Cambodian soldiers (L and 2nd R) hold radios as they stand guard over a group of soldiers from Thailand (background and R) in the Preah Vihaer temple compound, 245km north of Phnom Penh, on July 16. (Photo: Reuters)The Irrawaddy
By SAI SILP
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Thai Air Force chief warned the public on Wednesday of the presence of live landmines in the disputed area around Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border, amid continuing tensions between the two countries.
Air Chief Marshal Chalit Putphasuk said, “Local people and protesters should be careful in the area because there is a high risk of danger from landmines.”
The warning came after a Thai ranger, Vilai Arom, stepped on a landmine on Tuesday during a patrol in the area. His right leg was blown off in the blast.
Meanwhile, three Thai protestors who made their way through a barbed wire fence on the Thai side into a disputed zone at the entrance of Preah Vihear temple in an attempt to protest by meditating were arrested on Tuesday by the Cambodian military. They were released the same day.
It was the first cross-border protest incident since Cambodia closed access to Preah Vihear temple to visitors from Thailand last month, after a group of Thai protestors attempted to march on the temple complex.
In 2007, the Thai government opposed Phnom Penh's application to annex 4.6 square kilometers of land claimed by both countries. The dispute was settled after Cambodia agreed last month to accept that only the temple site was on Cambodian land.
The case became a political issue when opponents noted that Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej’s cabinet had bypassed parliament when it endorsed the Cambodian application to UNESCO to declare the temple a World Heritage Site. The temple site was ruled to be on Cambodian soil by the International Court of Justice in 1962.
So far, 100,000 Thais have signed a petition in opposition to declaring the temple the property of Cambodia and a World Heritage Site, according to Wanwipa Charoonrote of the Thai Studies Institute, in a report on the Thailand Public Relations Web site.
On Wednesday, Cambodian officials said more Thai soldiers entered their country's territory on Wednesday in the second day of alleged border incursions amid tensions over the disputed land near the temple.
Thai officials denied any incursions, and said troops were deployed on Thai territory to protect the country's sovereignty, according to a report by The Associated Press on Wednesday.
A senior Thai military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AP, however, that about 200 Thai troops were inside what he called "disputed border territory."
By SAI SILP
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Thai Air Force chief warned the public on Wednesday of the presence of live landmines in the disputed area around Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border, amid continuing tensions between the two countries.
Air Chief Marshal Chalit Putphasuk said, “Local people and protesters should be careful in the area because there is a high risk of danger from landmines.”
The warning came after a Thai ranger, Vilai Arom, stepped on a landmine on Tuesday during a patrol in the area. His right leg was blown off in the blast.
Meanwhile, three Thai protestors who made their way through a barbed wire fence on the Thai side into a disputed zone at the entrance of Preah Vihear temple in an attempt to protest by meditating were arrested on Tuesday by the Cambodian military. They were released the same day.
It was the first cross-border protest incident since Cambodia closed access to Preah Vihear temple to visitors from Thailand last month, after a group of Thai protestors attempted to march on the temple complex.
In 2007, the Thai government opposed Phnom Penh's application to annex 4.6 square kilometers of land claimed by both countries. The dispute was settled after Cambodia agreed last month to accept that only the temple site was on Cambodian land.
The case became a political issue when opponents noted that Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej’s cabinet had bypassed parliament when it endorsed the Cambodian application to UNESCO to declare the temple a World Heritage Site. The temple site was ruled to be on Cambodian soil by the International Court of Justice in 1962.
So far, 100,000 Thais have signed a petition in opposition to declaring the temple the property of Cambodia and a World Heritage Site, according to Wanwipa Charoonrote of the Thai Studies Institute, in a report on the Thailand Public Relations Web site.
On Wednesday, Cambodian officials said more Thai soldiers entered their country's territory on Wednesday in the second day of alleged border incursions amid tensions over the disputed land near the temple.
Thai officials denied any incursions, and said troops were deployed on Thai territory to protect the country's sovereignty, according to a report by The Associated Press on Wednesday.
A senior Thai military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AP, however, that about 200 Thai troops were inside what he called "disputed border territory."
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