Savada Chas Trolob Mok Vinh - "The Return of the Old History"

ជំរាបសួរ,

ខ្ញុំសូមជូនវីឌេអូខ្លីស្តីពីកំណាព្យស្នេហាជាតិដែលបានសូត្រដោយព្រឹទ្ធាចារ្យ ក្នុងកំឡុង ពេល សិក្ខាសាលា របស់គណបក្ស សម រង្ស៊ី នាថ្ងៃទី០៧ - ០៨ កក្កដា​ ២០១១ នាទីក្រុងវីល្លប៉័ង, ប្រទេសបារាំង។

Bonjour,

Vous trouverez le lien ci-dessus le vidéo des poèmes qui ont récité par nos ainés pendant le séminaire du PSR-Europe du 07-08 juillet 2011 à Villepinte, France.

Dear all,
Please, find the link above of the video poems who recited by our elders during the seminar of the PSR-Europe from 07-08 July 2011 in Villepinte, France.

ជំរាបលា,
មករា

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwXVA8ESThs

Kampuchea Krom and Boeung Kok - A Poem in Khmer recited by Mr. Hang Chak Baromey

Khmer empire map

Click the control below to listen to the poem

Click here to download or listen to the poem in MP3

Thailand stands firm; Preah Vihear management plan should be deferred [... but Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia, not Thailand!!!]

BANGKOK, June 15 (MCOT online news) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Wednesday reasserted Thailand's stance that consideration of Cambodia's proposed management plan of the area surrounding the ancient Hindu temple of Preah Vihear should be deferred by the upcoming UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting in Paris.

The Thai prime minister stood firm as the Thai delegation, scheduled to depart Bangkok for the World Heritage Committee meeting in the French capital this weekend, reported the Thai position over the matter to a special meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr Abhisit said Thailand’s position is that consideration of Cambodia’s management plan of the area surrounding Preah Vihear temple should be deferred, but Thailand stands ready to jointly consider it with Cambodia on the condition that Cambodia must withdraw its troops from the contested land first.

Thailand won't sign Indonesian observer document if Cambodian troops don't withdraw: PM

BANGKOK, May 5 (MCOT online news) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Thursday asserted he will not endorse the documents endorsing the presence of Indonesian observers at the disputed border of Thailand and Cambodia until its neighbour withdraws its troops and citizens from the contested area.

The Thai premier reaffirmed his stance again as Indonesia, as current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), proposed to send observers to the Thai-Cambodian borders following sporadic clashes of troops of the two neighbours, with both accusing the other of causing the clashes.

Mr Abhisit said there are written documents on the manning of Indonesian observers and the Thai foreign ministry has discussed with Indonesia that the observers will be allowed only if Cambodia first withdraws its troops and residents from the 4.6 square kilometre tract contested by the two countries.

Thailand says Cambodia bypassing ASEAN in temple dispute

May 5, 2011
ABC Radio Australia

Thailand says Cambodia should withdraw soldiers from Preah Vihear temple on their shared border and wants Indonesian observers to take up position there.

The comments come from Thailand's Foreign Ministry spokesman after Cambodia asked the International Court of Justice to review a 1962 ruling that granted sovereignty of the temple to Cambodia. On Monday, the International Court confirmed the application for a review and said Cambodia has requested Thai soldiers leave the area. Almost 50 years ago the ICJ decided the temple belonged to Cambodia... but 4.6 square kilometres of land surrounding the temple was never properly demarcated... both sides claim it's theirs and that's what most of the fighting has been about.

Last month, fighting began further west at two other border temples also on disputed land... and there was another death on Tuesday... bringing the toll of the most recent clashes to 18. The flare up comes as Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is expected to announce national elections either tomorrow or possible early next week.

Presenter: Ron Corben

Speaker: Thani Thongphakdi, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

COCHRANE: Meanwhile... despite the sporadic violence that continues on the border civilians on both sides are returning home and evacuation centres set up to shelter them are closing. The fighting caused as many as 85-thousand people to flee... with a Thai civilian killed and some homes damaged on both sides. The Phnom Penh Post is reporting that last night marked the first without violence since the recent clashes began on the 22nd of April... with regional commanders meeting and pledging another ceasefire on Wednesday.

Part of their six-point agreement included the reopening of two border checkpoints near the Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples in Cambodia's Oddar Meancheay province.

Cambodia's Application for Int erpretation by the ICJ - April 2011 (In French only for now)

Cambodia's Application for Interpretation by the ICJ - April 2011

http://www.scribd.com/full/54672649?access_key=key-1tqs09dst01nwerprlt

Who push the Siamese' aggression on Cambodia? Op-Ed by Khem Khieu

http://www.box.net/shared/ohe4pi6je2

Thai war games intended to intimidate Cambodia? Thai supreme commander considers Cambodia as Thailand's ENEMY

Navy forces fire an Exocet missile from the HTMS Ratcharit, a fast-attack boat, during regularly scheduled military exercises in the Gulf of Thailand near Sattahip. Whilst watching the exercises, Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara said that Thai forces were “resolute” in protecting the country’s sovereignty.

Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara returns salutes as he boards the HTMS Chakri Naruebet to watch naval exercises off Sattahip.

Thai Supreme Commander rules out negotiations with Cambodia at Sattahip war games

Friday, 29 April 2011
By Patcharapol Panrak
From Issue Vol. XIX No. 17
Pattaya Mail (Thailand)

Presiding over the Royal Thai Navy’s annual training exercises in Sattahip, Thailand’s top military commander ruled out negotiations with Cambodia until that country’s forces cease hostilities in the latest rounds of deadly border clashes.

Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara said during an April 22 speech at Sattahip Naval Base that Thai forces were “resolute” in protecting the country’s sovereignty and will not hesitate to attack Cambodia forces if necessary. “Negotiations are not in the plans if our enemies choose to disrupt peace in our country,” he said.

Navy forces fire an Exocet missile from the HTMS Ratcharit, a fast-attack boat, during regularly scheduled military exercises in the Gulf of Thailand near Sattahip. Whilst watching the exercises, Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara said that Thai forces were “resolute” in protecting the country’s sovereignty.

The Hun Sen government must step down in order for Cambodia to avoid war and territory losses on its western and eastern borders

27 April 2011

THE HUN SEN GOVERNMENT MUST STEP DOWN IN ORDER FOR CAMBODIA TO AVOID WAR AND TERRITORY LOSSES ON ITS WESTERN AND EASTERN BORDERS

Cambodia is facing the danger of war because of the aggression from Thailand associated with the incapability of the Hun Sen government to peacefully resolve a border conflict.

For Cambodia, the only appropriate and effective means of containing a foreign aggression is to call for the implementation of the 1991 Paris Agreements on Cambodia. These Agreements guarantee Cambodia’s territorial integrity and oblige their signatories, i.e. practically the whole international community, to help defend Cambodia when there is an aggression from a neighboring country as is the case now.

But why does the Hun Sen government refuse to call for the implementation of the Paris Agreements as required by the situation and suggested by the Sam Rainsy Party?

The cause for this serious shortcoming/mistake is related to the fact that the Hun Sen government only defends our western border by confronting Thailand but it is not willing to defend our eastern border because it doesn’t want or doesn’t dare to confront Vietnam. On the contrary, the Hun Sen government has continuously allowed Vietnam to move the borderline inside Cambodia causing our country to lose an increasing portion of its territory.

Because an effective implementation of the Paris Agreements would oblige both Thailand and Vietnam to put an end to their aggression on Cambodia, the Hun Sen government doesn’t dare to invoke the Paris Agreements given the opposition from Vietnam. Even though Vietnam has recently annexed large chunks of Cambodian territories, the Hun Sen government doesn’t dare to make any protest but always continues to try to please Vietnam.

The fact that the Hun Sen government is subservient to Vietnam is the major obstacle for the implementation of the Paris Agreements, which is the reason why Cambodia has been losing territories on both its western and eastern borders while facing the danger of a war with Thailand at the same time.

Nowadays, war is out of date as a means to resolve a border conflict. To legitimately defend its territory Cambodia should only use peaceful means by going through legal, political and diplomatic channels.

Recently, Cambodia has achieved a big victory when Vietnamese authorities withdrew from Cambodian territory in the vicinity of border posts # 184, 185 and 186 in Svay Rieng province’s Chantrea district. This unprecedented event of a Vietnamese withdrawal from Cambodia took place a few days after I had pulled out the illegally planted border post # 185 in October 2009. Subsequently, the Vietnamese authorities came to pull out themselves the nearby and also illegally planted border posts # 184 and 186 and took them back to Vietnam. Their reaction was apparently due to their embarrassment after I had exposed their attempt to unfairly move the borderline to the detriment of Cambodia. This Cambodian victory in the defense of our territorial integrity was achieved without a drop of blood being shed and without a penny of our national budget being spent.

The Khmer people must push the Hun Sen government to resort to similar non-violent and non-costly means to defend Cambodia’s territory both on our western and eastern borders. Such means can be broadly and effectively deployed only with the implementation of the Paris Agreements. But if the Hun Sen government cannot follow that reasonable path, it must step down so that Cambodia may avoid war and territory losses with both Thailand and Vietnam.

Besides, we must not allow the Hun Sen government to use the conflict with Thailand in the west as a political ploy to divert the attention and the anger of the Khmer people from the aggression by Vietnam in the east. Similarly, we are aware that the Hun Sen government is also trying to use the conflict with Thailand to divert the attention and the anger of the Khmer people from its systemic corruption when it associates itself with dubious foreign companies to grab lands from the Khmer people and to plunder our national riches.

Sam Rainsy

Elected Member of Parliament

Cambodia: Thai threat "tantamount to a declaration of war"

27.04.2011
Trend (Azerbaijan)

The Cambodian government on Wednesday condemned Bangkok's threat to use military action to force Cambodian troops from areas that Thailand considers in dispute, DPA reported.

Phom Penh "considers the above decision of (the Thai) government as tantamount to a declaration of war against Cambodia," Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said.

On Tuesday, a Thai government spokesman said the cabinet had passed a three-part resolution that focused on military retaliation against claimed Cambodian incursions, diplomatic efforts to arrange bilateral talks, and reviewing all cooperation with Cambodia.

Koy Kuong said the part relating to military action was an unacceptable threat.

"(Cambodia) condemns in the strongest terms Thailand's threat and belligerent actions to use its larger and materially superior military might to take control over the Cambodian territory recognized by the International Court of Justice in its 1962 judgment," he said.

Prof. Ieng Mala's comment: Cambodian solidarity around the Preah Vihear event

Cambodia takes attaches to disputed area [-So what?]

4/03/2011
Wassana Nanuam & Manop Thip-Osod
Bangkok Post

The Thai government is outraged by a visit from foreign attaches to the disputed border areas in Cambodia, an army source says.

But the source said: "If we open fire, this will play into the hands of Cambodia and it will show the world that we started the fight."

Cambodian troops have taken foreign military attaches on a visit to Preah Vihear temple and the surrounding disputed border area in what is seen by Thailand as a violation of an agreement made in 2000 between the two countries governing the disputed border site.

Cambodia makes border mountain a strategic point [-It's on Cambodian land anyway!]

February 19, 2011
The Nation

Phu Makhua has caught the media limelight since it became a clash point between Thai and Cambodian soldiers early this month.

The border skirmishes caused casualties and sent thousands of people fleeing for safety.

Locals along the borderline have known the Phu Makhua very well.

It is a mountain full of stripe eggplant during rainy season. The plant, known as "makhua lai" in Thai, has given the mountain its name.

Sacrava Political Cartoons: Vietnamese TanksCat

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

Click here to read the related article

In Preah Vihear Temple, 50 Years of Conflict

The stone remains of Preah Vihear, built nearly 1,000 years ago, are supposed to be a protected U.N. World Heritage site. Instead they are at the heart of a dangerous tug-of-war between Cambodia and Thailand. (Photo: AP)

Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Tuesday, 15 February 2011

“The roots of this conflict go back to 1962, when the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia.”

In the past 46 years, Cambodia and Thailand have clashed off and on over Preah Vihear temple. But the border dispute has been increasingly motivated by nationalism in both countries.

Tensions spilled over into intense fighting along the border between Feb. 4 and Feb. 7, leading the foreign ministers to the UN Security Council on Monday.

Experts say the heart of the matter is Preah Vihear temple itself, an 11th-Century structure built when the Khmer empire spread far outside the borders of today’s Cambodia but which some Thai political groups have said belongs to Thailand.

Battle of Koh Chang: A superior Thai navy defeated by a small French flotilla

Dear Readers,

We are posting below the account of the battle of Koh Chang in which a small French flotilla inflicted major damages to the Thai navy on January 17, 1941. We are posting below an account of the battle posted on Wikipedia, as well as another account posted in French. We urge you to visit the English and French website sources to learn more about this battle and to see more photos.

Thank you,

KI-Media team

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Battle of Koh Chang

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Koh_Chang

The Battle of Koh Chang took place on January 17, 1941 during the French-Thai War and resulted in a decisive victory by the French over the Royal Thai Navy. During the battle a flotilla a French warships attacked a smaller force of Thai vessels, including a coastal battleship. In the end Thailand lost two ships sunk and one heavily damaged and grounded. Within a month of the engagement the Vichy French and Thailanders negotiated a peace which ended the war.

Background

Thai Navy

The Royal Thai Navy had been modernized with the recent acquisition of vessels from Japan and Italy. The major units of the fleet included two Japanese-built armoured coast defence vessels which displaced 2,500 tons and carried 8" guns, two older British built armoured gunboats with 6" guns, twelve torpedo boats and four submarines. In addition the Royal Thai Air Force had in its inventory over 140 aircraft, including relatively modern Mitsubishi Ki-30 light bombers, which saw extensive service against the French. These aircraft in themselves were quite capable of causing severe damage to any French naval mission which might be mounted. Other less capable aircraft in the Thai inventory included P-36 Hawk fighters, seventy Chance-Vought O2U-2 Corsair biplanes, six Martin B-10 bombers and several Avro 504 trainers.

French Navy

Despite the strengths of the Thai forces the French Governor General of Indochina and Commander-in-Chief Naval Forces, Admiral Jean Decoux, decided that the naval mission should go ahead. A small squadron, the Groupe Occasionnel, was formed on December 9, 1940 at Cam Ranh Bay, near Saigon, under the command of Capitaine de Vaisseau Régis Bérenger. The squadron consisted of the light cruiser Lamotte-Piquet, the avisos Dumont d'Urville and Amiral Charner, and the older avisos Tahure and Marne. There was no air cover to speak of, apart from eight Loire 130 seaplanes based at Ream which provided reconnaissance. Additional scouting was provided by three coastal survey craft, and intelligence gleaned from the local fishermen.

Abhisit: We will re-take the Preah Vihear Temple

In 2008, when he was the Opposition Leader of Thailand, the current Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva revealed his intention on the Preah Vihear Temple:

"Preah Vihear was on the top of a list of six issues that opposition leader Abhisit Vejjachiva raised before the Thai parliament when it met to vote on a no-confidence motion against the government on June 26. Mr. Abhisit said that Thailand had never accepted the map that Cambodia presented to the World Court in 1962. He also said that Thailand intended to seek the return of Preah Vihear 'when the opportunity arose' ": Bertil Lintner, "Temple Furor Exposes Delicate Ties", Far Eastern Economic Review, July/August 2008, 6. (see full article below)

Apparently, the Thai Prime Minister is realising his intention to re-take the Temple?

Bora Touch

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Temple Furor Exposes Delicate Ties

By Bertil Lintner

A temple complex near the Thai-Cambodian border has pitted not only the two countries against each other but also Thai opposition political parties against the government of Samak Sundaravej. At the heart of the dispute is whether Thailand should accept a map that demarcates the border around the temple, which Cambodia wants to have listed as a World Heritage Site with Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Thailand has long been opposed to that and argued that the site includes not only the temple but also part of a Thai national park. Therefore, Bangkok’s traditional stance was that Thailand and Cambodia should jointly administer the site. Or the border would have to be clearly defined. But on June 17, Samak’s foreign ministry accepted a map presented by the Cambodian side—and the Thai opposition has clearly taken advantage of the unpopular decision, stirring up nationalist sentiments against the increasingly embattled government.

It is a sensitive issue on both sides of the border. The temple, Prasat Preah Vihear in Khmer, the language of Cambodia, and Prasat Khao Phra Viharn in Thai, was built in the 11th and 12th centuries by Cambodian kings at a time when the Khmer empire was large and prosperous. But as the empire fell apart, territories were lost to neighboring countries—including Thailand, which explains the existence of Khmer temples in modern day Thai provinces. The biggest such temple, Phanom Rung in Buriram Province, is well inside Thailand and has therefore never been disputed. But Preah Vihear is located on the top of a cliff, 525 meters above the Cambodian plain, from which it is almost inaccessible. Thais argue that it is on the Thai side of the watershed, and therefore should belong to Thailand. And almost all access to the temple throughout history has been from what now is Thailand’s Sisaket Province.

Thailand must come to terms with its past and move forward instead of trying to right an "unrightable" wrong

Some history on that border temple

August 17, 2010
By Avudh Panananda
The Nation

"KI-Media Note: The author seems to forget that Preah Vihear was built by Cambodians and the territory surrounding the temple was illegally annexed and occupied by Thailand prior to 1863. If Thailand wants to revise its territorial claim to historical periods, then Cambodia has also the rights to claim back the majority of Cambodian territories currently illegally occupied by Thailand since the 13 and 14th century! Shall Cambodia do that?"

A vast number of Thai citizens may find that the Preah Vihear Temple controversy causes feelings of wounded pride, but dwelling on the past will only bring grief and misery to all parties concerned.

Thailand must come to terms with its past and move forward instead of trying to right an "unrightable" wrong. Cambodia too must learn to overcome pettiness to be an understanding neighbour.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in 1962 that the temple was on Cambodian land. And Unesco's World Heritage Committee agreed to list the temple as a World Heritage site in 2008.

What is the urgency to stir up an international dispute over the site management plan for a temple that has survived the elements since the 11th century?

If the two neighbouring countries opt to quarrel on what they see as their rightful territory, then the verbal spat might soon escalate into a war, with regrettable and tragic consequences.

Regardless of what politicians say or do, Thais should heed the lesson of history before charting their next move on the temple.

To put the controversy in context, it is necessary to trace the issue back to the Franco-Siamese War in 1863, to a time when France was expanding into Indochina and Thailand had to cede territory in Laos and Cambodia. Two Franco-Siamese treaties in 1904 and 1907 formalised the hand-over of Thai territory in exchange for safeguarding Thai independence from the colonial power.

Based on provisions in the 1907 treaty, a mixed commission was formed to demarcate the border, relying on the watershed of the Dongrak mountain range. France, then the colonial power in the region, unilaterally deviated from the watershed principle to "carve out" the temple for its Cambodian protectorate.

Although Thailand attempted to rectify this injustice of boundary demarcation, its fighting with Vichy France in 1940-41 and the outcome of World War II failed to alter the colonial legacy.

The advent of the Vietnam War prompted the United States to produce a 1:50,000-scale map for battle purposes. It happened that this map, using proper cartographic technology, showed the temple's location as inside Thailand.

In the midst of the Cold War when France was forced to retreat from Indochina, Prasat Khao Phra Viharn, as the temple is known in Thai, was briefly returned to Thai sovereignty, as part of what is now Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district.

But a spat between the Sarit Thanarat government and King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia led to an international dispute over the temple. The ICJ decision returned ownership of the temple back to Cambodia.

Even though the Sarit government conceded defeat in the International Court, it said its conditional acceptance of the ICJ verdict was a decision that had nothing to do with the national boundary and that the area surrounding the temple remained in Thai territory.

As a World Heritage site, the main temple structure is about 800 metres in length. But the problem arises from the temple's management plan, because it covers 4.6 square kilometres. The temple perimeter is unclear, but is estimated to link a series of sanctuaries stretching about 2 kilometres into Thailand.

Pending agreement on the boundary between Thailand and Cambodia based on map-making technology and not colonial legacy, the two neighbours have no irrefutable evidence to back up their respective claims on territory.

In lieu of sabre-rattling, the two ought to keep calm to pave the way for work on border demarcation. All the necessary mechanisms to settle the border dispute are already in place and just await a green light to go into operation.

It would be sheer folly to squabble over a temple built to uplift human spirits to the heavens.

Som Niyeay Phorng - Op-Ed by Angkor Borey News

Click on the article in Khmer to zoom in

Cambodia rejects Thai claim to area near Ta Krabey

Wednesday, 05 May 2010
Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Tuesday rejecting accusations from Bangkok that railings constructed near the Ta Krabey temple in Oddar Meanchey province were built in Thai territory.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong said the statement was prompted by a note sent last month by the Thai ministry of foreign affairs to the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok.

“They claimed that the temple of Ta Krabey and the surrounding area are in Thai territory,” Koy Kuong said Tuesday. “They accused us of building the railings in their territory.”

In a response to the Thai ministry of foreign affairs dated last Friday, the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok said the railings in question had been constructed 500 metres away from Ta Krabey temple, well inside Cambodian territory.

They claimed that the temple of Ta Krabey ... [is] in thai territory.

The allegation that Cambodia had breached Thai sovereignty in the area was “baseless”, the embassy added.

Ministry of Defence spokesman Chhum Socheat said the railings had been constructed to help transport supplies up the steep hills in the area for
Cambodia troops patrolling the border.

“We built the cabin rails for transporting food, equipment and especially water to the soldiers patrolling at the top of the hill,” Chhum Socheat said, and added that the now-complete project began about five months ago.

A similar project in the Phnom Trop area, near Preah Vihear temple, drew Thai anger last year, Chhum Socheat said, though Cambodian officials stood firm on the issue.

Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged fire last month near Phnom Trop after, Cambodian troops say, a group of Thai soldiers got drunk and began firing recklessly into Cambodian territory.

Phnom Trop, along the contentious border between Cambodia and Thailand, also became a flashpoint in January, when commanders from both sides met to discuss troop movements in the disputed area. Troops stationed nearby exchanged fire briefly on January 24, four days after the meeting, though no one was hurt and a new round of negotiations followed.

Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn referred questions to officials at the Thai ministry of foreign affairs, who could not be reached for comment.