because she has too many children to feed. During the harvest season, she always took her young children with her, going around working in the rice fields earning just 10,000 Riels ($US2.50) per day.

The family of the late Mr. Toch Soeun cannot be contacted for the interview. But according to the chief of Bak Anlong commune of Tropeang Prasat district, Ouddor Meanchey province, Mr. Sin Seng, said that the family of the late Mr. Toch Soeun lives in his commune. His first wife pre-deceased him leaving him to raise their 4 children. Later, he re-married with a widow with 4 children and they have one more child together. So the total of the children in the family are 9 children.

Mr. Seng said that the family of the late Mr. Toch Soeun is very poor and they don’t even have any lands in which to farm. And he is always on military duty away from the family. After Mr. Toch Soeun was killed, his 4 children from the previous marriage were taken care by their auntie, and they received some financial assistance from the government. And the second wife received $US4,000 in government assistance, but as soon as she received the money she disappeared without even staying for the husband’s funeral which was organised by the government.

Mr. Sin Seng said: “The late Mr. Soeun has died, leaving 4 children orphaned. Now their auntie has stepped in to take care of them. The government has provided them with their share of the compensations and another part paid to the 5 children of the second wife. After his funeral, the second wife did not come to collect his ashes, she just took the $4,000 and disappeared.”

The government has helped all the families of the dead and wounded soldiers. Gen. Srey Doek, commander of Intervention Forces of Division 12 said that the government has looked after both the families of the dead and wounded soldiers well.

Gen. Srey Doek said: “the government has handed them a lot of money. In short, the government has taken care of them a lot, especially PM Hun Sen who has asked Mrs. Men Sam Orn to lead a delegation to meet the families personally.”

Please note that, in the fighting with the Thai troops on the 15th of October, 3 Cambodian soldiers were killed. They are Col. Phert Khambai, 47 years old, from Battalion 121 with 7 children. Capt. Toch Soeun, from border Protection Unit 404 with 9 children and Capt. Lon Deth, from Border Protection Unit 431, his wife’s name is Sum Trea, deceased, leaving 6 children orphaned.

According sources from the government, the government has decided to compensate the families of the dead soldiers with $US8,000 each family and one million riels ($US250). As for the families of the 2 wounded soldiers have received more than $US2,000 each in compensation as well as 260,000 riels ($US55). And ex-king Sihanouk announced from Beijing that he will provide $US1,000 each to the families of the dead soldiers as well as $US500 each to the families of the wounded soldiers.//