Tensions ease as Thai and Cambodian troops withdraw from temple

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia are easing after a monthlong military standoff over the Preah Vihear temple on their mutual border has ended with the withdraw of most of the troops from the area.

Relations between the neighbours flared up last month after Preah Vihear, which belongs to Cambodia, was awarded heritage status by the United Nations, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the 11th century Khmer temple.

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

More than 1,000 fully armed soldiers from both countries were deployed around a small pagoda near the temple.

A senior Cambodian military official says 10 soldiers from each side will remain in the pagoda’s compound while another 20 from each side will remain in the disputed border area near the ancient temple.

The next round of talks at the foreign ministerial level will be held in Thailand’s Hua Hin beach resort tomorrow to settle remaining differences between the two nations.

Source: ABC Radio

Cambodia, Thai troops to pull back from temple at weekend: general

Agence France-Presse

PHNOM PENH – Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to sharply reduce their troop numbers around a disputed temple before a new round of border talks opens Monday, a top general said.

The agreement was reached Wednesday during a meeting of military officials from the two countries, Cambodian General Neang Phat, a top official at the defense ministry, told reporters.

Thai military officials confirmed the deal, but neither country would reveal exactly how many troops would be withdrawn from the area around the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

“ Both sides agreed to redeploy the troops, who are stationed in the pagoda (near the temple), to the lowest possible number in order to avoid confrontation with each other,” Neang Phat told reporters Thursday.

More than 1,000 troops from both countries are stationed around the ruins of the ancient Khmer temple. Cambodia and Thailand agreed last month to withdraw their forces from a small patch of disputed territory near the temples.

Foreign ministers from both countries are set to meet Monday and Tuesday to hammer out details on the deal.

“ The redeployment of the troops that we have agreed to will finish before the ministerial meeting on August 18,” Neang Phat said.

Neang Phat said the remaining troops would be allowed to carry only simple rifles and guns. Their future positions would be determined after the ministerial meeting next week, he added.

The border dispute erupted July 15, after three Thai nationalist protesters were arrested for trying to illegally cross into Cambodia to reach the temple.

Thai nationalists were incensed that Cambodia last month won world heritage status from the United Nations for the ruins, which Thailand has long claimed despite a World Court ruling giving the ruins to Cambodia.

Thais back at Ta Moan Thom temple as border row simmers

Written by Sambath Teth, The Phnom Penh Post

Violating an agreement reached on August 5, Thai soldiers bar Cambodians from entering the disputed border ruins AFP Thai soldiers walk at a pagoda near Preah Vihear temple on August 2, 2008. THAI soldiers have reoccupied the Ta Moan Thom temple and have prohibited Cambodian soldiers, government officials and journalists from entering the site, breaking an agreement reached a week ago that they would withdraw. “ Thai soldiers returned to the disputed site on August 8,” Ho Bunthy, deputy commander of Border Military Unit 402, said Sunday. “ They have closed the gate to the temple. Only a few Cambodian civilians are allowed access and Cambodian soldiers who want to get into the temple must be wearing civilian clothes.” Thai soldiers withdrew from Ta Moan Thom temple on August 5 after an agreement was reached between Cambodian and Thai leaders at a meeting at the O’Smach checkpoint led by San Vanna, deputy governor of Oddar Meanchey province. Ho Bunthy said that Thai soldiers have violated the agreement reached that day and are now stationed 15 metres from the Ta Moan Thom temple, which he said is inside Cambodian territory. “ I don’t understand why they have seized control of the temple again just three days after they agreed to withdraw their soldiers, nor why they don’t allow Cambodian soldiers to patrol the site as was agreed at the meeting,” Ho Bunthy added. Moeung Sonn, president of the nationalistic Khmer Civilisation Foundation (KCF), told the Post that about 10 Thai soldiers at the Ta Moan Thom temple refused entry to approximately 80 Cambodians on Friday, including KCF members, nuns and 50 monks due to its status as a white (disputed) zone. “ We were refused access to the temple to pray for peace. They asked us to speak to Thai authorities about gaining access,” Moeung Sonn said. “ We were forced to conduct the ceremony at the temple gate.”

Peace vigil, black magic and sabre-rattling over a temple

By PHILIP GOLINGAI

No matter how good one’s intentions, there will always be others who feel bad vibes from the same action. It’s not surprising then to see the kind of responses and reactions so far in the Thai-Cambodian border dispute.

EIGHT days ago, Bun Rany, the wife of Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen, and about 1,000 compatriots – who included Buddhist monks and government officials – held a peace vigil at the Preah Vihear temple, which is at the heart of a border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.

With mists swirling around the mountaintop 900-year-old temple, Cambodians prayed for an end to the military standoff between the two countries that started on July 15.

“We are gathering here to pray to the souls of our ancestors, asking for peace,” said Cambodia’s tourism minister Thong Khon, referring to Khmer kings who built the temple between the ninth and 11th centuries.

“We also pray for success in our defence of our territory.”

That was how the Associated Press, an American news agency, reported the ceremony at the temple, which Unesco recently designated as a World Heritage Site.

How did the Thai newspapers view the Cambodian ritual?

According to The Nation, an English-language newspaper, many Thais living in provinces close to the disputed temple wore yellow to shield Thailand from black magic spells cast by Khmer “wizards” at the ceremony chosen to coincide with a solar eclipse.

“Thai media reports said the mysterious black magic spells cast by Khmer wizards would not only protect the temple but also weaken Thailand. Some astrologers urged locals to wear yellow yesterday to deflect the spells,” The Nation reported on Aug 2.

A news story in The Bangkok Post said the ritual heightened fears among many Thais who thought that it would bring bad luck to their country.

“The anti-government People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leaders last night led thousands of their supporters in a rival ritual to protect the country and block any ill-effects from the Cambodian one. Many Thais believe some Cambodians have expertise in black magic,” The Bangkok Post said in its report last Saturday.

The Deutsche Presse-Agentur German wire service reporting from Phnom Penh said claims published in the Thai media accusing Bun Rany of leading a black magic ritual would not help to diffuse anti-Thai sentiment in Cambodia.

“To be accused of sorcery is regarded as a terrible insult by Cambodians, who regularly kill those accused of it,” the news agency commented in an Aug 3 filing.

If the Thai newspaper reports had insulted Cambodians, wait till they hear Sondhi Limthongkul’s solution to the Preah Vihear dispute.

Sondhi is a core leader of PAD, which is using the Preah Vihear dispute, among other issues, to incite Thais to overthrow the Samak Sundaravej government.

The International Court of Justice awarded the Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962, and the ruling still rankles among Thais.

Prachatai (www.prachatai.com), a bilingual Thai news portal, reported that on July 28 Sondhi told anti-government street protestors camped near Bangkok’s Government House, the seat of the Thai government, how he would solve the dispute.

“The only way is to oust (the Samak) government and form a new government through ‘whatever means’, or else the dispute over the Preah Vihear temple and Thai-Cambodian border will never be solved,” Prachatai quoted Sondhi as saying.

Among other provocative statements he made then:

> Push Cambodians back from Thai territory if the dispute cannot be settled through bilateral negotiations; and

> Close all 40 Thai-Cambodian border checkpoints and ban all flights to Phnom Penh and Siam Reap from Bangkok (70% of flights to the two destinations originate from Bangkok).

Sondhi also told the crowd: “Remember my words. Thai foreign minister Tej Bunnag will never be able to solve the dispute, because the policy of this government is to betray the country.”

And as if allegations of Khmer black magic and the provocative statements were not enough to intensify Thai-Cambodian tension, another temple about 130km west of Preah Vihear has emerged as a second border flashpoint.

It started when Cambodia complained that some 70 Thai troops had occupied the 13th-century Ta Muen Thom temple and had barred Cambodian soldiers from entering it.

Those who engage in dangerous talk on Preah Vihear should pay heed to Hun Sen, who said on Wednesday: “We cannot just carve out Thailand to put in the sky or move our land away. We will coexist for tens of thousands of years to come.”

Source: The Star Online

Groups Push for Temple Solution, Protection

By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh

Local agencies called for international intervention in the ongoing Preah Vihear crisis Friday, while requesting the government take emergency measures to secure other Cambodian temples all along the Thai border.“ We call on the international community, especially Asean and the United Nations, to continue to pay attention [to the issue] and take action to secure the area, in case the future meeting will not have a smooth result,” said Sok Samoeun, director of the Cambodian Defenders Project.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong is expected to fly to Thailand to meet his counterpart Aug. 18 in an effort to resolve the crisis, which includes the build-up of thousands of armed troops, artillery and armor.

The Coalition of Cambodia Apparel Workers of Democratic Union, or CCAWDU, and two other local groups, including the Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center and the rights group Adhoc, joined in the appeal.

“ We think that if Thailand prolongs the issue, we propose to the Cambodian government to submit the file to the UN in order to end it very quickly,” said Ath Thun, director of CCAWDU. “ Legally we have the support of the law.”

Chan Saveth, an Adhoc investigator, emphasized that if the UN agrees to resolve the problem, it will support Cambodia, “ because we don’t have many resources to work with.”

Around 30 NGOs sent a letter to the UN in July, calling for the creation of a zone around Preah Vihear temple that would prohibit armed soldiers; they also requested the deployment of peacekeepers.

Cambodian military officials said Friday the border situation remained stable, with no withdrawal of troops from either side near Preah Vihear temple.

Cambodian media have reported that some troops have backed out of Ta Moan temple, in Oddar Meanchey province, though some remain. Cambodian patrols along the border have been followed by Thai forces, according to media reports.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said the situation had improved and the government was now waiting for continued negotiations.

“ We think that the bilateral [talks] are important now, and to go forward to the UN would be the last choice,” Khieu Kanharith said.

Cambodia halted a request for intervention from the UN Security Council last month, pending bilateral talks.

Source: VoA Khmer

Thailand, Cambodia Agree Not to Send Troops to 2ND Temple

SURIN, Aug 8, Asia Pulse – Thailand and Cambodia, which have exchanged new claims over a second disputed temple ruin on their mutual border, agreed Tuesday not to dispatch troops into the area in order to ease tensions along the border.

The agreement was reached following a closed-door half-an-hour talk between Maj-Gen. Kanok Netrakawesana, commander of Thailand’s Suranaree Task Force, and San Wanna, deputy governor of Cambodia’s Uddor Meanchey province, at the Task Force headquarters in Kap Choeng border district of Surin province.

Deputy Governor San Wanna later told journalists that the talks were held in a “ positive atmosphere” and there would be no more problem. The Cambodian governor said the two countries agreed not to send troops into the disputed area.

The two neighbours are now locked in new unneighbourliness over the Ta Muen Thom ruins, which Thailand claims sit in the Thai border district of Phanom Dong Rak in the northeastern province of Surin, and Cambodia argues are in Cambodia’s Uddor Meanchey province.

Tensions in the area heightened after Gen. Boonsang Niempradit, Thai supreme commander, on Monday asked Cambodia to withdraw its soldiers from the temple environs. The demarcation boundary between the two countries has not yet been settled by the Thailand-Cambodia General Border Committee (GBC).

A Thai foreign ministry spokesman has said the Ta Muen Thom ruin is only one of a number of sites along the unclear boundary between the two countries.

Thailand is trying to conduct its actions under the framework of the GBC, he said, and the temple problem should also be discussed under that mechanism.

Thai Fine Arts officials at Ta Muen Thom ruin said Tuesday that Cambodians frequently visited the ruins, especially during April. The number of tourists visiting the site has now increased following reports of tensions in the area.

Theerawat Sudsook, Phanom Dong Rak district officer, said the overall situation along the common border in the district was still normal and that residents on both sides of the border were still communicating with each other normally.

On Monday last week, foreign ministers of the two countries agreed at a meeting in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province to redeploy their troops at Preah Vihear ancient temple and the area surrounding it in an attempt to reduce tensions along the border, but until the Thai Cabinet met Tuesday, neither side showed any sign of making the first move.

The Cabinet agreed “ in principle” to reduce the presence of its military in the vicinity of the temple tension point on the border. However, Thai government spokesman Wichianchot Sukchotrat indicated no timetable or the numbers of troops to be pulled back from the frontier.

The International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962.

More than one thousand troops from both countries are still at Preah Vihear.

Source: Asia Pulse

Tension Eases at Ta Moan Temple

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Original report from Washington

Military tension between Cambodian and Thai soldiers around Ta Moan Thom temple has eased, following a decision on both sides to lay common conditions for negotiation.

“ The first condition was that both sides have to withdraw from Ta Moan Thom,” said Maj. Sim Sokha, a commander from Military Region 4. “ The second one, both sides have to allow people to enter the temple.”

During the day, Cambodian soldiers can enter the temple, which lays on the border of Oddar Meanchey province, west of Preah Vihear temple, where a standoff continues, Sim Sokha said. But both sides have agreed not to enter the temple at night.

Defense Minister Gen. Tea Banh said Wednesday Thai troops had moved to their original position, 350 meters from the temple, after they occupied and fortified the temple last weekend.

Cambodian PM says Thai temple row must be resolved

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Thailand and Cambodia must bury the hatchet in a dispute over a 900-year-old Hindu temple, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Wednesday, further easing fears the spat would escalate into military confrontation.

“ We must not bring our countries to war just because of disputes on our border,” Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge guerrilla who won re-election last month, said in a live television broadcast. He has been prime minister for the past 23 years.

“ We need to stay together as good neighbours for tens of thousands of years to come. We need to narrow our disputes and maximize bilateral cooperation, including trade,” he said, striking a very different tone from the nationalist rhetoric of his campaign trail last month.

Both countries have sent hundreds of soldiers and artillery to lay claim to 4.6 sq km of scrub near the Preah Vihear temple, which sits on the jungle-clad escarpment that separates the two southeast Asian countries.

Talks between the countries’ two foreign ministers the day after Cambodia’s July 27 general election yielded vows to sort out the spat peacefully, but both sides have been reluctant to be the first to withdraw troops for fear of being painted as weak.

Hun Sen said he hoped another meeting between the two foreign ministers in Thailand on Aug. 18 would help narrow the differences.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong will also pay a courtesy call to Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Hun Sen said.

He also said Phnom Penh was ready to withdraw its troops, echoing a Thai cabinet decision on Tuesday to assign a regional military commander to discuss troop “ re-deployment” to calm tensions.

The spat erupted last month when protest groups trying to overthrow the Thai government attacked Bangkok’s backing of Cambodia’s bid to list Preah Vihear as a U.N. World Heritage site.

Preah Vihear has been claimed by both sides for decades, but was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, a ruling that has rankled in Thailand ever since.

The row spread at the weekend to a second temple on the border although a military stand-off at the Ta Moan Thom site was averted when Thai troops pulled out late on Tuesday.

Cambodia: Cambodian, Thai Troops Pull Back From 2nd Temple

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA: Tension at a second border temple that is claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia has eased after troops of the two countries pulled back from the site, Cambodian officials said Wednesday (6 Aug).

Agreement for a troop withdrawal from the grounds of the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple was reached during a meeting between officials from the two countries late Tuesday (5 Aug), said Maj. Ho Bunthy, a Cambodian army commander in the area.

The sanctuary is located several hundred miles (kilometers) west of Preah Vihear temple, where Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been locked in a standoff for three weeks in a dispute over nearby territory.

Thailand sent troops to the border area after UNESCO approved Cambodia’s application to have the temple complex named a World Heritage Site. Some Thai officials say the temple’s new status will jeopardize their country’s claims to land adjacent to the site.

About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand remain in the Preah Vihear area despite a tentative agreement reached by foreign ministers last week to redeploy them in an effort to ease tensions.

Officials met to mediate the latest dispute in the Cambodian border town of O’Smach in Oddar Meanchey province, about 290 miles (460 kilometers) northwest of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, Ho Bunthy said.

“ Now the situation has eased at the temple. There is no more armed confrontation” between the two sides’ soldiers, said Cambodian Maj. Sim Sokha, a deputy commander of an army border unit in the area.

He said the 70 Thai and 50 Cambodian soldiers, who faced off at the temple, are now back in their respective camps about 330 yards (300 meters) from the temple.

He said the temple is now opened to tourists from both countries.

The dispute surrounding Ta Moan Thom started when Cambodian officials said some 70 Thai soldiers started occupying the temple site last week and prevented Cambodian troops from entering. Thai military officials countered that their troops had been in the area for years.

Thai army commander Gen. Anupong Paojindasaid said Tuesday the temple is within “ Thai territory.”

Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh, however, said the temple “ is clearly under our sovereignty, and we have to demand it back.”

Ta Moan Thom temple was built in the 13th century as a rest house along a road linking the ancient city of Angkor with what is currently northeastern Thailand, said Chuch Phoeun of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture. (By SOPHENG CHEANG/ AP)

No more ministerial talks over temples for now, says Cambodia

Phnom Penh – Talks between the foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand are over for now – at least until Cambodia forms a new government, expected in late September, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Monday. “ There will be no more meetings. Wait until the new government is formed,” Kanharith said at a press conference for the visit of Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Instead, discussions would be left to the border committees on both sides for now, he said. The tensions on the northern border auger badly for pending negotiations over disputed sea borders which hold potentially rich oil fields in the balance. Cambodia has said it will take the border dispute surrounding ancient temples the United Nations Security Council if bilateral talks fail. Tensions flared on July 15 when Cambodia detained briefly three Thai protestors it said had strayed into Cambodian land after Preah Vihear temple was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site against Thai wishes. Thailand retaliated by sending in troops.

Sunday the dispute spread to Ta Moan Thom temple, hundreds of kilometres to the west, further straining relations. Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti prime minister had some poignant words for Cambodia Monday during his 3-day official visit, Kanharith said. “ He told us once Kuwait was invaded by Iraq but now it has an embassy in Iraq,” Kanharith said, referring to the 1991 Gulf War. “ Kuwait wants to solve problems by peaceful means … not fighting.”

Source: The Earth Times