[Thai] Defense Minister, Army Chief witness police deployment in disputed area near Preah Vihear

SI SA KET, 18 July 2012 (Pattaya Mail) – The Defense Minister and the Army Chief have witnessed the police deployment in the 4.6-square kilometer disputed area at the Thai-Cambodian border.

Defense Minister Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol Suwanatat, Army Commander-in-Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, Chief of the Defense Ministry's Office of Policy and Planning General Nipat Thonglek, and other high-ranking military officials today traveled to Kantharalak District, Si Sa Ket Province.

The officials listened to security reports in the disputed area, followed by a ceremony to deploy police officers replacing military forces in compliance with the order of the International Court of Justice, which wanted the disputed area to be a de-militarized zone.

Cambodia, Thailand pull out from Preah Vihear

Cambodian troops pull back from the provisional demilitarised zone, near the Thailand-Cambodia border, in Preah Vihear province yesterday. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post

 

Thursday, 19 July 2012
Cheang Sokha and David Boyle
The Phnom Penh Post

Just over a year ago, Cambodian soldiers were training their sights on the border, firing artillery shells and launching rockets into neighbouring Thailand.

Yesterday, some of those same men jovially waved from military trucks as they finally headed home from Preah Vihear.

The redeployment of troops by both sides came on the first anniversary of an International Court of Justice ruling that ordered Thailand and Cambodia to “immediately” withdraw troops from a Provisional Demilitarised Zone established around the disputed Preah Vihear temple.

Still drawing flak for its perceived deference to Beijing over the South China Sea dispute during the ASEAN Regional Forum in Phnom Penh last week, the government lauded the demilitarisation as a step to its vision of regional “peace and prosperity” yesterday.

Cambodia pull out troops from dispute zone with Thailand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e_oHB3aCeI

Troops redeployment at Preah Vihear temple

A Cambodian temple security guard stands near a UNESCO, World Heritage Site flag, left, and a Cambodian flag while patrolling Preah Vihear temple, in Preah Vihear province, about 245 kilometers (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, July 18, 2012. Nearly 500 Cambodian troops and an undisclosed number of Thai forces withdrew Wednesday from the demilitarized zone near the 11th-century temple, which the International Court of Justice awarded to Cambodia in 1962. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian troops pullout:

Thai border troops pullout:

Cambodian Troops Leave Disputed Area

July 18, 2012
Associated Press

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia—Cambodia and Thailand withdrew their army troops Wednesday from a disputed border area near an ancient temple, as the Southeast Asian neighbors try to defuse a decadeslong dispute that has turned deadly in recent years.

Some 485 Cambodian troops and an undisclosed number of Thai forces pulled back from a demilitarized zone near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, complying with a ruling last year by the International Court of Justice.

The court had awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, and while Thailand accepts that decision, both countries lay claim to land around it.

Cambodia Withdraws 485 Troops From Disputed Border With Thailand

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia, July 18 (Bernama) -- Cambodia on Wednesday withdrew 485 military personnel from the Provisional Demilitarised Zone (PDZ) surrounding the 11th century Preah Vihear temple in order to comply with the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

China's Xinhua news agency reported that the pullout ceremony was presided over by Cambodian deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh, and was attended by foreign diplomats, military attaches, government officials, locals and students.

According to a press release from the Council of Ministers, it was the "first step of troop redeployment" from the arena around Preah Vihear temple including the areas of Dragon Stair market, North Ancient Stair, East Ancient Stair, and Keo Sikha Kiri Svarak pagoda.

The troops were replaced by 255 policemen and 100 guards for safeguarding the temple, said the press release.

Police set to deploy at border temple

The Nation July 18, 2012

Troop adjustments to be made in the vicinity of the Preah Vihear temple today are intended as a signal to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Thailand and Cambodia are complying with the court's order for demilitarisation of the disputed border area.

Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat, together with Army commander-in-chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha and other senior military officers, will preside over a ceremony to pull out some troops and replace police in the area.

At around the same time, Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Banh will do his part on the Cambodian side in the same area.

Phnom Penh will pull out 485 troops and put 250 policemen and 100 security guards into the area and at the Preah Vihear temple.

Thailand will station 200 police in the area but has not made clear how many soldiers are being withdrawn from it. "In fact, the situation at the border has been returned to normal. There is no tension and no clashes in the area, but what we have to do now is to show that we are complying with the court's order," said the Defence Ministry's Chief of policy and planning Niphat Thonglek.

Thai poliBorder rally set to oppose troop pullout

Four companies of Border Patrol Police officers move in to replace soldiers who are to be pulled out of the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple Wednesday. The police took part in an exercise Tuesday to prepare for their new roles and operations. PAWAT LAOPAISARNTAKSIN

18/07/2012
Bangkok Post

SI SA KET : Protesters opposed to the government's decision to withdraw soldiers from disputed land near the Preah Vihear temple are planning a demonstration near the Thai-Cambodian border Wednesday morning.

Kittisak Ponpai, head of the Power of Land group, said Tuesday that members of his movement would stage their rally in Si Sa Ket province to protest against today's withdrawal of Thai soldiers from the 4.6-square-kilometre area claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia.

He urged members of the public to join the rally and said that he did not believe that Cambodia would be straightforward in the withdrawal of its own troops.

The International Court of Justice ordered Thailand and Cambodia to pull their troops out of the demilitarised zone covering and surrounding the disputed area a year ago.

Time to pull troops back [-A reasonable appeal by the Bangkok Post]

18/07/2012
EDITORIAL
Bangkok Post

Distrust can also be overcome by stationing observers, either national or the Indonesian military who volunteered for the task. ICJ judges issued a reasonable and logical step to solving the border problems, and both countries should move more quickly to respect the court's ruling.

It has been a year now since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered that a demilitarised zone be set up around Preah Vihear temple. The good news is that the fighting which preceded the court order has entirely ceased. The bad news is that armed forces of the two countries remain in the area, stationed close to each other. The worst news is that both armies have essentially ignored the order of the ICJ and have not seriously pursued talks on how to disengage and make the Preah Vihear area safe.

The ruling by the ICJ, sometimes called the World Court, was a "preliminary" order after a series of deadly armed clashes that threatened actual war between the two countries. The court drew a quadrilateral on a map of the temple area and ordered the two countries to make everything inside a DMZ. The logic of the DMZ is unclear. It is much larger than the disputed region of 4.6 square kilometres around the temple, with four uneven sides between two and seven kilometres. Almost all of the DMZ is in Thailand, although it includes the high cliffs which form the natural border between the two nations.

Authorities in both Thailand and Cambodia have grumbled about the ICJ order, but have officially accepted the court's ruling. On the ground, however, neither country has respected, accepted or invoked the court's decision. Cambodia recently claimed it would "soon" withdraw soldiers who have been stationed inside the actual temple buildings. Thailand has replaced soldiers with members of the Border Patrol Police.

INDONESIAN OBSERVER TERMS TO GO BEFORE [Thai] PARLIAMENT: SURAPONG

NUNTIDA PUANTHONG
THE NATION July 17, 2012

Draft terms of reference (TOR) for the deployment of a team of Indonesians to observe the withdrawal of troops from around Preah Vihear Temple on the Thai-Cambodian border, as ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), will be discussed in Parliament next month in accordance with the Constitution, Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul said.

Thailand and Cambodia agreed last week to "adjust" their troop levels in disputed areas adjacent to the 11th-century Hindu temple on Wednesday.

Both sides will pull some troops out and will put some border police in to guard the area. Defence ministers of both countries would inspect the troop redeployment in their respective territories tomorrow (Wednesday).

Cambodia, Thailand to redeploy troops at Preah Vihear on July 18

PHNOM PENH, July 13 (MCOT) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday that Phnom Penh will reduce its troops at the border region near Preah Vihear Temple on Wednesday under the International Court of Justice (JCJ) order, while Thailand is considering redeploying its troops as well.

Ms Yingluck was in Siem Reap for a one-day trip to address a high-level US business conference at the invitation of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Thai premier accompanied by Defence Minister Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol Suwanatat met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Cambodian Defence Minister Gen Tea Banh in a one-hour meeting before holding a joint news conference.

Mr Hun Sen reportedly said that he and the Thai premier discussed the redeployment plan at border area near the Preah Vihear Temple under the World Court order which was considered as a goodwill gesture of the two neighbours, but said the move had nothing to do with the preparation for the observers from Indonesia.

Cambodia's promise to move troops doubted [-How about Thailand, can it be trusted?]

Democrats tell Yingluck to confirm withdrawal


16/07/2012
Bangkok Post

The Democrats have questioned the sincerity of Phnom Penh's withdrawal of troops from disputed borders, a decision which was confirmed on Friday.

Cambodia's move to replace its 485 soldiers with 350 border patrol and tourist police was confirmed by Defence Minister ACM Sukumpol Suwanatat after talks between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Siem Reap on Friday.

But Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut called on Ms Yingluck to make sure Cambodian solders "really withdraw" from the 17.3 sq km area around Preah Vihear temple, marked as a demilitarised zone by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Both nations' set for partial troop pull-out

POLICE TO REPLACE SOLDIERS AT PREAH VIHEAR

15/07/2012
Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

Thailand and Cambodia will redeploy an unspecified number soldiers currently stationed in disputed areas around Preah Vihear temple. The move will take place on Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) order for both sides to withdraw troops from the area.

The two nations' planned troop redeployment was confirmed yesterday by Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat who on Friday accompanied Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to attend talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Siem Reap.

Citing security concerns, ACM Sukumpol did not say how many Thai soldiers were to be redeployed.

Cambodian, Thai PMs agree to redeploy troops at disputed border

SIEM REAP, Cambodia, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and Thailand agreed on Friday to redeploy military personnel in the Provisional Demilitarized Zone surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple in order to comply with the order of the International Court of Justice.

The verbal agreement was made during a meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his visiting Thai Counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra.

The meeting was also attended by the two countries' defense ministers - Cambodia's Tea Banh and Thailand's Sukumpol Suwanatat.

"Both sides had agreed and announced to re-deploy military personnel in the Provisional Demilitarized Zone, which is defined by the International Court of Justice," Hun Sen told reporters in a joint press briefing after the meeting. "The redeployment is very important to enhance the two countries' relationship."

Tej: Let army negotiate redeployment

PREAH VIHEAR STANDOFF

Wednesday August 06, 2008
WASSANA NANUAM
Bangkok Post

Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag yesterday proposed the military be authorised to discuss with Cambodia the reduction in the number of soldiers deployed in the Preah Vihear standoff, said a source at Government House.

However, the source said Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told the cabinet meeting yesterday he preferred the term ''redeployment'' to partial withdrawal of troops.

The source added that troop reduction was proposed to ease tensions between the countries.

In his one-page report to the cabinet, Mr Tej also suggested that the troop readjustment be made before the third week of August, when the foreign affairs ministers of the two countries are to meet again to discuss the border dispute.

He said the Thai military should maintain as many soldiers as necessary to protect Thai sovereignty and to ease tensions at Wat Keo Sikha Kiri Svara and the area around the Preah Vihear temple.

Mr Tej's report follows his meeting with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong last week in Siem Reap.

The source said Mr Samak told the cabinet that care was needed in the wording used by Thailand in suggesting the troop readjustment, so as not to further aggravate the border dispute.

He also insisted that any readjustment of troops should be carried out simultaneously by both sides.

Meanwhile, army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda maintained yesterday that the Ta Moan Thom temple is located on Thai soil and Thai soldiers have been guarding the area for years.

He said the army has urged Cambodian authorities not to send troops into the area, as it would create tensions unnecessarily and disrupt ongoing border demarcation activities.

Gen Anupong said the situation at Ta Moan Thom was under control.

He declined to comment on speculation that Cambodia tried to further complicate border conflicts with Thailand in the wake of the Preah Vihear row.

''It is a sensitive matter. I am a security officer and not in a position to criticise. But we have been trying to prevent any confrontations and to promote understanding,'' he said.

The Ta Moan Thom temple came into the spotlight after Thailand barred Cambodian troops from visiting the area last weekend.

Army deputy spokeswoman Col Sirichan Nga-thong said the presence of Thai soldiers at Ta Moan Thom is routine and operations are limited to within accepted Thai territory.

She also said army activities in the area are carried out to protect Thai sovereignty and to sustain bilateral relations between the two countries.