Two Thai soldiers killed in Cambodia border clash: army

BANGKOK, April 3, 2009 (AFP) - Two Thai soldiers were killed and another 10 wounded in a border clash with Cambodian forces on Friday, army officials said, updating an earlier toll.

One of the soldiers died at the site of the clash near a disputed 900-year-old temple and the other died later in hospital, said regional Thai army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Wichit Makarun.

The toll was confirmed by a second army official speaking on condition of anonymity, who added that the military was already sending the bodies back to their home towns.

Soldiers exchanged rocket, machinegun and mortar fire near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple on the frontier, following a brief skirmish earlier in the day, officials from both sides said.

The area was the scene of several clashes last year after Cambodia successfully applied for United Nations world heritage status for the ruins in July, with four soldiers killed in a battle there in October.

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Khmer Rouge trial

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How To Make Healthy Drinks At Home

Learn how to make your own fruit juices, smoothies & shakes!

A FUN and EASY way to get more vitamins & minerals into your diet is by drinking freshly made fruit juices, vegetable juices, and by blending thick and frothy smoothies and shakes from frozen fruit.

Freshly made juices are a tremendous source of bio-available vitamins and minerals which are the partners of enzymes and co-enzymes. Vitamins activate enzymes and without vitamins, enzymes could not carry out their work, and we could not live.
Enzymes act as catalysts in hundreds of thousands of chemical reactions that take place throughout your body, and are essential for digesting, absorbing and converting food into body tissue. Enzymes produce energy at the cellular level and are critical for most of the metabolic activities taking place in your body every second of every day.

Another benefit of drinking fresh juices and smoothies is that your body can absorb MORE of the vitamins and minerals then if you were to eat the fruits and vegetables whole! Many of the nutrients are TRAPPED in the fiber and by blending fruits and vegetables, you break down the fiber and release the vital nutrients.

Example:
When you eat a raw carrot, you are only able to assimilate a small percentage of the available beta carotene. When a carrot is juiced, removing the fiber, a LARGE percentage of the beta carotene can be assimilated by your body.

Of course, you still need to eat whole produce because fiber is also an important part of your daily diet.

Meeting you or your children's need for energy and nutrients is essential for good health. Children who do not meet their needs for energy may stop growing and gaining weight. In severe situations, they can develop a condition which is life threatening called protein energy malnutrition. Vitamins and minerals are only required in very small amounts, but a diet insufficient in these can cause SEVERE deficiency diseases.

You may be showing signs of malnutrition if you ...

* feel tired and weak.
* feel like you never have the energy to clean your home, make meals or even do the dishes.
* have difficulty losing or gaining weight.
* can't easily get to sleep.
* feel stressed and/or nervous.
* feel drowsy during the day.
* sometimes can't concentrate, you're mind feels numb, or you get confused easily.
* have problems with your digestion.
* have constipation and/or hard dry stools.
* have mood swings, or get easily upset.
* don't have patience for anything.
* sometimes feel depressed.
* have overly dry or oily skin.
* sometimes have nausea and/or abdominal pain.
* have annoying eye twitches.
* bruise easily.
* have muscle cramps and/or low back pain.
* sometimes get cracks and sores in the corners of your mouth.
* notice that your nails have become thin and/or brittle.
* are losing your hair.
* have water retention.
* have uncontrollable temper outbursts.
* don't eat a well-balanced nutritious diet EVERY DAY

Natural vitamins are found only in living things, that is, plants and animals. Your body, with a few exceptions, can't manufacture vitamins. They must be supplied in your food or in dietary supplements but supplements can't replace food, especially fruits and vegetables which provide thousands of substances, some of which have well-known functions, and some whose roles in the human body are not yet understood or recognized.

Vitamins and minerals ...

* reduce your risk of getting a stroke or heart attack!
* strengthen your nails!
* improve your hair condition, strength and growth by providing certain essential nutrients to the hair follicle!
* beautify your skin by keeping it smooth, soft and disease-free!
* provide essential compounds that are necessary for growth, health, normal metabolism and physical well-being! Without them, you would die!
* promote normal growth and development!
* maintain bone density and strength!
* regulate blood clotting!
* help in the function of nerves and muscles, including regulating a normal heart beat!

When it comes to choosing a healthy diet for their children, many parents don't realize the important role that beverages play. For example, fruit flavored drinks and soft drinks are not a substitute for real fruit. Many of these drinks only contain 10% real fruit juice. The very best drinks are made from whole fruit and you can make great fruity healthy drinks at home.

How to make homemade fruit and vegetable juices:

1. You'll need an inexpensive juice machine.

2. All fruits and vegetables should be juiced raw.

3. Small seeded fruit, such as watermelon and pears, may be juiced with their seeds, with the exception of papaya and apple seeds. Orange and grapefruit seeds might impart a bitter taste to your juice. Remove the large pits from fruits like peaches and nectarines, etc.

4. Peel all fruits and vegetables that are not organically grown because the peel is where most of the chemical residues can be found. While most skins of organically grown fruits and vegetables may be left on, with the exception of waxed produce, the skins of pineapples, kiwis, oranges, grapefruits and papaya should be removed.

5. Choose fresh ripe produce. Rubbery vegetables, bruised fruit, wilted greens and over or under-ripe fruits will produce juices that are neither tasty nor healthful.

6. Cut the fruits or vegetables into pieces that will fit into the mouth of your juice machine. Turn the juice machine on and push the pieces through the mouth of the juicer. As you juice, pulp will collect in a large receptacle. If you don't clean the pulp out right away, it will develop a sour odor and tiny gnats and fruit flies may appear after 8 to 10 hours.

7. It is best to drink freshly made juices within one day.

How to make perfect homemade smoothies and shakes:

1. Put the fruit in the blender first. Make sure that the items are smaller than a golf ball so they will blend completely. Add the liquid ingredients next.

2. Fasten the lid and press the start button. Use high speed for about 20-30 seconds.

3. Stop the blender and check to see if the ingredients are well blended. Sometimes the frozen fruit will jam under the blade. If there is jammed fruit, use a spatula to unjam the fruit, and blend again.

4. Once the mixture is evenly blended, slowly add two ice cubes through the opening of the blender lid. Keep adding one or two ice cubes at a time until the blender sounds smooth. If your blender is not strong enough to blend ice cubes, omit the ice and substitute just enough ice cold water or fruit juice so that the shake will have a milkshake consistency.

5. If the shake/smoothie is too thin, add more fruit or ice. If it’s too thick, add more liquid.

Copyright 2001

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Thailand shuts tourist spots after fatal clashes

By: WASSANA NANUAM, THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL and PRASIT TANGPRASERT

Published: 4/04/2009 at 12:00 AM(http://www.bangkokpost.com/news)

Thai authorities have closed indefinitely tourist spots near the Preah Vihear temple as Thai and Cambodian soldiers clashed twice in the vicinity on Friday, leaving two Thai and two Cambodian soldiers dead, and several injured.

Khmer troops near the temple complex

Closed are Pha Mor E-Daeng cliff, the Khao Phra Viharn National Park and its gate to the Preah Vihear temple in Si Sa Ket province.

According to Maj Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon, deputy chief of the Second Army, the clashes followed a landmine explosion that blew off a Thai soldier's leg in Phu Ma Khua area a few kilometres west of Preah Vihear temple.

It lies in an area which both Cambodia and Thailand claims to be its own.

After the explosion, 30 Thai soldiers visited the area Friday morning to clear landmines.

Twenty-three Cambodian soldiers showed up and told the Thais to retreat, claiming it was Cambodian soil.

The Thais resisted, and both sides started to fight about 7am.

The clash lasted five minutes, and killed two Cambodian soldiers and injured nine.

A second round of shooting erupted about 2pm, in an area about two kilometres away.

Maj Gen Thawatchai says he assumes Cambodian troops came in search of revenge.

The second round of the gun battle lasted about half an hour, killed two Thai soldiers, injured seven, and also set ablaze a Cambodian market near the entrance to Preah Vihear temple.

Cambodia has deployed more than 3,000 soldiers at the ancient temple ruins and Thailand had slightly over 2,000 troops on Pha Mor E-Daeng cliff, according to some reports.

At the site of the deadly shooting, Phu Ma Khua, both sides left about 300 soldiers each to confront each other late on Friday.

Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon said the morning clash was an accident which could normally result from misunderstandings by low-ranking officers as the forces of both sides were located close to each other.

Army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda said the morning clash resulted from a misunderstanding and officers at the scene would have to work out measures to prevent it from recurring.

Initially, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said it was preparing to take serious action over the clashes but changed its mind in the evening when it acknowledged the incidents were caused by misunderstandings.

Spokesman Tharit Charungvat said army leaders of both sides have arranged to meet and the ministry would wait for the result.

The government will lodge a protest over the incident with Cambodia, according to the ministry.

The government reaffirmed Thailand's sovereignty over the area where the clashes took place. It called on the Cambodian side to avoid any use of force and to continue with negotiations under bilateral mechanisms.

EARLIER REPORT by AFP:

Thai and Cambodian troops fought heavy gunbattles on their disputed border Friday, leaving at least two soldiers dead in the biggest flare-up for months in a bitter feud over an ancient temple.
Soldiers exchanged rocket, machinegun and mortar fire near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple on the frontier, following a brief skirmish earlier in the day, officials from both sides said.

The area was the scene of several clashes last year after Cambodia successfully applied for United Nations world heritage status for the ruins in July, with four soldiers killed in a battle there in October.

One Thai soldier died at the site of the clash on Friday and another passed away in hospital later, while 10 others were injured, regional Thai military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Wichit Makarun said.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith initially announced that two soldiers from his country were killed, but later retracted the statement, saying it was an unofficial figure but without providing further details.

"We are fighting with each other, it is serious gunfire,'' Khieu Kanharith said, adding that the fighting happened in at least two separate areas near the temple.

Military commanders later held talks to ease tensions near the clifftop temple, ownership of which was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice, although the land around the ruins remains disputed.

But a war of words continued between the two sides after the clash, coming just one week before the prime ministers of the neighbouring countries are due to meet at a key regional summit in Thailand.

"This is an intended aggressive invasion by the Thai military,'' said Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong. "The foreign ministry will... write a protest letter about the invasion by Thailand.''

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was ready to call his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen about the matter but defended Thailand's right to "preserve our sovereignty.''

"It was likely caused by a misunderstanding or accident,'' Abhisit said on his return from the G20 summit in London.
The first clash erupted on Friday morning after Cambodian soldiers went to inspect an area where a Thai soldier lost a leg in a landmine blast a day earlier. Both sides blamed each other but said there were no casualties.

Heavy gunfire then broke out at 2:00 pm (0700 GMT) in a number of spots near the border, which has never been fully demarcated due to landmines left after decades of war in Cambodia.

Several officials said the fighting lasted between half and hour and an hour.

A Cambodian soldier posted at the border, Yeim Kheang, told AFP by telephone that a Cambodian market at the gateway to the temple had been badly burned.

"We used heavy weapons including rockets, machineguns and mortars. In general, we used every weapon given to us. Many Thai soldiers ran away, leaving their weapons behind during the fight,'' Yeim Kheang said.

The clashes came three days after Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed their disputed frontier. Thailand denies claims that about 100 of its troops went over the frontier a week ago.

Tensions first flared along the border in July last year over the granting of UN heritage to the temple on the border, although the countries have been at loggerheads over the site for decades.

Subsequent talks between Cambodia and Thailand have not resolved the dispute and Thailand's foreign minister was forced to apologise Thursday, after being accused by Hun Sen of calling him a gangster.

Further talks are due on Monday and Tuesday in Phnom Penh.

Hun Sen and Abhisit are also scheduled to take part in a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and key regional partners in Pattaya, starting on April 10.

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Evacuation of Cambodian civilians in Preah Vihear

Cambodia refugees are seen in Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple, where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire, in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Hindu temple. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Cambodia refugees walk in Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple, where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire, in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Hindu temple. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Cambodia refugees are seen in a truck at Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple, where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire, in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Hindu temple. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Cambodia refugees walk after getting out from a truck at Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Hindu temple. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Cambodia refugees get out from a truck at Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire near an ancient Hindu temple in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Hindu temple. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

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Thai soldiers killed as border temple battle flares

Saturday Apr 04, 2009
By Andrew Buncombe
The Independent (New Zealand)

Intense fighting involving machine guns and rocket launchers broke out on the border between Cambodia and Thailand yesterday as an old dispute over an 11th-century temple flared up. Up to four Thai soldiers were killed; others may have been taken hostage.
A Cambodian government spokesman, Khieu Kanharith, said that in addition to the four fatalities, 10 Thai troops had been seized after two separate clashes. But Thailand said just one soldier was killed and seven injured, and that none had been taken.

The fighting is the latest violence to break out near the cliff-top Preah Vihear temple. It is located on the Cambodian side of an ill-defined border that has led to conflict between the two neighbours for several decades.

The intensity of clashes in the area last year prompted fears the two countries could go to war.

Reports said that in the first round of fighting yesterday morning, Cambodian forces fired at about 60 Thai soldiers after they crossed the border. The ensuing firefight lasted about 10 minutes but there were no casualties.

In the second clash, Cambodia insisted that Thai soldiers fired rocket-propelled grenades into their territory, but Thailand's foreign ministry spokesman, Tharit Charungvat, denied the claim.

He also said the initial clash took place when Thai soldiers arrived to investigate the site where a land mine had blown the leg off one of their colleagues on Thursday. He said that as they approached the area, Cambodian soldiers had opened fire.

The border area around the Khmer-era temple has long been the subject of disputes. In 1962, the temple, used as recently as 10 years ago as a hide-out by Khmer Rouge guerrillas, was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice.

Tensions flared again last July after Unesco announced that it was awarding the temple World Heritage Site status. Cambodia hopes the new award will encourage tourism in a part of the country that is rarely visited by outsiders.

The border had been quiet for several months while the neighbours sought to jointly demarcate the jungle area where one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers died in last October's exchange of rifle and rocket fire.

The Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander, said this week that his soldiers would fight if Thai troops crossed the disputed border again.

The Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Committee will meet again tomorrow for three days of talks in the town of Siem Reap, located next to the ancient Angkor Wat site, to search for a solution to the ongoing row.

Even until recent years, the temple complex at Preah Vihear has had a strategic role. In 1975, it was used by troops loyal to the Cambodian government to make a last stand against the Khmer Rouge.

And in 1998, long after the Maoist fighters had been forced from power, the last remnants of their army holed up at the temple while ceasefire talks were held.

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At Least 2 Thai Soldiers Killed in Cambodia Border Clash

Thai soldiers patrol at the entrance of the Preah Vihear temple in Si Sa Ket province near the Thai-Cambodia border, 03 Apr 2009

By Daniel Schearf
Voice of America
Bangkok
03 April 2009

Thai officials say border clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers have left at least two Thai soldiers dead and seven others wounded. There were conflicting reports of casualties on the Cambodian side.

The casualties came after Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged fire in two incidents Friday in a disputed border area.
The first clash was early Friday morning. Thailand's foreign ministry issued a statement saying there were no casualties on the Thai side from the morning fighting.

But, more fighting broke out during the afternoon and Thai officials later confirmed the casualties.

There were conflicting reports of casualties on the Cambodian side.

Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong says Thai soldiers were to blame for starting the fighting on what he called Cambodian territory.

"This is a disgraceful and intentional aggression without any legal ground by the Thai soldiers," he said.

Thailand's foreign ministry in turn blamed the Cambodian side for starting the fighting and encroaching on what it said was Thai territory.

Thailand's government spokesman, Panitan Wattanyagorn, says there were casualties on both sides, but he could not give exact numbers as the situation was still under investigation. He sought to play down the clashes, saying the incidents were possibly sparked by a misunderstanding.

"This is not a war. This is not a sharp conflict," he said. "This is just a border incident, a small incident that has taken place."

A Thai soldier lost his leg Thursday after stepping on a landmine in the area. The Thai foreign ministry statement says the landmine was believed to be laid recently and that Thai soldiers were in the disputed area to investigate the incident.

Both sides confirmed their military commanders in the met soon after the fighting to discuss the incidents.

The fighting took place near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, where both sides claim territory.

An international court in 1962 declared the temple to be in Cambodian territory but Thai nationalists dispute the ruling.

Border clashes first broke out last year after the UN granted world heritage status to the temple.

Fighting has periodically broken out since then, with casualties on both sides.

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Dispute turns deadly as Thai and Cambodian troops fight it out

BORDER CLASH
April 4, 2009
By SUPALAK GANJANAKHUNDEE
THE NATION

One Thai soldier, two Cambodians killed; PM cites misunderstanding

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has blamed a "misunderstanding" as the cause of a Thai-Cambodian border clash yesterday near the Preah Vihear Hindu temple in which one Thai and two Cambodian soldiers died.

Several other people, including officials, were injured as both sides exchanged gunfire on two occasions, in the morning and afternoon.
The first round at 7am lasted only five minutes and caused no casualties. But the second clash at around 2pm at Phu Ma Khua hill, west of the Hindu temple, killed one Thai soldier and injured seven officials.

Private Wuthikrai Weruwanarak died in the battle, the Thai military said.

Two Cambodian soldiers whose names were unknown were also killed, according to Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith.

The gunbattle and mortar explosions from the hill were heard for 25 minutes in the afternoon, said a local villager some 5 kilometres from the clash site.

Local residents did not panic and continued to work in their farms as usual since there was no instruction to evacuate, said the villager via a phone interview from Si Sa Ket province.

The afternoon clash erupted just seven hours after the morning's brief gun exchange and a phone call by Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss the problem.

The skirmishes followed a warning by Hun Sen last Tuesday that Thai soldiers should refrain from entering Cambodian territory. He said his soldiers had been instructed to fire on any intruders.

Prime Minister Abhisit, who returned from the London Group-20 Summit yesterday, said there may have been misunderstanding between troops in the area.

"It could happen - since both sides claim the same area as their respective territory. We try to use the existing mechanism of negotiation to prevent the conflict from escalating," Abhisit said.

Abhisit, who planned to visit Phnom Penh on April 18, said, if necessary, he might make a phone call to Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss the situation.

"At this stage, I'll let the concerned officials of both sides work it out," he said.

The clash yesterday took place in the same area where, last October, fighting killed four soldiers on both sides.

Cambodia has claimed Thai troops had invaded its territory and would write a letter of protest to Bangkok.

The Thai Foreign Ministry said it had also prepared an official protest, since Cambodian troops apparently opened fire first on a Thai patrol.

Both sides should exercise utmost restraint since the Thai-Cambodia Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) is working out a settlement to the border dispute and demarcation of the boundary, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat. The JBC is scheduled to meet in Phnom Penh on April 6-7.

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Preah Vihear: No Cambodian casualties (Official)

03 April 2009
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

Khieu Kanharith denied the AFP news reporting two Cambodian casualties.

On the Thai side, the spokesman for the Cambodian government, indicated 4 deaths and 10 soldiers captured.
The number of human casualties during the border incident on 03 April leads to numerous speculations. Seven Thai would have been killed and several dozens injured, Koy Kuong, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, indicated citing “unofficial source.”

The heavy gun fighting took place after a Thai soldier stepped on landmine the day before in the Veal Entry zone.

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Thai, Cambodian Border Fighting Stops, Thailand Says

By Daniel Ten Kate

April 3 (Bloomberg) -- Fighting between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in a disputed border region has stopped after an exchange of heavy gunfire, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said by telephone.

“The army chiefs are now talking,” Tharit said. “We asked for a ceasefire and do not want to use force.”
Cambodian and Thai troops engaged in “large-scale fighting” today, Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said by phone. Two Thai soldiers were killed and six wounded, he said. Tharit denied the claim and said Thailand had suffered no deaths or injuries.

Two Cambodian soldiers were killed after soldiers fired at each other in at least three locations on the border, Agence France-Presse said, citing government spokesman Khieu Kanharith. Phay Siphan said he couldn’t confirm the Cambodian deaths.

The fighting erupted before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Thailand and Cambodia are members, will hold a summit from April 10 to 12 in Pattaya south of Bangkok with the leaders of China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen plans to attend.

The disputed area has been the site of numerous incidents since July, when Thailand objected to Cambodia’s efforts to list Preah Vihear temple as a United Nations World Heritage site. The countries agreed in October to avoid clashes in the area after two Cambodian soldiers were killed in a gun battle.

Warning Issued

Hun Sen warned Thailand on March 31 that fighting would break out should troops from its neighbor cross into Cambodian territory.

Thailand plans to write a letter of protest to Cambodia after a five-minute exchange of gunfire between their troops earlier today, Tharit said.

The shooting erupted after Thai troops invited the Cambodians to inspect the site where a soldier from Thailand stepped on a landmine and lost his leg, Tharit said.

The meeting failed to resolve matters and the Cambodians left, then started firing, Tharit said. Thai officers suspect a newly laid landmine caused yesterday’s blast, he said.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled in a 9-3 vote that Cambodia had sovereignty over Preah Vihear. The court didn’t rule on the disputed land near the temple.

Thai and Cambodian officials have scheduled meetings to continue work on demarcating their 803-kilometer (499-mile) border. The two countries have yet to divide 10,422 square miles in the Gulf of Thailand that may contain oil and gas reserves.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is due to visit Cambodia later this month.

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at
dtenkate@bloomberg.net.

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Cambodian genocide lawyer hits at corruption issue

Saturday, April 4
By GRANT PECK, Associated Press Writer

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - An international prosecutor at Cambodia's genocide tribunal accused a defense lawyer Friday of a "strategy of disruption," saying his focus on corruption allegations is an attempt to undermine the court's legitimacy.
Belgian co-prosecutor Vincent de Wilde lashed out at French lawyer Jacques Verges for "explicitly and fundamentally challenging the legitimacy" of the tribunal working to find justice for atrocities of the 1970s Khmer Rouge "killing fields" regime.

The accusation came after the flamboyant Verges, best known for defending Nazi war criminals and terrorists, attempted to introduce reports of tribunal corruption in a legal hearing Friday.

Verges was speaking at a hearing for his request for pretrial release of his client, former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan, who is charged with crimes against humanity related to the communist movement's 1975-79 rule, under which an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died.

Corruption reports involving the tribunal surfaced in 2007, when New York-based legal group Open Society Justice Initiative alleged that Cambodians on the tribunal staff had paid for their jobs. Results of a U.N. investigation were not publicly revealed.

Judges on Friday told Verges he could not bring up the corruption issue in the context of the appeal for his client's release, but he managed to speak about it indirectly by suggesting he sympathized with the court.

"I shall keep silent because it's not good to be shooting at ambulances and victims and the wounded," Verges said. "It is not good to be shooting at horses and dying people or institutions."

De Wilde retorted that Verges' comments were part of a "strategy of disruption" on the part of the defense, which de Wilde asserted had refused to cooperate with the tribunal's administration.

He suggested that Khieu Samphan's lawyers might not be competent to defend their client.

Charging that the defense was willfully disrupting and delaying proceedings to keep justice from being done, de Wilde asked, "Can this be tolerated?"

Verges was the second defense lawyer in two days to try to introduce the corruption issue into their appeals for their clients' release. On Thursday, the lawyer for Ieng Sary, the former Khmer Rouge foreign minister, tried to argue that the failure to resolve the corruption allegations could delay the trial of his client indefinitely, so he should be allowed to leave the tribunal's jail for house arrest instead.

The lawyer, Michael Karnavas, at a press conference after Thursday's proceedings, called for a U.N. report investigating the corruption allegations to be made public.

Lawyers for Nuon Chea, the chief Khmer Rouge ideologue, also had brought up the issue earlier this year.

The defenders' arguments appeared to be in vain, however. A press release from the tribunal Friday said the judges handling the pre-trial hearings decided that they did not have jurisdiction to investigate corruption.

Trial observers including human rights groups have expressed concern about the corruption issue.

London-based Amnesty International urged the United Nations and the Cambodian government to address allegations.

The charges cast "serious doubts on the chambers' competence, independence and impartiality," it said.

"Any corruption allegations must be investigated promptly and thoroughly," said Brittis Edman, Amnesty International's Cambodia researcher. "A failure to do so risks undermining the credibility of the whole institution and what it is trying to accomplish."

The U.N.-assisted tribunal represents the first serious attempt to hold Khmer Rouge leaders accountable for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians from starvation, medical neglect, slave-like working conditions and execution. The group's top leader, Pol Pot, died in 1998.

It began its first trial on Monday, of Kaing Guek Eav - also known as Duch - accused of running a torture center from which as many as 16,000 men, women and children were sent to their deaths.

The other defendants, Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary and his wife Ieng Thirith, who was minister for social affairs, are expected to be tried sometime over the next year.

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Fighting Erupts on Preah Vihear Border

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
03 April 2009

Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged gun, rocket and artillery fire in clashes along the disputed Preah Vihear border on Friday, with both sides blaming the other for firing first in the most serious fighting to date in a months-long standoff.
Two Thai deaths and six injuries were confirmed by the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, but Cambodian military sources said late Friday at least two more Thai soldiers were killed in afternoon battles. The Thai Embassy was not able to confirm the other two Thai fatalities.

There were conflicting reports of casualties from within the Cambodian government.

Ten Thai soldiers were being held as a result of the fighting, said government spokesman Khieu Kanharith, who told VOA Khmer no Cambodians were injured or killed.

However, Royal Cambodian Armed Forces commander Gen. Pol Sareoun said two Cambodians had been killed, in fighting started by the Thais.

Around 7:15 am, five Thai soldiers entered Veal Entry, or Eagle Field, encountering a forest encampment of Cambodian soldiers, who ordered them to turn back, military officials in Phnom Penh and on the border said.

Cambodian infantryman Chan Chhorn, who was monitoring radio traffic near Eagle Field Friday morning, told VOA Khmer the Thais had fired first.

The Thai Embassy could not confirm who shot first, but a Thai military spokesman told CNN in Bangkok that the fighting was sparked by an “intrusion” of Cambodian troops on Thai soil.

By 1:30 pm, the fighting had spread to three other sites—Phnom Trap, an area known as “Beehive,” and Krom market, near Preah Vihear temple—according to Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan, who provided reporters a map of the fighting late Friday.

A civilian market area burned and portions of Preah Vihear temple were damaged by rocket and machine gunfire Friday afternoon, Chan Chhorn said.

The fighting had stopped by Friday evening, officials said.

No civilians were reported dead Friday. A villager living near the temple said those who had motorcycles or cars had fled the area.

The shooting follows the injury to a landmine by one Thai soldier near Eagle Field Thursday and a tense armed standoff without shooting at Eagle Field on Monday and Tuesday. Eagle Field was also the site of fighting in October, where at least one Thai and three Cambodians died.

Thai and Cambodian troops have been amassed along the border since July 2008, when Preah Vihear temple’s Unesco World Heritage listing sparked protests in Bangkok and on the border. Friday’s fighting was the most serious so far, in a series of escalations since July.

Both sides lay claim to a small stretch of land near the ancient cliff-top temple, with each using different map versions to mark the border.

Friday’s fighting had not canceled a scheduled meeting between joint border committees in Phnom Penh on Monday and Tuesday, according to Var Kimhong, chief of Cambodia’s border committee.

Prime Minister Hun Sen is expected to attend an Asean forum in Thailand next week. Officials could not confirm whether that trip will be canceled as a result of Friday’s fighting.

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Thailand, Cambodia in deadly border clashes

Friday April 3, 2009

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Thai and Cambodian troops fought heavy gun-battles on their disputed border Friday, leaving at least two soldiers dead in the biggest flare-up for months in a bitter feud over an ancient temple.

Soldiers exchanged rocket, machine-gun and mortar fire near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple on the frontier, following a brief skirmish earlier in the day, officials from both sides said.
The area was the scene of several clashes last year after Cambodia successfully applied for United Nations world heritage status for the ruins in July, with four soldiers killed in a battle there in October. One Thai soldier died at the site of the clash on Friday and another passed away in hospital later, while 10 others were injured, regional Thai military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Wichit Makarun said.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith initially announced that two soldiers from his country were killed, but later retracted the statement, saying it was an unofficial figure but without providing further details. "We are fighting with each other, it is serious gunfire," Khieu Kanharith said, adding that the fighting happened in at least two separate areas near the temple.

Military commanders later held talks to ease tensions near the clifftop temple, ownership of which was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice, although the land around the ruins remains disputed. But a war of words continued between the two sides after the clash, coming just one week before the prime ministers of the neighbouring countries are due to meet at a key regional summit in Thailand.

"This is an intended aggressive invasion by the Thai military," said Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong. "The foreign ministry will... write a protest letter about the invasion by Thailand."

Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was ready to call his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen about the matter but defended Bangkok's right to "preserve our sovereignty." "It was likely caused by a misunderstanding or accident," Abhisit said on his return from the G20 summit in London.

The first clash erupted on Friday morning after Cambodian soldiers went to inspect an area where a Thai soldier lost a leg in a landmine blast a day earlier. Both sides blamed each other but said there were no casualties.

Heavy gunfire then broke out at 2:00 pm (0700 GMT) in a number of spots near the border, which has never been fully demarcated due to landmines left after decades of war in Cambodia. Several officials said the fighting lasted between half and hour and an hour.

A Cambodian soldier posted at the border, Yeim Kheang, told AFP by telephone that a Cambodian market at the gateway to the temple had been badly burned. "We used heavy weapons including rockets, machine-guns and mortars. In general, we used every weapon given to us. Many Thai soldiers ran away, leaving their weapons behind during the fight," Yeim Kheang said.

The clashes came three days after Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed their disputed frontier. Thailand denies claims that about 100 of its troops went over the frontier a week ago.

Tensions first flared along the border in July last year over the granting of UN heritage to the temple on the border, although the countries have been at loggerheads over the site for decades. Subsequent talks between Cambodia and Thailand have not resolved the dispute and Thailand's foreign minister was forced to apologise Thursday, after being accused by Hun Sen of calling him a gangster.

Further talks are due on Monday and Tuesday in Phnom Penh. Hun Sen and Abhisit are also scheduled to take part in a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and key regional partners in the Thai resort of Pattaya, starting on April 10.

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Thai, Cambodian troops clash near disputed temple

Fri, Apr 03, 2009
By Ek Madra
Reuters

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing one Thai in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over a 900-year-old Hindu temple.

Both sides accused each other of firing first in two separate clashes near the Preah Vihear temple, which is claimed by both Southeast Asian nations and saw an armed stand-off last year.
One Thai soldier died from a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Cambodian troops when fighting resumed after midday talks between the border commanders failed.

Seven Thai soldiers were also wounded in the second battle, Wiboonsak Neepan, commander of Thailand's Second Army, told Reuters.

In Phnom Penh, Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said he had received reports of two Cambodian soldiers killed in the initial fighting this morning, but it was not confirmed.

Cambodian officials claimed two Thais died in the morning clash. Thailand said no one was hurt then and it planned to lodge a formal protest with the Cambodian government.

The latest fighting comes a day after a Thai soldier lost a leg when he stepped on a land mine in an area claimed by Thailand.

A Thai patrol visited the blast site on Friday morning and encountered 20 Cambodian soldiers.

"After talks between the two sides failed, the Cambodian side started to walk away and turned back to open fire at Thai troops with rifles and RPG rockets, forcing the Thai side to fire back in self-defense," Thailand's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand, sits on an escarpment that forms the natural border between the two countries and has been a source of tension for generations.

The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but the ruling did not determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.

Tensions rose last month when 100 Thai troops crossed into a disputed area near the temple and were stopped by Cambodian soldiers, but no fighting occurred.

The border had been quiet for months while the Southeast Asian neighbors sought to jointly demarcate the jungle-clad area where one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers died in last October's exchange of rifle and rocket fire.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander, warned this week that his soldiers would fight if Thai troops crossed the disputed border again.

The site is 600 km (370 miles) east of Bangkok and only a decade ago was controlled by remnants of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrilla army.

Few foreign visitors go there, although both countries have said they would like to develop the area as a tourist destination.

The Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Committee will meet again on Sunday for three days of talks in the Cambodian resort town of Siem Reap to try to find a solution to the row.

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Soldiers die in new clash at temple flashpoint on Thai-Cambodia border

Cambodia says four Thai soldiers were killed as Bangkok plays down fighting as 'misunderstanding'

Friday 3 April 2009
Mark Tran and agencies
guardian.co.uk

Several soldiers died in a clash between Thai and Cambodian troops near an 11th century temple, with each side blaming the other for the latest flare-up in a disputed border area.

Cambodian officials said four Thai soldiers died and 10 were detained as troops fired at each other with machine guns and rocket launchers. Seni Chittakasem, the governor of Thailand's eastern Si Sa Ket province, confirmed that one Thai soldier was killed and said seven were wounded.


The incident was the latest in a long-festering dispute over the cliff-top Preah Vihear temple on the Cambodian side of an ill-defined border. Clashes in the area last year briefly brought fear of war.

A clash this morning was followed by artillery fire that lasted about 30 minutes.

Thailand's defence minister, Prawit Wongsuwan, played down the fighting. "It was an accident, a misunderstanding among officials on the ground, which is common when you are closely positioned," he told reporters in Bangkok.

A Cambodian soldier posted at the border, Yeim Kheang, told Agence France-Presse by telephone that a Cambodian market at the gateway to the temple had been badly burned during the fighting.

"We used heavy weapons including rockets, machine guns and mortars. In general, we used every weapon given to us. Many Thai soldiers ran away, leaving their weapons behind during the fight," he said.

Tensions had been high since an exchange of shots early in the morning after Cambodian soldiers went to investigate the area where a Thai soldier stepped on a mine on Thursday and lost his leg.

The exchange of fire came two days after Hun Sen, the Cambodian prime minister, warned Thailand of fighting if its troops crossed their disputed frontier. Thailand denies claims that about 100 troops crossed the frontier a week ago. The Thai prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, said he was ready to call his Cambodian counterpart but defended Bangkok's right to "preserve our sovereignty."

"It was likely caused by a misunderstanding or accident. I have asked every agency to work to solve the incident by creating a better understanding with Cambodia," he said on his return from the G20 summit in London.

Hun Sen and Abhisit are both scheduled to take part in a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and key regional partners in the Thai beach resort of Pattaya next week.

The temple is located in an area that has long been a source of contention as Thailand and Cambodia share an 800-kilometre (500-mile) border, much of which has never been clearly demarcated because the countries refer to different maps.

Cambodia's French colonial masters claimed the temple, using a disputed 1907 map that marked the frontier. But when the French left in 1954, Thai troops seized the ruin. They only grudgingly left after the international court of justice in The Hague awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but they held on to an adjacent 4.6 square kilometre patch of disputed scrub.

The court's ruling has rankled with Thai nationalists since then. When the UN awarded Preah Vihear world heritage site status in July last year, it once again became a flashpoint. Subsequent talks between Cambodia and Thailand have not resolved the dispute and Thailand's foreign minister apologised yesterday, after being accused by Hun Sen of calling him a gangster.

Preah Vihear has become a burning issue in Thailand's fraught domestic politics. Analysts say the Abhisit government – already perceived as ineffectual – cannot afford to be seen as weak on the issue.

"This is so touchy for the Thai government as it is seen as a test of its mettle," said Tim Forsyth, a Thailand expert at the London School of Economics. "It is all part of a crisis of legitimacy for the government."

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Cambodia says 4 Thai troops killed in border clash

Friday, April 03, 2009
By SOPHENG CHEANG

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Thai and Cambodian soldiers traded fire with machine guns and rocket launchers along a disputed border, killing as many as four people Friday in an escalation of tensions in a long-standing feud over an 11th century temple.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said four Thai soldiers were killed and 10 captured during the two clashes. Thailand's Foreign Ministry insisted only one Thai soldier was killed, seven were injured and none was taken prisoner, while two Thai army officers, who refused to be named, said two soldiers were killed and 10 injured.
The clashes occurred several hours apart near the same border location.

"The fighting has stopped. Commanders from both sides are talking," Maj. Nou Sarath, a Cambodian soldier at the border, told The Associated Press.

The fighting is the latest flare-up near the cliff-top Preah Vihear temple, which is on the Cambodian side of an ill-defined border that has been a source of conflict for decades. Two clashes last year sparked brief concerns of war.

In the first round of fighting Friday, Cambodia fired on some 60 Thai soldiers after they entered Cambodian territory, sparking a battle that lasted about 10 minutes, said Yim Kheang, a Cambodian soldier at the border. Officials from both sides said there were no injuries.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said the clash started when Thai soldiers arrived to investigate the site where one of their colleagues had his leg blown off by a land mine on Thursday. As they approached the area, Cambodian soldiers opened fire, he said.

Thailand and Cambodia have long had competing claims to land surrounding the temple, which the World Court awarded to Cambodia in 1962. Tensions flared last July after UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have the temple named a World Heritage Site. Both sides deployed troops.

Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan downplayed Friday morning's clash.

"It was an accident, a misunderstanding among officials on the ground, which is common when you are closely positioned," he told reporters in Bangkok.

In the second clash, Cambodians insisted that Thai soldiers shot rocket-propelled grenades into their territory. Tharit denied the allegation. A Cambodian market near the border was set fire by a Thai rocket but the market was empty so there were no casualties, Cambodian soldiers said.

"The Cambodians started firing rocket-propelled grenades and rifles at us," Tharit said. "That led to several casualties on our side."

On Thursday, a Thai soldier in the area lost his leg after stepping on a land mine, but Thai and Cambodian military officials disagreed over which side of the border he was on at the time.

Cambodia and Thailand share a 500-mile (800-kilometer) land border, much of which has never been clearly demarcated because the countries refer to different maps.

Tharit called on both sides to "exercise utmost restraint and not use any force."

"We ask them to go back to the negotiating table," he said, referring to border negotiations that are to resume at the end of the month.

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Thai, Cambodian military seek to defuse border tensions

BANGKOK, April 3 (TNA) - Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Friday said Thai and Cambodian military officers discussed defusing tensions, after the two countries border guard troops exchanged gunfire in an early morning border incident in disputed territory near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

A Thai soldier lost a leg in a land mine explosion on Thursday but Thai and Cambodian officers disagreed over which country he was in at the time.

Gen. Prawit said the incident was the result of a misunderstanding between operations officers of both sides along the border.

His remarks came two days after the Cambodian premier Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed the disputed border.

Maj-Gen. Thawatchai Samutsakorn, deputy chief of Thailand’s second army, said the exchange of gunfire took place about 7am on Friday, three kilometres west of Preah Vihear temple or Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand. There were no reports of any casualties from either side.

The clash broke off in the yet-to-be-demarcated disputed area of 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq miles) where Sgt-Maj. Suwat Chanaboon lost his left leg after stepping on a landmine while patrolling the border, the senior military officer said.

Cambodian forces said the Thai soldier was on their soil when the mine exploded.

Cambodia accused Thai troops of crossing the border, a charge Thailand has publicly denied.

Gen. Thawatchai rushed to the clash site to discuss the situation with Cambodian military officers.

It was the latest incident in a long-standing conflict over contesting claims to land surrounding the historic Preah Vihear temple, awarded World Heritage Site status by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) last year.

The incident marked the first deadly cross-border shooting since last October's border clash which left four troops dead.

The two countries have not yet resolved their border dispute in recent border talks.

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Thai, Cambodian army officers hold talks after border gunfire [-Thai troops deliberately provoking Cambodian soldiers?]

BANGKOK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Local-level Thai army officers were in the process to hold talk with those of Cambodian army officers after the two sides exchanged gunfire briefly early Friday morning on a disputed border area, Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern Khaewkamnerd said.
The exchange of gunfire occurred after Thai soldiers went to tell around 20 Cambodian soldiers, who were at Tramareu area that Tramareu [Veal Entry in Khmer] belongs to Thailand, so they should not have entered, the Thai army spokesman told Xinhua during a telephone interview.

After the two sides separated from their meeting at Tramareu area, it was the Cambodian side that started opening fire, said the Thai army spokesman.

After the Thai soldiers did hear the shooting from the Cambodian side, they did fire back, said Colonel Sansern.

Meanhwile, Phay Siphan, Cambodian spokesman of the Council of Ministers, said the crossfire occurred around 07:15 local time (0015GMT), after a number of Thai soldiers trespassed on the Eagle Field, a piece of Cambodian soil.

According to a report by the website of Thai-language newspaper Thai Rath, the Cambodian soldiers claimed the shooting from their side was the accident.

By mid-Friday there was no report of casualty from the two sides.

On Thursday a Thai soldier during his patrol task stepped on a landmine and lost a leg at Tramareu area, and it was suspected that the landmine was planted by the Cambodian soldiers, Colonel Sansern said.

Tramareu area, which is around one kilometer from Preah Vihear temple, is in Kantalak district of Thailand's northeastern province of Sisaket, according to the Thai army spokesman.

In July last year, the tension over the long-disputed territory of the two countries started after the 11th century Preah Vihear temple at the border was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

The two countries' troops clashed in the area in October and four soldiers died. The border dispute has not been resolved during subsequent talks by the two countries.

The two neighboring countries have never fully demarcated their disputed border, due partly to landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

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Khieu Samphan's appeal against pre-trial detention

So Socheath, wife of a former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan, walks into the court room for a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. The U.N.-backed genocide tribunal on Friday opens a hearing of the pre-trial detention of Khieu Samphan who was charged of war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)
Former Khmer Rouge President Khieu Samphan sits in the dock before Cambodia's genocide tribunal rules on an appeal against his third pre-trial detention, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Khieu Samphan is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
REUTERS/Heng Sinith/Pool
Khieu Samphan, a former Khmer Rouge head of state, looks on during a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. Khieu Samphan is charged with war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)
Khieu Samphan, a former Khmer Rouge head of state, touches microphone as he sits in a dock during a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. The U.N.-backed genocide tribunal on Friday opens a hearing of the pre-trial detention of Khieu Samphan who was charged of war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)
French lawyer, Jacques Verges, lawyer to Khieu Samphan, a former Khmer Rouge head of state, looks on during a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. The U.N.-backed genocide tribunal on Friday opens a hearing of the pre-trial detention of Khieu Samphan who was charged of war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)

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