Wed, July 16, 2008
The Nation
By Deutsche Presse Agenture
Bangkok/Phnom Penh - Cambodia will detain overnight around 17 Thai border troops who had earlier occupied a Cambodian temple after three colleagues were arrested before releasing them to Thai authorities, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Tuesday.
Some 40 Thai border guards entered Cambodian territory after Cambodia arrested and later released three Thais including a Buddhist monk, but border authorities said many guards returned voluntarily soon after, and the three initial suspects were released.
"Let me stress this is a very small problem that can be solved by local officials," Kanharith said. "The Thais entered Cambodia and Cambodia detained them. This issue will be finished by tomorrow."
The first trio of Thais, identified as Phicharn Thapsorn, 35, Chanikarn Singnok, 64, and Buddhist monk Khamphor, were detained Tuesday by Cambodian soldiers for trespassing in the Preah Vihear temple compound on the Cambodian side of the border.
They were reportedly members of a Buddhist peace pilgrimage group and had crossed into the temple area from Khantalak district, Si Sa Khet province, bordering Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, Monday night.
Si Sa Khet Governor Seni Chittakasem confirmed that Cambodian authorities had released the three men unconditionally Tuesday.
An estimated 40 Thai border police had crossed the Cambodian border into Preah Vihear temple to retrieve the trespassing Thais, alarming tourists and sparking urgent bilateral talks, but Kanharith said this issue was local and not of national importance.
"We did not even speak with the Thai government about this. It is a very local issue to that area," he said.
Hang Soth, secretary general of the government's Preah Vihear authority said earlier that around 40 black uniformed Thai border guards with guns arrived at the temple, but was in negotiations when contacted for comment.
Kanharith said not all the Thai troops were armed and that the situation was contained despite their overnight detention.
Cambodia has had riot police and military on standby at the temple since Thai protests began earlier this month.
Preah Vihear temple, known as Phra Viharn in Thailand, was named a World Heritage Site at a UNESCO meeting in Quebec earlier this month, despite Thai opposition to the listing.
The ancient Hindu temple, perched on a 525-metre-high cliff on the Dangrek Mountain range that defines the Thai-Cambodian border, has been the source of a sovereignty dispute for decades.
An ownership spat between Cambodia and Thailand led to a suspension of diplomatic relations in 1958 and eventually ended up in The Hague for an international settlement in 1962. Cambodia won.
The temple reemerged as a source of bilateral tensions in 2006 when Cambodia first proposed listing the monument.
Thailand succeeded in blocking the move in 2006 and 2007. Parts of the outlying temple compound are still in dispute.
Cambodia redrew the Preah Vihear inscription map this year, excluding the disputed territory. It was approved by the World Heritage Committee on July 7.
The Thai government at first backed the proposal, but then withdrew support when the issue became a political hot potato.
Residents of Si Sa Khet province, about 400 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, have been protesting the listing since early July, prompting Cambodia to shut access to the temple from the Thai side of the border.
Hang Soth said in an earlier interview that Cambodia believed the protesters had been paid by a political group in Thailand to remain.
The Nation
By Deutsche Presse Agenture
Bangkok/Phnom Penh - Cambodia will detain overnight around 17 Thai border troops who had earlier occupied a Cambodian temple after three colleagues were arrested before releasing them to Thai authorities, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Tuesday.
Some 40 Thai border guards entered Cambodian territory after Cambodia arrested and later released three Thais including a Buddhist monk, but border authorities said many guards returned voluntarily soon after, and the three initial suspects were released.
"Let me stress this is a very small problem that can be solved by local officials," Kanharith said. "The Thais entered Cambodia and Cambodia detained them. This issue will be finished by tomorrow."
The first trio of Thais, identified as Phicharn Thapsorn, 35, Chanikarn Singnok, 64, and Buddhist monk Khamphor, were detained Tuesday by Cambodian soldiers for trespassing in the Preah Vihear temple compound on the Cambodian side of the border.
They were reportedly members of a Buddhist peace pilgrimage group and had crossed into the temple area from Khantalak district, Si Sa Khet province, bordering Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, Monday night.
Si Sa Khet Governor Seni Chittakasem confirmed that Cambodian authorities had released the three men unconditionally Tuesday.
An estimated 40 Thai border police had crossed the Cambodian border into Preah Vihear temple to retrieve the trespassing Thais, alarming tourists and sparking urgent bilateral talks, but Kanharith said this issue was local and not of national importance.
"We did not even speak with the Thai government about this. It is a very local issue to that area," he said.
Hang Soth, secretary general of the government's Preah Vihear authority said earlier that around 40 black uniformed Thai border guards with guns arrived at the temple, but was in negotiations when contacted for comment.
Kanharith said not all the Thai troops were armed and that the situation was contained despite their overnight detention.
Cambodia has had riot police and military on standby at the temple since Thai protests began earlier this month.
Preah Vihear temple, known as Phra Viharn in Thailand, was named a World Heritage Site at a UNESCO meeting in Quebec earlier this month, despite Thai opposition to the listing.
The ancient Hindu temple, perched on a 525-metre-high cliff on the Dangrek Mountain range that defines the Thai-Cambodian border, has been the source of a sovereignty dispute for decades.
An ownership spat between Cambodia and Thailand led to a suspension of diplomatic relations in 1958 and eventually ended up in The Hague for an international settlement in 1962. Cambodia won.
The temple reemerged as a source of bilateral tensions in 2006 when Cambodia first proposed listing the monument.
Thailand succeeded in blocking the move in 2006 and 2007. Parts of the outlying temple compound are still in dispute.
Cambodia redrew the Preah Vihear inscription map this year, excluding the disputed territory. It was approved by the World Heritage Committee on July 7.
The Thai government at first backed the proposal, but then withdrew support when the issue became a political hot potato.
Residents of Si Sa Khet province, about 400 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, have been protesting the listing since early July, prompting Cambodia to shut access to the temple from the Thai side of the border.
Hang Soth said in an earlier interview that Cambodia believed the protesters had been paid by a political group in Thailand to remain.
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