Downplayed, but a ceasefire thanks to army [-So there was a ceasefire agreement after all?]

22/02/2011
Pichai Chuensuksawadi
Bangkok Post

Over the weekend Thai and Cambodian military commanders reached agreement on several key points aimed at keeping the guns quiet along the disputed border area around Phra Viharn temple.

The government has been quick to say that this is not an official ceasefire. Confusing? Well, yes, and one might ask when is a ceasefire not a ceasefire?

For us ordinary civilians, and especially for the Thai and Cambodian peoples on either side of the border, it does not really matter. Call it what you want - a ceasefire or cessation of hostilities - as long as bullets, mortar and artillery shells do not rain down on their homes and schools, forcing thousands to flee in fear for their lives.

The substance of the agreement reached by the two military delegations is considerable. Both sides agree that no more troops are to be deployed in the conflict zones and the existing troops stationed there must not move. Likewise for heavy armaments and artillery in the conflict area; and neither side may attack the other using heavy weaponry.

They also agreed that no building or structure of any kind may be constructed inside the disputed 4.6 square kilometre border zone; no more military bunkers are to be built; no more road construction is allowed. Senior military officers of both countries are to communicate via a dedicated mobile phone hotline in discussing border issues.

Thailand, Cambodia agree to border truce

MEMENTO OF VIOLENCE: A novice at Wat Siriwarawat in Si Sa Ket’s Kantharalak district strikes a ‘‘mortar shell bell’’next to the temple’s traditional brass bell.

'ALL IS WELL' AS TROOPS SIGN CEASEFIRE

20/02/2011

Wassana Nanuam

Bangkok Post

Thai and Cambodian troops signed a ceasefire agreement effective from noon yesterday.

"All is well," said Second Army commander Thawatchai Samutsakhon after the agreement was sealed at a restaurant at the Chong Sa-ngam Pass border crossing in Si Sa Ket province.

The ceasefire is a breakthrough in the raging border conflict following clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops in a disputed area near Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district earlier this month.

However, it is unclear if the ceasefire will be permanent. A previous truce had been called on Feb 5 but violence flared up again the next day.

An army source said Lt Gen Thawatchai was part of the ceasefire-signing delegation led by Army chief-of-staff Daopong Rattanasuwan, who represented the Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha.

Cambodia, Thailand Commanders Pledge to Avoid Further Clash

2011-02-06
Xinhua

Cambodian and Thai military commanders on Sunday agreed to avoid further weapon eruption and send their respective villagers back to live as usual in their homes after two-day evacuations resulting from two military clashes over the border dispute areas near the 11th century temple.

The agreements were made following the second meeting, held at the archway to the Preah Vihear Temple, between Cambodian Major General Srey Doek, commander of Military Division 3 and Major General Chawalit Chunprasan, commander of the Suranari Military Camp in a bid to find ways to defuse tension after the deadly clashes twice on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning at the disputed border areas near the Preah Vihear Temple.

"Both sides agreed that there will be no troop mobility -- Thai troops won't try to push into Cambodia and Cambodian troops won't try to push into Thailand over the disputed areas," Srey Doek told reporters after the 80 minute meeting with his Thai counterpart.

Thai, Cambodian troops meet at disputed border for informal talks

Cambodian general Srey Dek (left) and Thai colonel Chayan Huay Soongnern hold hands
Thai prime Minister Somchai Wonqsawat (L) visits an injured Thai soldier
A Cambodian soldier (L) shakes hands with a Thai soldier (R)

Saturday, October 18, 2008

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AFP) — Thai and Cambodian commanders brought troops together on their disputed border Saturday for informal talks aimed at preventing further skirmishes after deadly gunfights earlier this week.

Cambodian Major General Srey Deok and Thai Colonel Chayan Huaysoongnern ordered troops not to fire their weapons again and had their captains shake hands on the frontline of their standoff near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

"Let's tell our soldiers to sit down and talk together. We (commanders) have good feeling, but our soldiers have not yet felt good," Srey Deok said as the commanders sat surrounded by their troops.

"Everyone is still on alert, so I am afraid another problem could occur," he added.

The two sides agreed that low-level officers should now meet regularly to reduce tensions between the forces after two Cambodian soldiers were killed and several men from both sides injured after shooting broke out on Wednesday.

The two commanders also agreed to fill in bunkers dug in the area, building on an earlier agreement to begin joint border patrols. No timetable has yet been set for either action.

Laughing and joking together after the meeting, Chayan and Srey Deok ate lunch at a pagoda in the disputed territory.

Thailand's prime minister, under pressure from military chiefs to resign, on Saturday flew to the Cambodian border to visit soldiers injured in deadly clashes between the two nations.

Somchai Wongsawat was due to visit a military hospital in eastern Ubon Ratchathani province, where one soldier remains critically ill following a gunfight with Cambodian troops on their disputed border on Wednesday.

The current standoff first flared in July after Preah Vihear was awarded UNESCO world heritage status, angering 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.

Thai, Cambodian army officers discuss border truce

Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Associated Press

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia: Thai and Cambodian field commanders worked Saturday to strengthen a fragile truce following a deadly gunbattle between their soldiers stationed on the border.

The commanders, Cambodian Maj. Gen. Srey Doek and Thai Col. Chayan Huaysoongnern, conducted a joint inspection of their troops, ate lunch together and discussed how to prevent future flare-ups of violence in disputed territory near an 11th century temple.

Fighting between the two sides Wednesday killed two Cambodian soldiers and led to fears of war between the neighbors.

"We would like to see stability restored as it was before the clash and promote friendship between the two countries," Srey Doek told Chayan as they sat at a bamboo table erected in the jungle.

Chayan nodded, smiled and said "yes."

As they talked, dozens of their soldiers in full combat gear stood near them.

Cambodia's prime minister on Friday downplayed Wednesday's clash and urged further negotiations to prevent the dispute from again turning violent.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Hun Sen described the battle as "a minor armed clash."

"We can still talk to each other and are not yet enemies unwilling to talk to each other at all," Hun Sen said.

The fighting was the latest flare-up in a decades-old dispute over a stretch of jungle near the Preah Vihear temple. The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty over surrounding land has never been clearly resolved.

Analysts say the conflict has been fueled by domestic concerns in the two countries.

In Thailand, resurgent nationalism, promoted by a protest group seeking to topple the government, has put authorities in Bangkok under political pressure to aggressively pursue claims to the land.

Cambodia has historically felt marginalized and abused by its more powerful neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam. The dispute allows Hun Sen to portray himself as an aggressive defender of Cambodia's national rights, said Milton Osborne, an Australian historian specializing in Southeast Asia.
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Associated Press writers Ker Munthit in Phnom Penh and Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Thai, Cambodian Army Commanders Discuss Border Truce

By VOA News
18 October 2008

Cambodian and Thai military commanders met on their disputed border Saturday to discuss ways to avoid clashes, after deadly gunfights this week.

Surrounded by dozens of soldiers in full combat gear, Cambodian Major General Srey Deok and Thai Colonel Chayan Huaysoongnern discussed how to prevent future flare-ups of violence. After their meeting, the two ate lunch together.

A deadly gunfight between Cambodian and Thai soldiers erupted Wednesday along the disputed area near a centuries-old temple. Two Cambodian soldiers were killed in the shootout, and soldiers from each side were wounded. Cambodia claimed to have captured some Thai troops.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said the border clash would not escalate into a wider conflict.

The prime minister told reporters in Phnom Penh Friday the two rivals have agreed to resolve the dispute directly, rejecting the need for an outside mediator to negotiate a settlement.

Military officials from both sides reached an agreement Thursday to conduct joint military patrols along the border.

Wednesday's fighting took place near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple - the center of the decades-old land dispute.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice granted sovereignty of the temple to Cambodia, but it did not rule on the surrounding land.

Troops have been building up on both sides of the border since July, when the United Nations approved Cambodia's application to make the temple a World Heritage site. The honor enraged Thai nationalists.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.