Hun Xen orders pullout of Brigade 911 from Preah Vihear

Sunday, November 08, 2009
KI-Media

Following his return to Cambodia from Japan, Hun Xen ordered the pullout of a number of paratroopers belonging to Brigade 911 from the Preah Vihear temple, DAP-news reported on Sunday. Hun Xen indicated that: Cambodia does not need war, she only needs peace.

Thailand says border tensions eased as Cambodia talks open

Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag (right) shakes hand with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong

HUA HIN, Thailand (AFP) — Tensions over an ancient Khmer temple have eased following the withdrawal of most soldiers from the ruins, the Thai foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday as new border talks opened with Cambodia.

"The situation is moving in a positive manner. The tension is now being cooled down," Tharit Charungvat told reporters as foreign ministers from both countries began meeting in the Thai beach resort town of Hua Hin, southwest of Bangkok.

At the weekend, up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops pulled back from a small patch of disputed land near Cambodia's 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, suggesting that an end to the month-long military stand-off could be near.

Twenty troops from both sides remain stationed at a small pagoda in the contentious border area, while 40 Cambodian and Thai solders remain nearby.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and his Thai counterpart Tej Bunnag met for dinner late Monday in Hua Hin, and were expected to hold talks through the day Tuesday.

"The situation has improved quite a lot in regards to the standoff between the militaries from both sides," Tharit said. "The tension around the area has been eased. We hope very much that the situation will go back to normal as soon as possible."

Relations between the neighbours flared up last month after Preah Vihear was awarded world heritage status by the UN cultural body UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the ancient Khmer temple.

On July 15, Cambodia arrested three Thai protesters for illegally crossing the border to try to reach the temple, sparking the deployment of troops from both sides on the tiny patch of disputed land near Preah Vihear.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia, but surrounding land remains in dispute.

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.

New round of border demarcation talks starts today

Monday August 18, 2008
WASSANA NANUAM AND AP
Bangkok Post

The Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meets today in a new bid to end the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.

It comes after both sides agreed to reduce the number of troops on each side of the border.

The Suranaree Task Force and the Cambodian government confirmed yesterday that the number of Thai and Cambodian soldiers in the overlapping zone had been reduced in line with the agreement reached last Wednesday in Surin.

The two countries still had 10 soldiers each at the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda near Preah Vihear temple and 45 more around the pagoda's compound for joint patrols, a source at the task force said.

The rest were spread out in the 4.6 square kilometres of land which had not been demarcated, the source said.

Thailand insists the area in dispute is in Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket, while Cambodia argues that it is part of Preah Vihear province.

Both countries finished moving most of their troops from a nearby temple on Saturday, said the source.

Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith and Hang Soth, the director-general of the Preah Vihear National Authority, a Cambodian government agency managing the historic site, confirmed the troop pullout.

''The tension has eased considerably. There is no more confrontation,'' Mr Hang Soth said, calling the troop withdrawals a ''good process giving us hope'' about the new talks.

The reduction of troops came on the eve of the meeting between Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong in Cha-am district of Phetchaburi.

The ministers will hold an informal meeting today followed by the official JBC meeting tomorrow.

The Foreign Ministry said Thailand's main agenda is to find a way to establish sovereignty of the disputed area.

Second Army chief Lt-Gen Sujit Sitthiprapa will join other Thai negotiators in the talks.

Despite the reduction of troops, the source at the task force said the army was not satisfied as another Thai demand had not been met.

Thailand proposed at the Surin meeting that Cambodia replace 1,200 soldiers on top of the temple with police as a gesture of goodwill.

The presence of the Cambodian soldiers at the temple put Thailand at a strategic disadvantage.

On July 28, the nations' foreign ministers agreed on a plan to withdraw their troops from the disputed area near the temple.

The stand-off started on July 15 after the World Heritage Committee approved Cambodia's application to list the temple as a World Heritage site.

Both countries have long claimed the temple, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962.

Most Cambodian, Thai troops withdraw from disputed temple

16 August 2008
AFP

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia : Cambodian and Thai armies pulled back almost all troops from disputed territory around an ancient temple Saturday afternoon, according to a Cambodian official.

More than 1,000 soldiers from both countries have been stationed around a small pagoda near the Preah Vihear temple on the Cambodia-Thai border for a month in a fraught stand-off.

They began to withdraw "step-by-step" late Friday after a military agreement was reached two days earlier, but most troops remained until a large-scale drawdown at 4:00pm (0900 GMT) on Saturday.

"Now nearly all our military has been redeployed... only 50 troops from each side remain," Cambodian defence official Neang Phat told AFP.

"It is a 100 per cent positive act with a lot of improvement," he added.

Neang Phat earlier said only 20 troops from both sides would remain stationed in the pagoda while 40 troops from both sides would be allowed close by.

Security around the temple was tightened mid-afternoon with visitors prohibited and journalists banned from taking pictures of the site.

Relations between the neighbours flared up last month after Preah Vihear, which belongs to Cambodia, was awarded heritage status by the United Nations, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the 11th century Khmer temple.

On July 15, Cambodia arrested three Thai protesters for illegally crossing the border to try to reach the temple, sparking the deployment of troops from both sides on a tiny patch of disputed land near Preah Vihear.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia, but surrounding land remains in dispute.

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

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Thursday he had approved a 1.4-billion-baht (41.7-million-dollar) mine-clearing operation on the border.

Photos from Preah Vihear on 15 August 2008

Cambodians pray at the disputed Preah Vihear temple. Cambodian and Thai armies have pulled back almost all troops from a disputed territory around an ancient temple. (AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)
Cambodian soldiers stand guard on a road near a pagoda close to Preah Vihear temple on August 15. Cambodian and Thai troops have begun to pull back from disputed territory around an ancient temple, an official said Saturday. (AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)
Thai soldiers (right) stand guard as Cambodian soldiers sit near a pagoda close to the Preah Vihear temple on August 15. Cambodian and Thai troops have begun to pull back from disputed territory around an ancient temple, an official said Saturday. (AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Thai, Cambodian troops leaving disputed territory

By SOPHENG CHEANG

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A monthlong standoff between Thailand and Cambodia appeared to be ending as both sides pulled back their troops Saturday from disputed territory around a temple near their shared border, a Cambodian official said.

The redeployment from the Preah Vihear temple area began Friday evening and was continuing on Saturday, said Hang Soth, director-general of the Preah Vihear National Authority. The authority is the government agency that manages the historical site.

The standoff near the 11th-century shrine began on July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N.'s cultural agency, approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Both countries have long held claim to the temple, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962.

About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand had been in the area.

The Cambodian military refused to answer questions about the pullout and it was not certain when it would be completed.

On Thursday, Cambodian Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Neang Phat said the two countries had agreed to a gradual redeployment of troops from the area ahead of talks Monday between their foreign ministers on territorial disputes.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had backed Cambodia's World Heritage site bid, sparking demonstrations by anti-government protesters who claimed the temple's new status would undermine Thailand's claim to the surrounding area.

The protests left Samak politically vulnerable, and he had to take action to appease his nationalist critics. On July 15, Thailand sent troops to occupy the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda — claimed by Cambodia and near Preah Vihear.

Cambodia responded with its own troop deployment. The two sides came close to a shootout on July 17 when Cambodian monks sought to celebrate Buddhist lent in the pagoda.

Troops on both sides raised their weapons, but no shots were fired, and the Cambodians eventually backed down.

The border dispute has not been resolved despite two rounds of talks since last month, with the countries referring to two different maps.

Cambodia uses a French colonial map demarcating the border, which Thailand says favors Cambodia. Thailand relies on a map drawn up later with American technical assistance.

Thai, Cambodian troops ending standoff near temple

By SOPHENG CHEANG

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A Cambodian government official says that Thai and Cambodian troops are ending a monthlong standoff at an ancient temple near the countries' shared border.

The official, Hang Soth, says both sides started pulling out troops Friday evening from the disputed territory around the Preah Vihear temple. He says the redeployment will continue Saturday.

The standoff near the 11th-century temple began on July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N.'s cultural agency, approved Cambodia's application to have it named a World Heritage Site. Both countries claim the temple, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962.

About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand had been in the area.

Cambodian, Thai troops pull back from disputed area

Sat Aug 16, 2008

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian and Thai troops started to pull their troops back from a disputed border area on Saturday, Cambodian army officers said, after a month-long stand-off centering on a 900-year-old temple.

"Both sides are pulling out their troops and we expect this to be done before sunset today," Cambodian Lieutenant-Colonel Sar Thavy told Reuters by phone from Preah Vihear temple.

"Everyone looks happy to see the Thai troops leaving the area. Villagers are going back to run their businesses near Preah Vihear temple," he added.

About 1,000 troops from the two countries were sent to the border area after a long-simmering row over ownership of the temple was fuelled by domestic politics.

Under the terms of an agreement reached between army officers on Wednesday, each side will leave just 10 soldiers at a Buddhist pagoda on the disputed territory, 1.8 square miles of scrub that sits on a jungle-clad escarpment dividing the two countries.

The rest will move to border areas in their own country that are not in dispute, officials said.

The foreign ministers of both countries are expected to meet in Thailand in the coming week to discuss the dispute.

Preah Vihear has been claimed by both countries for decades but was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962. The latest row erupted in mid-July when protest groups trying to overthrow the Thai government attacked Bangkok's backing of Cambodia's bid to list Preah Vihear as a United Nations World Heritage site.

The dispute was fuelled by nationalist sentiment during an election campaign in Cambodia, but tensions have eased since Prime Minister Hun Sen's re-election at the end of July.

In a marked toning-down of his campaign rhetoric, Hun Sen said a week ago the two sides must resolve the dispute and "maximize bilateral cooperation, including trade".

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Writing by Alan Raybould; Editing by David Fogarty)