Info about Thai soldiers laying barbed wires rejected by Khmer general

Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The commander in chief of the Preah Vihear temple area had rejected the information broadcasted by Radio Free Asia on Sunday, indicating that Thai solider had installed barbed wires inside Cambodian territories. General Srey Doek said that the RFA broadcast about Thai soldiers installing barbed wires 40-meter inside Cambodian territories is not true. Srey Doek, commander in chief of the 3rd intervention army unit, told The Phnom Penh Post on Monday that, the barbed wires installed by Thai soldiers near Sa’em village, Kantuot commune, Choam Ksan district, Preah Vihear province, are located on Thai territories. The general said that Thai soldiers can do whatever they want in their territories. “We will react when they do something on our territories,” the general said. On Monday, yesterday, General Yim Pim, commander of the army unit 8, said that a forest fire took place near Preah Vihear temple and it caused several landmines explosion.

HRP leader snubbed at Preah Vihear

Monday, 05 January 2009
Written by Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

President of the opposition Human Rights Party, Kem Sokha, said he was denied access to Preah Vihear temple by military leaders there because of political discrimination. "I arrived at the foot of the mountain, and when I asked permission to provide gifts to the soldiers, I was not allowed. This kind of political discrimination is regrettable. The soldiers belong to the nation, not one political party," he said. The highest-ranking field commander in Preah Vihear, Srey Deuk, said HRP officials were not allowed to enter the temple compound because the road leading to it was closed due to "problems with Thai officials over repairing it," he added. "It is their right to distribute gifts, but, in any case, the soldiers do not want gifts from HRP. They know it is the opposition party."

Khmer soldiers who are stationed along the borders complained about the lack of food

Khmer soldiers eating their meal at the Preah Vihear frontline.RFA Photo/Uy Sophea

Radio Free Asia
By Zakariya
5th November, 2008
Translated by Khmerization

Khmer soldiers who are posted along the borders in Koh Kong province and Samlaut district in Battambang province have appealed on Tuesday 4th for more food to be provided to the soldiers who are stationed along the borders.

A soldiers, who is posted along the borders at Koh Kong Mountain or Mount One Hundred and who want to remain anonymous, has said that the 40 soldiers posted in the area are appealing to the leaders to provide them with more food. He said: “When we arrived here, we did not have anything to eat. We only had 2 Bra fish to eat and every night we have to go fishing and catching fishes for our food.”

The same soldier added: “We appeal to the government to eliminate corruption so that our soldiers won’t be starved anymore.”

A soldier posted at the borders at Samlaut district in Battambang province have said similar thing like the soldiers from Koh Kong. He said: “We don’t have enough food to eat. In one month we received one kilogram of fish paste (prahok) and 10 packets of instant noodles for 8-10 soldiers. Some of us went to bring food from home or money from home to buy food.”

He added: “We want to request to the government to pay attention to our food supplies. We don’t want much, just instant noddles, canned fish, canned food and other foods just enough for us to survive.”

Radio Free Asia cannot contact commander of the Koh Kong border areas for the comments.

But commander of the Intervention Forces of Division 12, Gen. Srey Doek, said that there is no problem with the food supplies to the soldiers protecting the borders. He said: “It is normal. There is no problem”.

Borders soldiers, including those from the Preah Vihear regions, have been posted along the borders for more than 3 months. Other than supports from the government, they have received supports from the people inside Cambodia as well as overseas Khmers.

An official of the Ministry of Defence, Gen. Neang Phat, has acknowledged that the salary of Khmer soldiers are still low.

The government has just announced the doubling of the national defence budget for 2009 to $US500 million.//

Military confrontations between Khmer and Thai troops are increasingly tense

A Khmer soldier (R) carrying a B-40 rocket launcher while a Thai soldier sitting at left looked on on 7th October, 2008 near Preah Vihear temple.

Radio Free Asia By Sav Yuth
11th October, 2008
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

The military confrontations between Khmer and Thai troops in the disputed areas of Preah Vihear are increasingly tense as both sides are in fighting mode in anticipation of the ministerial meeting between the two countries.

Villagers who live at the foot of the mountain near Preah Vihear temple have said on the 11th October that they have seen Khmer and Thai troops had dug trenches since Friday until Saturday in anticipation of the break out of fighting.

Villagers said that pregnant women and children were starting to leave their houses and at night time they climb up to sleep at the top of the mountain near the Preah Vihear temple due to anticipation of the break out of fighting.

One villager said: “The Khmer and Thai sides are digging their trenches since morning until night time. Some villagers have left because they are scared.”

But commander of the intervention forces of Division 12 based in Preah Vihear, Gen. Srey Doeuk, said on the morning of Saturday that the military situation there is still calm.

The commander said that on the morning of Friday there was one Thai jet fighter which flew three times in reconnaissance but he added that Khmer troops are not scared of this intimidation.

Gen. Srey Doeuk said: “There is no change. The situations are still the same as when you were here. The jet fighter has flown from east to west, west to east three times. We have monitored the flight but there was nothing happened. They can fly as many times as they like but we are not afraid one bit.”

The situation in the areas became tense on the 8th of October when Khmer troops spotted the Thai side transported three artillery guns to the frontline and at night they heard Thai military trucks transported more troops to the areas.

At Prolean Indri (Eagle Field), where the fighting broke out recently at Phnom Trop, the Cambodian troops are on high alert. Deputy commander of Division 43 based in the areas, Col. Bun Thean, said: “We are still on high alert. But we have not seen anything happen yet. We are constantly monitoring the movements of the Thai troops. They dare not to violate us like before, like in the frontline of Phnom Trop they have constantly made contacts with us. Now they are the one who is asking to meet us. We only meet them when they asked to meet us.”

Between the 3rd and 8 October one Khmer and four Thai soldiers were injured during the armed clash and mine explosions at Prolean Indri at Phnom Trop.//