Thailand, Cambodia meet on border dispute

SIEM REAP, Cambodia (AFP) — Thai and Cambodian military officials met Thursday in an attempt to defuse tensions over a border dispute that briefly erupted into deadly clashes last week.

The meeting between the mid-level officials in Cambodia’s northwestern tourist hub Siem Reap is meant to pave the way for talks between senior military commanders on Friday.

The talks are aimed at calming a simmering territorial dispute over land near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, which broke into a firefight that killed one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers on October 15.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Premier Somchai Wongsawat are also scheduled to hold talks in Beijing on Friday on the sidelines of a meeting between leaders of Asian and European nations.

Shots were exchanged last week between soldiers stationed on disputed land near the temple, which belongs to Cambodia.

Cambodian and Thai military officials agreed to joint border patrols the day after the clashes, although Cambodian commanders have since reneged on the deal, saying such patrols are not possible in disputed areas.

Tensions between the neighbours flared in July when Preah Vihear was awarded World Heritage status, rekindling long-running tensions over ownership of land surrounding the temple.

Thailand, Cambodia military talks after deadly border clash

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AFP) — Cambodian and Thai military officials were to meet Thursday in a bid to prevent more clashes a day after a deadly border shoot-out which prompted hundreds of Thai expatriates to return home.

Thai and Cambodian military officials were scheduled to hold talks at 11:00 am (0400 GMT) in Thailand to discuss troop levels and weaponry, as both governments said they were seeking to calm the situation and mend relations.

Gunfights broke out Wednesday in a number of small plots of disputed land near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, a UN World Heritage site on Cambodian territory and the focus of months of tensions.

“ My government still sticks to negotiation, although the clash was not serious,” Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat told reporters.

Cambodian foreign minister Hor Namhong said that the situation along the border had eased since Wednesday, and that diplomats from both countries met in Bangkok shortly after fighting erupted.

“ The Thai ministry of foreign affairs asked the Cambodian embassy in Thailand for a meeting and there was a good conversation,” Hor Namhong said.

Two Cambodian soldiers were killed in Wednesday’s clashes and several from each side were wounded. Thailand said Thursday that seven of its soldiers were hurt.

A third Cambodian soldier died early Thursday of smoke inhalation from repeatedly firing his rocket-launcher, Cambodian troops along the border said. There was no immediate official confirmation.

The situation on the border appeared calmer Thursday as soldiers smiled and joked, an AFP correspondent there said, but civilians have fled the area.

Some 432 of about 1,500 Thais living in Cambodia also returned to Thailand after the Bangkok government appealed for anyone not on urgent business to leave, an official said.

“ We have convinced them to return on a Thai Airways flight,” said foreign ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat.

Cambodian riot police were deployed Wednesday in front of the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, which was set on fire by anti-Thai rioters in 2003, in case of reprisals.

Cambodian and Thai officials have disputed who started Wednesday’s clashes, which prompted calls for calm and restraint from both the United States and UN.

The Cambodian army has also said it is holding 13 Thai soldiers prisoner after capturing them in a disputed area during fighting, but Thai military and foreign ministry denied any of their troops had been captured.

The current stand-off between the neighbours first flared in July after Preah Vihear was awarded World Heritage status by the UN cultural body UNESCO, angering some Thai nationalists who still claim ownership of the site.

The situation quickly escalated into a military confrontation, with up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops facing off for six weeks, although both sides in August agreed to reduce troop numbers in the main disputed area.

Tensions flared again this week after talks on Monday aimed at cooling the months-long standoff failed.

The Cambodian-Thai border has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

Costly battle

The Bangkok Post

Here are details of Wednesday’s border clash. Casualty toll: Seven Thai soldiers wounded, with 10 missing and believed captured by Cambodian forces. Cambodia admits to two dead, two wounded, as Army reinforces units near Preah Vihear.

Si Sa Ket - The army has brought in 500 reinforcements and heavy weapons and says it is ready for battle, while the Foreign Ministry claims it is prepared to take Cambodia to the United Nations and the International Court of Justice over sovereignty of the disputed border area near Preah Vihear temple.

The separate army and ministry warnings came after skirmishes yesterday in areas between Si Sa Ket’s Kantharalak district and Preah Vihear in Cambodia, which escalated border tensions.

Fighting broke out in the afternoon at two flash-points at Phu Ma Khua and Pha Mor E Daeng near the ancient Hindu temple.

Seven Thai troops were wounded while two Cambodian soldiers were killed and seven others injured, according to the army. Cambodia said it captured 10 Thai troops, a claim denied by Thai military officials.

Cambodian charge d’affaires to Bangkok Ouk Sophoin was summoned by permanent secretary for foreign affairs Virasakdi Futrakul and handed an “ aide memoire” accusing Cambodia of initiating the clashes.

The fighting has prompted the ministry to urge Thais in Cambodia to leave the country. Thai Airways International has prepared large aircraft to evacuate all Thais in Cambodia if the situation worsens.

There are about 1,000 Thais in Phnom Penh and about 500 in Siem Reap, according to the ministry.

Second Army commander Lt-Gen Wibulsak Neepal said Cambodia fired first into Thai bases, prompting Thai troops to retaliate. He said his unit has adjusted operational plans and redeployed troops to handle any situation, noting the military is ready to retaliate against any further aggression.

But army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda has ordered troops to be cautious about retaliation.

“ In regards to military retaliation, the army chief has instructed the troops not to escalate any fighting. That means if Cambodia uses small weapons, we will not retaliate with artillery to avoid escalating the fighting,” he said.

Col Sansern said the fighting erupted about 2.30pm when Thai troops encountered Cambodian soldiers at Huay Ta Maria in Phu Ma Khua. The Cambodian soldiers were told to leave but they responded with small arms fire into a Thai base. Several kilometres away at Pha Mor E Daeng, Cambodian soldiers also fired into a Thai base.

Col Sansern said the fighting at both sites was brief.

Security around Ta Muan Thom temple and Ta Kwai temple in Surin’s Phanom Dong Rak district was being stepped up with more than 500 troops and artillery from the sixth infantry division based in Ubon Ratchathani..

Cambodian Foreign Minster Hor Namhong said in Phnom Penh that “ the gunfire between Cambodia and Thailand was in Cambodia’s territory. Thai troops opened fire at our troops first” .

“ Cambodia strongly protests against these repeated and very serious armed provocations by Thailand which will lead to large-scale armed hostilities between the two countries,” he said, adding a complaint would be lodged with the UN Security Council.

Hor Namhong rejected Thai figures of the casualties, saying two Cambodian soldiers were killed and two wounded.

Tension at the border rose after Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat returned from a visit to Phnom Penh on Monday during which he met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Hor Namhong.

Afterwards, Hun Sen gave Thailand an ultimatum to leave the disputed area that day.

Mr Virasakdi said during the talks with Mr Sompong, Hun Sen had demanded Thailand withdraw all troops from the 4.6-square-kilometre overlapping area. He threatened to take the case to the Security Council and the International Court of Justice on grounds that Thailand had invaded his country.

Mr Virasakdi dismissed the threat. “ Don’t think that we are scared. We are ready to defend our position. A team of international legal experts has been hired and is ready,” he said after meeting with the Cambodian diplomat.

The army spokesman said the situation was under control as Thai and Cambodian commanders in the areas remained in contact and were expected to negotiate to resolve the conflict.

An ill wind?

The Bangkok Post

The conflict with Cambodia could help to unite Thais, even as the government faces political war against PAD supporters. OPINION By Wassana Nanuam

Mounting tensions between Cambodia and Thailand over their overlapping border area surrounding the Preah Vihear temple could be used by those in power to unite Thais and lower Thailand’s internal political temperature.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ultimatum on Monday for Thai troops to immediately withdraw from the disputed temple area dealt a personal blow to Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat who was visiting Phnom Penh for talks with the Cambodian leader.

If there hadn’t been a crackdown on anti-government demonstrators, Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his deputy Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who has already resigned, would have led the Thai delegation to Cambodia in place of Mr Sompong.

On Oct 9, Gen Chavalit, who has done many favours for Mr Hun Sen and other Cambodian leaders in the past, said he had already discussed on the phone solutions to the border disputes with the Cambodian prime minister.

“ I spoke to both Hun Sen and Gen Tea Banh, the defence minister, that we’d better forget all the issues, turn back the clock to July 15 and start it all over again,” Gen Chavalit said.

He apparently wished to see both sides return to the point where Thai troops had not approached the Preah Vihear temple and the adjacent 4.6 sq km overlapping area. That implied the withdrawal of Thai troops from the area.

“ I have made all the arrangements and we are only waiting for Prime Minister Somchai to strike a deal with them,” Gen Chavalit said. All the arrangements collapsed when he resigned from his post following the Oct 7 crackdown on unarmed demonstrators.

“ Cambodia may be trying to raise the stakes on the issue for international backing as it has repeatedly tried to advance its claim on the border area,” said Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd, the Thai Army spokesman.

The government’s fatal crackdown on demonstrators on Oct 7 has intensified calls for Army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda to intervene and bring down the Somchai administration.

But the calls have made Gen Anupong uncomfortable as he realises that post-coup issues would be too heavy for him to deal with, not to mention the risks involved in trying to overthrow an elected government.

In response to Mr Hun Sen’s ultimatum, Gen Anupong and the other Armed Forces chiefs held an urgent meeting with Supreme Commander Songkitti Chakkabatr yesterday.

They resolved not to pull out Thai troops from the overlapping area in Thailand’s northeastern province of Si Sa Ket, and plan more troop deployments there to protect the country’s sovereignty.

A war with Cambodia would encourage Thais to turn away from internal divisions and unite them to fight the external enemy. But the threat that the Thai government may be left to fight on two fronts simultaneously, Cambodia and the PAD supporters, cannot be ruled out either.

Indonesia hopes Cambodia, Thailand to exercise restraint

Jakarta, (ANTARA News) – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed the hope here on Tuesday that Cambodia and Thailand would exercise restraint and be able prevent an open conflict on the border in the spirit of Asean solidarity. 

He made the statement upon arrival at the Halim Perdanakusumah from visiting East Java after receiving a report from foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda that the situation on the border between Cambodia and Thailand was tense again and open to the possibility of a military conflict. 

“ Soon after arriving here I immediately talked with Prime Minister Hun Sen on the latest situation on the border. I hoped no armed conflict would take place and dialogue could be continued in line with the peaceful spirit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean),” he said.

According to him Prime Minister Hun Sen said a worse situation could be prevented because Cambodia also wanted to settle the problem peacefully through bilateral negotiations with Thailand.

“ It was also mentioned that tomorrow (15/10) there will be a working group meeting to discuss the conflict,” he said.

President Yudhoyono said Hun Sen had assured him he would prevent the situation from escalating and settle it peacefully with Thailand.

“ I have also called Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to convey my worries because if the conflict continues it will become worse. Moreover, now when we are still concerned with overcoming the financial crisis,” he said.

He said the Thai prime minister also said that he had a strong will to settle the conflict peacefully.

On October 21, he said, the two countries would also hold a more substantive formal meeting to seek a peaceful solution of the problem.

“ I will continue monitoring their good will, moreover Indonesia as one of the Asean founding fathers is expected to be able to help solve the conflict,” he said. 

Minister Hassan Wirajuda had earlier talked with Asean secretary general Surin Pitsuwan who had also been concerned over the development on the border of the two Asean common member countries.

Pitsuwan who was formerly Thai foreign minister hoped Indonesia could play a more role in preventing possible armed conflicts and would push the two countries to continue their bilateral talks.

Due to the latest development Thai prime minister Sochai Wongsawat had cancelled his plan to visit Indonesia on October 22 and had assigned his foreign minister to come to Indonesia.

On the cancellation President Yudhoyono said he could understand it and hoped the situation would be better.

In the past few months Thailand and Cambodia had disputed an area around an old Khmer temple of Preah Vihear located on the border between the two countries.

The tension escalated in July after the temple was declared a world heritage belonging to Cambodia by the UNESCO, angering Thai nationalists who still consider it their country`s.

The situation led to a military tension with around 1,000 Cambodian and Thailand soldiers facing each other for six weeks before the two sides later in August promised to withdraw.

Talks to discuss the withdrawal of the remaining soldiers from around Preah Vihear Temple scheduled last month were cancelled following a political upheaval in Thailand.(*)

Cambodia, Thailand to restart talks on border dispute

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) — Cambodia and Thailand will restart bilateral negotiations to resolve their 10-week border dispute on Sept. 29 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York, national media reported Monday.

Either Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen or Foreign Minister HorNamhong will fly to New York this week to attend the General Assembly session, Chea Sokhum, deputy secretary-general of the Permanent Organizing Commission for National and International Ceremonies, was quoted by the Cambodia Daily newspaper as saying.

Whoever attends will also lead the Cambodian side Sept. 29 during negotiations in New York with the Thai foreign minister, Chea Sokhum told the newspaper.

Military leaders of both countries will also meet in early October in Siem Reap to resume negotiations concerning the withdrawal of troops from Preah Vihear temple, RCAF Region 4 Commander Chea Morn said.

The renewed talks will come four weeks after Thailand indefinitely postponed bilateral military meetings.

The border row erupted after Cambodia’s arrest of three Thai nationalist protesters on July 15, whom authorities alleged crossed illegally into Cambodia close to the disputed temple site.

Since then, Thailand and Cambodia have been building up their forces near the temple and tensions have escalated, spreading to other temple sites along the border.

Editor: Lin Liyu

Thailand, Cambodia agrees to develop tourism at disputed Preah Vihear temple

BANGKOK, Aug 25 (TNA) – Thailand and its neighbour Cambodia have agreed to promote tourism at the disputed ancient temple ruins of Preah Vihear, after troops of both countries have been withdrawn, said Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Monday.

The agreement was made following a private luncheon and talks at Government House here between Mr. Samak and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh.

Speaking to journalists after the talks ended, Mr. Samak who is also Defence Minister, said both countries had agreed to solve common border problems and promote areas which could attract tourists.

“ Territorial problems which cannot be resolved by now will be left for negotiations later,” he said, adding that Cambodia has agreed to redeploy its troops from the temple and a “ middleman will be appointed to oversee promoting tourism with an aim to bring back tourists” .

“ Both countries will benefit as Cambodia would collect the gate fee while Thailand will enjoy other benefits,” he said.

“ But the temple cannot be opened for tourism now,” said Mr. Samak, “ as no one (soldiers) must be there.”

Monday’s agreement to promote tourism at Preah Vihear temple came after Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong on August 19 agreed to adopt a provisional arrangement pending a survey and demarcation of the area to be carried out by the Joint Boundary Commission, expected to be convened in October.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia, but the surrounding land remains in dispute.

The Thai-Cambodian border has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left from decades of war in Cambodia. (TNA)

Singapore welcomes moves by Thailand, Cambodia to resolve temple dispute

SINGAPORE, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) — Singapore Wednesday welcomed the efforts of Thailand and Cambodia to hold talks on the Preah Vihear Temple issue.

A spokesman for the Singapore Foreign Ministry said in a statement that resolving the disagreement in an amicable manner was in line with the spirit of ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) solidarity and good neighborliness.

The spokesman added, Singapore wishes them well in their continuing efforts to work towards a good outcome for both sides.

Cambodia and Thailand announced earlier that they have agreed to arrange a second-phase troop redeployment at the disputed border area near the temple.

The Preah Vihear Temple straddles the Cambodian-Thai border atop the Dangrek Mountain and was listed as a World Heritage Site on July 7 by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice decided that the 11-century temple and the land around belongs to Cambodia, which rankled the Thais and has led to continuous disputes.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

Cambodia says temple border with Thailand to be closed indefinitely

Phnom Penh – Although talks with Thailand over disputed border territory achieved modest progress, the border crossing at the ancient Preah Vihear temple would remain closed indefinitely, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Wednesday. Cambodia remained firm in its stance that Thailand had sent troops into Cambodian territory, he told a press conference at Phnom Penh International Airport upon his return from Thailand after talks there Tuesday.

However, he said he remained convinced that bilateral diplomacy remained the way forward and Cambodia could yet avoid taking the matter to the UN Security Council for mediation. “ We two countries should solve this issue by peaceful means and avoid war,” he said.

He said his Thai counterpart, Tej Bunnag, wholeheartedly agreed.

The 11th-century Preah Vihear temple was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO over Thai objections on July 7, and a week later, Thai troops moved into nearby areas Bangkok claims are disputed and Cambodia says is its territory. Late last month, Thai troops also moved into the Ta Moan temple complex, 150 kilometres west of Preah Vihear. Preah Vihear lies around 300 kilometres north of Phnom Penh on Cambodia’s northern border. Cambodia closed the Preah Vihear border crossing June 22 as Thai protestors began to gather there and would not reopen it without a complete resolution to the dispute, Hor Namhong said. “ When the situation is normal in Preah Vihear, then we will think about reopening the border,” he said. Cambodia has reported that tourism to the clifftop temple has doubled since the crisis began despite the border closure.

Source: The Earth Times

LEAD: Thailand, Cambodia make headway in border dispute talks

Kyodo News

The foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia agreed Tuesday that their two countries should continue to pull back troops from disputed areas of the border.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting at Cha-Am beach resort, about 180 kilometers southwest of Bangkok, Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag said he and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong welcomed the first-phrase redeployment of forces from the border that took place over weekend.

He said they agreed that a second meeting of concerned officials to discuss the next phase of redeployment should be held Aug. 29 in Cambodia to follow up on the first such meeting held last week in Thailand.

Tej said that while the two sides have made progress toward resolving the military standoff along the border, the problem will still take some time to tackle.

Aside from the issue of troop redeployment, the two ministers also discussed demarcation of the Thailand-Cambodia land border and agreed to recommend to their respective governments that the next meeting on demarcation be held in early October.

The military standoff between two countries began July 15 after Cambodia temporarily detained three Thai activists who Cambodian authorities said had illegally crossed into Cambodian territory near the ancient temple of Preah Vihear temple.

Thailand and Cambodia subsequently built up their forces in and around the disputed area and tension rose accordingly.

But most of those troops were removed over the weekend in accordance with an agreement reached between the two foreign ministers at their previous meeting Cambodia’s northern town of Siem Reap on July 28.