Pailin authority chased out Thai soldiers trespassing into Cambodian territories

04 April 2009
By Sophal Mony
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Cambodian government force in Pailin province chased out about 10 back-clad Thai soldiers from Cambodian territories after these soldiers trespassed 300 meters into Khmer territories.

Pha Thea, the Cambodian official in charge of border issues, indicated on Saturday 04 April that about 10 Thai black-clad soldiers from unit 547 based on O’Namron, Chanbury crossed the border and penetrated into Cambodian territories at Tuol Romdeng, next to border posts number 66 and 67 in Pailin province.

Pha Thea added that Thai soldiers trespassed into Cambodia between 9 and 10AM on 03 April, following the 7AM clash in Veal Entry, Preah Vihear province, on that same day. However, Cambodian border troops from unit 821 chased them out of the area.

Pha Thea said: “We forced them to go back, they should hurry back. They did not say anything and they did not do anything, after we told them, they pulled back. They came in for a while.”

According to Pailin province authority, Thai black-clad soldiers from unit 547 did not indicate the reason of their trespassing, they only agreed to pull out from Khmer territories after they were chased out by Khmer soldiers.

Nevertheless, RFA was not able to contact Thai unit 547 based along the border in O’Namron, Chanbury province which is located next to Cambodia’s Pailin province, to obtain additional information.

Cambodian border troops along the Phally-Phalla hills in Pailin province indicated that, today, black-clad Thai soldiers installed landmine signs in several locations on Cambodian territories, near border posts no. 68 and 69.

A border soldier said: “They came to border post no. 68 and they installed landmine signs on our territories. My unit was patrolling and we saw fresh new signs they just installed at border posts 68 and 69. Their landmine signs look just like ours.”

Regarding Thai soldiers installing landmine signs on Cambodian territories, Cambodian border patrol troops indicated that Cambodian army officers in Pailin province are reviewing this situation and they have called the Thai soldiers to pull them out.

It should be noted that the aggression on Cambodian territories in Pailin province by Thai black-clad soldiers based in Chanbury province took place right after new armed clash occurred between troops from the two countries in Preah Vihear province on 03 March 2009.

Read more!

Troops jittery after deadly Cambodia-Thai clash

4/04/2009
AFP

Tensions were high among troops on both sides of the disputed Cambodian-Thai border Saturday while Thai and Cambodia prime ministers played down gunbattles near a temple which left two soldiers dead.

Both sides were jittery after Friday's firefight, which was the biggest flare-up for months in a bitter feud over territory near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Thai troops fired into the air in the morning after a Cambodian soldier's rifle accidentally discharged several shots, Cambodian troops said, while a Cambodian commander could be heard telling his soldiers to hide behind trees.

"The situation at the border is quiet now and back to normal," Cambodian commander Yem Pem said, adding that troops were on "24-hour alert."

Soldiers exchanged rocket, machinegun and mortar fire Friday, damaging the staircase of the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, following a brief skirmish earlier in the day, officials said.

One Thai soldier was killed and another died in hospital later, while 10 others were injured, said the Thai military. Cambodian officials reported no casualties.

A Thai military official said nine soldiers were still being treated in hospital, with two of them in critical condition.

Cambodia's foreign ministry said the violence damaged a government office and local market. Hundreds of Cambodians who lost their homes in the fighting were evacuated to a school 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.

"We were so frightened because the situation was so tense," said Chum Vanna, 27, who was evacuated with her husband and children.

"I'm very angry with the Thai soldiers. All of my belongings were completely burned. We came here with just a few clothes," she added.

The area saw several clashes last year after Cambodia received United Nations World Heritage status for the temple ruins in July. Four soldiers were killed in a firefight in October.

But Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart were keen to diffuse the latest crisis, both sides insisting usual border committee talks would proceed along with meetings scheduled at a key regional summit next week.

"It is normal that every side has the right to self-defence. If they come, it happens. And as we enter their territory they also have the right to fire at us," Hun Sen said during a visit to the southern province of Kampot.

"But we consider this (clash) an incident. I don't call it a war... We are very sorry. We don't want Cambodian or Thai soldiers to die," he added.

"I think (the talks) must go ahead," Thai Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters. "We don't want to see clashes and losses on either side."

Thai army chief General Anupong Paojinda said Cambodian and Thai officials were in talks to defuse the stand off.

"High level officials are talking to each other with good mutual understanding. There are no problems," he said.

Hun Sen and Abhisit are due to join a summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations and key regional partners in Thailand from Friday.

Singapore, meanwhile, urged both sides to "exercise utmost restraint in the broader interests of the region."

Friday's clashes came three days after Hun Sen warned Thailand not to allow its troops to cross into disputed land. Bangkok denies claims that 100 soldiers went over the frontier a week ago.

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads for decades over the site perched on a forested cliff overlooking green swathes of countryside.

The World Court in 1962 awarded the ruins to Cambodia, but the most accessible entrance is in Thailand, and some of the disputed land is yet to be demarcated.

Read more!

Troops standby after clash at Cambodia-Thai border

Saturday, April 04, 2009

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AFP) — Troops were on alert at the disputed Cambodian-Thai border Saturday, after heavy gunbattles left at least two soldiers dead a day earlier, Cambodian officials said.

The mood was tense after the fighting Friday, which was the biggest flare-up for months in a bitter feud over territory near an ancient temple.

"The situation at the border is quiet now and back to normal, but as usual, our soldiers are on 24-hour alert," said Yem Pem, a Cambodian commander stationed in the disputed area.
Soldiers exchanged rocket, machinegun and mortar fire on Friday near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple on the frontier, following a brief skirmish earlier in the day, officials from both sides said.

Hundreds of Cambodians who live near the ancient Khmer temple could be seen fleeing the area Saturday, after their homes and the local market were destroyed in the fighting.

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.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sought to downplay the latest incident during a Saturday speech to handicapped veterans and villagers in the southern province of Kampot.

"It is normal that every side has the right to self-defence. If they come, it happens. And as we enter their territory they also have the right to fire at us," Hun Sen told the crowd.

"But we consider this (clash) an incident. I don't call it a war... We are very sorry. We don't want Cambodian or Thai soldiers to die," he added.

One Thai soldier was killed at the site of the clash on Friday and another died in hospital later, while 10 others were injured, said the Thai military. Cambodian officials reported they suffered no casualties.

A Thai military official said nine soldiers were still being treated in two hospitals in the northeastern Thai city of Ubon Ratchathani, with two of them in critical condition.

Thailand's defence minister, General Prawit Wongsuwon, would visit the injured soldiers later Saturday she added.

The clashes came three days after Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed into disputed land. 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, 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 address the latest clash on Monday and Tuesday in Phnom Penh.

Cambodia's Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva are due to take part in a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and key regional partners in Thailand from Friday.

Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said the latest clashes would not affect scheduled talks between the two sides.

"Plans for all of our programmes remain the same, including the ASEAN meeting and joint border talks between Cambodia and Thailand," Koy Kuong said.

Read more!

Cambodia PM says Thai border conflict "not a war"

By Ek Madra

PHNOM PENH, April 4 (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.

"I regard the fighting yesterday as an incident, not a war," Hun Sen said a day after Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged rifle and rocket fire near the Preah Vihear temple that has been a source of tension for decades.
Cambodia suffered no casualties, while Thai authorities said two of their soldiers were killed and nine wounded in the worst fighting since a military stand-off near the temple last year.

"I don't want to see these incidents repeated or fighting expand to other areas," Hun Sen told a group of disabled soldiers during a visit to the coastal province of Kampot. Both sides accused each other of firing first in two separate clashes on Friday, which Thailand called a "misunderstanding".

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.

A joint border committee set up to demarcate the jungle-clad border area after last year's clashes, which killed one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers, will meet again on Sunday for three days of talks.

Both sides have talked about developing the site into a tourist destination. The site is some 600 km (370 miles) east of Bangkok and only a decade ago was controlled by remnants of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrilla army.

(Additional reporting by Vithoon Amorn in Bangkok)
(Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Read more!

Thepthai: Thaksin sighted in Cambodia [... near Hun Sen's residence]

4/04/2009
Bangkokpost.com

Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has allegedly been sighted in Cambodia, says Abhisit Vejjajiva’s personal spokesman Thepthai Senpong. Thaksin was allegedly spotted near the residence of Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen.
Mr Thepthai said if this was true, the Cambodian government should clarify the matter with Thailand, similar to Lao PDR’s manner when it made clear Thaksin was banned from entering its territory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was inspecting this issue.

Read more!

Thai-Cambodia Authorities Downplay Border Clash

APRIL 4, 2009
Associated Press

Cambodia's prime minister on Saturday downplayed the border clashes that killed at least three Thai soldiers near a disputed 11th century temple as a mere "incident" between neighbors that would not break out into war.

Military commanders from both sides said calm had been restored after Friday's fighting, which saw troops exchange fire with assault rifles and rocket launchers along Cambodia's northern border.
Thailand acknowledged that three of its soldiers had been killed and 12 were wounded. Cambodia said its military suffered no casualties. Cambodia earlier said as many as four were killed.

"Yesterday there was brief fighting, but the fighting was like neighbors who live close to each other and always have disputes," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said. "Today they have a dispute, then they soothe things and talk to each other."

The border area has been a hot spot since Thailand took offense over Cambodia having the Preah Vihear temple declared a U.N. World Heritage site last year.

Although the World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple, also claimed by Thailand, is on Cambodian territory, many Thais still rankle over the decision. Thailand also maintains claims to nearby land where the fighting took place.

Hun Sen, who just a few days earlier had issued a fierce warning that Thailand would face tough fighting if its troops crossed into disputed territory near the temple, struck a conciliatory tone Saturday.

Smiling as he spoke, he described burst of combat as an "incident," not a war.

Hun Sen was speaking to several hundred people at a village he established for disabled army veterans and their families. The sometimes volatile leader was celebrating his 58th birthday.

He said Friday's fighting was triggered when Thai soldiers advanced into heavily mined territory claimed by Cambodia and ignored warnings to turn back. Thai officials denied any intrusion and said Cambodian troops fired first.

The Cambodian prime minsiter emphasized that the fighting left no Cambodian soldiers killed or wounded, with "not even a scratch."

Thailand's deputy regional commander, Maj. Gen. Tawatchai Samutsakorn, said three of his country's soldiers were killed and 12 wounded.

Cambodian armed forces commander Gen. Pol Saroeun said the situation along the border was now calm.

"There are no more confrontations, and both sides' front-line commanders will have negotiations," he said.

Leaders in both countries have a history of playing to nationalist sentiment in sovereignty disputes.

Cambodians are very sensitive to perceived slights by their larger, richer neighbor Thailand, which many Cambodians see as arrogant.

Domestic political power struggles in Thailand in the past few years have led to an upsurge of nationalist sentiment there that few politicians are willing to buck and some use for leverage against their rivals.

The tensions erupted in brief border clashes last year, killing two Cambodian soldiers and one Thai, and both sides have stepped up deployment of soldiers at the border since then.

Read more!

Cambodian PM calls for peace after border clashes

April 04, 2009
AP

Koh Sla: Cambodia's prime minister has urged for a peaceful resolution of a border crisis with neighbouring Thailand, a day after armed skirmishes between the two countries left at least three Thai soldiers dead.
Military commanders from both sides said calm had been restored after Friday's fighting, which saw troops exchange fire with assault rifles and rocket launchers along Cambodia's northern border near an 11th century temple.

Thailand acknowledged three of its soldiers had been killed and 12 wounded. Cambodia said it suffered no casualties.

The area has been a hotspot since Thailand took offence over Cambodia having the Preah Vihear temple declared a UN World Heritage site last year.

Read more!