1st [Thai] army chief: No tension along Thai-Cambodian border

1st Thai-Cambodian border calm, army reports

Wednesday, July 2, 2008
TNA

First Army Region Commander Lt-Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday indicated that the controversial issue of the attempted registration of Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site had not caused any tension on the shared border of Thailand and Cambodia.

He said the First Army Region oversees the common border and overlapping areas.

Officers from Gen Prayuth's region are in continued close contact with both Cambodian and Thai military units along the border. He said that the temple issue had not caused any border tension.

Residents on both sides of the border continued trading with each other as usual, he said, and were not paying much attention to the matter.

Gen Prayuth said the temple registration practically involved tourism, but the matter has become politicised and has caused some confusion. The Thai commander advised everyone to consider carefully what is right or wrong.

"We want our citizens to pay attention to the situation. Military personnel and civil servants assigned in the area will do their best to deal with the issue," he said. "We have shared affection for our country."

Gen. Prayuth said he had always instructed his subordinates to perform their duties to the utmost of their ability, particularly in protecting the borders and keeping the peace.

"In particular, a key mission of the military is to protect and maintain our land. We think there will be a good resolution of the situation," he said.

Thai FM seeks temple reservoir, stair status as World Heritage site

BANGKOK, June 22 (TNA) -- Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said Sunday he planned to seek cabinet approval on applying for the reservoir and staircases leading to Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site.

Speaking on radio, Mr. Noppadon said he would submit documents related to the stream and the staircases to the Thai cabinet and then request the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) which meets in Canada July 2-10 to consider listing the two places as Thai territory at the World Heritage site.

Sra Trao or Huay Trao is a stream reservoir running through the bedrock foundations on the plain at the foot of Preah Vihear, before it sinks into a subterranean tunnel reinforced by rock walls.

The Phnom Penh government will apply for registration of the ancient temple itself as a World Heritage site during the upcoming UNESCO meeting as both Thailand and Cambodia signed a joint communique Wednesday endorsing the Cambodian application.

Defending his position that the statement would not give away Thai territory, Mr. Noppadon said the delay in seeking registration of the reservoir and the staircases as the World Heritage site arose because he has been foreign minister only four months and has to solve immediate problems first.

The Thai foreign minister said he had discussed his plan with the Cambodian government, which had no objection.

However, Mr. Noppadon said UNESCO may not be able to consider the request of the Thai government at next month's meeting due to time constraints, but he said it is nonetheless better to apply first and let the organisation's committee consider the application later.

Another cheap Khmer life; Thai embassy denying the Thai soldiers' savage killing of a Khmer citizen?

Family of a Cambodian victim of Thai soldiers shooting demands compensation

15 December 2007
By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media

Relatives of a victim who were shot and killed by Thai black-clad soldiers recently, along the Dangrek Mountain chain, Anlong Veng district, Oddar Meanchey province, called on Cambodian government officials to help them demand monetary compensations amounting to several tens of thousands of baths for the lost of the life of their loved one and demand that Thailand guarantees the livelihood of 7 orphans who lost their father.

On Saturday 15 December, 38-year-old Ya Hoeun said that her husband was shot and killed by Thai black-clad soldiers, and that she is currently asking Cambodian officials at the border relation working group to prepare documents to negotiate and demand monetary compensations. The amount of compensation demanded has not been determined as of yet, however, Mrs. Ya Hoeun indicated that this amount could be 100,000 Thai baths, or about 10 million riels (~$2,500). “I want them (Thailand) to pay compensation regarding my husband, this could be 100,000 baths because this is so unfair,” Ya Hoeun said.

Nevertheless, the demand for compensation from the Thai soldiers remains hopeless as the Cambodian authority did not even take any measure at all in this affair.

Pech Sokhin, the Oddar Meanchye provincial governor, said on Saturday morning that provincial officials received the report of the shooting and killing already, but the provincial administration did not take any measure yet: “Not yet, we don’t know, we are researching for the cause.”

Khoeung Phea, the commander of the 403 unit protecting the border at the location of the incident, said that, up to now, he did not call the Thai side to come and negotiate about this issue yet, he only reported the incident to the regional commander and he is still awaiting a decision from this commander on what to do: “My chief went to Phnom Penh, when he will return back, he will have a plan to meet with the Thai side to resolve this incident.”

Surasak Supharat, an advisor of the Thai embassy in Cambodia, said that regarding this demand for compensation, according to the law, there must be an investigation first to see whether the Thai soldier really shot and killed a Cambodian citizen or not.

Cambodian border police officials and Khet Khen, an injured witness, claimed in the afternoon of 12 December 2007 that Thai black-clad soldiers based in Husing district, Sisaket province, Thailand, opened fire on 6 Cambodian citizens who went into a forest near the border to collect liana vines and rattan near O’Da river, about 15 kilometers to the north of the Choam Sro-ngam international border gate. The shooting led to the death of Yim Phat who was killed on the spot and Khet Khen was injured. A tractor was also burnt down by the Thai soldiers.