Cambodia- Thailand Conflict: Preah Vihear belongs to the World

Oct 31, 08
By Reinhard Hohler
eTN Chiang Mai

According to an article in today's Phnom Penh Post, an official with the Council of Ministers said Tuesday the Cambodian National Committee, in partnership with Unesco, will post signs at Preah Vihear temple to create a protection zone around the World Heritage site.

The move follows claims by Cambodian officials that a statue at the "naga" staircase of the 11th-century monument were damaged by Thai grenades during clashes on October 15 that left three Cambodian soldiers and a Thai trooper dead.

Phay Siphan, Secretary of State at the Council of Ministers, said three signs will be posted around the temple on November 7 to prevent further damage to the site.

"Preah Vihear is not just Cambodian property, but world property," he told the Post Tuesday. "Cambodia and Thailand are both members of UNESCO, so we want their co-operation in protecting the temple."

Thailand's Foreign Ministry on Monday denied claims that Thai soldiers had damaged the temple. In a statement, the ministry said Thai soldiers only fired rifles, and instead accused Cambodian troops of using grenades.

Hang Soth, Director-General of the Preah Vihear Authority, said the new signs will demarcate a new protection zone to deter fighting in the area. "There will be no further shooting on the temple or in the protection zone," he said. "We will post the signs, and Thai soldiers must join us in respecting the boundary."

General Srey Doek, Commander of Cambodia's Brigade 12 stationed at the temple, said he could not comment on the new protection zone. "We are waiting to receive orders from higher levels about whether to remove our troops from the temple," he told the Post.

Cambodia to use signboards to keep Preah Vihear Temple out of conflict

THAI SOLDIERS:
IF YOU CAN READ THIS SIGN
YOU HAVE TRESPASSED INTO
CAMBODIA'S PREAH VIHEAR TEMPLE
TURN AROUND AND
GO HOME NOW!

Possible sign to post at Preah Vihear temple?

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 28 (Kyodo)—Cambodia said Tuesday it will put up huge signboards identifying Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site after armed conflicts broke out between Cambodia and Thailand in the disputed border area.

Phay Siphan, spokesman of Cambodia's Council of Ministers, told Kyodo News that the signboards, which are visible from the sky, will be installed on Nov. 7 at Preah Vihear Temple in the presence of representatives from the U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Cambodian government.

He said posting the signboards has become "necessarily urgent" after Thai troops allegedly damaged the temple during a recent border clash.

Last week, Cambodia filed a complaint with UNESCO claiming Thai soldiers damaged statues and a staircase at Preah Vihear with shoulder-launched M-79 rockets.

The Thai Foreign Ministry has denied its troops damaged the temple.

Cambodia succeeded in June in getting Preah Vihear inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, over Thailand's objections.

Preah Vihear has been the scene of tense confrontation between the two sides since mid-July after it was registered as a World Heritage site.

On Oct. 15, armed troops of Cambodia and Thailand clashed at three locations in the disputed area near the temple, leaving several dead and tens of others wounded on both sides.

Phay Siphan said the posting of the signboards is made in response to the 1954 convention for the protection of cultural property in the event of a conflict.

Thailand Rejects Cambodian Claims Of Damage To Preah Vihear [-The never-ending finger-pointing blame game]

2008-10-28
By SUPALAK GANJANAKHUNDEE
The Nation/ ANN

BANGKOK, THAILAND: Thailand dismissed on Monday (27 Oct) Cambodian claims of damage to the World Heritage site of Preah Vihear Temple during the recent shoot-out, saying it was the other side that had dispatched troops with heavy weaponry at the temple and its vicinity.

"We're verifying the presence of Cambodian troops at the temple, because we understand that placing troops at a World Heritage site violates the World Heritage Convention," said Thai foreign ministry permanent secretary Virasakdi Futrakul.

A military report indicated Cambodian troops had fired rockets from the temple onto the Thai side, he added.

Cambodian government spokesperson Phay Siphan said on Sunday (26 Oct) that his government has lodged a complaint with the United Nations accusing Thai troops of damaging the ancient Preah Vihear Temple.

The complaint was filed with Unesco, the UN's cultural body, a few days after the firefight broke out on 15 Oct near Preah Vihear, he said.

A staircase and a sculpture of the mythical Naga creature were hit by rocket fire at the 11th-century Khmer ruins, he said.

However, Thai ambassador to Paris Thana Duangrat reported to the ministry that there was no record of a Cambodian complaint submitted to Unesco.

"We have evidence proving Cambodia fired the rockets from Preah Vihear Temple at Thai troops," said foreign ministry spokesperson Tharit Charungvat.

The ministry has checked the facts with the Second Army Area, which confirmed that on 15 Oct, Thai soldiers, fired upon by Cambodian troops in the vicinity of Pha Mor I Daeng, used only rifles in their defence, he said.

In accordance with strict orders, Thai troops have not used heavy firearms or rocket launchers near Wat Phra Viharn, as it is called in Thai, and never fired at the temple.

On the contrary, Cambodian soldiers opened fired on Thai soldiers positioned near the twin stupas in the vicinity of Pha Mor I Daeng with recoilless guns and rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), Tharit said.

The rockets landed near the twin stupas, wounding two Thai soldiers. Some also landed in Preah Vihear National Park in the vicinity of Laan Chom Dao and the park's residences. The Thai side later found two RPGs fired by the Cambodian side that had landed but failed to explode and has kept both of them for evidence, he said.

Cambodia's latest move could make the border problem more complicated and difficult to resolve, he said.

Gunfire over Shiva temple should come to an end

27 Oct 2008
Op-Ed by Shubha Singh
Express Buzz (India)

Bullets and gunfire echoed at an ancient Hindu temple complex on the border of Cambodia and Thailand recently.

Soldiers of the two South-East Asian countries exchanged fire in a bloody conflict which left two Cambodian soldiers dead and more than half a dozen soldiers wounded on both sides.

Located in a mountainous border region, the Preah Vihear temple has been claimed by both sides, but politics in the two countries converted the temple into a volatile issue ever since it was designated as a World Heritage Site.

The 11th century temple complex dedicated to Lord Shiva was built by the Khmer dynasty which also constructed the more famous Angkor Wat temple complex. Situated on the edge of a steep cliff, which is part of the Dangrek Mountains, the temple overlooks the plains of Cambodia.

During the Angkor period, this part of north-east Thailand was controlled by the Khmer dynasty. The construction of the temple began in the 10th century, though the main part of the temple complex was built over the next hundred years.

The Preah Vihear temple is a well preserved site, mainly because it was difficult to access in earlier years. The temple complex has intricate carvings of Shiva in all his manifestations on the pillars, walls and lintels. But as the Hindu kingdoms in Thailand and Cambodia went into a decline, Buddhism began to gain ground in these areas and the site was converted into a Buddhist temple. At the time of Cambodia’s independence from the French, Thailand occupied the temple complex which is more easily accessible from the Thai side. Cambodia took the dispute to the International Court of Justice which ruled in Cambodia’s favour in 1962 on the basis of common maps in use in the region. Tensions were reduced between the two countries when the Cambodian government allowed visa free visits by Thai nationals and tourists from Thailand to the Preah Vihear temple.

Most tourists visit the remote temple from the Thailand side which has well paved roads connecting it. While the temple complex itself was handed over to Cambodia, a dispute remained over a small stretch of land about 4.5 km in length adjoining the temple.

The dispute flared up this July when UNESCO designated the temple as a World Heritage Site. The Thai people were incensed when it was revealed that the government in Bangkok had supported the Cambodian application to the UN’s cultural body. The Thai government was already in troubled political waters with strong anti-government protests, when nationalist sections accused the government of selling out Thai interests to the influential tourist industry. The constitutional court in Thailand ruled that the decision to support the Cambodian application to UNESCO without getting approval from the Parliament was illegal.

Thailand’s former foreign minister was forced to resign after the court judgment and the government moved in Thai troops into the border area. The Thai build-up on the border at Preah Vihear set off an emotive reaction in Cambodia, which was also in the midst of an election in late July. It resulted in a massive victory for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Tensions have been high since late July when the military face off began.

The high rhetoric seemed to reduce a week ago as Thailand moved back its troops in response to a deadline set by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

However, a sudden escalation led to an exchange of fire earlier some time ago.

For both countries, there is an urgent need to find a peaceful resolution and to ensure that tranquillity returns there.

An autopsy of the Thai-Cambodian information war [-Thailand tries to masquerade its face losing attitude?]

REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE

October 27, 2008
By Kavi Chongkitthavorn
The Nation

THE FIRST CASUALTY in the Thai-Cambodian conflict is truth. Until today, both countries have continued to insist that the first shot was fired by the other side on October 15 at 2.30pm. In addition, the Cambodian side said its troops captured two Thai soldiers while the Thai army denied the news reports and dismissed the photos showing two Thai prisoners in casual pose released by a major wire service obtained from the Cambodian side as old photos. Several days later, neither side has bothered to substantiate their claims.

Apparently, the two governments were more preoccupied on another front - the information war - how the brief skirmish was reported and perceived by international media and community. Judging from available reports and information, it was obvious Thailand lost the information war to Cambodia. Phnom Penh showed better coordination among various agencies in the capital and along the Thai-Cambodian border in disseminating information from its side.

The Cambodian government, especially Prime Minister Hun Sen and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, shepherded the news headlines with great skill. A few minutes after a meeting and exchanging pleasantries with visiting Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat in Phnom Penh on October 13, Prime Minister Hun Sen issued an ultimatum for Thailand to remove the Thai troops from the 4.6-square-kilometre overlapping area. He also threatened to take the case to the UN Security Council. Hun Sen's action took the Thai delegation completely by surprise given the nice and cosy atmosphere during the courtesy call.

Since the Thai-Cambodian tension started to simmer in June due to disputes over the World Heritage Site listing of Preah Vihear Temple, which led to sporadic armed clashes, the two countries have met several times. The last two meetings were at the ministerial level between Hor Namhong and former foreign minister Tej Bunnag in August, and the latest round with Sompong recently. They pledged to exercise "utmost restraints" to ensure cessation of fighting along the border. Two Cambodian soldiers were killed in the latest incident and a week before two Thai soldiers were injured by landmines, which the Thai side claimed was newly planted in violation of the 1997 Geneva Convention on Anti-landmines Treaty.

The Cambodian media, coupled with the Phnom Penh-based foreign correspondents, were given wider access to information both in the capital and at the border. Within five hours of the skirmish on October 15, the Cambodian government had already called a press conference as well as provided a briefing to the diplomatic community. The Thai ambassador was also summoned on the same day to the Foreign Ministry.

When shooting started at Huay Tha Mari in Phu Ma Khua, Thai soldiers at the border blocked Thai journalists from entering the conflict areas giving all kinds of excuses. As such, from the Thai side, information and report gathering on-site were limited. Dispatches from Phnom Penh contained more information about the brief clash, including the details of capture of Thai troops.

In more ways than one, the Cambodian media and Phnom Penh-based wire services have portrayed Thailand as a big neighbour, which was trying to divert the domestic attention away from its ongoing political chaos at home. They reflected the Cambodian government's views, widely using quotes from Hun Sen and Hor Namhong. Even Chris Mullins, a British member of Parliament, came out and said that what happened along the border was a result of the actions of the Thai military that turned Thailand's internal problems into a dispute with Cambodia.

Interestingly, the Cambodian media did not touch on the ever-changing positions of Hun Sen regarding proposed negotiations between the two countries. In July, Phnom Penh wanted to Asean to vet the Thai-Cambodian conflict at the Singapore meeting but Thailand opposed the idea saying that they should solve it using bilateral mechanism. Then Hun Sen proposed that the matter should go to the United Nations. Later on, he backtracked. Not long after that, he suggested a mediator should be introduced to help ease the tension. That too was later trumped by another idea of a third party. So far, his views have not got broad support. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has made it clear that the issue should be settled bilaterally.

Somehow, Thailand could not match the sophistication of Cambodia's information machinery. Now that the border tension has calmed down, concerned Thai authorities have the opportunity to look back and assess their responses. They have to come to grips with their huge weakness and information loopholes.

First of all, the Thai army still lacks the kind of coordination that could produce rapid response to news reports and disseminating their responses speedily and efficiently. Soldiers in the field are still hostile towards the media's enquiries, creating the impression that they did not trust them and therefore, have something to hide. Phnom Penh-based journalists had access to information at the border's disputed areas, much to the chagrin of Thai journalists.

This weakness has led to the second problem. The information the Foreign Ministry and media obtained from the Thai border was piecemeal and not comprehensive and sometimes inaccurate. For instance, on October 15, the Thai media knew through military sources that fighting had erupted at Phu Ma Khua, which is located on the western side of the Preah Vihear Temple. As it turned out, several kilometres away on the eastern side of the temple, exchange of fire also occurred at Pha Mo E Daeng.

To ensure fast, accurate and systematic news and information dissemination, a media team should be established at the Thai-Cambodian border to deal with information gathering and sharing during the time of crisis. During the Cambodian conflict, the Foreign Ministry set up a regional office at Aranyaprathet to help the Thai armed forces and other government agencies to coordinate with the Cambodian side.

It was interesting to note that before the exchange of gunfire on October 15 afternoon, Nor Namhong called Sompong in the morning and praised the peaceful situation along the border. He also praised Hun Sen for his softer attitude and the appeal for peace. As Sompong was giving a press conference on the same afternoon to report on the progress on Thai-Cambodian talks two days earlier, Sompong found out that fighting had already erupted. He was upset.

Finally, Thai military officials must allow local journalists and Bangkok-based foreign correspondents to have access to the border. Quite often, Thai soldiers on the ground had knee-jerk reactions to journalists covering the conflict. Better handling of the media would go a long way to fight future rounds of the information war.

While the Thai army has shown many weaknesses, it does show some strength and maturity by displaying the utmost restraint. With its overwhelming firepower and greater number of soldiers, the Thai army has chosen to respond to the tension in proportionate ways without any threat of using heavy weapons.

Thailand accused of damaging temple [-Thailand counterclaims damage to part of Preah Vihear temple in Thailand]

October 27, 2008
The Nation

BORDER DISPUTE

Parliament nod likely this week to begin talks over border

The Thai government would prepare for border talks when Parliament gives it the mandate, most likely this week, even as Cambodia opened a new flank in the conflict, accusing Bangkok of damaging the Preah Vihear Temple.

Parliament would consider the negotiating framework on the provisional arrangement and the negotiating framework of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) on October 28 to enable the process of border dispute settlement to begin, said Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, in a meeting with Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting in Beijing last week, agreed to use existing bilateral mechanisms to end the border dispute peacefully, he said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen insisted on preventing recurrence of the border skirmish and to activate the JBC as soon as possible, Sompong said in a television programme yesterday.

"We will continue cooperation on trade and investment as usual," he said.

The Cabinet approved the appointment of Vasin Teeravechyan, former ambassador to South Korea, as the new chairman of the JBC of the Thai side last week.The JBC is the key mechanism to demarcate the boundary of the two countries in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2000.The border dispute was at the centre of the conflict after the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear was chosen as a World Heritage Site, followed by a military standoff in July, and military clashes in the areas earlier this month.

Cambodia has lodged a complaint with the United Nations accusing Thai troops of damaging the ancient Preah Vihear Temple during the border shootout.

Phay Siphan, spokesman for Cambodia's Council of Ministers, told AFP that a staircase and a sculpture of the mythical Naga creature were damaged by rocket fire at the 11thcentury Khmer ruins.

A complaint was filed with the UN cultural body Unesco a few days after the fight erupted on October 15 near Preah Vihear.

"Preah Vihear Temple was intentionally damaged by Thai troops, because we found remnants of grenades... near the temple and there were no Cambodian soldiers stationed nearby," Phay Siphan said.

"The Preah Vihear authority has sent reports and pictures of the damage to Unesco."

The Thai Foreign Ministry has denied the allegation saying Thai troops used only rifles in the battle.

However, rocketpropelled grenades launched by Cambodian side landed on the Thai side near the Twin Stupa and injured two Thai soldiers while some of the RPGs landed in Thailand's Preah Vihear National Park, the ministry said in a statement.

Three Cambodian soldiers and one Thai troop were killed in the clashes this month, which came as a monthslong military standoff between the neighbours erupted into a shootout on disputed land.

Cambodia reports temple damage to UN

Monday October 27, 2008
BANGKOK POST AND AFP

BORDER DISPUTE

Cambodia has lodged a complaint with the United Nations accusing Thai troops of damaging the ancient Preah Vihear temple during a border shootout earlier this month, an official said yesterday. Phay Siphan, spokesman for Cambodia's Council of Ministers, said a staircase and a sculpture at the ruins were damaged by rocket fire.

A complaint was filed with the UN cultural body Unesco a few days after the firefight erupted on Oct 15 near Preah Vihear, a World Heritage Site at the centre of the long-running territorial dispute.

''Preah Vihear temple was intentionally damaged by Thai troops, because we found the remnants of grenades ... near the temple and there were no Cambodian soldiers stationed nearby,'' Phay Siphan said.

''The Preah Vihear authority has sent pictures of the damage to Unesco.''

The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday denied Thai soldiers had damaged the 11th-century Khmer temple.

The Second Army, in charge of the northeastern region, insisted that no heavy weapons or rockets were used that day.

Phnom Penh's complaint to the UN agency comes as the two countries attempt to resolve the border row, which is centred on the disputed area between Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province and Cambodia's Preah Vihear province.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat met Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on Friday in Beijing while attending the Asia-Europe Summit.

Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat said the talks were amicable and quoted Hun Sen as saying the fighting on the border should not have occurred.

The Cambodian leader also supported attempts to prevent future clashes through bilateral talks and the need to urgently untangle the overlapping borders by the Joint Boundary Commission and maintain trade and investment ties.

The government will seek parliamentary approval tomorrow for border negotiations with Cambodia, he added.

Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand flared in July when Preah Vihear was awarded UN World Heritage status, rekindling long-simmering tensions over ownership of 4.6 sq km of land surrounding the temple.

Three Cambodian soldiers and one Thai soldier were killed in the clashes on Oct 15.

Preah Vihear, with its elegant carvings and crumbling stone staircases, is the most important example of ancient Khmer architecture outside Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temple complex.

Although the World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia, the most accessible entrance is in Kantharalak district.

Pain on both sides of the border for the loss of loved ones

Thai ranger died from border clash between Thai and Cambodian troops

23 October 2008
MCOT (Thailand)

A Thai ranger dispatched to the disputed zone near the Phreah Vihear temple, who was seriously wounded in a skirmish last week, was pronounced dead on Tuesday. With such great loss and grievance, how will his family cope with the future? More details in this report.

This young girl, nicknamed Neung, is the only daughter of Boonyarit Kantee, the late Thai ranger attached to the 23rd Paramilitary Trooper Company.

Boonyarit was seriously wounded in an exchange of gunfire with Cambodian troop on October 15, while on duty near the Preah Vihear temple.

The seven-year-old girl said her father visited her only once or twice a month when he was alive. On the day of the skirmish, he gave her a call and that was the last time the little girl heard his voice.

"Dad told me not to be naughty or cause mum trouble. He said he had to go to work," said Neung.

Boonyarit Kantee was originally from Thailand’s central province of Saraburi. He moved to the northeastern province of Si Sa Ket where he settled with his family. He had been a paramilitary ranger since 1987. He once jointly fought with Thai troops in the Romklao battle and had been on duty along Thailand’s northeastern border.

Before leaving for assignment at the border near the Preah Vihear temple, Boonyarit had told his father not to worry.

"He said we all would have to die no matter where we were, and he would be willing to die for the country," said Boonyarit's father Subin Kantee.

When Boonyarit was off duty, he would spend time with his family and relax by listening to music. At home, he would strum his guitar to unwind from his stressful job.

Boonyarit’s demise is definitely a huge loss and grief for the Kantee family but everyone is proud of his sacrifice for the kingdom.

"I am proud of him. He did his best in the duty he loved. He loved military life; he did the best he could," said Boomyarit’s wife Parimakorn Kantee.

Here is a motto most rangers learn by heart: "I’m a fearless fighter. I’m a great ranger who protects and fights for the Thai fraternity. Though I die, my name is never forgotten."

Boonyarit always kept to the motto and performed his duty accordingly with a strong spirit.

Cambodians Favor Diplomatic Solution to Temple Standoff With Thailand

Cambodian and Thai commanders during negotiations near Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia, 18 Oct 2008

By Rory Byrne
Voice of America
Phnom Penh
22 October 2008

Nationalist fervor has been rising in Cambodia as anger mounts over what Cambodians consider to be an illegal occupation of their land around the Preah Vihear temple by Thai troops. However, with bitter memories of three decades of war still fresh in many people's minds, political analysts say the Cambodian government will continue to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Rory Byrne has this report from Phnom Penh.

Buddhist services were held across Cambodia for the three soldiers killed in fighting with Thai troops around Preah Vihear temple on October 16.

Nationalist anger has risen in Cambodia since last week when Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged gunfire around the temple. Cambodians consider the dispute over land just the latest in a long series of arguments over land with their more powerful neighbor.

In 1962, The International Court of Justice ruled the 900-year-old temple lies in Cambodia, but a main access route to it is in Thailand. The dispute over the land was dormant for decades, however, until a few months ago, when Thai nationalists objected to Cambodia's petition to have the complex declared a United Nations World Heritage site.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen recently threatened to turn the area around the temple into a "life and death battlefield" if Thailand refused to withdraw its soldiers from what he says is Cambodian territory. The Thais deny crossing into Cambodia.

Chea Vannath is an independent political analyst in Phnom Penh. She says that in light of Mr. Hun Sen's victory in recent elections, he is anxious to prove his strongman credentials to the domestic audience.

"He [has] achieved a lot of things already in his political life and it's time for him to prove that he's really serious about protecting the integrity and sovereignty of Cambodia," Chea said. "It's just the right time, because he won 90 seats - a landslide victory, he got everything, so this one is the next stage."

However, some political analysts in Cambodia say the last thing the country really wants is a war with Thailand. Cambodia's economy is growing but the country remains poor and is still recovering from three decades of conflict.

Plus, the army is small and ill-equipped compared with Thai forces.

But, say some Cambodians, many of its troops are hardened fighters experienced in guerrilla warfare. Even Mr. Hun Sen noted that strength, saying "Ants can hurt elephants."

Chea Vannath says despite rhetoric, the government will search for a diplomatic solution.

"We have plenty of peaceful negotiation institutions such as [the] U.N. or ASEAN or the Paris Peace Agreement or the International Court," Chea said. "So we have plenty of mechanisms rather than focusing on force because when it gets to war both countries stand to lose."

Mr. Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat are expected to discuss the dispute on Friday or Saturday while they attend a summit with European leaders in Beijing.

So far, peace talks have made little progress and Cambodian and Thai troops reportedly are digging in deeper around Preah Vihear, preparing for a long standoff.

Preah Vihear Authority plans to complain against Thailand

Thai M-79 bullet marks on one Naga statue in Preah Vihear temple (Photo: Samnang, Koh Santepheap)

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Officials of the Preah Vihear Authority said that Cambodia plans to complain against Thailand to the UN about the shooting by Thai soldiers on two Naga statues facing the north. The Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper quoted an anonymous official as saying that Preah Vihear is listed as a World Heritage site, and now Thai soldiers violated international laws which stipulated that no one can touch upon antiquities protected under the UNESCO World Heritage list. Bullets pockmarked two Naga statues along the stairway to the Preah Vihear temple, therefore, Thai troops must bear responsibility for their ambition in trying to take Preah Vihear temple and turning it into their properties.

UN action needed for border row, groups say

Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Written by Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

CIVIL society groups on Monday criticised the government for not appealing to the United Nations for help in its ongoing standoff with Thailand over disputed territory along the border.

Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union (FTU), said that if the government had complained to the UN earlier and stuck to their complaint, there would not have been any Cambodians killed over the issue.

At least thee Cambodian soldiers are dead after clashes last week with Thai troops on the border near Preah Vihear temple.

"Despite the fact that both sides sustained injuries of a similar magnitude, we are still filled with regret for the loss of our soldiers," he said.

"If the government had used the UN to solve this problem, there would be no dead soldiers," Chea Mony added.

An unknown number of Thai casualties were also inflicted.

Yong Kim Eng, president of the People's Center for Development and Peace, said Monday the government's efforts to resolve the dispute were muddled.

"At one moment, they say they want to complain to the UN. At the next, they don't," he said.

Early on in the three-month standoff, Cambodia threatened to file a formal complaint with the UN Security Council, but quickly backed down.

Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said Monday that the UN and several "big countries" had encouraged Cambodia to choose negotiations.

"We have already written to the UN and sent information to Asean and Unesco. If these measures don't work, we will find another way," he said.

Ranger wounded in clash with Cambodia dies

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

(BangkokPost.com) - Volunteer ranger Bunyarit Kantee, a field army who was critically wounded during the armed clash with Cambodian troops on Oct 15, died Tuesday morning after brain surgery, according to chief of public relations of the second army region Col Thaweesak Boonrakchart.

Bunyarit was admitted to a hospital in Ubon Ratchathani province after the the clash.

His family would take his body for a funeral in Si Saket province.

Bunyarit is the first Thai soldier who was killed in the clash on disputed area near Preah Vihear ancient temple. Two Cambodian soldiers were killed that day.

Thai soldier injured in Cambodia border clash dies: doctor

Thai soldiers secure the entrance of a temporary military base close to the border with Cambodia on October 16. A Thai soldier who sustained shrapnel wounds to the head during a firefight with Cambodian troops along their disputed border died on Tuesday, the doctor treating him said. (AFP/Nicolas Asfouri)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

BANGKOK (AFP) – A Thai soldier who sustained shrapnel wounds to the head during a firefight with Cambodian troops along their disputed border died on Tuesday, the doctor treating him said.

Boonyarit Khanti, 40, had been in a coma since October 15, when gunfire erupted on patches of disputed land near Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple, a UN heritage site at the centre of long-standing bilateral tensions.

"He died (Tuesday morning) from sudden kidney failure, which was one of the complications," said Monchai Wiwatanasithipong, a doctor at Suppasithiprasong Hospital in northeast Ubon Ratchathani province.

Two Cambodian soldiers died during the shoot-out, while a third died a day later of smoke inhalation and illness which authorities said was linked to the clashes.

Six Thai soldiers were also injured.

Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand flared in July when Preah Vihear was awarded UN World Heritage status, rekindling long-simmering tensions over ownership of land surrounding the temple.

Sihanouk Gives Money for Border Casualties

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
20 October 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio aired 17 October 2008
Click here to listen to the Khmer audio aired 18 October 2008

Former king Norodom Sihanouk will send donations to the families of the three Cambodians killed in combat with Thai soldiers last week, as well as families of the injured, an official said.

Families of the three men killed will each receive $1,000 and of those injured $500, said Royal Palace cabinet member Oum Daravuth.

Fighting between Cambodian and Thai units near Preah Vihear temple broke out at three separate sites Wednesday led to the deaths of three soldiers and an increase in tension in an ongoing border standoff.

Defense Minister Tea Banh said he had received information from the Royal Palace and was now giving money to the families.

“There is the donation from the king father, and the government has also helped a lot with the families,” he said.

Thailand ready to retaliate against Cambodia ... but still want to benefit from the Thai-Cambodian trading

Sunday, October 19, 2008
Si Sa Ket ready to evacuate, if troops clash

(BangkokPost.com) - The northeastern border province of Si Sa Ket is ready to quickly evacuate people in Kantharalak district, should another round of armed clashes between the Thai and Cambodian troops erupt along the disputed border area, according to Si Sa Ket governor Maitri Inthusut.

However, the governor said the overall morale of villagers in Kantharalak is normal and they are still confident in the stringent security measures provided by the local police and administrative officials.

Si Sa Ket Chamber of Commerce chairman Sriwan Kiatsuranond said marketplaces along the Thai-Cambodian border in Kantharalak district have reopened on Sunday, after they were closed following the deadly gunfight last Wednesday.

Mr Sriwan called for the Thai government to organise clear market venues, so Thailand would benefit from the Thai-Cambodian trading.

Meanwhile, the Second Army commander, Lt-Gen Wiboonsak Neeparn, and Cambodia’s Fourth Army chief, Gen Chea Mon, will resume talks to find peaceful means to resolve the border row in Siem Reap on Tuesday.

In the previous meeting in Si Sa Ket last week, both sides agreed to conduct joint patrols, but their troops would remain at the disputed border.

Wounded Thai soldier during Preah Vihear clash is now in coma; Thailand now says there were 10 Thai soldiers wounded

Wounded soldier in coma

October 18, 2008
By Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation

Army Ranger Boonrit Khantee, one of four soldiers hospitalised following Wednesday's skirmish with Cambodian troops, is now in a coma, Public Health Minster Chalerm Yoobamrung said yesterday.

The other three are still undergoing treatment in hospital. Boonrit suffered a severe shrapnel injury to the left side of his head.

He remained unconscious after undergoing an operation on Wednesday and is now on a respirator in the intensive care unit.

"He is unresponsive and has cerebral oedema," Chalerm said. The public health minister has assigned two specialists - Dr Monchai Viwattanasittipong, an accident expert, and Dr Prawatwong Wongsrikawe, a neurosurgeon - to look after Boonrit.

The three other hospitalised soldiers are undergoing treatment in Kantharalak district hospital in Si Sa Ket for minor injuries. They are SgtMajor Nattaphon, who suffered a bad sprain; SgtMajor Preecha Pokphan, who has a shrapnel wound on his right thumb; and Ranger Krissanarak Chandang, who suffered shrapnel to his right knee.

Doctors removed the shrapnel from Preecha and Krissanarak, and they will be released from hospital tomorrow, said Chalerm.

Wednesday's clash over a disputed area on the Cambodian border injured 10 Thai soldiers.

Thailand: "the land of the smiling" invaders

Thailand invades and makes Cambodian people suffer as the world stands by and watches, again ... a presentation by Khmer Truth

Thai army chiefs hide the number of Thai fatalities

Friday, October 17, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

An independent source indicated that Thai army chief hid the information about the number of its soldiers killed and injured. A reliable source said that there were 7 Thai soldiers killed, and a number of these dead soldiers were discovered and taken out from the frontline in the morning of 16 October. Low-ranking Thai soldiers said that 20 of their comrades disappeared, however, they may not be dead but that they have deserted from their rank and they could possibly be found at their homes. At the same time, the same source indicated that 23 Thai soldiers were seriously or slightly injured and 13 Thai soldiers were arrested by Cambodian troops, however, they have already been released now. In Thailand, the land-greedy Thai army chiefs are falsifying the truth about who actually fired first, and they insisted on placing the blame on Cambodia. They are also hiding the actually number of Thai soldiers killed and injured, in order to avoid condemnations from their own people.

SRP condemns Thai agression

Friday, October 17, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

On 16 October, the SRP issued a statement indicating that the party condemns the aggression of Thai troops on Cambodia’s territories at several locations, and that they caused fire exchanges that led to the deaths and injuries among Cambodian soldiers. The SRP fully support the right of self defense by the RCAF from the firing and aggression of the Siem army, and the party praises and pays high respect to the heroism and sacrifice by Khmer troops in the defense of Cambodian territories. The SRP also calls on the government to support the families of soldiers who sacrificed their lives, as well as to provide decent living conditions for the families of Cambodian soldiers now in the frontline. The SRP demanded that the Cambodian government takes the issue of aggression on Khmer territories with the UN without further delay, as well as asking the co-Presidents of the 1991 Paris Peace accords on Cambodia to immediately review the case of the Cambodian territorial integrity which is fully guaranteed by these accords.

Trying to Calm Cambodia-Thailand Temple Dispute

A Cambodian soldier watches arrested Thai soldiers (below) at a pagoda near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province on October 15, 2008 (Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP / Getty Images)

Friday, Oct. 17, 2008
By Kevin Doyle / Preah Vihear
Time Magazine (USA)

"This shows that the Thai soldiers do not respect Unesco's listing of the temple as a World Heritage Site. I am seriously concerned that if the fighting continues the temple will be seriously affected." - Om Phirum, chief of the heritage police at Preah Vihear temple, on an M-79 rifle-fired grenade shot from the nearby Thai frontlines landed a few meters from one of the temple's two imposing stone Nagas

There seemed to be only two types of traffic on the roads of Preah Vihear province in northern Cambodia this week: villagers fleeing with their worldly belongings stacked in pick-up trucks, and Cambodian soldiers heading in to fight.

Thai and Cambodian forces clashed for more than an hour on Oct. 15 in the disputed border territory around the 11th Century Preah Vihear temple. The fighting left three Cambodian soldiers dead and several Thai troops injured.

Fears of a full-scale war have been put on hold for now. Military commanders from both sides met in Thailand on Oct. 16, to try to cool hostilities. But while the talks produced plenty of words of reconciliation, troops from both countries are busy digging in around Preah Vihear.

On the Cambodian side, trenches and foxholes now pepper the approach road to the mountaintop temple. Soldiers have dug a mortar bunker a stone's throw from the second-level of the beautiful stone Hindu temple complex.

In Sre Am village, around 19 miles (30 km) from Preah Vihear mountain, hundreds of young troops from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's elite bodyguard unit have set up base, backed by armored personnel carriers and truck-mounted Katyusha rocket launchers. On the Thai side, even as the peace talks were in progress, two Thai fighter jets buzzed around just over the border but in plain view of the Cambodian troops at the temple.

Cambodia and Thailand have wrestled over the temple for years. The immediate spark for this week's clashes was Cambodia's successful listing of Preah Vihear as a UNESCO World Heritage Site earlier this year. Many Thais were angry that Cambodia had unilaterally listed the temple, which they also consider sacred. Thai troops actually occupied the temple until 1962 when, to the chagrin of Bangkok, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that it belonged to Cambodia. Crucially, that ruling did not resolve the issue of ownership of the land around the temple, which both countries continue to claim.

If the fighting re-starts, the fear is not only that more lives will be lost, but that the temple will be damaged. During last week's fighting, an M-79 rifle-fired grenade shot from the nearby Thai frontlines landed a few meters from one of the temple's two imposing stone Nagas — the seven-headed snake deity of the Hindu-Buddhist cosmology. Shrapnel sprayed the area but caused only superficial damage to the sculpture.

Still, says Om Phirum, chief of the heritage police at Preah Vihear temple, it's not the amount of damage to the Naga that matters, but the principle of fighting around such a sacred site. "This is a serious crime," says Om Phirum, as he searches the earth around the impact site for silver-and gold-colored pieces of shrapnel. "This shows that the Thai soldiers do not respect Unesco's listing of the temple as a World Heritage Site. I am seriously concerned that if the fighting continues the temple will be seriously affected."

Troops in the area say they understand the gravity of the situation, and are working to avoid fresh fighting. This week's exchange began when Thai and Cambodian patrols clashed, not because of orders for outright confrontation, says Colonel Som Bopharoath, commander of Cambodian forces in Preah Vihear province. "So far the fighting happened accidentally. It is not intentional," says Som. "Both sides are trying hard not to have a confrontation."

Thai Army Captain Apichat concurs. Apichat, who is based near the temple with a unit of 10 Thai troops, says that commanders on both sides need to keep talking. Apichat and his men were disarmed and detained by Cambodian soldiers for a day during the fighting but he doesn't want any more problems. "After the attack we must be concerned," he says, sitting alongside a Cambodian officer at a table in the compound of a pagoda that neighbors the temple. "We need to have meetings ... and have no fighting.