Showing posts with label Hun Sen soft with Thailand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hun Sen soft with Thailand. Show all posts
Friday, August 08, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Prime Minister calls for peaceful resolution to border standoff
Thursday, 07 August 2008
The Mekong Times with agencies
The Mekong Times with agencies
Cambodia’s prime minister reiterated his call for a peaceful solution to a border dispute with Thailand, warning yesterday that the economies of both countries would suffer if the conflict erupts into a full-scale war.
In a speech broadcast on state radio, Hun Sen said talks between Cambodian and Thai Foreign Ministers Hor Namhong and Tej Bunnag would be held in the Thai province of Hua Hin, where Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej has a sea-side palace.
“Hor Namhong will meet his Thai counterpart on August 18. Hor Namhong will then pay a courtesy visit to the Thai king,” Hun Sen said at a rice farming ceremony in the south-western province of Kampong Speu, 40km west of the capital. “Both countries must narrow the conflict and expand friendship and cooperation,” he added.
Thai and Cambodian troops have been facing off along their shared border for three weeks over disputed territory – first near Preah Vihear temple and then at Ta Moan Thom temple.
Hun Sen’s comments came as the confrontation at Ta Moan Thom appeared to be easing, with both sides pulling back their soldiers.
“We cannot just carve out Thailand to put it in the sky or move our land away,” Hun Sen said in a two-hour speech yesterday. “We will coexist for tens of thousands of years to come.”
“At the pagoda we ask that only Buddhist nuns, laymen and Buddhist monks stay – not troops from either side.”
“I would like to respectfully inform the Thai king that if any other Cambodian except Hun Sen was prime minister, there would be war on the border since July 15 ... but not me.”
He also criticized leaflets calling for a Cambodian boycott of Thai goods in response to Thailand’s alleged encroachment onto Cambodian territory near Preah Vihear.
“A border dispute should not turn the two countries into enemies in all domains,” he said. “That is very dangerous.”
He said he was not being “soft,” but warned that if war broke out “the two countries will only stand to lose” in terms of trade and economic cooperation.
“Fighting is easy – it’s ending the fight that is difficult.”
The dispute surrounding the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple started when Cambodian officials said some 70 Thai soldiers occupied the temple site last week and prevented Cambodian troops from entering. Thai military officials countered that their troops had been in the area for years.
Agreement for a troop withdrawal from the grounds of the temple was reached late Tuesday during a meeting between officials from the two countries, said Maj. Ho Bunthy, a Cambodian army commander in the area.
The sanctuary is located several hundred miles west of Preah Vihear temple, where Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been locked in a standoff for three weeks in a dispute over nearby territory.
About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand remain in the Preah Vihear area despite a tentative agreement reached by foreign ministers last week to redeploy them in an effort to ease tensions.
In Thailand, Lt. Gen. Nipat Thonglek, the chief of military border affairs, said yesterday that his government would set up a committee to consider redeploying its troops from the border area near Preah Vihear temple.
He said the decision was made at a Thai Cabinet meeting Tuesday. He stressed redeployment of troops must be conducted in a manner appropriate with the military’s “duty to protect the sovereignty” of Thailand.
Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith welcomed the announcement as “good news.”
“The sooner the redeployment takes place, the better,” he said.
Thailand and Cambodia sent troops to the border area after UNESCO approved Cambodia’s application to have the Preah Vihear temple complex named a World Heritage Site. Some Thai activists say the temple’s new status will jeopardize their country’s claims to land next to the site.
In a speech broadcast on state radio, Hun Sen said talks between Cambodian and Thai Foreign Ministers Hor Namhong and Tej Bunnag would be held in the Thai province of Hua Hin, where Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej has a sea-side palace.
“Hor Namhong will meet his Thai counterpart on August 18. Hor Namhong will then pay a courtesy visit to the Thai king,” Hun Sen said at a rice farming ceremony in the south-western province of Kampong Speu, 40km west of the capital. “Both countries must narrow the conflict and expand friendship and cooperation,” he added.
Thai and Cambodian troops have been facing off along their shared border for three weeks over disputed territory – first near Preah Vihear temple and then at Ta Moan Thom temple.
Hun Sen’s comments came as the confrontation at Ta Moan Thom appeared to be easing, with both sides pulling back their soldiers.
“We cannot just carve out Thailand to put it in the sky or move our land away,” Hun Sen said in a two-hour speech yesterday. “We will coexist for tens of thousands of years to come.”
“At the pagoda we ask that only Buddhist nuns, laymen and Buddhist monks stay – not troops from either side.”
“I would like to respectfully inform the Thai king that if any other Cambodian except Hun Sen was prime minister, there would be war on the border since July 15 ... but not me.”
He also criticized leaflets calling for a Cambodian boycott of Thai goods in response to Thailand’s alleged encroachment onto Cambodian territory near Preah Vihear.
“A border dispute should not turn the two countries into enemies in all domains,” he said. “That is very dangerous.”
He said he was not being “soft,” but warned that if war broke out “the two countries will only stand to lose” in terms of trade and economic cooperation.
“Fighting is easy – it’s ending the fight that is difficult.”
The dispute surrounding the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple started when Cambodian officials said some 70 Thai soldiers occupied the temple site last week and prevented Cambodian troops from entering. Thai military officials countered that their troops had been in the area for years.
Agreement for a troop withdrawal from the grounds of the temple was reached late Tuesday during a meeting between officials from the two countries, said Maj. Ho Bunthy, a Cambodian army commander in the area.
The sanctuary is located several hundred miles west of Preah Vihear temple, where Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been locked in a standoff for three weeks in a dispute over nearby territory.
About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand remain in the Preah Vihear area despite a tentative agreement reached by foreign ministers last week to redeploy them in an effort to ease tensions.
In Thailand, Lt. Gen. Nipat Thonglek, the chief of military border affairs, said yesterday that his government would set up a committee to consider redeploying its troops from the border area near Preah Vihear temple.
He said the decision was made at a Thai Cabinet meeting Tuesday. He stressed redeployment of troops must be conducted in a manner appropriate with the military’s “duty to protect the sovereignty” of Thailand.
Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith welcomed the announcement as “good news.”
“The sooner the redeployment takes place, the better,” he said.
Thailand and Cambodia sent troops to the border area after UNESCO approved Cambodia’s application to have the Preah Vihear temple complex named a World Heritage Site. Some Thai activists say the temple’s new status will jeopardize their country’s claims to land next to the site.
Cambodia is "lucky" to have a prime minister who is soft with the invading foreigners and hard on his own innocent people
Sides to Resume Temple Talks: Hun Sen
Soldiers and monks lean against a rusty gun emplacement near Preah Vihear temple.
By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
06 August 2008
Soldiers and monks lean against a rusty gun emplacement near Preah Vihear temple.By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
06 August 2008
Cambodia and Thailand plan to hold bilateral talks Aug. 18 to discuss the continued military stand-off at Preah Vihear temple, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday.
In a three-hour public speech, his first since the national election, Hun Sen said Cambodians were "lucky" to have him as prime minister in the crisis. Another prime minister would have led to the country to war, he said.
Hun Sen warned Cambodians not to discriminate against Thai products over the border feud, saying instead the countries were working together to "narrow" the problems and "expand" the relationship.
The border row, which began July 15, sparked latent nationalism on both sides, and following a build-up of troops a pamphlet circulated in Cambodian markets calling for a boycott on Thai goods.
Similar nationalist fervor in 2003 led to the burning of the Thai Embassy and the sacking of many Thai businesses in Phnom Penh.
However, officials say the situation on the border has remained calm, with soldiers often mingling together, despite fortified positions and the deployment of artillery, rockets and armored personnel carriers.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Aug. 18 talks would be held at a resort in Thailand.
Thailand has promised to remove troops from the conflict area next week, spokesman Sin Buntheoun said.
In a three-hour public speech, his first since the national election, Hun Sen said Cambodians were "lucky" to have him as prime minister in the crisis. Another prime minister would have led to the country to war, he said.
Hun Sen warned Cambodians not to discriminate against Thai products over the border feud, saying instead the countries were working together to "narrow" the problems and "expand" the relationship.
The border row, which began July 15, sparked latent nationalism on both sides, and following a build-up of troops a pamphlet circulated in Cambodian markets calling for a boycott on Thai goods.
Similar nationalist fervor in 2003 led to the burning of the Thai Embassy and the sacking of many Thai businesses in Phnom Penh.
However, officials say the situation on the border has remained calm, with soldiers often mingling together, despite fortified positions and the deployment of artillery, rockets and armored personnel carriers.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Aug. 18 talks would be held at a resort in Thailand.
Thailand has promised to remove troops from the conflict area next week, spokesman Sin Buntheoun said.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Hun Sen soft on border dispute with Thailand, criticizes calls for boycott of Thai products
Cambodia stresses peaceful solution with Thailand
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
By KER MUNTHIT
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
By KER MUNTHIT
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia's prime minister reiterated his call for a peaceful solution to a border dispute with Thailand, warning Wednesday that both countries's economies would suffer if the conflict erupts into a full-scale war.
In his first public speech since winning national elections last month, Prime Minister Hun Sen said both countries must "narrow the conflict and expand friendship and cooperation."
Thai and Cambodian troops have been facing off along their shared border for three weeks over disputed territory — first near Preah Vihear temple and then at Ta Moan Thom temple.
Hun Sen's comments came as the confrontation at Ta Moan Thom appeared to be easing, with both sides pulling back their soldiers.
"We cannot just carve out Thailand to put in the sky or move our land away," Hun Sen said in a two-hour speech Wednesday. "We will coexist for tens of thousands of years to come."
He also criticized leaflets calling for a Cambodian boycott of Thai goods in response to Thailand's alleged encroachment onto Cambodian territory near Preah Vihear.
"A border dispute should not turn the two countries into enemies in all domains," he said. "That is very dangerous."
He said he was not being "soft," but warned that if war broke out "the two countries will only stand to lose" in terms of trade and economic cooperation.
The dispute surrounding the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple started when Cambodian officials said some 70 Thai soldiers occupied the temple site last week and prevented Cambodian troops from entering. Thai military officials countered that their troops had been in the area for years.
Agreement for a troop withdrawal from the grounds of the temple was reached late Tuesday during a meeting between officials from the two countries, said Maj. Ho Bunthy, a Cambodian army commander in the area.
The sanctuary is located several hundred miles west of Preah Vihear temple, where Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been locked in a standoff for three weeks in a dispute over nearby territory.
About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand remain in the Preah Vihear area despite a tentative agreement reached by foreign ministers last week to redeploy them in an effort to ease tensions.
Hun Sen said another meeting between the two countries' foreign ministers would take place August 18 in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin, where delegates would discuss plans to redeploy troops and conduct mine clearing operations.
In Thailand, Lt. Gen. Nipat Thonglek, the chief of military border affairs, said Wednesday that his government would set up a committee to consider redeploying its troops from the border area near Preah Vihear temple.
He said the decision was made at a Thai Cabinet meeting Tuesday. He stressed redeployment of troops must be conducted in a manner appropriate with the military's "duty to protect the sovereignty" of Thailand.
Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith welcomed the announcement as "good news."
"The sooner the redeployment takes place, the better," he said.
Thailand and Cambodia sent troops to the border area after UNESCO approved Cambodia's application to have the Preah Vihear temple complex named a World Heritage Site. Some Thai activists say the temple's new status will jeopardize their country's claims to land next to the site.
Associated Press writer Sutin Wannabovorn in Bangkok contributed to this report.
In his first public speech since winning national elections last month, Prime Minister Hun Sen said both countries must "narrow the conflict and expand friendship and cooperation."
Thai and Cambodian troops have been facing off along their shared border for three weeks over disputed territory — first near Preah Vihear temple and then at Ta Moan Thom temple.
Hun Sen's comments came as the confrontation at Ta Moan Thom appeared to be easing, with both sides pulling back their soldiers.
"We cannot just carve out Thailand to put in the sky or move our land away," Hun Sen said in a two-hour speech Wednesday. "We will coexist for tens of thousands of years to come."
He also criticized leaflets calling for a Cambodian boycott of Thai goods in response to Thailand's alleged encroachment onto Cambodian territory near Preah Vihear.
"A border dispute should not turn the two countries into enemies in all domains," he said. "That is very dangerous."
He said he was not being "soft," but warned that if war broke out "the two countries will only stand to lose" in terms of trade and economic cooperation.
The dispute surrounding the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple started when Cambodian officials said some 70 Thai soldiers occupied the temple site last week and prevented Cambodian troops from entering. Thai military officials countered that their troops had been in the area for years.
Agreement for a troop withdrawal from the grounds of the temple was reached late Tuesday during a meeting between officials from the two countries, said Maj. Ho Bunthy, a Cambodian army commander in the area.
The sanctuary is located several hundred miles west of Preah Vihear temple, where Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been locked in a standoff for three weeks in a dispute over nearby territory.
About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand remain in the Preah Vihear area despite a tentative agreement reached by foreign ministers last week to redeploy them in an effort to ease tensions.
Hun Sen said another meeting between the two countries' foreign ministers would take place August 18 in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin, where delegates would discuss plans to redeploy troops and conduct mine clearing operations.
In Thailand, Lt. Gen. Nipat Thonglek, the chief of military border affairs, said Wednesday that his government would set up a committee to consider redeploying its troops from the border area near Preah Vihear temple.
He said the decision was made at a Thai Cabinet meeting Tuesday. He stressed redeployment of troops must be conducted in a manner appropriate with the military's "duty to protect the sovereignty" of Thailand.
Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith welcomed the announcement as "good news."
"The sooner the redeployment takes place, the better," he said.
Thailand and Cambodia sent troops to the border area after UNESCO approved Cambodia's application to have the Preah Vihear temple complex named a World Heritage Site. Some Thai activists say the temple's new status will jeopardize their country's claims to land next to the site.
Associated Press writer Sutin Wannabovorn in Bangkok contributed to this report.
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