Thai-Cambodian border trade lull results amid worry over Cambodia’s Day of Anger

MCOT online news

SI SA KET, July 15 – Thai-Cambodian border trade on Thursday slowed to a near halt at Si Sa Ket's Chong Sa-ngam border crossing amid fears of possible violence during the Cambodian observance of a Day of Anger on July 15.

Trade at the Chong Sa-ngam border crossing in Si Sa Ket's Phu Singha district has been relatively quiet since Monday.

Suwanna Wongrujiroj, a 25-year-old Thai who sells food, said that less than 50 Cambodians crossed the border here on Thursday -- business was sluggish.

The number of Cambodian traders crossing the border to buy goods in Thailand dropped compared to previous days thanks to worries over possible violence during Cambodia's Day of Anger, according to a Cambodian importer.

Another Cambodian trader said most Cambodians on either side of the border here feared trouble might occur during Cambodia's Day of Anger event so they opted crossing the border to do their business today.

However, the trader believed that the situation will return to normal after July 15.

Meanwhile, local police, security volunteers and military provided strict security along the Thai-Cambodian border to prevent any untoward incident.

Earlier, Mr Abhisit yesterday said the government was closely monitoring the situation, and there was no reason to be overly worried.

The government must deal carefully with border issues which are sensitive.

He emphasised the need for Thailand to continuously express its rights over the disputed areas at the same time both sides must avoid clashes between the troops of the two countries, he said.

Cambodians Hold Anti-Thailand Protest in Phnom Penh

2010-07-15
New Tang Dynasty TV

"Firstly, we want Thailand to withdraw troops from the temple site before July 15, 2008. Secondly, we want the royal Thai government to respect the constitution, like the French-Thai treaty from 1904-1907, the verdict of the international court in 1962 and the Paris peace accord in 1991." - Rong Chhun, President of Cambodia Independent Teachers' Association (CITA)

A small group of anti-Thailand protesters gathered in Phnom Penh on Thursday urging Thai troops to complete their withdrawal from the disputed Preah Vihear temple on the border of the two countries.

Dozens of police blocked the planned rally site at the old National Assembly.

A similar protest last year turned violent and resulted in riot police moving in on the demonstrators with electric batons.

After police threatened to disperse the group, they moved to the headquarters of the Cambodia Independent Teachers' Union, where protesters held up anti-Thai placards.

[Kang Soksan, Independent Teachers Association]:
"We want the royal government of Cambodia to show their willingness and clear stand in solving the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand."

The ongoing land dispute between Cambodia and Thailand erupted in 2008 when Cambodia bid to list the Preah Vihear ruins as a World Heritage Site.

Bangkok's backing for the push triggered a political uproar in Thailand and resulted in a military face-off.

[Rong Chhun, Cambodian Independent Teachers]:
"Firstly, we want Thailand to withdraw troops from the temple site before July 15, 2008. Secondly, we want the royal Thai government to respect the constitution, like the French-Thai treaty from 1904-1907, the verdict of the international court in 1962 and the Paris peace accord in 1991."

Preah Vihear has been claimed by both sides for decades, but was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.

Thai troops are not pulling out, Thailand is adding more soldiers in [-Thai soldier stepping on landmine died]

Thursday, July 17, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

In the evening of 16 July 2008, a source from Preah Vihear temple indicated that Thai black-clad soldiers did not pull out from the Cambodian Tuol Prasat pagoda yet, and they have increased the number of demining soldiers in the area where a Thai soldier stepped on a landmine which tore off one of his feet on 15 July. The same source indicated that the injured Thai soldier who lost his right foot, died in a hospital in Thailand. Cambodian and Thai troops are stationed right next to one another, but they remained calm and there is no gun exchange yet. Thai soldiers stationed at the Tuol Prasat pagoda are grouped in teams of 5 to 10 soldiers. Thai soldiers are complaining that they are currently lacking food.

Meanwhile, in Poipet, the Rasmei Kampuchea quoted a Banteay Meanchey provincial official as saying that Thai troops along the border with Poipet are currently digging up trenches and installing barbed wires. The official said that Thai soldiers are digging these trenches inside Thailand territory, but this action is unusual and it started since the situation became tense in Preah Vihear temple.

Thailand increases the number of troops to 400 in Preah Vihear

Thursday, July 17, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

On Thursday, the third day of border incident with Thailand, Thai black-clad soldiers camping inside Cambodia’s territories in Preah Vihear temple have not pulled out yet. Quite to the contrary, Thailand had sent in more troops. AFP reported that right now, the number of Thai black-clad soldiers reaches more than 400, they are facing with more than 800 Cambodian soldiers who are stations around the Prasat pagoda, located on the foothill of the Preah Vihear mountain. General Chea Keo, the Cambodian army commander for the Preah Vihear province, told reporters that the situation could turn to the worse if Thailand continues to send in more troops on the region. Chea Keo said that if Thailand continues to add more troops, the situation will be very tense, however, Cambodian troops are holding back. He added: “Thailand wants to provoke us to take the first step, but we try to stay cool.” The AFP reports that Cambodian troops are stationed from the foothill of the Preah Vihear mountain all the way to the top of the mountain, Cambodian soldiers are armed with AK-47 machine guns and B-40 rocket launchers. Meanwhile, Thai troops are stationed inside the empty court of the Cambodian Prasat pagoda which is surrounded by wooden homes covered with tin roof. Chea Keo admitted that Thai soldiers have more modern weapons than Cambodian soldiers, however, Cambodian soldiers are better positioned since it is occupying the top of the mountain.

After his past row with the UN on human rights issue, will Hun Sen dare ask the UN to intervene in the invasion of Preah Vihear by Thai troops?

UN intervention sought for Preah Vihear standoff

Thursday, 17 July 2008
Touch Yuthea
The Mekong Times

The deployment of Thai troops around a disputed area at the Preah Vihear temple has drawn criticism from civil society, with many calling for intervention from the UN.

Khmer Civilization Foundation President Moeung Son said yesterday that while he supports the government’s attempts to maintain calm over the situation, the Thai government must pay for any damage incurred to the temple and its grounds.

“The government must be responsible for any damage to Preah Vihear temple or antiques in the temple or around the temple while their troops occupy it,” he said, appealing for the troops to be withdrawn.

He appealed to UNESCO country members and the UN to help ensure no Cambodians are affected by the dispute, and asked the Cambodian government to send experts to the area to inspect any damage to the temple.

Cambodia Watchdog Council International (CWCI) issued a statement yesterday strongly condemning the alleged incursion.

“This act is an illegal violation of Cambodian territorial integrity, it is degrading to Cambodia and is a deed that cannot be forgiven,” said the CWCI.

“These soldiers must withdraw from Cambodian territory immediately and the Thai government must publicly apologize to Cambodia for violating its territorial integrity,” CWCI emphasized.

CWCI appealed to the Cambodian government to cancel the agreements made recently with Thailand concerning the temple, and to follow the 1962 ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ or World Court) in The Hague, which awarded the temple to Cambodia.

Sok Sam Oeun, director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, said: “Preah Vihear temple has been listed as a World Heritage Site. If anyone violates the temple, it is the responsibility of the UN to intervene.”

“The definition of invasion, is entering another nation’s land intentionally, and [Thai soldiers] have entered with weapons,’’ he said, though he added that he was not sure if the incursion could be classed as an ‘invasion’.

“We have to examine the evidence. But if the [Thai soldiers] pull back peacefully without using military force, we cannot consider an invasion,” he stressed.

Kek Galabru, executive director of local human rights group Licadho, said she would like the Cambodian government to lodge a complaint with the UN over the incident “because in 1962 the ICJ ruled that Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia, and UNESCO has agreed to list the temple as a World Heritage Site.”

“Why did Thai troops enter our country?” she asked.

Calls for talks as Thai military deploys around Preah Vihear

Thursday, 17 July 2008
Ly Menghour & AP
The Mekong Times

As tensions mount at the disputed Preah Vihear border point, a government committee prepares to hold talks with Thailand. The committee, comprised of senior government figures, was formed following the request of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej for a closed-door meeting, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said yesterday. The news came as Cambodian officials said Thai troops again crossed into Cambodian territory, the second day of alleged territorial violations amid mounting anger over the disputed area.

Khieu Kanharith urged displaced villagers to return to their homes, saying that the prime minister has “ordered us not to use weapons. We will use law and diplomacy. The government has also ordered all provinces bordering Thailand to maintain a good relationship with Thailand. People should stay calm and media networks should avoid making the situation tense because there is no tension at the border. This will ensure that the government can control the situation.”

Cambodia’s position for the proposed meeting would be to seek the withdrawal of Thai troops from its territory, Khieu Kanharith said. “All [Thai troops] will have to go back to where they were. After that, we will talk about border problems.”

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat could not be reached for comment.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has appealed to the media and the public to remain calm and “not to inflame [the situation] or add fuel to the fire,” Khieu Kanharith said.

“We will definitely not use any force unless attacked,” he stressed.

Cambodian border guard Unit Commander Seng Vuthy said earlier yesterday that “both the Cambodian and Thai forces have their hands on their guns at all times.”

He confirmed that some of the 900 residents on the mountain where the temple is located have fled their homes to a safer location at the foot of the mountain.

The guard said negotiations between military commanders of the opposing sides were continuing but he did not elaborate.

Thai officials have denied any incursion, saying troops are deploying on what was clearly Thai territory to protect their country’s sovereignty.

However, a senior Thai military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said about 200 Thai troops were inside what he called “disputed border territory,” AP reported.

Preah Vihear National Authority Director Hang Soth, said the Thais continued to cross the border yesterday.

“Their troops have increased in number. They have not pulled back yet,” he said.

Khieu Kanharith agreed that the number of Thai troops swelled to about 200 yesterday. He said Cambodia has about 380 troops in the area but insisted that “the situation is stable.”

Both sides are deployed around the Phnom Prasat pagoda close to the ancient Preah Vihear temple. There has no been no armed confrontation, though one Thai soldier has reportedly lost a leg after setting off one of the many Khmer Rouge-ere land mines that litter the area.

Khieu Kanharith claimed that the entire area at the foot of the temple is Cambodian territory where Cambodian monks and soldiers currently reside.

The latest confrontation came after UNESCO declared Preah Vihear – which is at the center of a long-standing border quarrel between the two neighbors – a World Heritage Site last week.

Both countries claim 4.6 sq km of land around the temple, and Thai anti-government activists have recently revived nationalist sentiment over the issue. The activists and some Thai government officials fear the temple’s new status will jeopardize their country’s claims to land adjacent to the site.

Major General Kanok Netakawesana, a Thai army field commander in the region, said by telephone Tuesday that his troops were on Thai soil close to the disputed area. He declined to give the number of soldiers deployed.

“We are not violating the territory of Cambodia. We have every right to deploy troops here to protect our sovereignty,” Kanok said.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat, also speaking on Tuesday denied any incursion and said the relationship between the two countries remained normal.

Troop build-up at border: Incursion claims, two sides to meet Monday [-Thai civilian trespassers are still inside Cambodia]

Thursday July 17, 2008
BANGKOK POST AND AGENCIES

Thailand and Cambodia will hold an urgent meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) on Monday to defuse the growing tension over the listing of the old Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site.

The decision comes as both countries are sending troop reinforcements to the sensitive border area.

Lt-Gen Sujit Sithiprapa, commander of the Second Army in charge of the northeastern region, has closed Khao Phra Viharn national park in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket and sealed access to the border in the area, banning visitors from seeing the temple ruins from the Thai side.

The road is now closed from the forestry district office, which is 8km from the borderline at Pha Mor E-Daeng.

The closure means members of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy will be unable to go to the border today as planned.

Si Sa Ket governor Sanee Jittakasem suggested they stage a protest in the district town instead.

About 900 Cambodians living on the mountain where the temple is located have fled their homes for a safer spot lower down, according to Cambodian border unit commander Seng Vuthy.

Three Thai protesters remained in the disputed area to meditate at Wat Phra Viharn, about 200m from the stone staircases leading to the temple. They were released on Tuesday after being detained, but refused to leave the 4.6 square kilometre disputed area.

The GBC, set up by the two countries to solve border issues, will meet for talks in Sa Kaeo province, the Foreign Ministry said.

The committee is co-chaired by the defence ministers of both countries. But it was unclear whether Defence Minister Samak Sundaravej and his Cambodian counterpart Gen Teah Banh will attend the talks or send representatives. The meeting was set for next month. The decision to bring it forward underlines the worry felt by both governments over the growing tension.

Thailand started reinforcing its troops yesterday after army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda ordered the First Special Warfare Unit to stand by at their base in Lop Buri province, and be ready for an airlift to the border in case of an emergency, an army source said.

Troops from the Artillery Regiment and the Third Infantry Division were already on their way to stations close to the border. The reinforcements from the three units would number about 800. Some 150 paramilitary rangers are already in the disputed area.

Air force chief ACM Chalit Phukpasuk assigned F-16 jets to patrol the border in Si Sa Ket yesterday and questioned the detention of three protesters by Cambodian soldiers in the overlapping zone.

''Ownership of the overlapping area is still open. As the boundary has not yet been established, does Cambodia have any right to arrest us if we enter the area?'' he said.

Pol Capt Soy Burin of the Cambodian border patrol unit said more Cambodian troops had been sent to guard the ruins.

Phnom Penh has 380 soldiers stationed at the temple, according to Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith.

Despite the presence of more troops at the border, Gen Anupong instructed soldiers to avoid a clash with Cambodian soldiers.

Lt-Gen Sujit insisted on the presence of Thai troops in the disputed area unless Cambodia moves its soldiers out.

''If Cambodia does not withdraw its soldiers, we won't either, because it is the overlapping area,'' he said.

Mr Khieu Kanharith backed off his assertion on Tuesday that Thai troops had been captured in Cambodia, saying it was a misunderstanding.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told the public to remain calm and not to ''inflame [the situation] or add fuel to the fire.''

Thai troops detained at Preah Vihear [... to provoke Cambodia]

Wednesday, 16 July 2008
(AP/The Mekong Times)

A tense military standoff between Cambodian and Thai troops at Preah Vihear temple continued into the night yesterday with a Cambodian government official describing an incursion by Thai troops into the area as a violation of Cambodia’s sovereignty.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said that Cambodian soldiers had detained around 170 Thai civilians and troops near the border, and would not release them until they sign an agreement acknowledging that the nation’s sovereignty had been breached.

“We will not allow them to leave Cambodian territory until the Thai armed forces signs an agreement to acknowledge that they really entered Cambodia territory,” he said. “The incursion into Preah Vihear is violation of Cambodian sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

UNESCO declared Preah Vihear temple, the center of a long-standing quarrel between Cambodia and Thailand, as a World Heritage Site last week, sparking mass celebrations in Cambodia but angry disappointment amongst some Thai groups.

“Confrontation is occurring between Thai troops and our Cambodian troops, but there is no shooting yet,” said Hang Soth, the director-general of the national authority for Preah Vihear temple. “Our troops have been ordered to be on alert but not to fire first.”

He added that around 40 Thai troops still “control” an overlapping area of the nation’s borders, and that they will not pull out of the region until they have an order from their commander.

Hang Soth said the Thai troops had demanded Cambodians who filmed and took pictures of them on Cambodian soil return the footage before they return.

Hang Soth said the Cambodian authorities are negotiating with the Thai soldiers to encourage them to return to Thailand, but would not reveal details of the talks.

The incident has claimed at least one casualty. A land mine explosion sheared the right leg off a Thai soldier patrolling in the area, said Thai Army Deputy Spokesman Col. Sirichan Ngathong.

Maj. Gen. Kanok Netakawesana, a Thai army field commander in the region, said in a telephone interview that his troops were on Thai soil close to the disputed area. He declined to give the number of soldiers deployed.

“We are not violating the territory of Cambodia. We have every right to deploy troops here to protect our sovereignty,” Kanok said.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat denied any incursion, saying the relationship between the two countries remained normal.

“The two governments understand each other,” Tharit said.

The Thai troop movements followed the arrest by Cambodia of three Thai citizens for crossing the border earlier Tuesday.

Hang Soth said a Thai Buddhist monk, a woman and a man apparently managed to evade a checkpoint on the Thai side and crossed through a jungle border into Cambodia earlier Tuesday.

They were immediately stopped by guards, Hang Soth said, adding that the trio were released to Thai authorities Tuesday afternoon, “so I don’t understand why Thai troops still had to enter Cambodia. They want to provoke us.”

Troop Numbers Rise Along Thai Border

Thai soldiers rest in the Preah Vihear temple compound, 245km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh July 16, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia moved on Wednesday to ratchet down tensions on their border where hundreds of troops face each other over a disputed ancient temple. Senior Thai and Cambodian officials were trying to negotiate an end to the stand-off, triggered by Thai protests against the the listing of the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site earlier this month, Thailand's Supreme Commander, Boonsrang Niumpradit, told Reuters. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
16 July 2008

About 380 Cambodian troops have moved to the Thai border near Preah Vihear temple, officials said Wednesday.

Cambodian and Thailand both have increased the number of troops along the border near Preah Vihear temple, but officials said Wednesday there was "no tension" between the two sides.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told reporters that Cambodia had 380 soldiers near the border, where Thailand was keeping about 200 troops.

Cambodian authorities said Tuesday more than 40 Thai soldiers had crossed into Cambodian territory following the detention of three Thai demonstrators at Preah Vihear temple.

The temple, which perches on a high cliff in a disputed border zone, has been the focus of rising nationalist furor on both sides, following its inclusion on a Unesco World Heritage protection list earlier this month.

Long Sovann, deputy governor of Preah Vihear province, said Wednesday the situation was "normal" and both sides were "quiet."

Keo Sen, Preah Vihear's O'Chhouv district governor, said Wednesday Thai troops were digging positions along the border.

Meanwhile, the two countries are seeking to establish a committee to prevent further incidents, after Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej phoned Defense Minister Tea Banh, Khieu Kanharith said.

On Wednesday morning Prime Minister Hun Sen met with top government officials from the ministries of Defense, Interior and Foreign Affairs to resolve the issue.

Thailand has denied its troops entered Cambodian territory.

"It is true that we introduced a few paramilitary personnel into the border area within Thai territory [Tuesday]," Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said in a statement. "But this is only to ensure that the current protests by a group of Thai people in the area, about their beliefs on territorial claims, be done in an orderly manner."

Both sides have troops staying together in a pagoda near Preah Vihear temple, but there is no tension between them, Khieu Kanharith said.

Khieu Kanharith called on Cambodian citizens to remain calm over the issue and urged journalists to report "carefully" and "not pour gasoline onto the fire."