Thailand reopens Ta Moan Thom temple

Monday, October 13, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

A Cambodian army officer said on Sunday that the Ta Moan Thom, which the Thai army closed its access to Cambodians since 20 September, is opened again for visit. Neak Vong, commanding officer of army region 4, told The Cambodia Daily that his soldiers opened the door to the Ta Moan Thom temple at about 1:45 PM on Sunday and Cambodians can go visit this temple. Chea Morn, commander of army region 4, said that this opening stems from recent negotiations between himself and Thai army commander for region 2. Var Kim Hong, chairman of the government border committee, welcomed this news and said that this is a good sign for the ministerial negotiations which will be held this Monday.

Cambodians accuse Thailand of redeploying troops at border temples

Aug 11, 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian border officials Monday accused Thailand of disregarding agreements to move back from three border temples in northern Oddar Meanchey province, but said they would not act until after bilateral ministerial talks in a week.

After negotiations Tuesday, Thai troops agreed to pull back from the Ta Moan group of temples, but moved back into the area Saturday, said a senior border official who asked not to be named.

'We have held four rounds of negotiations with the Thais and they just don't respect any agreement,' the official said. 'They have not built a barricade at the temple - that has been there for a long time - but they are making it bigger.'

However, he said Cambodia refused to react until after talks between the nations' foreign ministers scheduled for August 18.

'We will not be drawn,' he said. 'We await the orders of Prime Minister Hun Sen and he has ordered peaceful negotiation.'

The English-language Cambodia Daily quoted provincial governor Pich Sokkin as saying about 20 Thai troops were now at the temples, with 70 more stationed nearby, and said they were fortifying barricades.

Thailand moved troops into the disputed border area on July 28, further worsening relations over a spat concerning the Preah Vihear temple, which was recently listed as a World Heritage site, about 150 kilometres east of Ta Moan.

Preah Vihear's listing by UNESCO on July 7 came despite protests by Thailand, which complained the surrounding border area remained in dispute and Thai troops moved in not long after. Later that month the spat spread to Ta Moan.

Cambodia has repeatedly said it has proof that the Ta Moan group of temples are sovereign territory but has stressed it seeks a peaceful resolution to the dispute.

Troops to pull back from Preah Vihear

August 6, 2008
By Piyanart Srivalo and Wijit Chunhakijkhajorn
The Nation

Troops will be redeployed from the area near Preah Vihear by the third week of this month, before the second ministerial meeting with Cambodia on the border stand-off, government spokesman Wichianchot Sukchotrat said yesterday.

But troops at Ta Muen Thom temple in Surin would remain, as the temple was believed to be on Thai territory, Army chief Anupong Paochinda said.

Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag told Cabinet yesterday he and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong agreed last week that both sides would move troops from the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda area near Preah Vihear to ease tension.

Cambodia has had more than 1,000 troops in the area while Thailand has some 400 soldiers nearby.

Both sides would maintain a number of personnel necessary for the protection of their respective national sovereignty, the spokesman said.

The two sides would discuss details and complete the redeployment by the third week of August, he said.

Meanwhile, the dispute over Ta Muen Thom temple in Surin province continues as both sides insist on sovereignty over the area.

A meeting yesterday between Suranaree Task Force Commander Kanok Nettaraka-waysana with Cambodia's Odor Meanchey deputy governor San Vanna failed to reach any agreement.

Cambodia's request to have its troops protect the area with Thai troops was rejected, an official said.

San Vanna said Cambodia would not deploy troops to the area in order to maintain peace and good relations with Thailand.

However, a military source said Cambodia's Fourth Army Region Deputy Commander Maj General Po Heng led some 100 troops to an area 2km from Ta Muen Thom temple.

Army chief Gen Anupong declined to comment on a report that Cambodia tried to send armed troops across the border with the intention of remaining there.

Thai troops were there to protect sovereignty as the temple was on Thai soil, he said.

"We have told our troops there not to use force or instigate any confrontation at the border," Anupong said.

The Thai side had repeatedly told Cambodians in the area to allow demarcation officials to do their jobs by not deploying troops there, the Army chief said.

Ownership of Prasat Ta Muen Thom is the latest border row following the Preah Vihear dispute.

Last week, armed Cambodian troops tried to cross the border at Surin to visit the temple, only to be turned back at the border.

Ta Muen Thom is part of the Thai-Cambodia border that has yet to be demarcated and agreed on by both countries.

Cambodian Information Minister Denies Reports Talks With Thailand Terminated

Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Television Kampuchea, Phnom Penh, in Cambodian
Story Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

On 5 August, Cambodian Government-run Phnom Penh Television Kampuchea in Cambodian at 0552 gmt carried a 10-minute recorded video interview, following its midday newscast, with Information Minister Khieu Kanharit by an unidentified Television Kampuchea correspondent on the current border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand.

Asked about Thailand's Bangkok Post daily and some local newspapers quoting him as saying that there would be no more talks on the current border problem with Thailand until after the formation of a new government, Khieu Kanharit said, "This is a bit of misunderstanding. I wish to point out that at the meeting between [Cambodian Foreign Minister] His Excellency [HE] Hor Namhong and [Thai Foreign Minister] HE Tej Bunnag, the top representatives of the two countries' prime ministers, in Siemreab Province, we agreed to pull troops out of that area. This means that we will withdraw the armed forces, because it is not good if troops stay close to each other." "However," he added, "this does not mean that we withdraw all our authorities from the Preah Vihear area. Our border authorities and temple security guards remain there as before.

"Anyway, what is important is that the two government representatives have already shown their goodwill in solving this border problem through peaceful means. However, there still remain more details to be resolved, as I said yesterday, with two solutions. First, the details of the troop withdrawal could be dealt with by a commission led by [Defence Minister] HE Tie Banh. As for the entire border problem, with Thailand claiming that this area belongs to it and that area belongs to Cambodia, it could be dealt with by a commission led by HE Va Kim-hong, responsible for the border delimitation. We have done this work successively.

"And as I already pointed out, the [Cambodian-Thai] border is 830- kilometre long, but we have only 73 border markers. This is a very small number. So, we need to do it in more detail. In the past, we did this only in the areas where there was no dispute, and then we moved to dispute areas where talks were tough. Therefore, it does not mean that we terminate those talks. But we cannot hold further talks because we have already pulled troops out.

"A 2000 memorandum of understanding has determined the preparation of border delimitation in detail and with precision. So, since we have already had this, there is no need for the two governments to hold talks further. I only pointed out that it was unnecessary, but if it was necessary and urgent, we could meet any time. However, as we have already determined the border at talks, it seems unnecessary for the two prime ministers' representatives to meet again while we are in the process of forming a government.

"We leave the time for the government to think of the formation of a new government, but it does not mean that we have closed the door completely. However, as the top leaders have already been in agreement, details should be left for technical teams to deal with. As such, it is not like the local newspapers and Bangkok Post said, 'It is over for now'."

Answering the TVK correspondent's question about Thai troops having put barbed wire to close the entry and exit at Ta Moan Temple and a high-level Thai official announcing Thailand's plan to have the temple registered as a World Heritage site, Khieu Kanharit said, "At first, we regret that Thailand has sent more troops to Ta Moan Temple. However, although Thailand has claimed that the temple is in its territory, and we claim that it is ours, we already said that the 2000 memorandum of understanding has determined that we will discuss the border problem peacefully, with compromise. The troop reinforcements show that Thailand does not keep its words, and it is not the manners of a civilized country having diplomatic relations with the others."

Khieu Kanharit also said that Ta Moan Temple was just a "small temple," and if compared to Preah Vihear Temple, it was "very far different from it and not that valuable. It is only an ordinary temple." He added, "As the temple is a dispute area, it is impossible for Thailand to make the inclusion. Maybe, the Thai official does not understand what to do to include a site in the World Heritage list. Perhaps, it is just his hint or he does not understand anything at all. However, we think that normally, that cannot be done." "It is just Thailand's illusion," he concluded.

Thai and Cambodian troops are also facing each other at Ta Krabei temple, near Ta Moan Thom temple

Cambodian government accuses Thailand of invading another Khmer temple

04 August 2008
By A.L.G. and L.D.
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the original article in French

Bangkok denies any incursion on Cambodian territories in the province of Oddar Meanchey.

70 Thai soldiers allegedly entered the site of Ta Moan Thom temple, in the province of Oddar Meanchey, Sim Sokha, the Cambodian deputy border defense chief, said.

“Thai troops indicated that they would withdraw only when the border conflict in Preah Vihear will be resolved,” Sim Sokha told the Associated Press.

On its side, Thailand denied any new incursion inside Cambodian territories. Bangkok said that troop movements in the Surin district were not unusual.

Khieu Kanharith, government spokesman, recognized the presence of Thai soldiers on the territory, while trying to calm down the situation.

“Thailand wants to profit from Preah Vihear to resolve the border problems at the same time,” Khieu Kanharith said while adding: “The Joint Border Committee in charge of Thailand and Cambodia must be allowed to do its work.”

“Regarding this border, we are within our rights,” he added before explaining that the priority of the government is currently concentrating of the formation of a new government.

The Ta Moan Thom temple dated from the 13th century and is located about 470 kilometers to the northwest of Phnom Penh. When reached overt the phone, Ho Bunthy, the permanent deputy commander for the Ta Moan Thom site, indicated that about “60 Thai soldiers took position 70 meters in front of the temple. They are clearly on our national territory.”

Furthermore, soldiers from both countries are facing each others in front of another temple, Ta Krabei, located 16 km from Ta Moan Thom. Thai troops were deployed following movement of Cambodian troops.

Thailand nominates 2nd disputed border temple as World Heritage site

BANGKOK, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Thailand has nominated the Khmer-style Ta Muen Thom temple, situated on disputed Thai-Cambodian border area, to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the country's Fine Arts Department director general Kriengkrai Sampatchalit said Monday.

Kriengkrai said, The UNESCO is scheduled to consider the Thai nomination of the 13th-century Ta Muen Thom temple as well as other Khmer-style temples in Thailand's northeastern provinces Surin, Buri Ram and Nakhon Ratchasima under "the Khmer Civilization Route," in its meeting next year, according to a report by The Nation news website.

This move will be naturally viewed as a tit-for-tat response to the lingering dispute on the areas surrounding the disputed Preah Vihear temple.

"It is true that the Prasat (what Thai people call Khmer-style temples) is located just about 100 meters from the border in the Thai soil. The Fine Arts Department discovered and registered it as one of our Thai ancient items in 1935, or about 73 years ago," Kriengkrai was quoted by the report as saying.

The Thai side has since then renovated it and opened it for public long time ago, he said, adding the Cambodian government has acknowledged the renovation and all activities related to the place.

Kriengkrai responded to a recent report that the Cambodian troops tried to cross the border to visit the place, but was declined by the Thai army.

Also on Monday, Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen Boonsang Niampradit said that he has handed a letter to Cambodian authorities, stating that the land at the Ta Muen Thom temple belongs to Thailand.

The remarks came after reports said Cambodia accused Thai troops of occupying this temple on the border between Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey. The Cambodian authorities claimed ownership over the temple.

Thai FM clarifies troop deployment at Ta Muen Thom

Mon, August 4, 2008
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

The Thai foreign ministry defended on Monday the deployment of troops at the ruin of Ta Muen Thom temple in the Northeastern Thai province of Surin.

The troops have been over there for years, said the ministry's chief spokesman Tharit Charungvat.

However, Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodia Border Committee, told Agence France Presse that Ta Muen is in Cambodia's territory.

Cambodia also alleged that Thailand had occupied the ruin since 1998 by sending 70 Thai troops to protect the historical site.

The Thai foreign ministry, however, dismissed Cambodia's claim of alleged Thai encroachment.

Earlier, Thailand and Cambodia were also locked in a border military stand-off over the Preah Vihear Temple following the listing of this ancient Hindu ruin as a World Heritage site.

Ta Muen Thom, the 13th-century Hindu temple situated on the Thai-Cambodian border, is a group of three pagodas.

The area is part of the disputed boundary where demarcation has not yet completed.

According to Tharit, the presence of Thai troops should not be seen as a cause of conflict since both countries have armed forces to provide safety in the area.

"Thailand has not boosted the number of troops," he added.

Commander of the Thai Armed Forces, Gen Boonsrang Niumpradit, yesterday called on Cambodia to pull back its troops from the area to avoid a further dispute.

But Cambodia's Defense Minister Tea Banh did not respond to the call, he said.

According to Thai authorities, the Ta Muen complex is in Thai territory as evidenced by the Fine Arts Department's registration of the ancient ruin as a Thai national archeological site 73 years ago.

Meanwhile Thailand has nominated Prasat Ta Muen Thom, which becomes the latest border dispute with Cambodia, to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage site, Fine Arts Department director general Kriengkrai Sampatchalit said Monday.

The Unesco is scheduled to consider the Thai nomination of the Prasat Ta Muen Thom and other Prasats in Surin, Buri Ram and Nakhon Ratchasima under "the Khmer Civilisation Route," in its meeting next year, he said.

"It is true that the Prasat is located just about 100 metres from the border in the Thai soil. The Fine Arts Department has found and registered as one our Thai ancient items since 1935, or about 73 years ago," he said.

The Thai side has since then renovated it and opened it for public long time ago, he said, adding the Cambodian government has acknowledged the renovation and all activities related to the place.

Kriengkrai also responded to a latest report last week that the Khmer troops tried to cross the border to visit the place, but the Thai army declined their attempt. The Khmer troops reportedly intended to station there.

He said Prasat Ta Muen Thom has usually welcomed all visitors but the Thai army stepped in to take care of the Khmer visit because they came in uniform and were armed with weapons.

Boonsang: land at Ta Moan Thom belongs to us

(BangkokPost.com) - The Supreme Commander, Gen Boonsang Niampradit, said he handed a letter to the Cambodian authority, stating that the land at the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple belongs to Thailand. Cambodia has accused Thai troops of occupying a second sacred temple on the Thai-Cambodian border.

Gen Boonsang said the Thai army and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have to discuss and work out the dispute involving the 11th century Preah Vihear temple. He said the army is providing relevant information for the Foreign Ministry for consideration before negotiating with the Cambodian counterpart.

The Supreme Commander said the decision to lessen or withdraw Thai soldiers from the ancient temples will have to be discussed, as the matter is sensitive, complex, and would affect the stability of both nations.

The Foreign Ministry can assess the situation better than the army, Gen Boonsang claimed.

Thailand asks Cambodia troops to leave second temple

BANGKOK (AFP) — Thailand's military chief on Monday asked Cambodia to withdraw its soldiers from around a second Khmer ruin along their joint border, raising fears of a fresh territorial dispute.

General Boonsrang Niumpradit, head of Thailand's armed forces, told AFP that he had asked his Border Affairs Department to pass on the message to Cambodian Defence Minster Tea Banh.

"We ask Cambodia to move their soldiers, who are near the Ta Muen Thom temple," he said. "I have not received the response yet."

The ruins of Ta Muen Thom, known as Ta Moan Thom in Cambodia, lie 130 kilometres (80 miles) west of the more well-known Preah Vihear temple, where more than 1,000 Thai and Cambodian troops have been stationed since a border dispute erupted last month.

Speaking to AFP in Phnom Penh, Tea Banh said Cambodian soldiers and civilians were usually allowed to enter the Ta Muen Thom ruin for religious ceremonies, but over the weekend Thai soldiers blocked their path.

"They did not allow our troops to go. That's why the problem happened," he said. "Now we want the troops to stay wherever they are for a while."

Tea Banh, confirming the Cambodian troops were, as usual, still stationed nearby, said the two sides were "working on this issue."

Ta Muen Thom sits on one of many disputed areas along the border. Thai troops have been stationed there since 1998, officials from both countries say, but both sides lay claim to the land on which the Khmer ruin sits.

Boonsrang said a small group of Cambodian soldiers advanced either on Sunday or Monday towards the temple, which sits on the border between northern Cambodia and northeastern Thailand.

He denied that Thailand had increased the number of troops stationed at Ta Muen Thom, and he declined to comment on ownership of the ruin.

"I don't want to answer other questions, otherwise it will escalate," he told AFP.

Relations between the neighbours flared up last month after Preah Vihear, which belongs to Cambodia, was awarded world heritage status by the United Nations, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the prized ruin.

On July 15, Cambodia arrested three Thai protesters for illegally crossing the border to try and reach the temple, sparking the deployment of troops from both sides on a tiny patch of disputed land near Preah Vihear.

During talks last week, Cambodia and Thailand both said they were willing to stand down the soldiers, but neither have shown signs of making the first move.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Monday that his side was committed to avoiding the "explosion of gunfire" along the frontier.

"The situation along the border has not yet reached emergency state," he told reporters.

Thailand in wrangle with Cambodia over second disputed border temple [-Thailand aks to name Ta Moan temple as a World Heritage site]

By Shen Min

BANGKOK, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- With the Preah Vihear temple issue still hanging on, Thailand and Cambodia have now engaged themselves in a new wrangle regarding another ancient temple on the disputed border.

This time it is about Ta Moan Thom temple, a 13th-century Khmer-style temple, or "Prasat" as Thais call, which is situated on Thai-Cambodian border between in Phnom Dongrek district, Surin province in northeastern Thailand and Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province.

Responding to latest reports that Cambodia has accused Thai soldiers of occupying Ta Moan Thom temple, over which Cambodian authorities also claimed ownership, the Royal Thai Army issued a statement on Monday saying that "Thai military deploying at Ta Moan Thom has their duty to look after the border area as usual. They have continuously done this mission for a long time."

"Thai military has been stationed on Thai site and never encroached into neighboring country. The situation in that area is still normal, military of both countries has closely coordinated to prevent crashes and any misunderstanding," the statement said.

It also said that the Thai Army will "do anything to protect the sovereignty of the nation" in line with the principle of maintaining good relation between two countries.

Earlier on Monday, Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen Boonsang Niampradit said that he has handed a letter to Cambodian authorities, stating Thailand's sovereignty over the land at the Ta Moan Thom temple.

Meanwhile, Thailand's Fine Arts Department has nominated the Khmer-style Ta Muen Thom temple, situated on disputed Thai-Cambodian border area, to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the department's director general Kriengkrai Sampatchalit said Monday.

Kriengkrai was quoted by local media as saying that the UNESCO is scheduled to consider the Thai nomination of the Ta Moan Thom as well as other Khmer-style temples in Thailand's northeastern provinces Surin, Buri Ram and Nakhon Ratchasima under "the Khmer Civilization Route" during its meeting next year.

This move will be naturally viewed as a tit-for-tat pose to Cambodia's earlier successful bid to list the Preah Vihear temple as the World Heritage Site.

According to Kriengkrai, the Ta Moan Thom is located "just about 100 meters from the border in the Thai soil." The Fine Arts Department discovered and registered it as one of Thai ancient items in 1935, or about 73 years ago, he said.

The Thai side has since then renovated it and opened it for public long time ago, he said, adding the Cambodian government has acknowledged the renovation and all activities related to the place.

Kriengkrai responded to a recent report that the Cambodian troops tried to cross the border to visit the place, but was declined by the Thai army.

He said Ta Moan Thom has usually welcomed all visitors but the Thai army stepped in to take care of the Khmer visit because they came in uniform and were armed with weapons.

Nationalist sentiment has grown in both countries since Cambodia's bid to list the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple situated at a disputed border area as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Thailand then withdrew its support, with then Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama sacrificing his job to public emotion and judiciary oppugn, but it did not stop the UNESCO from adding the Preah Vihear to the World Heritage list last month.

Thai and Cambodian military have beefed up military presence along the disputed border since July 15 after three Thais including a monk were briefly detained by Cambodian soldiers for breaking into the temple, which had been closed to the public by Cambodian authorities as border tension rose.

On Monday, the Supreme Commander Boonsang also said the Thai army will provide relevant information for the Foreign Ministry for consideration before negotiating with its Cambodian counterpart over the Preah Vihear temple issue.

Thai newly appointed Foreign Minister Dej Bunnag is expected to hold a second round meeting with his Cambodian counterpart in SiemReap, Cambodia in an attempt to ease military and diplomatic stand-off between the two countries resulting from the Preah Vihear dispute.

The July 28 talks between the two sides produced no breakthrough but a joint statement in which the two countries agree no "adjusting military deployment" along the disputed border and act with restraint.

However, one week after the meeting, the two sides have shown no sign of reducing troops stationed there.

Boonsang said the withdrawal of troops has to be carefully discussed as the issue is sensitive, complicated and could affect the two nations' sovereignty.

Thai soldiers occupy second temple

Monday, 04 August 2008
AP & The Mekong Times

Cambodian military officials said yesterday that Thai soldiers are occupying a second temple site along their border, an escalation of an ongoing armed standoff that nearly led to clashes between the neighbors last month.

Major Sim Sokha, a Cambodian border protection unit deputy commander, said about 70 Thai soldiers on Thursday occupied the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple, Oddar Meanchey province in the northwestern border region of Cambodia.

Thailand contends the temple is located in disputed territory.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat denied the Cambodian report of troop movements.

The temple is several hundred miles west of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, where Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been locked in a standoff for three weeks in a dispute over nearby land.

Sim Sokha said Thai soldiers have been deployed in an 80-yard radius around the temple grounds and have prevented Cambodian troops from entering. About 40 Cambodian soldiers are in close proximity to the Thai troops, he said.

“They (Thai troops) said they will pull back only when the issue near Preah Vihear temple is resolved,” Sim Sokha said yesterday by telephone from Oddar Meanchey province.

He said the Cambodian soldiers have been given orders to exercise restraint and wait for the government to try to resolve the issue with Thailand.

Pich Sokhen, governor of Banteay Meanchey province, said that Cambodian soldiers are being deployed at the temple but have not yet arrived as the access roads are in a poor state, adding that the situation there remains normal.

He also said the Commanders-in-Chief of the bordering provinces had met to discuss the issue. “Cambodian solders are being patient and adhering to orders from the top not to resort to violence.”

Other officials from the local authority said that the region had been occupied by Thai soldiers for years, but that troop levels had risen in recent days.

Var Kimhong, director of the Cambodian Border Committee, said he had no detailed information on the situation at the temple, but added: “If Thai soldiers have occupied the vicinity of Ta Moan Thom temple, it is illegal as Thailand recognizes the temple is located in Cambodian territory.”

Khieu Kanharith, Cambodian government spokesman, said he was aware of the new troop movement but was unable to give details. He said the government will try to solve the issue through peaceful means.

Although it is not as well known as the Angkor or Preah Vihear temples, Ta Moan Thom is part of the architectural wonders of the ancient Khmer empire.

It was built in the 13th century as a rest house along a road linking the ancient Angkor city with what is currently northeastern Thailand, said Chuch Phoeun of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture.

Var Kimhong said Cambodia has sufficient documentation to prove that Ta Moan Thom and the adjoining Ta Moan Touch temples belong to Cambodia, and that Thailand will have to hand over ownership of the temples to Cambodia when the border is demarcated in the near future.

“We have official documents demarcating the border which were agreed between France and Thailand in 1907-08. The Ta Moan temples are located near Cambodian-Thai border marker No. 23 planted during the French colonial era and are situated on Cambodian soil.”

About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand remain at a pagoda near the Preah Vihear temple complex, despite a tentative agreement reached by foreign ministers last Monday to redeploy them in an effort to ease tensions.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Siem's Fuel

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

BORDER DISPUTE: New Cambodian allegation

Monday August 04, 2008
BANGKOK POST AND AP

Cambodia has accused Thai soldiers of occupying a second temple site in the disputed border area in a claim strongly denied by Thailand.

Sim Sokha, a Cambodia border protection unit deputy commander, said about 70 Thai soldiers on Thursday occupied the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple in the northwestern province of Oddar Meanchey.

''They [Thai troops] said they will only pull back when the dispute involving the Preah Vihear temple is resolved,'' said Maj Sim Sokha yesterday by telephone from Oddar Meanchey province, about 470 kilometres northwest of Phnom Penh.

The temple is several hundred kilometres west of the ruins of the 11th century Preah Vihear Hindu temple, where Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been locked in a standoff for three weeks in a dispute over nearby land.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat yesterday rebuffed the Ta Moan Thom temple allegation, saying Thai soldiers had been stationed at the temple in Phanom Dong Rak district in Surin for years and there was no unusual military build-up in the area as claimed.

Mr Tharit said Thai soldiers have been deployed in an 80-metre radius around the temple grounds to prevent Cambodian troops from entering the area.

The fresh allegation was made one day after about 50 Cambodian soldiers and a group of Cambodian journalists contacted the Thai paramilitary rangers asking them that they be allowed to enter the restricted area on Saturday.

Their request was denied by the 26th regiment commander Col Kittisak Boonpratham on grounds that tensions were still high between the two countries. They should wait until the situation returns to normal, he said.

He was obviously referring to the dispute over the overlapping border area in Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket and Cambodia's Preah Vihear province.

Khieu Kanharith, the chief Cambodian government spokesman, said he was aware of the new troop movements, but could not provide details.

He said his government will try to solve the issue through peaceful means. Although it is not as well known as the Angkor or Preah Vihear sites, Ta Moan Thom is also considered one of the architectural wonders of the ancient Khmer empire.

It was built in the 13th century as a rest house along a road linking the ancient Angkor city with what is today known as northeastern Thailand, said Chuch Phoeun of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture.

The Preah Vihear row erupted last month when Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage site was approved.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had backed the bid, sparking anti-government demonstrations.

About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand are still in the area despite an agreement between their foreign ministers last week to redeploy them in an effort to ease tensions.

Anti-Thai sentiment 'increases in Cambodia'

Monday, August 4, 2008

Phnom Penh (dpa) - Reports that a second sacred temple on the Thai- Cambodian border has been occupied by Thai troops has drawn an angry reaction from the public, Cambodian media reported Sunday.

Ta Muen Thom temple, at the border of Surin province and Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey, has been manned by Thai troops for more than five years, the chairman of the government's border committee, Var Kimhong, told locally broadcast Radio France Internationale (RFI).

However the nation's largest selling newspaper, Rasmei Kampuchea, as well as the French-funded RFI and US-funded Radio Free Asia began running reports of its alleged occupation Sunday.

Kimhong said there was no legal doubt Ta Muen Thom was Cambodian.

Public outrage has grown steadily since areas around Preah Vihear temple, which Cambodia says are sovereign and Thailand says are disputed, were occupied by Thai troops on July 15, days after it was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site against Thai wishes.

At a press conference held just before national elections last month, Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith declined to answer a question on whether troop build-ups had also occurred on the Thai border with Banteay Meanchey.

The Cambodian government has tried to dampen the nationalist sentiment sweeping the country and urged the public to allow bilateral diplomacy to work, or, failing that, UN mediation.

In 2003 an angry mob torched the Thai embassy and several businesses over a false story a Thai actress had claimed the nation's icon, Angkor Wat temple, was Thai - a serious setback for trade and diplomatic relations.

Claims published in the Thai media accusing Cambodia's First Lady Bun Rany, wife of Prime Minister Hun Sen, of leading a black magic ritual when she hosted a Buddhist ceremony attended by more than 1,000 people at Preah Vihear Friday have not helped.

To be accused of sorcery is regarded as a terrible insult by Cambodians, who regularly kill those accused of it.

Thais accused over new temple row

Sunday, 3 August 2008
BBC News

Cambodia has accused Thai troops of occupying a temple complex on Cambodian land, threatening to escalate a row over a separate, disputed temple.

About 70 Thais have been at the 13th Century Ta Moan temple complex since Thursday, the Cambodians say.

The Thai foreign ministry has denied any troops have moved into the area.

The two nations have for weeks been locked in a military stand-off over disputed land further east, around the ancient Preah Vihear temples.

High-level diplomacy has been taking place to resolve the Preah Vihear dispute, which revolves around border areas drawn up by French cartographers a century ago.

And an agreement was reached, following a meeting between foreign ministers from both countries, to reduce troop numbers near the temple.

Prevented access

But Maj Sim Sokha, a Cambodian border-protection officer, told reporters on Sunday that Thai soldiers had been making moves hundreds of miles west of Preah Vihear.

He said the Thai troops had been deployed in an 80m (262ft) radius around the Ta Moan Thom temple ground, and had prevented Cambodian troops from entering.

He said about 40 Cambodian soldiers were in close proximity to the Thai troops, but had been ordered to exercise restraint while the government tries to resolve the issue with Thailand.

"[Thai troops] said they will pull back only when the issue near Preah Vihear temple is resolved," he told the Associated Press by telephone.

The Ta Moan complex is in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, which shares much of its border with the Thai province of Surin.

Thailand, Cambodia trade claims over second disputed ruin

Sunday, August 03, 2008

BANGKOK (AFP) — Officials from Thailand and Cambodia traded claims Sunday over a second disputed Khmer ruin on their border, as the two nations remained at loggerheads in another territorial dispute.

Ta Muen Thom ruin sits on one of many disputed areas along the border, and depending on who you ask lies either in Thailand's northeastern Surin province or Cambodia's northern Uddor Meanchey province.

Both Cambodian and Thai officials on Sunday laid claim to the ruin, but denied that they had increased troop numbers there since a military stand-off erupted last month over the more well-known Khmer ruin of Preah Vihear.

"We have a paramilitary post which has been there for several years," said Major General Sujit Sithiprabha, Thai army commander for the Cambodian border.

"Prasart Ta Muen Thom belongs to us. We have to have soldiers to take care of the area which belongs to us."

Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodia Border Committee, conceded that Thai soldiers were stationed in the ruin, but said this was not a "new thing".

"Ta Muen is in our territory, but since 1998 Thailand took a chance to occupy it by claiming that they came to conserve it," he told AFP.

He said that in 2003 he told Thai troops that Ta Muen belonged to Cambodia and asked them to withdraw, and Thailand agreed to pull out as soon as Cambodia built proper roads to the temple.

More than 1,000 Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been positioned close to the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, east of Ta Muen Thom, since July 15 when Thai protesters attempted to reach the site from a closed border point.

During talks last Monday, Cambodia and Thailand both said they were willing to stand down the troops on the border, but neither have shown signs of making the first move.

Major General Sujit denied that Thailand was building up forces in any other border areas, and said they were waiting for word from the government on when to stand down the soldiers at Preah Vihear.

"We have not increased soldiers or invaded into a neighbouring country as we are waiting for the redeployment," he said.

Thai troops 'occupy second temple'

A standoff over the Preah Vihear temple has been ongiong for three weeks [AFP]

Sunday, August 03, 2008
Al Jazeera

Cambodia has said that Thai soldiers have occupied a second temple site along the border between the new countries, the latest development in an ongoing standoff between the neighbours.

Sim Sokha, a major in the Cambodian border protection unit, said on Sunday that at least 70 Thai soldiers had been at the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple since Thursday.

However, Major Taveesak Boonrakchart, a spokesman for Thailand's army in the disputed area, denied allegations of an incursion.

Boonrakchart said troops from both countries have been in the area for years.

The site is in a northwestern region of Cambodia's border with Thailand, 543km from the Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital.

The temple is several hundred kilometres west of 11th century Preah Vihear temple, where Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been locked in a standoff for three weeks in a dispute over land near the temple.

Troop deployment

Tharit Charungvat, the Thai foreign ministry spokesman, said Thai soldiers were deployed in an 80m radius around the temple ground and have prevented Cambodian troops from entering.

At least 40 Cambodian soldiers are in close proximity to the Thai troops, he said.

Although it is not as well known as the Angkor or Preah Vihear temples, Ta Moan Thom is one of the architectural wonders of the ancient Khmer empire.

It was built in the 13th century as a rest house along a road linking the ancient Angkor city with what is currently northeastern Thailand, Chuch Phoeun, a Cambodian ministry of culture official, said.

The border dispute erupted last month near the Preah Vihear when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site.

Samak Sundaravej, the Thai prime minister, had backed the bid, sparking anti-government demonstrations near the temple.

At least 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand remain at a pagoda near the temple complex, despite a tentative agreement reached by foreign ministers last Monday to redeploy them in an effort to ease tensions.

Cambodia starts squabble over second temple [Ta Moan Temple]

Sunday, August 03, 2008

(BangkokPost.com, Agencies) - Cambodia on Sunday escalated the border dispute over the Preah Vihear temple, accusing Thai troops of "occupying" a temple far to the west, long considered a totally different matter.

About 70 Thais have been at the 13th Century Ta Muen Thom temple complex in Surin province "since Thursday", a Cambodian spokesman in Phnom Penh claimed.

But Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag said no troops have moved into the area.

Cambodia and spokesman Sim Sokha appeared to be linking the Preah Vihear and Ta Muen Thom disputes. Although both are in border areas, they are not connected in either distant or recent history - until now.

On the ground, military commanders were more relaxed and there was no apparent tension at the site.

"We have a paramilitary post which has been there for several years," said Thai Army Maj Gen Sujit Sithiprabha, commander for the Cambodian border. "Ta Muen Thom belongs to us. We have to have soldiers to take care of the area which belongs to us."

Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodia Border Committee, told the AFP news agency that Thai soldiers were stationed in the ruin, but said this was "not a new thing".

"Ta Muen is in our territory, but since 1998 Thailand took a chance to occupy it by claiming that they came to conserve it."

Ta Muen Thom is a temple from the height of the Khmer empire, and part of the outlying Angkor Wat complex opposite Thailand's northeast, or Isan region.

An Associated Press report from Cambodia on Sunday quoted Chuch Phoeun of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture as saying it was built in the 13th century as a rest house along a road linking the ancient Angkor city with what is now northeastern Thailand.

Ta Muen Thom is in a so-called "white zone" under dispute by the neighbouring countries, where Surin abuts the border of Cambodia`s Oddar Meanchey

Cambodian authorities appear to be stepping up nationalist sentiment, despite earlier predictions they would try to cool the Preah Vihear and other border disputes following last week's general election, won handily by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Thai merchants and diplomats were forced to call off two planned exhibitions and sales of Thai fruit and other goods this week. Expo officials cited growing anti-Thai sentiment in Cambodia.

Last week Hun Sen's wife hosted a huge Preah Vihear temple ritual, seen by some as a major provocation, after Mr Tej and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong negotiated a troop pullback at the disputed temple grounds.

In Phnom Penh on Sunday, Maj Sim Sokha, a Cambodian border-protection officer, claimed that Thai soldiers have been deployed in an 80-yard radius around the Ta Muen Thom temple grounds and have prevented Cambodian troops from entering. About 40 Cambodian soldiers are in close proximity to the Thai troops, he said.

Mr Tej denied there had been any troop movements by either side at the Surin province border site.

Sim Sokha said Thai troops had been deployed in an 80-metre radius around the Ta Muen Thom temple grounds, and had prevented Cambodian troops from entering.

He said about 40 Cambodian soldiers were "in close proximity" to the Thai troops, but had been ordered to exercise restraint while the government tries to resolve the issue with Thailand.

Last Friday, the French and Japanese ambassadors discussed the border problem with Mr Tej at the foreign ministry. The Preah Vihear dispute originates in French colonial maps, and Japanese actions when it occupied Cambodia during World War Two.

Mr Tej, who assumed the ministerial post July 27, told Ambassador Laurent Bili that France could now act as a bridge in solving the temple row.

Japanese ambassador to Thailand Hideaki Kobayashi supported bilateral efforts to solve the temple problem, and would be willing to assist in clearing landmines around the disputed area, according to a report by official Thai News Agency.

In addition, US ambassador Eric John pledged American "support for bilateral talks between Thailand and Cambodia to peacefully resolve the situation in the border area adjacent to" Preah Vihear. The US is interested in how the dispute could affect the visit on Wednesday of President George W. Bush.

The "US stood ready to cooperate and work closely with Thailand to further strengthen the two countries' relations," the US diplomat said.