Cambodia PM plays down border row [-No more "Death Zone" for the Thais?]

Friday, 17 October 2008
BBC News

Cambodian PM Hun Sen has played down the possibility of a full-scale war with Thailand, after the two sides exchanged fire across their border.

He said talks remained the best answer to the dispute around Preah Vihear temple, a UN World Heritage site.

Both sides have sought to ease tensions since at least two Cambodian soldiers were killed in Wednesday's crossfire.

They have agreed to a joint border patrol, but failed to reach a deal on reducing troop numbers.

"People should understand that there won't be any large-scale war taking place," Hun Sen told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting.

"I would not call it a war. This was just a minor armed clash," he added.

He said there was no need for outsiders, such as the United Nations or the regional grouping Asean, to get involved in the dispute.

'Death zone'

The military stand-off began in July when Cambodian troops detained three Thai protesters who had entered the site illegally.

More than 1,000 soldiers from both countries moved into the area, digging trenches into the rough terrain around the temple.

Both sides agreed in August to withdraw their personnel, but last week Cambodia claimed that Thai troops had returned, and Hun Sen threatened to turn the area into a "death zone" if they did not withdraw.

The dispute centres on 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

An international court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but land surrounding it remains the subject of rival territorial claims.

Disputes between the two countries date back centuries, when the Thai and Khmer monarchs fought each other for territory and power.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Death-Zone

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

PM Hun Sen warned Thailand: withdraw or face a ‘Death Zone’

Opinion by Khmerization

14th October, 2008

I advocate that some sorts of strong diplomatic, and to a certain extent, strong military pressures, be exerted on Thailand. By saying this I mean that, should Thailand refuse to withdraw its troops, some sorts of armed clash should occur, especially at Ta Moan Thom, Ta Krabey and Phnom Trop. And any attempts by Thai troops to cross into Cambodian territories in the future must be met with armed resistance. These sorts of actions are the effective deterrence against future encroachments, as has been proven by the actions of the Laotian troops.

At long last PM Hun Sen has done what should be done a long time ago, and that is warning Thailand of a 'death zone'. The strong reactions displayed by Mr. Hun Sen and that of Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in the face of continued territorial violations by Thailand and its refusal to withdraw troops from Cambodian territories are signs that the Cambodian patience is wearing thin and that Mr. Hun Sen is stepping in the right directions and his strong statements against Thailand’s aggression should be wholeheartedly welcomed by all Cambodians from all political persuasions.

I have been advocating for a strong reaction for sometimes to these Thai flagrant and gross violations of Cambodian sovereignty and territorial integrity. In the face of renewed and continued violations and Thai intransigence, Cambodia must send a strong message to Thailand that its actions could no longer be tolerated by Cambodia.

Since Cambodia’s inactions and, to a certain extent, frightened reactions, to the first Thai invasion of the Preah Vihear area on 15th of July 2008, Thailand has been waging a campaign of relentless violations of Cambodian territories without any attempts to resist those violations from the Cambodia troops. Preah Vihear, Ta Moan Thom, Ta Krabey, O’plok Damrey in Pursat, Veal Indri at Phnom Trop and as recently as a few days ago, a Buddhist pagoda at Rumchet at Choam Ksan of the Golden Triangle between Laos, Thailand and Cambodia’s borders have been encroached by Thailand. These sorts of violations must not be allowed to go unchallenged. They must be stopped at all cost.

I, and I hope that other compatriots, have also said in the past that the continuation of bilateral talks with Thailand will produce no results because Thailand was not and has never been sincere in its talks with Cambodia, as was evident in the many fruitless bilateral talks in the past. Thailand came to the negotiating tables just to appease Cambodia and the UN Security Council not to get involved. The same will happen with the future meetings that were agreed on Monday. The only solutions Thailand want out of the meetings are that Cambodia must agree to give ownership to Thailand all the territories it has claimed and occupied.

If Cambodia does not resort to using force to deter future encroachments, Thailand will continue to encroach at its free will. And unless Cambodia will seek international involvements, or by using force to push Thai troops out, Thailand will never withdraw from the Cambodian territories that they have occupied and the Thai occupation of those territories will be a fait accompli.

Cambodia might be no match for Thailand militarily. The same can be said of Laos. But Laos has taught Thailand a lesson at the battle of Ban Romklao in 1989 when nearly 600 Thai troops were massacred by Laotian troops during the fighting for the control of that village. Since then, Thailand never mess around with Laos anymore. And a few days ago Laotian troops had fired on a group of Thai soldiers trying to trespass Laotian territories. The Thai troops withdrew in split seconds.

In drawing an analogy with the Laotian situation, Cambodia should employ the same actions a long time ago, when Thailand first sent in their troops to invade Preah Vihear. If Cambodia was firm then, encroachments at Ta Moan Thom, Ta Krabey, O’plok Damrey and Veal Indri at Phnom Trop would never have happened.

In summing up this editorial, I advocate that some sorts of strong diplomatic, and to a certain extent, strong military pressures, be exerted on Thailand. By saying this I mean that, should Thailand refuse to withdraw its troops, some sorts of armed clash should occur, especially at Ta Moan Thom, Ta Krabey and Phnom Trop. And any attempts by Thai troops to cross into Cambodian territories in the future must be met with armed resistance. These sorts of actions are the effective deterrence against future encroachments, as has been proven by the actions of the Laotian troops.

Leave disputed area or face "death zone," Cambodia tells Thailand

A Cambodian soldier stands guard in July at an entrance gate to Preah Vihear temple on the Cambodian-Thai border. (Heng Sinith/Associated Press)

Monday, October 13, 2008
CBC News (Canada)

Thailand has 24 hours to pull its troops out of a disputed border region that includes an ancient temple, Cambodia's prime minister warned Monday on threat of violence.

"Thai troops must withdraw from Cambodian land by tomorrow at the latest," Hun Sen told reporters after meeting Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat in Phnom Penh.

"We will not allow them to occupy our land."

Both countries have laid claim to the Preah Vihear temple complex, an ancient Hindu site built by the same Khmer dynasty as the internationally renowned Angkor Wat temples in central Cambodia.

"We see that territory is our land, too. What would it mean if we retreated?" Sompong told reporters in Bangkok.

"If the Cambodians think it is their land, too, we should start bilateral talks to sort that out very quickly."

Thailand's failure to immediately withdraw, however, will incite Cambodian forces to turn the area into a "death zone," Sen said.

Cambodian troops are en route to the disputed territory to counteract up to 500 Thai soldiers who have crossed the border, Cambodian deputy defence minister Gen. Neang Phat said Monday.

Decades-old dispute

The dispute has simmered for decades but came to a head in July when UNESCO accepted Cambodia's request to declare the temple complex a World Heritage Site, a move seen in Phnom Penh as de-facto international recognition of its claim.

Thousands of heavily armed soldiers from both sides rushed to the disputed 460-hectare area, about 250 kilometres north of Phnom Penh, and faced off in hillside trenches just metres apart from one another.

Since then, two Thai soldiers have lost their legs in blasts from landmines strewn around the temple. A number of others from either side have been wounded during exchanges of fire.

Both countries are members of the Association of South East Asian Nations, or ASEAN, which has previously offered to mediate in the dispute. No consensus could be reached, however, on how best the organization could be involved.

Thai forces occupied land around the temple in 1954 when France withdrew its soldiers from newly independent Cambodia.

International legal authorities have found in favour of Cambodia's claim in the past, but Thailand has rejected such rulings.

Cambodia has since appealed to the United Nations Security Council to help resolve the standoff.

With files from the Associated Press and Reuters