Cambodia duns Thailand for 2 million dollars in damages

Earth Times
http://www.earthtimes.org

Tue, 12 May 2009
Author : DPA

Bangkok - Cambodia has demanded about 2 million dollars from Thailand in compensation for destroying a market near Preah Vihear temple during a brief border clash last month, the Thai Foreign Ministry confirmed Tuesday. In a letter published on the Cambodian Foreign Ministry's website Monday, Thailand was accused of destroying a market in front of the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple on April 3 in during a brief border clash that left two Thai soldiers dead.

"A total number of 264 stands within the market were completely destroyed, causing great hardship and misery for 319 Cambodian families who have lost their entire livelihood," the letter said.

"The material loss incurred on these these families amounts to 2,150,500 dollars," it added. "The Royal Government of Cambodia demands that the Royal Thai Government take full responsibility for these damages caused by soldiers and to appropriately compensate the above losses."

Thailand has yet to officially respond to the dun, Thai Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Thani Thingphakdi said.

"We haven't responded yet but we have always said that the incident took place on Thai territory," Thani said.

On April 3, Thai troops crossed in to a disputed zone near Preah Vihear temple, about 370 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, after a soldier lost his leg to a landmine in the area the previous day.

A brief gunbattle between Thai and Cambodian forces ensued that left two Thai soldiers dead and several Cambodians wounded.

The two neighbours have a long history of quarreling over the ownership of Preah Vihear, an ancient Hindu temple perched on a cliff that defines their common border.

The temple, the object of disputed claims between Thailand and Cambodia since the 1950s, was granted to Cambodia by a ruling of the International Court of Justice in 1962.

But the court refused to rule on the sovereignty over the land adjacent to the temple compound, including its main entrance on the Thai side, that is now claimed by both countries.

Joint claims over the disputed area turned into a brief border clash in July 2008, which left two Cambodian soldiers dead and several Thais wounded, shortly after UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage Site despite Thai objections.