The following article by the Pattaya Daily News is RACIST and PREJUDICED against Cambodia!

Human Shield, An Animal Tactic Of Cambodia Army

April 29, 2011
Pattaya Daily News (Thailand)

KI-Media note: Thailand's accusation of Cambodia using human shield could be wrong as Cambodian soldiers' families usually follow them to the front.

Cambodian soldiers have brought women and children to the border, using them as a human shield against Thai forces, according to a report by the 2nd Army’s Suranaree Task Force.

The task force report said that about a week before the latest series of border clashes began in Surin on Friday, Cambodian soldiers started to move civilian families – mostly women and children – into seven spots:

1. 5 families to Sam Tae area;
2. 15 families to Ta Thao pass and Hill 400, where a military base is located;
3. 7 families to a community at the foot of the staircase to the Preah Vihear temple;
4. 8 families to a military base at Phu Makhua;
5. One family to the Phra Phalai pass;
6. 985 families to the Sa-ngam pass; and
7. 20 families to the Tamaria stream.

A source at the Suranaree Task Force said Cambodia is using the human shields to prevent Thai attacks. If casualties are inflicted on these civilians, Cambodia could protest or condemn Thailand internationally, to raise the Thai-Cambodian conflict to the world forum.

The source claimed as many as 22 Cambodian soldiers were killed and 80 wounded in heavy fighting on Sunday. One of the dead was a colonel and son of a former Khmer Rouge leader.

About 30 Cambodian soldiers were killed in the clashes on Friday and 10 on Saturday, according to the source.

Thai soldiers suffered five killed – three on Friday, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, the source said.

Credit by: www.khaosod.co.th

Unesco special envoy 'supports Thai stance' [-Thai propaganda?]

Unesco special envoy Koichiro Matsuura meets Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at Government House yesterday to discuss the border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia. CHANAT KATANYA

Cambodia's temple plan may have to be put off

26/02/2011
Thanida Tansubhapol and Piyaporn Wongruang
Bangkok Post

Unesco says it will be difficult to consider Cambodia's proposed world heritage management plan for the Preah Vihear temple given the current tense situation, the Thai Foreign Ministry says.

The Unesco special envoy on the Preah Vihear issue, Koichiro Matsuura, who is also a former Unesco director-general, yesterday met Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya at Government House to hear about the problems between Thailand and Cambodia.

Thailand was his first leg before he heads to Cambodia tomorrow.

Thani Thongphakdee, Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Mr Matsuura understood that the problems over the Preah Vihear temple stemmed from its listing as a world heritage site given that the border's demarcation was still pending. Mr Matsuura was quoted as saying that he also admitted that in the current situation, it was difficult to move forward with the Preah Vihear management plan proposed by Cambodia.

Alleged heavy casualties sustained by Cambodia: 64 dead; 2 batallions wiped out; 6 artillery guns, 16 armored vehicles and 4 launch rocket systems destroyed

[Thai] Govt probes claim 64 [Cambodians] killed

6/02/2011
WASSANA NANUAM
Bangkok Post

The government said last night it was investigating an unconfirmed report that 64 Cambodian troops were killed in fighting at the border on Friday.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said they had received an initial report that Cambodian troops had suffered heavy casualties. The claim by a Thai military source of the 64 dead is in sharp contrast to earlier government reports that only two people - one Thai villager and one Cambodian soldier - were killed.

The two-hour exchange of gunfire near Si Sa Ket's Phu Ma Khua area took a heavy toll on the Cambodian Army's 80th and 81st battalions, said the source. Twelve suspected snipers were among those killed, the source said.

Also damaged on the Cambodian side were six artillery guns, 16 armoured vehicles and four multiple launch rocket systems, said the source. The onslaught almost wiped out the two Cambodian battallions, according to the source.

The Thai army did not start its barrage until Cambodia fired at civilian targets, a violation of the rules of engagement. "We didn't employ artillery at first, but had no choice when they directed the shelling at civilians," said the source. According to the source, the Thai army fired several hundreds artillery rounds in response to the Cambodian side's aggression to protect Thai citizens.

The heavy toll is believed to have prompted Cambodia's military leaders to call for truce talks late on Friday. Cambodian military officers Lt Gen Srey Doek and Lt Gen Chea Mon led a delegation to negotiate with Second Army commander Thawatchai Samutsakhon and Suranari Task Force commander Chavalit Choonprasarn.

Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd neither confirmed nor denied the report, but said: "If it's true, I would like to pay my condolences to them."

Cambodia's betrayal of the Ottawa Convention ... or Thailand's poor attempt to hide its invasion of Cambodia?

Betrayal at the border

Saturday October 25, 2008
Bangkok Post
EDITORIAL

When Thailand and Cambodia signed and later ratified the 1997 Ottawa Convention outlawing anti-personnel landmines, both countries joined 154 others in promising to destroy any stockpiles and do everything in their power to rid themselves of the deadly devices within a set deadline. Implicit in this was an understanding that none of the signatories would acquire or lay landmines ever again.

Both countries were believed to be honouring their commitments until, on Oct 6, something went horribly wrong. Two Thai paramilitary rangers from the Suranaree task force stepped on mines and their legs were blown off, while on a routine patrol deep inside Thai territory to the north of Phu Ma Khua in an area adjacent to the Preah Vihear temple in Si Sa Ket province. The explosion was so powerful that parts of the wounded soldiers were blown up to 5-6 metres into the air.

The Thai Mines Action Centre and other non-governmental organisations identified the culprits as Russian-made PMN2-type landmines which were retrieved and appeared to be new as no rust was found on them. They were also in an area marked as landmine-free and used regularly by villagers to get to their farms as well as by soldiers on patrol. These landmine-free areas were separated from those yet to be cleared by a barbed wire fence and both of the wounded soldiers were outside that fence.

Quite rightly, anger has flared on the diplomatic front. The Foreign Ministry noted that the new mines appeared to have been laid after a brief clash in the area on Oct 3 and called on Cambodian authorities to investigate whether any individual had violated legislation banning the use of anti-personnel landmines. It recalled that the Phnom Penh government had submitted a report to the United Nations secretary-general in 2002 noting that 240 PMN2-type landmines from a total of 3,405 were transferred from its Interior Ministry to the Cambodian Mine Action Centre for development and training. It asked the Cambodian government to verify where the remaining mines were and expressed disappointment and alarm as the mine blasts indicated a violation of the 1997 Ottawa Convention as well as a threat to international peace.

Not so, said Cambodian officials in Phnom Penh. The Hun Sen government denied it had recently planted landmines along the border and said any there "are the remnants of almost three decades of war."

Now a question mark and suspicion cloud the air. If, as Cambodia claims, the two mines in question were not new, why were they not detected in previous sweeps and clearing operations? And if the mine ban treaty is being flouted, what a dreadful omen this would be for mine-clearing operations in the future and joint demarcation of the border. We already have enough trouble with mines strewn along the Burma-Thai border and elephants, their mahouts and villagers being blown up with disturbing regularity. But Burma isn't a signatory of the Ottawa Convention; Cambodia is.

Any weakening of the Mine Ban Treaty increases the threat to the half a million Thais living in 27 provinces along the Cambodian, Lao and Burmese borders who are exposed on a daily basis to death, dismemberment or disability from uncleared mines. Aid agencies say from 30 to 100 people are maimed or killed in these mine-contaminated areas every year.

It would be a terrible betrayal of trust for anyone to lay more of these barbaric devices on our soil after pledging not to. Anti-personnel mines have no place in the civilised world.

Thailand now claims that it send troops into Cambodia to check landmines: Another one of Thai perfidies?

Foreign Ministry explains border dispute to ASEAN envoys

BANGKOK, Oct 15 (TNA) – The Thai Foreign Ministry met ambassadors of eight Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to meet to explain the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Veerasak Futrakul announced on Tuesday.

However, the Philippine envoy failed to attend the meeting.

Mr. Veerasak said he told the envoys of the border clash between Thailand and Cambodia on October 3 and of the Thai troops stepping on mines while patrolling.

He pointed out the dispute area should have been free of landmines because they had been cleared earlier.

The Thai officials had entered the area to examination and found new mines of a variety never previously used in Thailand had been laid.

Thailand believes Cambodia laid the landmines following the October 3 border clash.

Such action violates the Ottawa Convention to which both Cambodia and Thailand are signatories.

Mr. Veerasak also expressed bewilderment at Cambodian Prime Minister Somdej Hun Sen's ultimatum for the withdrawal of Thai troops from the disputed areas because the Cambodia leader had previously supported bilateral efforts to solve the dispute.

However, he affirmed Thailand would attempt to protect and maintain its sovereignty to the utmost of its ability.

Why should Cambodia attend Thai propaganda on the border issue? Besides, The Philippines did not attend either

Cambodia absent at Asean diplomats' briefing

Oct. 15, 2008

(BangkokPost.com) - The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said foreign diplomats understand the border situation between Thailand and Cambodia.

Department of Information director-general and Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Veerasak Futrakul had spent about 45 minutes to clarify the Thai-Cambodian border dispute to eight Asean ambassadors to Thailand on Wednesday.

According to Mr Tharit, the permanent secretary explained the incident when two Thai soldiers were wounded and had legs amputated after stepping on a landmine in Thai territory near Preah Vihear temple on Oct 3.

After inspection, the landmine was found to be a Russian-made PMN2 landmine. The Thai government claimed that the country never used this type of landmine before and it was recently planted.

Mr Tharit said the foreign ambassadors expressed their understanding on the tense conflict between Thailand and Cambodia and they thanked the ministry for promptly clarifying the situation.

The delegates from Singapore and Indonesia expressed special concern over the border row, and they would like Thailand and Cambodia to be considerate in solving the problem.