Thai claims of land mine use on border ignored: Cambodia

Friday, 28 November 2008
Written by Sam Rith and Sebastian Strangio
The Phnom Penh Post

Thailand has accused the Kingdom of violating an international mine ban at a meeting on the Ottawa Convention, Cambodian delegates say

INTERNATIONAL delegates to an annual conference in Geneva on the global land mine ban have ignored Thai accusations that the Cambodian military has planted fresh mines during recent tensions along the countries' disputed border, Cambodian officials said Thursday.

"The Thais firstly complained that Cambodia isn't following the convention banning land mines. Secondly, they accused Cambodia of planting new mines in the border area," said Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan.

According to the Cambodian delegation in Geneva, Phay Siphan said, the Thai complaints were ignored by the other meeting participants.

"The other members of the convention said nothing. They did not listen to them," he told the Post.

"They have understood we are people who want only to make peace. The Thais keep misleading the world."

Chan Rotha, deputy secretary general of the Cambodian Mine Action Authority, said, "The donor countries will not pay attention to the Thais' accusations because they already know through their representatives in Phnom Penh that we have not laid any new mines."

'A grave threat'

At least one Thai soldier has been killed and two others seriously wounded in a spate of land mine incidents that have occurred during the five-month military standoff on the border.

Following a blast that wounded two Thai troops on October 6, Thai Foreign Ministry officials accused Cambodia of laying new anti-personnel mines on Thai territory, calling it "a grave threat for the international community" and a violation of the 1997 mine ban treaty.

But Cambodian officials insist that the Thais stepped on mines left over from Cambodia's civil war in the 1980s and 1990s.

Furthermore, Phay Siphan said that since unexploded mines were only on the Cambodian side of the border, the blasts proved that the Thais had crossed into Cambodian territory.

Cambodia should ask Thailand to probe the presence of its troops inside Cambodia's territories

Thailand asks Cambodia to probe new landmine laying

BANGKOK, Oct 17 (TNA) - Thailand urged Cambodia to investigate the suspected laying of land mines in the Thai-Cambodian border areas following the incident in which two Thai paramilitary rangers stepped on land mines and lost their legs while patrolling deep inside Thai territory on Oct 6.

Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Thani Thongphakdee said the ministry's East Asia Department director-general Anuson Chinvanno had summoned Ouk Sophoin, Cambodia's charge d'affaires to Thailand, to present an aide memoire regarding the suspected laying of the land mine which injured the Thai rangers on the border inside Thailand's northeastern Si Sa Ket province.

A senior Foreign Ministry official called on the Cambodian government to investigate the suspected use of land mines by Cambodian forces, a move which may have threatened international peace and violated the Ottawa Convention prohibiting the use of land mines along the common border.

Though the Cambodian government had earlier dismissed allegations that they possessed PMN2 land mines, Thailand insisted that the requested probe should be eventually conducted by Cambodia to determine the truth, the ministry's deputy spokesman said.

Cambodian PM vows to improve defence as troops face Thais

Friday, October 17, 2008

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AFP) - Cambodia's premier vowed Friday to improve national defence as his troops prepared to begin joint patrols with Thai soldiers at their disputed border to avoid another deadly firefight.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen made the pledge at a cabinet meeting that included a moment of silence for the three Cambodian soldiers who died this week after gunfights with Thai troops on disputed land.

"Today our cabinet, with the pride we received from protecting our territory, will discuss draft laws (to put the) national defence sector on top," Hun Sen said, without elaborating on specific steps.

While Thailand has a 300,000-strong armed forces and a well-equipped air force, Cambodia's much smaller military is badly equipped, badly trained and disorganised, according to a Western military official in Bangkok.

The prime minister made his remarks as Thai and Cambodian soldiers faced off along the border, awaiting joint patrols which senior military officials agreed to in a Thursday meeting.

The agreement was aimed at preventing a repeat of Wednesday's clashes on disputed land near the Preah Vihear temple, a UN heritage site on Cambodian territory and the focus of months of tensions.

Two Cambodian soldiers were killed and seven Thais injured by gun and rocket fire, and a third Cambodian soldier died Thursday of smoke inhalation from repeatedly firing his rocket-launcher.

"Today we received the order to be well-prepared. The joint patrols have not yet been put in practice," said Cambodian Major Menly, who oversees more than 100 troops at the frontlines of the disputed border.

It was not clear when the joint patrols would begin, but Thai and Cambodian soldiers appeared more relaxed Friday, with some even stashing way their rifles and rocket launchers.

"The situation is less tense," Thai border task force commander Major General Kanok Netrakavaesana said.

The eruption of violence this week came after talks on Monday about the border dispute ended in failure, with Hun Sen warning of armed conflict and the Thai army saying it was prepared for a confrontation.

Troops began massing on both sides of the border, while Thailand sent tanks and heavy weaponry to the area and put fighter jets on stand-by.

After the clash, the United Nations , United States and European Union heaped pressure on Thailand and Cambodia to exercise restraint, and leaders in both nations said they were committed to avoiding further conflict.

But the neighbours have blamed each other for starting the violence, and a war of words over who owns the patches of disputed land continues.

Thailand has also accused Cambodia of planting the landmines which injured two Thai troops on the border earlier this month, breaching the international treaty banning the use of landmines, which Thailand and Cambodia have signed.

Officials in Cambodia, however, deny that they were fresh mines, and said they were the remnants of their three-decade long civil war.

The current standoff first flared in July after Preah Vihear was awarded World Heritage status by the UN cultural body UNESCO, angering some Thai nationalists who claim ownership of the site.

The situation quickly escalated into a military confrontation, with up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops facing off for six weeks, although both sides in August agreed to reduce troop numbers in the main disputed area.

The Cambodian-Thai border has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

Cambodia on Thursday denied it had recently planted mines in the area near Preah Vihear, with the foreign ministry insisting Phnom Penh adheres to international treaties banning landmines.

[Thai] Foreign Ministry set to petition UN on Cambodian violation of Ottawa Convention [... so much for bilateral talks!]

BANGKOK, Oct 16 (TNA) - Thailand's Foreign Ministry is considering to file complaints to the United Nations to investigate whether Cambodia has violated the Ottawa Convention that bans landmine usage by signatory members, according to Chakarin Chayabongse, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Organizations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday briefed members of the diplomatic corps about recent Thai-Cambodia border incidents.

Representatives from 64 countries attended the event. They were told of the list of events since early October.

On October 6, while on routine patrol deep inside Thai territory to the north of Phu Ma Khua Phnom Troap in an area near the Temple of Phrea Vihear, two Thai paramilitary rangers stepped on landmines and lost their legs.

The route taken by the Thai soldiers was known to have previously been cleared of landmines.

The Thai Mines Action Center (TMAC) in response herefore sent a team of officials to investigate and clear the area. The team found a number of recently planted anti-personnel mines in an area nearby.

Upon further inspection, they found recently planted PMN2-type landmines manufactured in Russia -- a type of mine that has never been used or possessed by the Royal Thai Armed Forces.

As Thai paramilitary rangers had never found this type of landmine while patrolling this route prior to October 3, the Thai Government believes that the PMN 2 landmines were planted after the incident.

Mr. Chakarin said Thailand views this development with alarm, as it indicates a serious violation of the Convention on the Prohibition on the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction of 1997 which also known as the Ottawa or Mine Ban Convention to which both Cambodia and Thailand are State parties.

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.

Conflict looms as troops deploy [-Thailand to deploy its army, navy and airforce against Cambodia]

Cambodia accused of planting new mines

Wednesday October 15, 2008
WASSANA NANUAM and ANUCHA CHAROENPO
Bangkok Post

Thailand yesterday shrugged off Phnom Penh's ultimatum for its soldiers to leave disputed areas near the Preah Vihear temple and accused Cambodia of laying new landmines on the border.

The decision to maintain troop levels in readiness for a confrontation to defend the country was reached in talks between supreme commander Gen Songkitti Jakkabat, army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda, navy commander Adm Kamthon Phumhiran and air force chief ACM Ithaporn Supawong.

They met after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued an ultimatum on Monday for Thailand to withdraw its troops by yesterday or risk a "large-scale armed conflict".

Prior to the meeting, the military leaders also held talks with Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat, both stressing the importance of using dialogue to solve the problem.

Security sources said Gen Anupong approved two military operation plans, Chakkri Phuwadol and 512, under which troops from the 6th Infantry Division would be used as the main force.

The navy has despatched its ships to patrol Thai waters off Trat province while the air force has put jet fighters and C-130 aircraft on stand-by.

"The military leaders insist the armed forces are prepared in terms of troop deployment in the areas, back-up forces and weapons capabilities to protect our sovereignty," army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said.

Second Army commander Lt-Gen Wibulsak Neepal has been assigned to take charge of the border situation and cooperate with Suranaree Task Force chief Maj-Gen Kanok Netrakhavesana.

Col Sansern said the military was ready to evacuate Thai nationals in Cambodia, but any such decision would be made by the government.

The Foreign Ministry yesterday urged Thai travellers to Cambodia to closely monitor the situation and advised Thai nationals already there to contact the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh for advisory and situation updates.

Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat also sent a stern warning to Cambodia, saying: "If Cambodia does resort to the use of force in accordance with its so-called ultimatum, Thailand will exercise its right of self-defence to protect our de-mining personnel and Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The spat is over a 4.6 sq km disputed area between Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket and the Preah Vihear temple.

The latest border incident occurred on Oct 6 when two Thai paramilitary rangers stepped on landmines while patrolling at Phu Ma Khua, about 2.5km west of the ancient Hindu temple.

Phu Ma Khua Phnom Troap, which is in the overlapping area Cambodia, was the spot where Thai soldiers on patrol clashed with Cambodian troops on Oct 3.

The ministry said Thai de-mining personnel had found Russian-made PMN2 landmines in the area, which the Thai armed forces have never used or possessed.

"The royal Thai government believes that the landmines were planted after the incident [on Oct 3]," the ministry said in a statement. "Thailand views this development with great alarm."