Prayuth: Troop cuts must be mutual

11/05/2011
Bangkok Post

Army commander-in-chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said Wednesday he would never order the withdrawal of Thai soldiers stationed near the disputed areas on the border with Cambodia unless there is a reciprocal withdrawal by Phnom Penh's forces.

“Why do we both remain in the disputed areas?" he said.

"The answer is because one side has broken the rules and the other was left with no choice but to deploy troops to fight to protect its territorial sovereignty,’’ he said.

“If Cambodia does not withdraw its troops, we won’t either. This is the rule and our superiors have also instructed us to do it this way,’’ said Gen Prayuth.

‘Same Positions’ at Temple Following Talks [-The useless talk?]

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
14 November 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

Soldiers had not moved from their positions near Preah Vihear temple Friday, two days after tentative agreements by Thai and Cambodian officials to withdraw troops from a disputed pagoda on the border.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and his counterpart, Sompong Amornvivat agreed in Siem Reap Wednesdday to withdraw soldiers from Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda and from positions surrounding it.

However, Maj. Gen. Srey Doeuk, commander of Intervention Division 12, based in Preah Vihear, said that following the meetings in Siem Reap, Thai soldiers remain in and around the pagoda.

"It seems like the Thai forces have kept the same positions before and after the meeting," he said.

Cambodian forces "did not have an order yet from the higher-ups" to withdraw, he said.

Var Kimhong, chairman of Cambodia's national border committee, could not confirm whether soldiers would be withdrawn.

"We haven't set a specific date when to withdraw," he said.

Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said Friday that following Wednesday's meeting, Thailand should send documentation to its parliament, in order to adopt the agreements.

Preah Vihear temple and the nearby pagoda remain at the heart of a months-long border dispute that has led to at least two armed clashes and the deaths of at least four soldiers.

Paper Says Cambodian, Thai Leaders Fail To Deal With Troop Pullout at Parley

This map is reproduced from a map attached to the annex of The Hague Court's verdict of 15 July 1962. The yellow line is the Cambodian-Thai boundary, and the arrowed red points indicate the spots where the clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops took place on 15 October (everyday.com.kh, 26 October) [Click on the map to zoom in]

25 Oct 08
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Anonymous

"Article Extracted" from the 25 October issue of the pro-government Cambodian daily newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea posted on the Everyday.com.kh portal: "Hun Sen, Somchai Fail To Discuss Troop Withdrawal, But Agree to Avert Clashes"

The Cambodian and Thai prime ministers have agreed to prevent repeat of clashes between the two countries' troops, following the 15 October shootout, which has caused the deaths of three Cambodian and 16 Thai soldiers.

Samdech Hun Sen, prime minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia [RGC], and his Thai counterpart, Somchai Wongsawat, held face-to-face talks for the first time on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe summit in Beijing on 24 October.

Following the two prime ministers' talks, Hor Namhong, Cambodian deputy prime minister and foreign minister, told reporters that on 24 October, the two leaders concurred to prevent armed conflicts from taking place along the two countries' shared border.

As for Thai Foreign Minister Sampong Amornvivat, he told reporters in Beijing that the "two sides should instruct our troops to stop confronting each other."

The two countries' foreign ministers, standing side by side, considered that Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart held the talks in an atmosphere of cordiality and friendship.

Hor Namhong was quoted by foreign news agencies as saying, "We are moving forward on a good path. Not only has the meeting solved the border problem between the two countries, but it is also on the good path to further enhancing our cooperation and good neighborliness.

"As in Cambodia, the 11th meeting the Cambodian-Thai Regional Border Committee in Siem Reap Province was regarded as achieving good success with the two sides agreeing to exhibit utmost patience to avert armed clashes.

Following two days of talks between the border committee of Cambodia's Fourth and Thailand's Second Military Region, Maj. Gen. Chea Morn, commander of the Cambodian Fourth Military Region, told reporters that regarding solution to the problem concerning the area of Preah Vihear Temple, the two sides had agreed and been determined to exhibit the greatest patience with the aim of averting military standoff or clashes that had happened recently. The two sides had also concurred to continue dialogue to solve this problem through peaceful means to gradually ease tension and move toward the status quo.

Chea Morn also said that the two sides had shared the same view that cooperation should be effected on an equal footing and that they should respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, exchange information, preserve border environment, prevent and suppress various offenses, and develop border economy by the two military regions in order to allow the people to enjoy decent living conditions.

As for Lt. Gen. Wiboonsak Neeparn, commander of the Thai Second Military Region, he made similar remarks on the outcomes of the Siem Reap meeting, which was held under strict security, with scores of civilian and military police forces being deployed at the meeting avenue. He said the meeting had yielded significant results in the process of jointly solving problems through peaceful means.

In a separate press release, the Thai delegation asked that Cambodia understand requirement and legal procedures stipulated in the Thai Constitution of 2007, which demands that the Thai Council of Ministers submit the framework of talks on the provisional arrangement concerning the issue of Preah Vihear Temple and on the process of measuring the Cambodian-Thai boundary line and planting border markers to the National Assembly for approval before Thailand begins the talks.

The press release added that the Cambodian side acknowledged the steps that its Thai counterpart should follow. The Thai National Assembly will consider the framework on 28 October. Therefore, it is hoped that talks would take place soon.

According to the press release, further talks are impossible unless there is approval from the Thai National Assembly.

Although the Cambodian and Thai leaders and the two countries' military commanders have made known their willingness to prevent further armed clashes, the talks in Siem Reap Province did not deal with the question regarding troop pullout from disputed areas.

Aside from the Preah Vihear Temple issue, the eight-page document signed by Chea Morn and his Thai counterpart also acclaims the cooperation in peacefully solving, easing, and returning the situation in the areas of Ta Moan and Ta Krabei Temples to normal, with the two sides agreeing to reduce confrontation in the border areas under their responsibility so as to enhance security, stability, safety, and order in the interest of the people living along the two countries' shared border.

The document signed by the two sides also indicates that they decided to uphold cooperation in many other domains. They include bilateral cooperation in land border; illegal border crossing by workers; protection of the Cambodian and Thai peoples' rights; illicit drug problems; suppression of goods smuggling, cross-border crimes, and trafficking in children and women; assistance offered to victims of deception; cross-border trade; cooperation in maintaining and protecting border environment, as well as the health, social, educational, tourism, and agricultural sectors.