Thai-Cambodian clashes go on but villagers return home

Tue May 3, 2011

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand Cambodian forces are exchanging intermittent fire on their disputed border and the death toll from nearly two weeks of violence has risen to 18 but villagers were trickling home on Tuesday as the intensity of the clashes eased.

The latest exchanges follow a four-day confrontation in February making this year's violence the bloodiest on the poorly demarcated border for years.

A cease-fire agreed at the end of last week by regional army commanders was quickly breached and daily skirmishes have since been reported, each side blaming the other for firing first.

Clashes with guns and grenades broke out on Monday night, Thai army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on Tuesday, adding that one Thai soldier was killed and three were wounded. There was no report of casualties in Cambodia.

Cambodian refugees call for International help

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yior1nzk3Yg&feature=player_embedded

Surin, Buriram gradually close evacuation centres as border situation eases

BANGKOK, May 2 (MCOT online news) - Surin and Buriram, two Thai provinces bordering Cambodia, have gradually closed their evacuation centres for local villagers centres as the residents are returning home as the border situation has eased, with no heavy weapons clashes taking place between Thai and Cambodia troops.

While Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva ordered the army to high alert at the Thai-Cambodian border as Cambodia is still using tactics to incite [incidents] and making sporadic attacks with small arms.

He added that the sniping and inciting by Cambodian troops could eventually lead to intensified clashes anytime so that the army must closely monitor situation.

Thais head home as Cambodia border clashes ease

May 02, 2011

BANGKOK (AP) - Tens of thousands of Thai villagers who fled fighting along the border with Cambodia have begun returning to their homes.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Monday that with combat winding down to exchanges of small arms fire instead of artillery duels, people could safely leave makeshift refugee camps.

A total of 16 soldiers and one civilian from both sides have died since the fighting began on April 22. A decades-old dispute over small patches of land along the border has been the trigger for combat, but nationalistic posturing for domestic political purposes on both sides has heightened tensions.

Evacuees head home as Thai-Cambodia tensions ease

5/2/2011
By Agence France-Presse

Thousands of civilians who fled the deadliest fighting in decades on the Thai-Cambodian border have returned home as tensions ease on the disputed frontier, officials said Monday.

Although sporadic skirmishes continued, the situation had improved enough for many of the 85,000 people who authorities said sought refuge in temporary camps or temples on both sides to return to their villages.

"People started returning home after the authorities analysed the situation and established there is not likely to be any problem," said Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

"The military will monitor the border. We will remain very careful," he added.

Tens of thousands of villagers who fled Thai-Cambodia military clashes return home

Monday, May 02, 2011
By Sinfah Tunsarawuth, The Associated Press

BANGKOK — Tens of thousands of Thai and Cambodian villagers returned Monday to homes they fled since military clashes flared on the border more than a week ago.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and other officials from both countries said with combat winding down to exchanges of small arms fire instead of artillery duels, people could safely leave makeshift refugee camps.

One Thai civilian and a total of 16 soldiers from both sides have died since the fighting began April 22. A decades-old dispute over patches of land along the border has been the trigger for combat, but nationalistic posturing for domestic political purposes on both sides has heightened tensions.

Thailand-Cambodia: Villagers return as clashes ease

Local people have been staying in camps and temples to avoid the fighting

2 May 2011
BBC News

Civilians who fled fighting between Thailand and Cambodia have begun returning home, as 10 days of border clashes eased.

Tens of thousands of villagers had been staying in temporary camps and temples as troops exchanged artillery fire in jungle areas both sides claim.

A truce agreed on 28 April did not end the fighting but reduced its intensity.

The clashes, which began on 22 April, have killed 17 people, including one civilian.

"These people have returned to their houses because the situation now is calm," said Pech Sokhen, the governor of Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province.

Some refugees decided to return home

02 May 2011
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Soch

Nhim Vanda, the chairman of the National Disaster Management Committee, indicated on 30 April that a small number of refugees have returned home. However, the return is voluntary as the authority has difficulties preventing them from doing so. Nhim Vanda said that these people are able to evaluate whether their homes will face attack from the Thai army or not. These refugees miss their homes, their domestic animals and their farmlands. In Samrong district, a large majority of people have returned home and some have already restarted their businesses. As for schools, because they are still closed, children do not attend them yet.

Civilians Displaced Along Thai-Cambodian Border

Source: SOS Children's Villages (Canada)

30/4/2011 - Children are among the tens of thousands of civilians displaced in the ongoing territorial conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.

As of yesterday evening, it was reported that 42,500 Cambodian civilians have fled violent skirmishes erupting along the country's border with Thailand. Most of them are women, children and elderly persons. An estimated 11,200 of those forced to flee their homes are people who have been displaced recently.

According to a more recent media report by the AFP, the total number of displaced people now exceeds 85,000 civilians.

"We have never expected such great number of evacuees, so now our major concerns for them are clean water and sanitary facilities," Nhim Vanda of the Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management told China's Xinhua News Agency.

45,200 Cambodian evacuees flee home due to clashes with Thailand

PHNOM PENH, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The eighth day of armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops over disputed border areas had forced other 11,200 Cambodian people to flee homes, bringing the total number of evacuees to 45,200 by Friday evening, said a senior government official.

"Too many Cambodian evacuees have fled home in the latest rounds of fighting with Thailand," Nhim Vanda, the first vice- president of the Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management, told Xinhua by telephone on Friday. "We have never expected such great number of evacuees, so now our major concerns for them are clean water and sanitary facilities."

During the fighting, the villagers living as far as 18 kilometers surrounding the fighting areas at the 11th century Ta Moan temple and Ta Krabei temple in Oddar Meanchey province have forced to flee for safe shelters.

In Brief Thai and Cambodian evacuees wait and see

Friday, April 29, 2011
IRIN

One day after a ceasefire was reached between Thailand and Cambodia, more than 50,000 displaced civilians on both sides of the disputed border remain in temporary shelters, afraid to go home, aid workers say.

"Families will not return home before tomorrow. They need to be sure they will be safe," Leena Kamarainen, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Cambodian country office, told IRIN.

More than 26,000 people in four camps in Cambodia's northern Oddor Meanchey Province, and 31,500 in Thailand's 27 camps in northeastern Surin and Buriram provinces, will continue to receive relief kits and food from the Red Cross.

"The ceasefire is no grounds for return yet," said Patrick Fox, head of regional disaster management of the IFRC in Bangkok. The fighting, which began on 22 April, is the second time this year that the two neighbours have clashed over the Preah Vihear temple, resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands on both sides.

Thailand-Cambodia Border Clashes Displace Thousands

Civilians caught up in border clashes

28 Apr 2011 13:04
Source: Plan UK

TERRIFIED families are fleeing fresh fighting in a jungle border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, reports children’s charity Plan International.

More than 28,000 villagers are on the move in Cambodia with 14 killed on both sides, including the soldier father of a Plan sponsored child.

The charity is planning to provide water and sanitation, child protection and education at a camp for those seeking shelter. “Exchanges of shelling between the troops of the neighbours started in Uddor Meanchey province and lately expanded to Preah Vihear,” says Plan’s country director in Cambodia, Supriyanto. “Given the severity of the situation suffered by civilians, especially children, we’ve decided to respond.”

CAMBODIA-THAILAND: 36,000 displaced by deadly border clashes

Dee Savi at a shelter in Samraong (Photo: Contributor/IRIN)

Recent arrivals to Samraong (Photo: Contributor/IRIN)

SAMRAONG, 25 April 2011 (IRIN) - At least 36,000 people were displaced on 23-24 April amid fresh fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border, officials say.

The two countries are at loggerheads over ownership of an 11th century Hindu temple, registered as a UN World Heritage Site in 2008.

Each side accused the other of firing rockets and mortars over disputed territory along their 798km border, forcing civilians to flee the area.

17,200 Cambodians evacuated during Cambodian, Thai border clashes

April 24, 2011

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) -- So far, 4,285 Cambodian families of 17,200 people have been evacuated in the three days of armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops over the disputed border area, a senior government official said today.

The people have been evacuated to safe shelters in Oddar Meanchey province's Samrong district, some 30 kilometers from the fighting zone, Nhim Vanda, the first vice-president of the Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management, said today.

The clashes broke out at the Ta Moan and Ta Krabei temples in Oddar Meanchey province since Friday, causing casualties on both sides and damage to the temples and villagers' properties.

During the armed clashes, six Cambodian soldiers were killed and 16 others injured.

Pain on both sides of the border

CAMBODIAN SIDE OF THE BORDER

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Cambodians evacuate from fighting areas in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, on Saturday, April 23, 2011. Cambodian and Thai troops fired shells and small arms across the countries' border Saturday, killing at least 10 soldiers in a two-day clash. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Sovannara)

Displaced Cambodians are evacuated from the Thai-Cambodia border area at Oddar Meanchey province, 20 km (12 miles) from Ta Moan April 23, 2011. Fresh fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops on Saturday killed at last one Thai soldier, raising the number of dead on both sides to eight in two days in the worst bloodshed since the United Nations called for a ceasefire in February. (REUTERS/Stringer)

Displaced Cambodians evacuate from the Thai-Cambodia border area at Oddar Meanchey province, 20 km (12 miles) from Ta Moan April 23, 2011. Thai and Cambodian troops fought again on Saturday on their disputed border, a day after four Thai and three Cambodian soldiers were killed in the worst bloodshed since the United Nations called for a ceasefire in February. (REUTERS/Stringer)

THAI SIDE OF THE BORDER

Thai villagers take shelter at a makeshift refugee camp set up in a school in Surin province about 30 km (19 miles) from the Thai-Cambodia border April 23, 2011. Thousands of villagers have been evacuated from the thick, disputed jungle border area around the Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples, about 150 km (93 miles) west of 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple. Fresh fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops on Saturday killed at last one Thai soldier, raising the number of dead on both sides to eight in two days in the worst bloodshed since the United Nations called for a ceasefire in February. (REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang)

A Thai boy sleeps beside a toy gun at a makeshift refugee camp set up at a school in Surin province about 30 km (19 miles) from the Thai-Cambodia border April 23, 2011. Thousands of villagers have been evacuated from the thick, disputed jungle border area around the Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples, about 150 km (93 miles) west of 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple. Fresh fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops on Saturday killed at last one Thai soldier, raising the number of dead on both sides to eight in two days in the worst bloodshed since the United Nations called for a ceasefire in February. (REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang)

Thai villagers prepare to take position on the ground of a school after being evacuated from their villages near the frontline to safety areas in Surin province, northeastern Thailand, Friday, April 22, 2011. Thailand and Cambodia exchanged artillery and gunfire for several hours along their disputed frontier Friday in a new flare-up of their long-running conflict. It was the first skirmish reported since the two Southeast Asian countries battled for four straight days in February at the 11th century Preah Vihear temple. (AP Photo)

Cambodian evacuees return home after deadly clashes over border row

February 18, 2011
Xinhua

Two weeks after the armed clashes on Feb. 4-7 between Cambodian and Thai troops over the border disputed area near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, a quarter of the evacuees have returned home, said officials on Friday.

Some 800 families out of the total 3,200 evacuated families have returned home, Nhim Vanda, the first vice-president of the Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management, told Xinhua on Friday.

"They still worry about their safety, but they miss their houses, crops and animals, so they begin to return home," he said.

The evacuees fled from their houses in Chorm Kasan district nearby the areas of the armed clashes on Feb. 4-7 and were taking refuge in a camp in Kulen district -- some 90 kilometers from Preah Vihear Temple.

Refugees from Preah Vihear temple area encounter difficulties

Thai border villagers back home after clashes

February 14, 2011
Xinhua

When Wirot Sambookoraw, a villager in Thai-Cambodian border area, arrived home from the temporary shelter on Saturday, he knew he had to deal with the fact that he would have no home at all for the next month.

In the border village of Jinglor, Kantaralak district, Wirot, 44, tried to find something intact in the debris of his bungalow. Finally, he found a bedroom door still useful.

"The provincial government promised us that the damaged bungalows would be rebuilt within a month and the Army agreed to help. I feel much better now," said Wirot.

30,000 people displaced in border clashes between Cambodian and Thai armies

Geneva, 10 February 2011

Brief Description of the Emergency

Armed clashes that flared up on 4 February 2011 between the Cambodian and Thai military over a disputed stretch of border surrounding a 900-year-old temple have killed both soldiers and civilians. The exact number of deaths and injuries due to the clashes is unknown as both sides report different numbers. According to a report on Alert Net at least 11 people have been killed and thousands evacuated[1]. Although the fighting has stopped, the situation remains tense. The Cambodia government has called on the UN Security Council to intervene while the Thai government still wants bilateral talks. It is expected that the UN Council will discuss the issue on Monday.

On 8 February, Deutsche Presse-Agentur and Asia Pacific News reported that more than 10,000 Cambodian villagers had fled their villages near the temple of Preah Vihear. According to an IRIN report of 9 February, up to 30,000 people (15,000 in Cambodia and 15,000 in Thailand) were reported to have been displaced since the fighting began. The director of the Thai Red Cross confirmed that an estimated 15,000 people on the Thai side of the border had fled to makeshift shelters and other villages to escape the fighting while the Cambodian Red Cross officials estimate that a similar number were displaced on their side of the border.