[Thai] Regional army chief: No troop withdrawals from disputed areas [... but some Thai troops withdrawn from some posts]

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Oct 15 (TNA) – Second Region Army Commander Lt-Gen. Viboonsak Neepal on Tuesday reaffirmed that the Thai military will not withdraw its troops from overlapping areas claimed by Thailand and Cambodia, saying that the armed forces are ready to maintain the country's sovereignty.

Speaking after meeting with local military unit commanders to assess the situation along the Thai-Cambodian border, he said that Thailand will not pull out its troops from the disputed areas, because the claims by both countries were made based on separate maps.

Gen. Viboonsak conceded that some Thai troops, including border patrols and surveillance troops had withdrawn from some posts, but only 30 personnel were affected, not 80 to 1-100 as claimed by Cambodia.

He said Thai troops must sometimes enter the overlapping areas to help evacuate soldiers injured by landmines.

Gen. Viboonsak said he was confident that the armed forces will protect Thailand's national sovereignty. The public must not be worried about it.

Should there be a clash between soldiers, he said, the military is ready to evacuate people from the overlapping areas.

The general said he had already informed provincial governors on the Thai-Khmer frontier of the incident.

He warned people to avoid entering the disputed areas or traveling to Cambodia for the time being as since the situation remains worrying.

A brief skirmish broke out on the border earlier in the month, with one Cambodian and two Thai soldiers wounded. Both sides claimed the other fired first and blamed the other for being on the wrong side of the border.

Three days later, two Thai soldiers lost legs when they stepped on land mines in the area.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat on Monday, but the meeting appeared to end without resolution. Afterward Mr. Hun Sen said that if Thai troops do not stop trespassing, "armed clashes will break out."

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Death-Zone

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Phnom Penh announces Thai pullout, Bangkok denies

10/14/2008
AsiaNews.it

CAMBODIA – THAILAND

Both sides issue statements and denials with regards to disputed border area. Cambodians claim Thais pulled back; Thais reject claim. For decades the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO world heritage site, has been at the core of a dispute between the two neighbours.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Cambodian claims that Thai troops pulled back from the border a few hours before its ultimatum expired (noon local time) has been denied by Thai authorities. "We are still there," said Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat who is also the country’s Defence Minister, after a meeting with Army chief General Anupong Paochinda and foreign ministry officials.

Cambodian Prime minister Hun Sen gave Thailand a noon deadline today to withdraw all its troops from an area adjacent to the Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border or face a "large-scale conflict.”

Thailand’s response was immediate. Thai army spokesman Sansern Kaewkumnerd denied the Cambodian claim that Thai troops had withdrawn from the disputed area. He reiterated instead his country’s willingness “to continue with bilateral talks, but if the situation escalates, we are ready.”

Furthermore, Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwait said about 80 troops went into the disputed territory on a mine removal mission after two Thai soldiers lost legs earlier this month when they stepped on land mines.

Tensions between the two neighbours heated up last August after UNESCO declared the Preah Vihear Temple a world heritage site in July.

The holy site, which is located on a promontory, belongs to Cambodia in accordance with a decision made by the International Court of Justice in 1962.

The surrounding area, no more than 4.5 km2, is however at the heart of a dispute between the two neighbours, each claiming substantial chunks of the other country’s territory.

The Thai military controls the main roads into the Temple area and some border sections are not clearly demarcated, factors which have fuelled tensions between Phnom Penh and Bangkok, which have in recent weeks deployed respectively 800 and 400 soldiers along the border.

Minister: Thai troops won't leave disputed border

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

(BangkokPost.com) - Thai soldiers will not withdraw from the disputed border area near the Preah Vihear temple despite an ultimatum from Cambodia to withdraw by midday Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat said Tuesday morning.

"We are in our homeland. How can they expect us to leave our home?" he told reporters.

His statement came after a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who said Thai soldiers could face being fired upon by Cambodian troops.

"If they cannot withdraw tonight, they must withdraw tomorrow," Hun Sen said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat called an urgent meeting with chiefs of armed forces and Foreign Ministry officials at 2pm Tuesday to assess border row.

He said in the morning that troops of both countries should withdraw from the disputed area.

"We would not have any problems if both countries withdraw their troops to avoid confrontation," Mr Somchai said. "I would like the bi-lateral committee that has been formed to state clearly the distance that the troops should stay away from the disputed land."

He insisted that the Thai government is ready to discuss the problem with Phnom Penh.

Now that Thailand dismisses Hun Sen's ultimatum, what will be Hun Sen's next move: War or No War?

BANGKOK, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Thai soldiers will not leave a disputed stretch of the border with Cambodia despite an ultimatum from Phnom Penh for them to withdraw by midday (0500 GMT) on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat said. "We are in our homeland. How can they expect us to leave our home?" he said in reply to a question from a reporter.

In a speech to an economic conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen repeated the deadline for Thai forces to pull back from the area near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, but did not say what consequences would follow.

"We will not let the Thais stand on our land," he said, adding that Cambodian soldiers, many of them battle-hardened Khmer Rouge veterans, were shouting at the Thai lines: "If you want to die, come over here."

Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said Bangkok would pull back its troops only as part of wider joint effort to agree on the various disputed parts of the border.

"We have no problem on troop withdrawal to avoid confrontation but we need a joint committee to meet and agree on how far we are going to pull back and how many troops will be withdrawn," he said before a weekly cabinet meeting.

Thai army chief Anupong Paochinda called a meeting with his staff. He was due to attend another meeting of security agencies chaired by Somchai later in the day.

Singapore called for both sides to show restraint.

"We urge both sides to contain emotions, exercise restraint and resolve the issue through negotiations without resorting to force," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Tensions have been high since July, when around 1,000 soldiers on both sides faced off only yards apart in trenches dug into a hillside that until 10 years ago was under the control of remnants of the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot's guerrilla army.

At the heart of the dispute is 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub near the temple, which the International Court of Justice awarded to Cambodia in 1962, a ruling that has rankled many in Thailand ever since.

(Reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak and Nopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Ed Cropley and Alex Richardson)