By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Cambodian border guard soldiers in the northern region indicated in the morning of Tuesday 17 July that Thai soldiers based in Sisaket province plan to push further their border post over the disputed border line, into Cambodia’s territories in Choam Sro-ngam gate, Anlong Veng district, Oddar Meanchey province.
Major Tauch Ra, the vice-chairman of the Thai-Cambodian border working group based in Choam Sro-ngam gate, said on Tuesday morning that a group of Thai delegation among whom he recognized the Thai 2-star general Khamnik Thonglek, and the commander of the Thai Soranary force based in Surin province, General Sowatchai Samutham, came to meet Cambodian border officials, demanding that the Cambodian population tear down their houses from a point west of Pol Pot’s grave so that the Thai soldiers can build their border post there instead.
Major Tauch Ra said: “They ask us to tear down the houses located west of Pol Pot’s grave, next to the 0-kilometer marker. According to the committee for delineation of borders, in 2004, the borderline division allowed the Thai side to install their post 20 to 30 meters inside our territories already. But now they demand 210 meters more and it reaches that location.”
An anonymous police border official based at the 905 sector, in Choam Sro-ngam gate, said that Thailand brought in a GPS device to check the borderline, and they demanded to the Cambodian authority to build their (Thai) border post there temporarily. However, the Cambodian border guards refused.
In the afternoon of Tuesday, Surasak Supharat, the Thai embassy councilor in Cambodia, said that he did not receive any information about this border issue, and he explained that this is only a problem to be resolved by regional officials only.
As for Var Kim Hong, president of the Cambodian committee for border resolution, reacted to the information about the Thai request to establish the border post by saying that he did not hear about this news yet, and he said that he would not agree with it. “I do not know about this yet. Besides the border committee, no institution can make any decision on the border issue. This is not right. What the Thai establish on right now, they already violated on the borderline already. If they want to change or anything else, Thailand must follow the rules, we have a joint committee.”
According to an official of the Thai-Cambodian border working group, in June of 2007, there were three border disputes between Cambodia and Thailand in this area, and in February, Thai soldiers came inside Cambodia to tear down more than 10 houses belonging to Cambodian villagers. In the following month, they came inside Cambodia to arrest Cambodian citizens who were clearing trees and they also came inside Cambodia to prevent Cambodian people to build their homes in the O’Kranhoung area.
Major Tauch Ra, the vice-chairman of the Thai-Cambodian border working group based in Choam Sro-ngam gate, said on Tuesday morning that a group of Thai delegation among whom he recognized the Thai 2-star general Khamnik Thonglek, and the commander of the Thai Soranary force based in Surin province, General Sowatchai Samutham, came to meet Cambodian border officials, demanding that the Cambodian population tear down their houses from a point west of Pol Pot’s grave so that the Thai soldiers can build their border post there instead.
Major Tauch Ra said: “They ask us to tear down the houses located west of Pol Pot’s grave, next to the 0-kilometer marker. According to the committee for delineation of borders, in 2004, the borderline division allowed the Thai side to install their post 20 to 30 meters inside our territories already. But now they demand 210 meters more and it reaches that location.”
An anonymous police border official based at the 905 sector, in Choam Sro-ngam gate, said that Thailand brought in a GPS device to check the borderline, and they demanded to the Cambodian authority to build their (Thai) border post there temporarily. However, the Cambodian border guards refused.
In the afternoon of Tuesday, Surasak Supharat, the Thai embassy councilor in Cambodia, said that he did not receive any information about this border issue, and he explained that this is only a problem to be resolved by regional officials only.
As for Var Kim Hong, president of the Cambodian committee for border resolution, reacted to the information about the Thai request to establish the border post by saying that he did not hear about this news yet, and he said that he would not agree with it. “I do not know about this yet. Besides the border committee, no institution can make any decision on the border issue. This is not right. What the Thai establish on right now, they already violated on the borderline already. If they want to change or anything else, Thailand must follow the rules, we have a joint committee.”
According to an official of the Thai-Cambodian border working group, in June of 2007, there were three border disputes between Cambodia and Thailand in this area, and in February, Thai soldiers came inside Cambodia to tear down more than 10 houses belonging to Cambodian villagers. In the following month, they came inside Cambodia to arrest Cambodian citizens who were clearing trees and they also came inside Cambodia to prevent Cambodian people to build their homes in the O’Kranhoung area.
