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.

Thai soldiers lay barbed wires deep inside Khmer territory

Khmer soldiers are patrolling in the areas.

Radio Free Asia
By Sav Yuth
15th March, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerization

Khmer border police claimed that Thai soldiers had laid barbed wires deep inside Khmer territory at Ta Thav Pass, 6 kilometres east of Preah Vihear temple.

Gen. Srey Dorek, commander for the Preah Vihear precinct, said on 15th March that he had planned to meet his Thai counterpart on 17th March to resolve the issue of Thai prohibition of Khmer monks in Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak from constructing any building in the temple compound and also to address the report of Thai soldiers laying barbed wires inside Khmer territory.

Gen. Srey Doek said: "We will meet face to face on 17th March to resolve the issue so we won't have problems with each other, to preserve stability, security and good co-operation. We just don't want them (monks) to build anything. Whatever we do we must discuss with each other to ease the tension."

A Khmer commander of battalion 795 said that 20 Thai soldiers attempted to lay barbed wires in the area, even after the Khmer border police had tried to stop them.

The same commander said that Khmer border police had requested the Thais to dismantle their barbed wires but they didn't take them down.

He said: "They still leave the barbed wires in the areas, 40 metres deep inside Khmer territory. There are about 20-30 of them. They come during the day to patrol the spot opposite to us. We told them to withdraw, but they said they have to get the order from the top or they have to wait for the top leaders to negotiate first."

In mid February 2009, Thai soldiers had also come to lay the barbed wires there but they left after the Cambodian side asked them to leave.

Cambodian border police are increasing patrols in the areas after four Thai nationals were arrested in the areas for illegally entering Cambodian territories.

Thai soldiers forbid Khmer monks from building a residence in Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak

Hundreds of Thai troops were sent to occupy Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda in July, 2008.

Radio Free Asia
By Sav Yuth
14th March, 2009
Reported in English by Khmerization

A group of 10 Thai soldiers who were camped at Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda have forbidden Khmer monks from constructing a residence building in the temple compound because they said that the area is a disputed zone.

A Thai soldier named Charso said on Friday that the Thais are not happy that the Khmer monks are constructing their residence building in a disputed zone and they have asked the monks to suspend the construction, waiting for the Khmer and Thai governments to resolve the border issues first.

The Khmer monks and temple committee members said that the Thai soldiers had already stopped them from constructing a toilet once before, but they still keep building. Now the Thai soldiers asked them not to construct their residence building by saying that if the monks do not stop the construction, they will bring the Thai monks to reside in that building.

The temple priest, Achar Sva, said the Khmers will not stop constructing the building because it is located inside Khmer territory. He said: "We will continue to build it. We won't stop because it is our Khmer temple."

Gen. Srey Doek, commander for the Preah Vihear region, said that he will raise this particular issue when he meets his Thai conterpart on 17th March.

In relation to the construction of the temple building, Gen. Srey Doek said: "The prohibition to construct that temple building is linked to the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which we will discuss on 17th (March). If they accused us of violating that MoU, did Thais ever respected it? But if they think that we violate that MoU, then we must resolve it with each other."

Thailand had sent hundreds of troops to invade Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda on 15th July, 2oo8, after Preah Vihear temple was inscribed by Unesco on 7th July of that year, which Thailand opposed.

Thai military sought permission to hold a Kathen ceremony in Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak

the Cambodian monks tried to enter their pagoda which is guarded by Thai soldiers. Thai soldiers, seen here in the background, forcibly occupied Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak on the 15th of July, 2008.

Kampuchea Thmey newspaper
6th November, 2008
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

The Cambodian people will, on the 12th of November 2008, organise a Kathen ceremony (a religious fund raising event) in order to raise funds to support the Cambodian monks who reside in Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak, near the Preah Vihear complex, during the rainy season.

While the Cambodian side plans to organise a Kathen for Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak, the Thai side has also requested to organise their Kathen for this pagoda as well. Their request has been turned down because the Khmer officials use the reasons that if the Thai people want to make merits they should not have caused trouble with Cambodia. One other reason is that, according to Khmer traditions, each pagoda can only accept one Kathen in a year.

Government officials said that, on the 12th of November 2008, Gen. Hing Bunheang, Deputy Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Bodyguard Unit, Mr. Sou Phirint, Governor of Siem Reap Province and Mr. Preap Tan, Governor of Preah Vihear Province, along with other government officials will march to Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak to take the money raised in a Kathen to give to the monks who reside in the pagoda. The Kathen was planned for 12th November, after Unesco had put up the Unesco signpost on the 7th of November.

At the same time as there is news that the Khmer side plans to organise a Kathen in Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak, the Thai commanders had made a request to meet with the Cambodian commanders to seek permission to organise their Kathen for Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak on the 12th of November as well. According to sources, both Cambodian and Thai commanders have met but there were no decision made whether to allow the Thai side to organise a Kathen for the pagoda.

According to Cambodian military sources based in the Preah Vihear area, during the meeting, the Thai commanders promised that, during the Khmer Kathen, their troops will not be present near the pagoda. The same sources said that, from the 5th of November, Thai troops have already begun to withdraw gradually from the frontline. The sources said that, this withdrawal might be a ploy by Thailand to hide its troop presence from the Unesco officials when they come to put up a Unesco heritage signpost at the Preah Vihear temple on the 7th of November.

Mr. Khieu Kanharith, Cambodia’s Minister of Information and government spokesman, said that the decision whether to give the Thai side permission to organise a Kathen in the pagoda is not up to the local Cambodian military commanders, but it is the decision of the leaders of the Cambodian government.

Mr. Kanharith said that whether Cambodia grants permission for the Thai side to organise a Kathen or not is not important. The important thing is that, according to the Cambodian ancestral traditions, each pagoda can only accept one Kathen. Furthermore, Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak is not just an ordinary pagoda. It is a hotly contested and confrontational site where both Khmer and Thai soldiers are tensely facing each other. He added that, the Thai side has never thought of making merits in this temple in the past and if they wanted to make merits in this pagoda they would not have caused trouble for this temple until today. So, while the Thai side was the one who caused the present military standoff, a Thai Kathen for this pagoda would be meaningless.

Mr. Thun Saray, president of the human right organisation ADHOC said that, according to Khmer traditions, in one temple there can only be one Kathen in a year, so the abbot of Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda must inform the Thai side accordingly. Furthermore, the area is a Khmer territory, so before the Thai people can enter they must seek a permission from the Cambodian side. Mr. Thun Saray suspected that the Thai want to use a Kathen for this pagoda as a ploy (to allow Thai people to gain entry to the area).//