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.
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.
1 comment:
My personal feeling is that in order to avoid another coup by top military officiers, the current Thai government needs to make the border clash happen at any cost. So, the Thai public would focus more on border clash than the coup itself. It will bring a bad image to the coup planners if they wish to go while border stand off still continues. It would make thing complicated for coup planners to mobilize the troops for the coup. The public would punish them. That's why Thai PM needs to get closer to the local Thai commanders. PM won't prefer clash, but just a stand off and sometimes fighting because soldiers are human and their patiece is limited. It's a political game in Thai politics. The question is do Khmers want to play the game with them or do we really need to think about the territory? The latter is to have international mediation, but Thai government won't choose it at least until the threat from coup planners is over.
Whether Khmer government wants to play the game with them or not, lives of Khmer soldiers need to be protected and treated fairly.
If a large scale conflict happens, Thais would be united, and the military will take the government completely. Somchai never wants this to happen either. It's a tough situation there. If coup fails, there is a high risk for the coup planners and those behind them.
In my opinion, Khmers should not involve with their game for the best interest of the nation. Thais ALWAYS get advantages while we were in troubles. Why not we? We should focus more on economic development and leave the works to the international communities because we have law and peace accord. Just like Singapore, the more we have strong economics and humand resources, no one would touch us. Hun Sen should really think about this.
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