Thailand calls for talks, but Cambodia not optimistic

A Cambodian soldier on guard near a pagoda at the Thai-Cambodia border

Buddhist monks pass Cambodian soldiers near the Thai-Cambodia border

A Cambodian soldier carries a grenade launcher near the ruins of Preah Vihear temple near the Thai-Cambodia border

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AFP) — Thailand said Sunday that a military standoff with Phnom Penh over disputed land should be resolved through negotiations, but a top Cambodian general said he had little faith in talks.

More than 500 Thai troops and well over 1,000 Cambodian soldiers are stationed around a small Buddhist pagoda on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

Top defence officials plan to meet Monday in a bid to resolve the crisis, which comes amid political tensions in both countries, and only weeks after the temple was granted World Heritage status by the UN cultural agency UNESCO.

In his weekly television address, Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said it would take time to resolve the dispute, but the commander of Cambodian forces in the disputed area said ongoing talks were fruitless.

"We have very little hope about the negotiations," Brigadier Chea Keo said on day six of the confrontation.

"We have only a little hope because the new Thai government has written a letter to our prime minister saying that the land they are stationed on belongs to them," he told reporters.
"We're on high alert," he added.

The dispute began after three Thai protesters were arrested on Tuesday for jumping a fence to reach the temple.

The standoff nearly erupted into violence late Thursday, when witnesses said troops pointed their guns at each other at the pagoda after 50 Cambodian troops entered the compound to protect food supplies for dozens of monks.

Samak said that it would take time and effort to defuse the standoff.

"The situation at no man's land needs negotiation," Samak said Sunday in his weekly address. "It has to be step-by-step ... They claim the area belongs to them. We claim it belongs to us."

Cambodia has sent letters about the standoff to the United Nations, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP.

"Cambodia's permanent mission at the United Nations has sent two letters -- one to the Security Council and another one to the chief of the UN General Assembly in order to draw attention about the situation," he said.

"After the Monday negotiations, we will decide what is the next step."

Cambodia's opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) on Sunday called for the government to withdraw its ambassador from Thailand and refuse to negotiate with their neighbours "as long as the Thai army remains on Cambodian territory".

"The only choice for Cambodia is no negotiation unless Thais withdraw their military," SRP lawmaker Son Chhay told reporters.

The renewed tensions on the border between Thailand and Cambodia come amid heightened political situations in both countries.

Cambodia is preparing for general elections on July 27, during which Prime Minister Hun Sen is expected to extend his decades-long grip on power.

He has portrayed the UN recognition of the ruins as a national triumph, organising huge public celebrations.

In Thailand, critics of Samak -- already the target of street protests against his months-old government -- have stoked the temple controversy to fire up nationalist sentiment.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia. But the most accessible entrance to the Khmer ruins lies in Thailand and 4.6 square kilometres (1.8 square miles) of the surrounding land remains in dispute.

Cambodia informs UN Security Council on alleged Thai incursion into its territory

PR-inside.com
2008-07-20

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodia says it has sent a note to the UN Security Council alleging that Thai forces have intruded into its territory near an ancient temple recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith says Cambodia's mission in New York has submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to «draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border.

He said Sunday that Cambodia was not asking for U.N. intervention and hoped to solve the territorial dispute peacefully.

Hundreds of troops from the two countries massed in disputed territory near the Preah Vihear temple for which Cambodia was granted World Heritage Site status earlier this month.

The two countries are to hold talks Monday.

Cambodia informs UN Security Council of alleged Thai incursion into its territory

The Associated Press
Published: July 20, 2008

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia: Cambodia has complained to the U.N. Security Council that Thai forces have violated its territory near an ancient World Heritage Site temple where hundreds of troops continued to face off Sunday.

Cambodia's permanent mission in New York submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border," Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said.

"Cambodia is not asking for U.N. intervention. We still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides," the minister told The Associated Press in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

The conflict over territory surrounding Preah Vihear temple escalated when UNESCO recently approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Thai activists fear the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land.

The tension that began Tuesday is centered on the compound of a Buddhist pagoda near the Preah Vihear temple complex. Cambodia and Thailand have both laid claims to the compound.

In his letter to the Security Council on Friday, Cambodia's U.N. Ambassador Sea Kosal said the provocative act by Thai troops was aimed at creating "a de facto overlapping area that legally does not exist on Cambodian soil." A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday.

Based on estimates of commanders and Associated Press reporters on both sides of the frontier, more than 4,000 troops have been deployed around the temple and in the immediate border region.

The forces were on the brink of a shoot-out Thursday night, which was avoided when Cambodians retreated from the pagoda compound occupied by the Thais.

Opposing commanders and their troops have tried to defuse tensions, sometimes even sharing meals, snapping photographs and sleeping within easy sight of one another.

A Cambodian general, meanwhile, said he had little hope that upcoming talks between his government and Thailand will resolve the matter.

Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said Thai troops have deployed artillery about half a mile northeast of Preah Vihear temple — the latest escalation ahead of Monday's meeting aimed at averting a military confrontation.

"Regarding the talks tomorrow, we have little hope about the outcome," Chea Keo said.

He said the reason for his pessimism stems from a recent counterclaim by Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej that the area around a Buddhist pagoda near the historic temple belongs to Thailand. Thai troops have been stationed at the pagoda since Tuesday.

Hun Sen wrote a letter to Samak on Thursday saying relations had been "worsening" since Thai troops "encroached on our territory," and asked him to pull them back.

Responding to his Cambodian counterpart, Samak said the area around the pagoda referred to in the letter "is within the Thai territory," according to a statement Saturday from the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

While urging both sides to exercise restraint, Samak's letter said the settlement of Cambodians in that area constitutes "a continued violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Despite their pledge to hold talks Monday in Thailand to try to defuse the tensions, both Cambodia and Thailand have massed troops at the site.

Maj. Gen. Weewalit Jornsamrit, a senior Thai commander at the border, said an estimated 1,300 Cambodian troops were deployed in and around Preah Vihear. Associated Press reporters estimated the number to be at least 1,100 based on interviews with local commanders.

Weewalit declined to give Thai troop numbers but a senior Thai officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive situation, said about 2,600 soldiers were in the Thai district opposite the border. Around 400 were seen in the disputed area.

"We continue to be on alert at all time. And at the same time, we keep instructing our soldiers to be patient and avoid being blamed for starting a war," Chea Keo said Sunday.

The dispute has taken a toll on tourism in the area, with the Thai side closed to visitors. It also is starting to hurt economic relations between the two neighbors.

Associated Press writers Ambika Ahuja in Bangkok, Thailand, and Ker Munthit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, contributed to this report.

Samak says Cambodia lodges complaint with UN over border dispute

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Sunday that he would no longer comment on the issue of border dispute with Cambodia after the neighbouring country lodged a complaint with the United Nations.

Samak said the issue would now be a matter under responsibility of the Foreign Ministry.

He complained that he earlier warned the government's opponents not to play up the issue but they did not listen to him, causing the situation to escalate until Cambodia lodged the complaint with the UN.

The Nation

Cambodia appeals to UN

The Bangkok Post

By Wassana Nanuman with Agency reports

The Cambodian government has launched a diplomatic offensive, alleging Thai "interference on its soil" at the Preah Vihear temple to the United Nations Security Council.

"The Thai ambassador to the UN has reported to the Thai government that Cambodia has filed a complaint with the UN over the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia," Thai government spokesman Wichianchote Sukchotrat said.

He said Cambodia wanted the UN to intervene and the Thai government would study the complaint before sending a letter to UN officials.

Military commanders from both sides said they were seeking to calm the soldiers to ensure that violence does not erupt ahead of peace talks planned for Monday.

The confrontation began when three Thai protesters illegally broke across on Tuesday vowing to reclaim the Preah Vihear temple, which they say rightly belongs to them.

US, Chinese, French and Vietnamese embassy staff flew to the disputed territory on Saturday, adding to diplomatic pressure to end the confrontation.

They toured the area and took photographs but did not speak to either side and declined to talk to reporters.

"They came here because they don't want to see a confrontation between the troops of both countries. It is useless for both countries if any armed conflict happens," Sao Sokha, commander of Cambodia's military police said of the officials.

Cambodian and Thai top brass briefly met in the small Buddhist pagoda at the centre of the stand-off Saturday morning to discuss disarming troops stationed there.

"The order from the top is to do whatever it takes to avoid a gunfight. I was talking with him (Thai army Colonel Chay Huay Soongnern) to tell him that the armed forces on the frontlines should stash their weapons away," said Srey Dik, Cambodian army commander overseeing operations.

The standoff nearly erupted into violence late Thursday, when witnesses said troops twice pointed their guns at each other.

The atmosphere was less tense Saturday evening, as some Cambodian and Thai troops put down their weapons and chatted.

Despite that, dozens more black-clad Thai troops were observed crossing into the border area during the day, carrying food along with their rifles.

Cambodian military officials said more than 100 additional Thai troops arrived Saturday, but refused to say how many Cambodian forces had been added to the standoff.

A heavy machine gun could be seen just beyond the border gate on the Thai side earlier Saturday, while a heavy gun faced Thai troops from the Cambodian side.

Cambodian troops, who have been banned from drinking wine to avoid any shooting, are positioned around the area and also stationed with Thais inside the pagoda, which sits on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

The Cambodian commander reiterated his country's claim to own the border territory, including the ancient temple site, and said other countries supported it.

Thai Asean chief urges border restraint

The Bangkok Post

Singapore (dpa) - Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has called for "maximum restraint" in the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, news reports said Sunday.

Mr Surin, a former Thai former minister, urged ministers from the two countries to talk, The Sunday Times said.

The tense confrontation comes just as Asean foreign ministers are planning to discuss further integration and cooperation. The 41st Asean ministerial meeting is to start late Sunday in Singapore.

"The ministers may wish to address the issue ... trying to encourage early resolution and maximum restraint, in order to avoid any repercussion on the image of the organisation," Surin was quoted as saying.

Cambodia reportedly wants the UN to intervene.

Referring to a possible bilateral meeting between Thai and Cambodia ministers, Surin said, "I think the ministers certainly will discuss the issue and try to encourage reconciliation as soon as possible."

Cambodians seek stability after decades of misery

The Financial Times
By Raphael Minder in Phnom Penh
Published: July 19 2008

Sovan, a cadre from the ruling Cambodian People's party, has been driving around Phnom Penh to rally voters for next Sunday's legislative election.

"We will certainly win," he says, his voice turned hoarse from shouting slogans into his megaphone.

Few Cambodians seem ready to dispute that prognosis. Although the CPP is being challenged by 10 opposition parties, the contenders have been weakened by internal bickering and high-profile defections.

Hun Sen, a former communist who has led the government since 1985 when Vietnamese troops occupied the country, is expected to secure not only another five-year term but also enough votes to end his coalition with the royalist Funcin--pec party, a power-sharing arrangement in place since Cambodia's first multi-party election in 1993.

In a country ravaged by decades of war and a genocide, the CPP's guarantee of stability appears to have more clout than calls for government rotation, particularly among a business community that has benefited from average annual growth of 9 per cent over the past decade.

"Until a few years ago, Cambodia was not considered investable because of a perception of political instability and a weak legal structure," says Douglas Clayton, who has been investing in south-east Asia for 20 years and manages Leopard Capital, a Cambodian fund. "We can now predict who will be running the government for the next five or even 10 years - and a government that is pro-business - which isn't the case in Thailand, Malaysia or the Philippines."

But legal concerns remain, with Cambodia regularly among the worst performers in international corruption studies. The World Bank has also been forced to shelve some Cambodian projects because of corrupt procurement procedures.

Stories of forced land evictions abound, while evidence that newly acquired wealth is often coupled with disregard for the law can be seen on the streets, where limousines and SUVs speed along without number plates.

As a latecomer to Asia's decade-long boom, Cambodia has benefited from some of the more recent difficulties of others. Its biggest industry, textiles, has grown as Chinese exporters have struggled with anti-dumping duties and, more recently, higher labour costs.

"This country is coming from a very low base," Mr Clayton argues, "so there is still a lot of low-hanging fruit and very little downside."

As long as foreign property companies continue to invest in redrawing Phnom Penh's skyline, government officials show little inclination to discuss Cambodia's underground economy.

"Corruption exists everywhere in the world," says Chea Vuthy, deputy secretary-general of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, the agency that vets investment proposals. "They [international agencies] can rank us wherever they want, but look at our GDP growth and improved living standards. If investors want to judge us by looking at the reports of the World Bank and others, it's better for them to stay at home."

In a sign that the government is worried that surging prices will weaken its power base, it stopped publishing relevant indicators at the start of the year after inflation hit 18.7 per cent, up from an annual rate of 5 per cent in 2007. A local economist says he has seen recent data showing inflation accelerating to 32 per cent.

The government also recently doubled reserve requirements for banks to 16 per cent, a move seen by some as evidence of panic. In Channy, chief executive of Acleda Bank, which has Cambodia's largest branch network, says: "By increasing reserves, they think they can reduce spending. I don't see how this is a good measure. It means we cannot effectively use collected deposits."

Economic hardship is expected to reduce voter turnout, which was above 90 per cent in the 1990s but fell to 65 per cent in 2003. The main textile workers' union forecast that 40 per cent of the country's 340,000 garment workers would be unable to vote, as they could not afford the trip to their home constituency because of higher travel costs.

The campaign has been marred by allegations of vote-buying and intimidation in the countryside, and unfair CPP control of the media, as well as some killings. Still, the Asia Foundation US development group said this week: "Although these reports are shocking and the methods unacceptable, the current situation is nevertheless a marked improvement from the characteristic suppression and violence of past elections."

Sam Rainsy, leader of the eponymous party that is the CPP's most resolute opponent, remains optimistic about next Sunday's vote, but also gives a bleak forecast should the CPP secure an absolute majority. "We will simply go the Burmese way," he said.

Preah vihear situation #2

Preah vihear situation #1

Border moves halted, pending Monday talks

The Bangkok Post

Thailand and Cambodia agreed to temporary suspend all armed forces movements along the Thai-Cambodian border at Si Sa Ket province which is adjacent to Cambodia's Preah Vihear province of Cambodia, and Thailand's Second Army Area Command is on round-the-clock alert, according to a senior Thai military official.

The Second Army Area Command is responsible for overseeing the northeastern provinces which includes Si Sa Ket.

Meanwhile, Pol.Lt-Gen. Vichienchot Sukchokrat, a Thai government spokesman, said he was informed by Don Pramudwinai, Thailand's Permanent Representative to the United Nations that Cambodia has asked for UN help in dealing with the border dispute.

The content of the Cambodian petition is not known to the Thai govenment, and Thailand is awaiting the details, he said.

Gen. Vichienchot said the pressure by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) earlier this week forced Cambodia to ask for help from the United Nations.

He added that Thailand's image was tarnished from the dispute, so he appealed to the PAD and other groups to stop their movement.

Thai News Agency reporters on the scene at Si Sa ket said that both sides of the border in the vicinity of the 11th century temple are quite tense after the two countries built up their armed forces along the border.

Second Army Area Deputy Commander Maj-Gen.Weewalit Jornsamrit said he was assigned by Second Army Area Commander Lt-Gen. Sujit Sitthiprapa to inspect the area and discuss the situation with Cambodia's Preah Vihear province deputy governor.

He said after meeting with Cambodian authorities that both sides agreed to suspend military movements that may cause further tension, but the military officials would remain stationed at strategic points pending the result of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) meetng to be held in Sa Kaeo province on Monday.

Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit would lead Thai delegates to meet Cambodian Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh.

Gen.Weewalit said the situation at other Thai provinces bordering Cambodia was normal.

Meanwhile, Gen. Sujit said he has ordered military officers under his command to be on alert for 24 hours as Cambodian troops had built up their troop numbers at Preah Vihear temple border side.

He believed that the GBC border meeting could find a joint solution to ease the tension.

The military standoff between Cambodia and Thailand entered its fifth day Saturday after the tension build up after UNESCO approved Cambodia's application to list Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site.

Thai activists fear the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land since the border has never been properly demarcated. (TNA)

Cambodia requests mediators

HE. Tea Banh

BORDER DISPUTE: The Cambodian military plans to take foreign observers on a tour of the temple at the center of an armed confrontation with Thailand

DPA, PHNOM PENH
Sunday, Jul 20, 2008, Page 4

Cambodia’s Defense Ministry announced it would fly military attaches from China, the US and other countries yet to be named to the Preah Vihear temple complex to view a border dispute first hand, local television announced yesterday.

The Khmer-language private television station CTN made the announcement in a lunchtime bulletin, adding that the tour of the temple by the international delegation would take place imminently and would be led by Cambodian armed forces chief Sao Sokha.

Although private, CTN is owned by powerful businessman Kith Meng and is viewed as close to the government.

Thailand has maintained the temple is in a disputed no man’s land and that a Thai presence in the area was not breaching Cambodian sovereignty. Cambodia disagreed and asked for the tour by international observers.

Meanwhile CTN announced Thai troops had withdrawn from a pagoda a few hundred meters from Preah Vihear and had camped in nearby jungle.

Tensions have been running high on the border since Cambodia asked UNESCO to list the temple as a World Heritage site despite there being a dispute over a 4.6km swath of land nearby.

UNESCO obliged earlier this month, but tensions spilled over on Tuesday when Cambodia briefly detained then released three Thais it said had illegally crossed the border, prompting first dozens, and then hundreds of Thai troops to follow in an alleged incursion.

On Friday, Thailand warned the situation was deteriorating but Cambodia has said it will not be intimidated.

“I would rather lose my life than lose my country’s territory,” veteran parliamentarian Cheam Yeap of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party said regarding the temple on Friday.

Meanwhile, Cambodia and Thailand continued to reinforce their troops along the disputed section of border area near the temple yesterday, even as they prepared for talks to avert a military confrontation.

Some 300 more Cambodian soldiers and 100 Thais were seen by reporters arriving near Preah Vihear late on Friday, although commanders declined to confirm those numbers.

Earlier, Cambodian Brigadier General Chea Keo said Cambodia had about 800 troops against 400 Thai soldiers in the area as the standoff entered a fifth day.

The countries are to meet tomorrow in an attempt to defuse the conflict over territory surrounding the ancient temple. Thai activists fear the World Heritage status of the temple will undermine Thailand’s claim to nearby land since the border has never been demarcated.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said the area around a Buddhist pagoda where Thai troops have been stationed since Tuesday belongs to Thailand.

Cambodia’s Chea Keo said troops from the opposing forces were on the brink of a shoot-out on Thursday night when Cambodian monks gathered to celebrate Buddhist lent at the pagoda about 200m from the ancient temple.

The incident occurred when Thai troops tried to evict about 50 Cambodian soldiers from the compound of the Buddhist pagoda, where they sought to camp for the night to provide security for the monks.

Cambodian prince calls for family's Khmer Rouge killers to be brought to justice

Telegraph.co.uk
by Nick Meo in Phnom Penh
19/07/2008

In a whitewashed mansion of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Prince Thomico Sisowath gestured wistfully towards a table covered with black and white photos of his parents from the happy time before they were arrested by the Khmer Rouge.


Outside, an election slogan blared from a van's loudspeaker, interrupting the murmur of chanting at a nearby temple.

Next Sunday, almost 30 years after his mother and father were led out to the killing fields after years of being starved and beaten in a "re-education" camp, Cambodia will go to the polls.

One of those standing for re-election is a man whose role in the camp where they were held has become the subject of a furious argument in the election campaign: Cambodia's foreign minister, Hor Namhong.


Early in the campaign, an opposition leader publicly accused Mr Namhong of having been a member of the Khmer Rouge, whose four-year reign of terror ended only after an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians had died from starvation or mass murder – about one third of the country's population.

Mr Namhong angrily denied that he was ever part of the Khmer Rouge and has always insisted that he himself was among its victims – as an inmate of Boeng Trabek, the special prison camp for the Marxist re-education of diplomats and civil servants, where Prince Thomico's family was also held.

The camp's name remains a deeply emotive one for Cambodia's educated middle and upper classes. For many, it was the last place where their relations were seen before they were taken away and murdered. Out of 3,000 men, women and children who were held there, an estimated 2,700 perished, Prince Thomico's parents among them.

The accusation against Mr Namhong is that he was among prisoners recruited by the Khmer Rouge to run the camp, and thus had a hand in the fate of its other inmates.

The editor of an opposition newspaper which printed the claims about Mr Namhong was jailed, and the minister threatened legal action against Sam Rainsy, the opposition leader concerned. Genocide investigators say there is no evidence against the foreign minister.

Even if there were, he would not be the only member of Cambodia's ruling party who was once in the Khmer Rouge.

The prime minister, Hun Sen, in power since 1985, has never denied that he was in the party for a time, although it has not been suggested that he was involved in the mass killing. But it is Mr Namhong, an ambitious politician in his mid-seventies who is described by both friends and enemies as a man with a brilliant mind, whose past has become part of the election campaign.


Prince Thomico would not be drawn on whether he held Mr Namhong responsible for the deaths of his parents. A small, wiry man with a mischievous grin, he spoke quietly but intensely.
"There is a question mark over who took decisions," he said. "This is very difficult for me and I have thought about what happened to my parents for 30 years. So have other Cambodians, though – the whole nation was bereaved."

He said that as a good Buddhist he bore no grudge against the foreign minister, who had personally assured him with an earnest handshake several years ago that he was not in a position of authority at the camp when his parents died. But he added that those who might have led the killings should be investigated, and justice done. "So many people had to join the Khmer Rouge in order to survive," Prince Thomico said. "Now the main problem is to find out whether they were in a position to give orders for murder or torture."

The fate of Prince Thomico's family was typical of almost anyone of his generation in Cambodia, whether royalty, middle-class professionals or peasants. His three-year-old daughter was lost in the chaos, and his parents were humiliated, then murdered. Five of his cousins, princes and princesses of the ancient Sisowath line of the royal family, are all presumed to have died in the killing fields, along with their 14 children.

No one has ever been charged with the murders, and there are no witnesses to any of their killings.

Now, semi-retired after a career in opposition politics, Prince Thomico, 59, lives surrounded by scented gardens and gilded spires in the palace, which was confiscated by the Khmer Rouge and used as a prison after it came to power in 1975. Recalling those grim days, the prince tells how his father, Methavi Sisowath, was Cambodia's ambassador to East Germany at the time, appointed by his uncle, the then King Sihanouk.

The king was so popular with Cambodians that the Maoist Khmer Rouge at first appointed him head of state. Like many other diplomats who were abroad as Phnom Pehn fell, Methavi swallowed his fears and answered the Khmer Rouge's call to return home, hoping that Sihanouk could protect him. "My father thought it was his duty to go home but I think he guessed he could be going to his death," said Prince Thomico. It was a fatal mistake. The next year, King Sihanouk was arrested, sent to the Boeng Trabek camp, along with Methavi and other family members.

Methavi's wife, Princess Anne-Marie, defied her children's pleas and also returned from Europe, to find him. They were reunited in the prison camp, and were last seen being led away in November 1978. No one doubts that they were killed soon afterwards, but how they died is one of the many questions about that time that haunts modern Cambodia. There is scant prospect of any answers. The prince is one of many disillusioned with the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, which has cost £25 million in the past two years and put just five men on trial

"It is painful, but I think this question about my parents' deaths will remain unanswered," said Prince Thomico.

Terror of the Pol Pot regime

The Khmer Rouge guerrillas seized power in Cambodia in 1975 after overthrowing King Norodom Sihanouk in a bloody agrarian revolution.

Led by Pol Pot, also known as “brother number one”, they declared “year zero” and set about abolishing money, private property and religion.

In a quest to create a peasant paradise they emptied the cities, forcing people to work as labourers in the paddy fields.

Anyone deemed too intellectual was killed, sometimes just because they wore glasses.
The violence was so extreme that communist Vietnam invaded in 1978 to install a more moderate regime and drive Pol Pot’s guerrillas back into the jungle.

Many former party members stayed in power, including Hun Sen, the current prime minister.

Too much adoration at Cambodia's Angkor temples

There are still moments when the temples, such as the normally popular Bayon, allow for solitude. (Paul Watson / Los Angeles Times)

The roots of a towering kapok tree clutch at the walls of Ta Prohm, which was built about 800 years ago as a monastery. (Paul Watson / Los Angeles Times)

Giant stone heads with enigmatic smiles have looked down from Bayon temple's 49 towers for centuries. Experts disagree on whether they are images of an ancient Khmer king, Buddhist divinities or the Buddha himself. (Paul Watson / Los Angeles Times)

Wear and tear from tourists has made the towers of Angkor's largest temple, Angkor Wat, unstable, and officials have closed them to visitors. (Paul Watson / Los Angeles Times)

Angkor Wat is reflected in a pool at dawn, a popular time for tourists to arrive. They are disgorged by the busload to get a snapshot of the sun rising from behind the temple. (Paul Watson / Los Angeles Times)

The 12th century Angkor Wat temple is the world's largest religious monument. Lost to the jungle for centuries, it soon could draw 3 million visitors a year if things go according to the Cambodian government's plans. (Paul Watson / Los Angeles Times)

Statues line a roadway in the Angkor temple complex in Cambodia. A decade ago, the site drew about 300,000 tourists a year. This year, more than a million are expected. (Paul Watson / Los Angeles Times)

The crush of tourists at the sandstone ruins is taking a toll, conservationists say.

By Paul Watson, Los Angeles Times
Staff Writer,
July 19, 2008

ANGKOR, CAMBODIA -- The ancient sandstone temples of Angkor have stood up to endless assaults down the centuries, from medieval raiders armed with clubs and spears to genocidal looters laying land mines.

These days, the onslaught begins in the early-morning darkness, when invading columns of buses, taxis and sputtering tuk-tuks converge on a dirt parking lot across from Angkor Wat's broad moat.

They disgorge hundreds of camera-wielding tourists, who march through the gray light toward the awesome gates of the world's largest religious monument.

Hindus constructed it in the 12th century, with a gilded central tower representing Mt. Meru, mythical home of the gods and the center of the spiritual and physical universes. They built it facing west, perhaps in honor of the Hindu god Vishnu, preserver of all things.

For today's tourists, the alignment has a more mundane appeal. It's a great place to snap a picture of the sunrise behind sprawling Angkor's best-known temple.

When the shutters stop clicking, tour guides herd their groups into the monument all at once. Tourists jostling for space bump, scrape and rub their fingers against exquisitely carved stone, adding to centuries of damage to the friezes of soldiers depicted in epic battle atop chariots and elephants.

By dusk, the mob of sightseers has moved to Phnom Bakheng, where buses drop off hundreds of people who then scramble for position on large, delicately balanced stone platforms at the small temple, Angkor's oldest.

Obscured from the road by dense forest, it was safely off the regular tour routes until sappers cleared land mines that Khmer Rouge guerrillas had placed to defend the strategic hilltop.

"Now it's suddenly become the destination where everybody wants to be at the end of the day to see the sunset, and to see the views, which are spectacular," said Bonnie Burnham, president of the New York-based World Monuments Fund. The nonprofit group helps conserve historic sites around the world.

Many of Phnom Bakheng's 108 shrines stand on platforms that have shifted over the centuries as water trickles in and loosens sand and dirt, and the tourists are gathering where they shouldn't. So many people have clambered up stones next to the crowded stairs that erosion is accelerating, with loosened sections poised to tumble, Burnham said.

"The platforms where people stand are not really stable," Burnham said. "They're eroding very rapidly. The magnificent sculpture on the shrine at the center of the temple is in very fragile condition and has not been treated for conservation yet.

"People shouldn't really be touching it, or going anywhere near it," she said.

Burnham's fund received almost $1 million last month from the State Department for a project to stabilize the eastern side of Phnom Bakheng, the temple's most endangered section.

As night falls, the tourists feel their way back down the hill and onto air-conditioned buses. They're delivered to their hotels in nearby Siem Reap, where they rinse off the sweat of a long day's touring with a dip in the pool or a soothing shower before dinner.

As the taps open up, more of the dwindling ground water is drained. UNESCO has warned that the receding water table could undermine Angkor Wat's fragile foundations, causing the temple to gradually sink.

There hasn't been enough research to say how much the heavy demand for water affects Angkor Wat's stability, said Dougald O'Reilly, a Canadian archaeologist who heads , a nonprofit group working to protect Cambodia's historic sites from looters and overuse.

A decade ago, about 300,000 tourists visited Angkor Wat each year. It was possible to have a quiet, spiritual moment alone in nearby temples that had been swallowed up by the jungle.

But peace, after decades of civil war and upheaval, opened the tourism floodgates. More than a million people are expected to file through Angkor Wat's narrow stone corridors this year, and the government hopes to draw 3 million to the site by 2010.

With more hotels and resorts on the drawing board, conservationists are pushing hard to prevent a destructive free-for-all of development and tourism.

"It's going to mean some sacrifices," Burnham said. "People aren't going to be able to do some of the things, in an unregulated way, that they've been permitted to do in the past."

Angkor's temples aren't new to the indignities of visitors with sharp elbows.

Numerous armies have barged through the city-state founded 1,200 years ago. Its temples were abandoned to the jungle during almost half that period. Angkor Wat suffered its worst damage when Khmer Rouge fighters looted it in the late 1970s as they were committing mass murder in the name of an agrarian revolution.

Foreign donors and governments, led by the U.S., France and Japan, have spent as much as $50 million over the last 15 years to repair the scars of time and abuse. But the work is far from finished, and new threats are building.

Sokimex Group, which has used its connections with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to become the country's biggest company, plans to build a 900-room hotel and spa, with shopping mall, water park, slot machines and conference center, on a 56-acre site in Siem Reap.

Sokimex also controls the ticket concession to Angkor. Passes cost $20 a day, $40 for three days and $60 a week. It's small change for a company that deals in oil, gas stations, pharmaceutical products, garment making, property development and luxury hotels and resorts, in addition to running an airline.

Sokimex's share of the admission take is set by a contract with the government, and Burnham said it leaves most of the profit in the company's hands. One-third of the revenue is supposed to go to Apsara, a Cambodian agency set up by royal decree to preserve the Angkor sites and manage development.

But some people dispute the ticket sales figures, saying Apsara -- which takes its name from the heavenly nymphs of Hindu and Buddhist mythology whose bare-breasted figures adorn the Angkor temple walls -- gets enough only to cover basic expenses.

"Apsara has virtually no money for conservation," Burnham said. "All of the conservation at Angkor is being done through international assistance.

"The effect of millions of feet pounding on Angkor Wat's steps and floors already has led officials to close some areas. The towers, the tallest of which rises 213 feet, are off limits because the constant wear and tear made the structures unsafe.

A first step toward reducing congestion could be as simple as insisting that visitors walk through Angkor Wat in the same direction, from beginning to end, Burnham said.

She also wants to see Cambodian officials set time constraints on tickets for the busiest of Angkor's temples, to limit pressure during peak hours.

The day may come when a strict quota is placed on the number of visitors allowed at certain monuments, Burnham said. But O'Reilly hopes to avoid that by persuading tourists and their guides to make better choices.

O'Reilly is deputy director of the Greater Angkor Project, a team of researchers at Australia's University of Sydney who in recent years have discovered how vast ancient Angkor was by studying images taken by NASA satellites and an ultralight plane.

Their theory is that the city's 15th century collapse occurred largely because people neglected their environment, cutting down too many trees to expand rice paddies, causing waterways to fill with silt.

If they're right, it's a cautionary tale for the 21st century, as overdevelopment threatens the magnificent buildings and art that ancient Angkor left behind.

paul.watson@latimes.com

World Bank Granted US$30 Million to Cambodia to Support Big Health Projects

Posted on 20 July 2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 569

“Phnom Penh: The Ministry of Economy and Finance released information that the World Bank has provided a credit of approximately US$30 million to the Royal Government of Cambodia to support the Second Health Sector Support Program [HSSP2], which is a project to promote the health care of Cambodian people, especially it focuses on the health of women, of children, and of the poor.

“Senior Minister and the Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr. Keat Chhon, representing Cambodia, signed an agreement to accept the credit with Mr. Ian Porter, Country Director of the World Bank for Cambodia, on Thursday evening [17 June 2008] at the Ministry of Finance.

“According to an announcement of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the project to support the HSSP2 of the Royal Government of Cambodia will be implemented for a period of five years, and up to US$130 million will be spent in total. Now, the World Bank agreed to provide US$30 million, the Australian Agency for International Development [AusAID] granted US$30 million as grant aid, the Department for International Development [DFID] of Britain granted US$50, and the Royal Government of Cambodia contributes US$20 million.

“Senior Minister Keat Chhon said during the signing ceremony that this project aims to support the health strategies of the Royal Government, to promote accesses to, and to receive and to use efficient and qualified health services. He added that the project will be organized following a new mechanism by transferring and by supplying primary health services from non-government organizations to health staff at lower national levels.

“He continued that this project has been created to support the implementation of the 2008 to 2015 health strategic plan of the Royal Government, specifically, this project will contribute to help the Cambodian government to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the health sector.

The three Millennium Development Goals in the health sector are (among eight goals):

4.Reduce child mortality
5.Improve maternal health
6.Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

“Professor Eng Huot, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Health, said that over the past decade, the health of Cambodian citizens is improving significantly. The life expectation of men increased from 52 to 58 years, and for women from 56 to 74 years; infant and child mortality declined, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been arrested.

“He added that Cambodia still faces several big problems – the maternity death rate is high, the improvement of the malnutrition situation is slow, health services are expensive, health care is not qualified yet, and accidents and noninfectious diseases increase. He went on to say that now, because of the support through the credit granted by the World Bank and by many other development partners, we expect that these major problems will be reduced.

“Also, Mr. Ian Porter said that the World Bank has been involved to promote the health sector in Cambodia since 1996 through two projects: one project to get rid of infectious diseases, and another project to support the health sector. He continued that the Bank is very pleased to see the HSSP2 off the ground, in line with the Country Assistance Strategy for Cambodia.”

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4645, 19.7.2008

Military Border Standoff Enters Fifth Day

A Cambodian monk walks past a Thai soldier near Preah Vihear temple Saturday.

By Reporters, VOA Khmer
Original reports from Cambodia and Washington
19 July 2008

Military attaches from at least four countries and Cambodia's top military police commander traveled to Preah Vihear temple near the Thai border Saturday, as a military standoff entered its fifth day.

The military attaches, from Vietnam, China, the US and France, joined Lt. Gen. Sao Sokha near the temple, and soldiers told VOA Khmer the situation was stable.

The military attaches had come in the capacity of "tourists," in order to see the reality of the confrontation, Sao Sokha told reporters Saturday. The diplomats don't want to see either country have a confrontation, which would destroy the mutual interests of both countries, he said.

At least 1,600 soldiers from both sides now occupy land surrounding Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda, known in Cambodia as the Prasat pagoda.

Thai Division 6 commander Col. Huong Songnoeun told VOA Khmer Saturday there would be no fighting.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej sent a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen Friday claiming the construction of the pagoda 200 meters west of Preah Vihear temple was a violation of existing agreements.

"The establishment of the Cambodian community, including construction of a temple and houses, and the stationing of the Cambodian military personnel in the area constitute a continued violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Thai Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to Agence France-Presse.

Cambodian officials maintain the pagoda and the temple belong to Cambodia.

The week's tensions surround the inclusion of Preah Vihear temple on Unesco's World Heritage list, a decision that sparked opposition protests in Bangkok and led to the resignation of Thailand's foreign minister.

Cambodia Watchdog Council International issued a request to Unesco Thursday asking the organization to request a Thai withdrawal of troops.

Thai and Cambodian soldiers in the pagoda and surrounding land have been mingling together in past days, but they nearly clashed on Thursday, when Thai troops pointed weapons at Cambodian soldiers trying to enter the pagoda.

A joint border committee is scheduled to meet over the standoff on Monday.

Thailand sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day

Thai soldiers on a truck head to reinforce colleagues at a camp along the Thai-Cambodian border July 19, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia have deployed troops in a stand-off over the 900-year-old Preah Vihear Hindu temple.REUTERS/Nopporn Wong-Anan (THAILAND)

A Thai soldier examines his M-16 rifle in front of a 105mm artillery gun that will be sent to reinforce soldiers at a camp along the Thai-Cambodian border July 19, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over the Preah Vihear temple.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

A Thai man and his daughter pose for a photo with a 105mm artilery gun heading to reinforce soldiers at a camp along the Thai-Cambodian border July 19, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over the Preah Vihear temple.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Thai soldiers sit in a truck towing a 105mm artillery gun in a convoy heading to reinforce soldiers at a camp along the Thai-Cambodian border July 19, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over the Preah Vihear temple.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

A Thai soldier holds on to the barrel of a 105mm artillery gun that will be sent to reinforce soldiers at a camp along the Thai-Cambodian border July 19, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over the Preah Vihear temple.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Thai soldiers sit in a truck towing a 105mm artillery gun during a convoy heading to reinforce soldiers at a camp along the Thai-Cambodian border July 19, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over the Preah Vihear temple.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Thai soldiers waits in front of a 105mm artillery gun, part of a convoy heading to reinforce soldiers at a camp along the Thai-Cambodian border July 19, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over the Preah Vihear temple.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Thai soldiers on a truck head to reinforce colleagues at a camp along the Thai-Cambodian border July 19, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over the Preah Vihear temple.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Thailand: Demonstrators won't stop anti-gov't protest

Mathaba News Network
2008/07/19
From: MNN

Pledged to bringing down the Thai government, the People's Alliance for Democracy ''PAD'', will not stop its marathon demonstration demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, despite the request of pro-government groups, according to retired Maj-Gen. Chamlong Srimuang.

Gen. Chamlong, a core leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, said a pro-government group had presented a letter to the PAD asking its members and supporters to cease their ongoing demonstration in central Bangkok on August 12, the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.

The letter said if the rally continues, it would demonstrate that the PAD does not respect the Royal institution. But Gen. Chamlong said the democracy-activist group's members had always shown respect to the Royal institution and had also urged the government to pay attention in a like manner.

He also urged government, military and provincial officials to help prevent future clashes between PAD members and supporters with local residents people as the PAD leaders cannot control demonstrators in each province.

The former Bangkok governor was referring to Thursday's clash between the PAD and local residents in Si Sa Ket province near Preah Vihear temple in which a number of persons from both sides were injured.

The PAD members wanted to march to the temple ruins to protest Cambodia's listing of the temple as a World Heritage site. They were unable to reach the temple after the clash because the army and police had blocked the roads with barbed wire and wooden barricades which succeeded in keeping them out.

Gen. Chamlong said that the PAD rally in the provinces is beyond the control of the PAD leaders because demonstrators voluntarily came and joined it from various locations and communities. (TNA)

Cambodia asks for UN help in Thai border stand-off: Thailand

Cambodian Buddhist monks sit alongside Cambodian soldiers on a road leading to the disputed Preah Vihear temple

AFP - Cambodia has asked the United Nations to intervene in its border dispute with Thailand, a Thai official said on Saturday, the fifth day of a tense stand-off between the neighbours.

More than 600 Thai troops and well over 1,000 Cambodian soldiers are stationed around a small Buddhist pagoda on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of an ancient temple at the centre of the territorial dispute.

"The Thai ambassador to the UN has reported to the Thai government that Cambodia has filed a complaint with the UN over the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia," Thai government spokesman Wichianchote Sukchotrat told AFP.

He said Cambodia wanted the UN to intervene and the Thai government would study the complaint before sending a letter to UN officials.

Military commanders from both sides said they were seeking to calm the soldiers to ensure that violence does not erupt ahead of peace talks planned for Monday.

The confrontation began when three Thai protesters illegally broke across on Tuesday vowing to reclaim the Preah Vihear temple, which they say rightly belongs to them.

US, Chinese, French and Vietnamese embassy staff flew to the disputed territory on Saturday, adding to diplomatic pressure to end the confrontation.

They toured the area and took photographs but did not speak to either side and declined to talk to reporters.

"They came here because they don't want to see a confrontation between the troops of both countries. It is useless for both countries if any armed conflict happens," Sao Sokha, commander of Cambodia's military police said of the officials.

Cambodian and Thai top brass briefly met in the small Buddhist pagoda at the centre of the stand-off Saturday morning to discuss disarming troops stationed there.

"The order from the top is to do whatever it takes to avoid a gunfight. I was talking with him (Thai army Colonel Chay Huay Soongnern) to tell him that the armed forces on the frontlines should stash their weapons away," said Srey Dik, Cambodian army commander overseeing operations.

The standoff nearly erupted into violence late Thursday, when witnesses said troops twice pointed their guns at each other.

The atmosphere was less tense Saturday evening, as some Cambodian and Thai troops put down their weapons and chatted.

Despite that, dozens more black-clad Thai troops were observed crossing into the border area during the day, carrying food along with their rifles.

Cambodian military officials said more than 100 additional Thai troops arrived Saturday, but refused to say how many Cambodian forces had been added to the standoff.

A heavy machine gun could be seen just beyond the border gate on the Thai side earlier Saturday, while a heavy gun faced Thai troops from the Cambodian side.

Cambodian troops, who have been banned from drinking wine to avoid any shooting, are positioned around the area and also stationed with Thais inside the pagoda, which sits on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

The Cambodian commander reiterated his country's claim to own the border territory, including the ancient temple site, and said other countries supported it.

"They recognise the facts. The truth is that Cambodia is the owner of the land here according to the 1904 French-Siam map," he said.

The mood among Cambodians worsened Friday evening when they got word of a letter from Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen saying the addition of Cambodian troops had caused the situation to "deteriorate".

The World Court in 1962 determined the Preah Vihear ruins belong to Cambodia, even though the most accessible entrance lies in Thailand.

The issue has taken on national importance in both countries.

Cambodia is preparing for general elections on July 27, while Thailand has recently been rattled by anti-government protests, driven in part over the handling of the land dispute.

Thailand, Cambodia halt military moves pending Monday talks

MCOT English News

BANGKOK, July 19 (TNA) - Thailand and Cambodia agreed to temporary suspend all armed forces movements along the Thai-Cambodian border at Si Sa Ket province which is adjacent to Cambodia's Preah Vihear province of Cambodia, and Thailand's Second Army Area Command is on round-the-clock alert, according to a senior Thai military official.

The Second Army Area Command is responsible for overseeing the northeastern provinces which includes Si Sa Ket. Meanwhile, Pol.Lt-Gen. Vichienchot Sukchokrat, a Thai government spokesman, said he was informed by Don Pramudwinai, Thailand's Permanent Representative to the United Nations that Cambodia has asked for UN help in dealing with the border dispute.

The content of the Cambodian petition is not known to the Thai govenment, and Thailand is awaiting the details, he said.

Gen. Vichienchot said the pressure by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) earlier this week forced Cambodia to ask for help from the United Nations.

He added that Thailand's image was tarnished from the dispute, so he appealed to the PAD and other groups to stop their movement.

Thai News Agency reporters on the scene at Si Sa ket said that both sides of the border in the vicinity of the 11th century temple are quite tense after the two countries built up their armed forces along the border.

Second Army Area Deputy Commander Maj-Gen.Weewalit Jornsamrit said he was assigned by Second Army Area Commander Lt-Gen. Sujit Sitthiprapa to inspect the area and discuss the situation with Cambodia's Preah Vihear province deputy governor.

He said after meeting with Cambodian authorities that both sides agreed to suspend military movements that may cause further tension, but the military officials would remain stationed at strategic points pending the result of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) meetng to be held in Sa Kaeo province on Monday.

Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit would lead Thai delegates to meet Cambodian Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh.

Gen.Weewalit said the situation at other Thai provinces bordering Cambodia was normal.

Meanwhile, Gen. Sujit said he has ordered military officers under his command to be on alert for 24 hours as Cambodian troops had built up their troop numbers at Preah Vihear temple border side.

He believed that the GBC border meeting could find a joint solution to ease the tension.

The military standoff between Cambodia and Thailand entered its fifth day Saturday after the tension build up after UNESCO approved Cambodia's application to list Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site.

Thai activists fear the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land since the border has never been properly demarcated. (TNA)

Thai Prime Minister Samak 'Note' Sent To Khmer Prime Minister Hun Sen

July 19, 2008

BANGKOK, July 19 (Bernama) -- Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given Cambodian Ambassador Ung Sean a letter from Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in response to the Khmer premier's July 17 diplomatic 'Note', Thailand News Agency (TNA) reported.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited Ung Sean to receive the letter on Friday.

Samak reaffirmed the Royal Thai Government's resolve to seek a just and peaceful solution to the situation in the area immediately adjacent to the Temple of Preah Vihear.

The Thai premier said he has instructed the Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces to lead Thai delegates to Monday's session of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) in Sa Kaeo Province to discuss issues surrounding the situation with the Cambodian side in a spirit of friendship and cooperation.

Samak affirmed that the two countries should use every means to prevent escalation of the situation.

The Thai prime minister emphasised that the area of Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda mentioned in the Cambodian Prime Minister's Note is within Thai territory, and that the establishment of a Khmer community, including building a temple and homes, as well as stationing Cambodian military personnel in the area constitute a continued violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Royal Thai Government has issued four written protests to Cambodia regarding this matter in 2004, 2005, 2007 and April 2008 respectively.

Meanwhile, the deployment by Cambodia of more than 1,000 troops, in addition to around 200 troops stationed there earlier, has caused the situation to deteriorate.

The Thai Prime Minister called on both sides to exercise restraint and hopes that the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission will accelerate its work to survey and demarcate the entire stretch of the Thai-Cambodian border so that similar problems would not arise in the future.

In addition, pending completion of the JBC's work in this area, the Thai side is ready to jointly explore with Cambodia possible interim measures.

Later on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited the remaining eight ASEAN ambassadors to the ministry inform them of the situation and present copies of the July 17 Note to Thailand and Cambodia's ASEAN neighbours, the July 18 Note from Prime Minister Samak to his Cambodian counterpart, including attached copies of the four aide-memoires which Thailand had earlier sent to protest Cambodian actions, as well as copies of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Thailand and Cambodia on the Survey and Demarcation of Land Boundary dated June 4, 2000.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also circulated all of the said documents to other foreign missions in Bangkok.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the four protests by Thailand to Cambodia were made on the basis of Article 5 of the 2000 MOU, under which both sides agreed not to carry out any work resulting in changes of environment of the frontier zone, pending the survey and demarcation of the common land boundary.

However, to date, no action whatsoever has been undertaken by Cambodia to address Thailand's concerns, protests and requests.

The four Thai protests were made on Nov. 25, 2004 protesting expansion of the Cambodian community and building Cambodian government offices in the area; on March 8, 2005 to protest against Cambodian construction and road improvements from Komui Village, Chom Ksan District, Preah Vihear Province, to Preah Vihear temple; on May 17, 2007 to object to Cambodia's nomination for Preah Vihear temple to be inscribed on the World Heritage List.

On April 10 this year Thailand reiterated all three preceding protests and requested Cambodia's immediate withdrawal of its military and police forces stationed in the areas under overlapping territorial claims between Thailand and Cambodia.

The overall situation at Preah Vihear at present remains stable.

-- BERNAMA

Thai Supreme Commander confident no border clash between Thai, Cambodia troops

www.chinaview.cn

2008-07-19

BANGKOK, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Supreme Commander of Royal Thai Armed Forces Boonsrang Niumpraditt Saturday expressed confidence that Thai and Cambodian troops would not clash although the troops have been built up along the disputed border line near Preah Vihear temple.

Speaking on a Bangkok radio station, Boonsrang said there will definitely be no violence.

Boonsrang said the Thai military will not employ violence to solve this problem. Instead, the military would use peaceful means in solving the border crisis.

He said the deployment of troops along the border would not affect the scheduled meeting of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee on Monday either.

Boonsrang has been assigned by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to lead the Thai delegation to Monday's meeting of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee at Sa Kaeo on the Thai-Cambodian border to discuss issues concerning the Preah Vihear temple situation with Cambodia.

Both countries have claimed sovereignty over a 4.6 square kilometers area adjacent to the temple, which the International Court of Justice awarded, together with the land it occupies, to Cambodia in 1962. The decision has rankled the Thais ever since.

The security situation around the temple deteriorated after three Thais were briefly detained by Cambodian soldiers after surreptitiously crossing into the disputed border area on Tuesday. The three people were released on the same day.

According to reports, both Thailand and Cambodia have reinforced their troops at and near Preah Vihear Temple, which straddles the Thai-Cambodian border atop the Dangrek Mountain and was listed as a World Heritage Site on July 7 by the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.

Editor: Wang Hongjiang

Foreign officials fly into Cambodian-Thai border standoff

A Cambodian soldier carrying B41 rockets walks past Thai soldiers (in black) as they stand guard near the Preah Vihear temple. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

The Straits Times
July 19, 2008

PREAH VIHEAR (Cambodia) - FOREIGN officials flew to the Thai-Cambodian border on Saturday as a tense five-day standoff between hundreds of troops led leaders to warn of 'deteriorating' relations between the neighbours.

US, Chinese, French and Vietnamese embassy staff said they flew by helicopter from the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh to the disputed territory on the border, adding diplomatic pressure to end the confrontation between more than 500 Thai and 1,000 Cambodian troops.

The Chinese and Vietnamese military attaches, along with French and US embassy officials, toured the area and took photos but did not talk to either side and declined to talk to reporters.

'They came here because they don't want to see a confrontation between the troops of both countries. It is useless for both countries if any armed conflict happens,' said Mr Sao Sokha, commander of Cambodia's military police.

Military commanders from both sides said they were seeking to calm the soldiers to ensure that violence does not erupt ahead of peace talks planned for Monday.

Cambodian and Thai top brass briefly met in the small Buddhist pagoda at the centre of the standoff on Saturday morning to discuss disarming troops stationed there.

'The order from the top is to do whatever it takes to avoid a gunfight. I was talking with him (Thai army Colonel Chay Huay Soongnern) to tell him that the armed forces on the frontlines should stash their weapons away,' said Srey Dik, Cambodian army commander overseeing operations.

Despite that, heavy machine guns could be seen just beyond the border gate on the Thai side Saturday.

Cambodian troops, who have been banned from drinking wine to avoid any shooting, surround the pagoda, which sits on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

The Cambodian commander reiterated his country's claim to own the border territory, including the ancient temple site, and said other countries supported it.

'They recognise the facts. The truth is that Cambodia is the owner of the land here according to the 1904 French-Siam map,' he said.

The mood among Cambodians became tense on Friday evening when they got word of a letter from Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen saying the addition of Cambodian troops had caused the situation to 'deteriorate'.

The standoff nearly erupted into violence late Thursday, when witnesses said troops twice pointed their guns at each other during 10 tense minutes at the pagoda when 50 Cambodian troops entered the pagoda compound to protect food supplies for dozens of monks.

The confrontation began after three Thai protesters were arrested for jumping a fence to reach the temple on Tuesday. -- AFP

Cambodian official confirms Thai troops stand down at border (Roundup)

M&G Asia-Pacific News
Jul 19, 2008

Phnom Penh - A Cambodian official at Preah Vihear temple confirmed Saturday that Thai troops had stood down from a nearby disputed pagoda as a delegation of international military attaches from Vietnam and China flew in by helicopter at Cambodia's request.

A Cambodian government official - speaking on condition of anonymity - confirmed local television reports that Thai troops allegedly stationed at a Cambodian pagoda within a few hundred metres of Preah Vihear temple had moved camp to a jungle clearing.

On Saturday Cambodia's Defence Ministry flew military attaches from China and Vietnam to the temple to view a border dispute first hand, local station CTN said.

The Khmer-language private television station said the delegation was headed by Cambodian armed forces chief Sao Sokha. The official said Thai troops had now moved back.

Thailand has maintained the temple is in a disputed no-man's-land and that a Thai presence in the area was not breaching Cambodian sovereignty. Cambodia disagreed and asked for the tour by international observers.

CTN is viewed as close to the Cambodian government.

Although other international attaches including the US were originally rumoured to be attending, in the end they were supplied by the two Communist nations, which are also closest regional allies.

Tensions have been running high on the border since Cambodia asked UNESCO to list the temple as a World Heritage Site despite there being a dispute over a 4.6-kilometre swathe of land nearby.

UNESCO obliged earlier this month, but tensions spilled over Tuesday when Cambodia briefly detained, then released, three Thais it said had illegally crossed the border, prompting first dozens, and then hundreds of Thai troops to follow in an alleged incursion.

On Friday, Thailand warned the situation was deteriorating but Cambodia has said it is determined to seek a diplomatic solution over the disputed territory around the 11th century Hindu temple.

Cambodian King Attends Reception at Chinese Embassy

By: iStockAnalyst

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)

[Xinhua: "Reception Marks 50th Anniversary of China-Cambodia Diplomatic ties"]

PHNOM PENH, July 18 (Xinhua) - The Chinese Embassy hosted here a dinner reception on Friday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cambodia.

At the reception, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jinfeng and Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni spoke highly of the all-round development of the Sino-Cambodia relations over the past five decades.

"In the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the friendly relations jointly created by leaders of the two countries have been attentively fostered. It sustains the fierce test of international drastic changes, and keeps consolidated and developed," Zhang Jinfeng said.

"During the visit of Premier Wen Jiabao to Cambodia in April 2006, the two governments announced the establishment of Comprehensive Partnership of Cooperation, which opened a brand-new prospect for development of the bilateral relations," she said.

The Chinese government will continue to provide assistance within its capacity to Cambodia, with the vision to further deepen the traditional friendship, expand down-to-earth cooperation and bring benefits to the peoples of both countries, she added.

While addressing the reception, Sihamoni extended his gratitude for the Chinese government and people, who have helped Cambodia to develop its economy and society, to improve living standards and to reduce poverty.

"On this magnificent occasion, I would like to strongly reaffirm that the Kingdom of Cambodia is embracing the one-China policy and assure that we always consider the People's Republic of China to be our most trusted friend," Sihamoni said.

"I strongly believe that the long term relationship and special cooperation of our two countries will be continuously strengthened and widened," he added.

China and Cambodia formally established diplomatic relations on July 19, 1958.

Originally published by Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 1558 18 Jul 08.

More troops, rhetoric in Thai-Cambodia temple row

Thai soldiers on a truck head to reinforce colleagues at a camp along the Thai-Cambodian border July 19, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over an ancient Hindu temple.REUTERS/Nopporn Wong-Anan

Cambodian military police (R) stand guard at the Preah Vihear temple, about 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 19, 2008. Cambodia sent extra troops to its disputed border with Thailand on Friday, as both sides insisted the flare-up over the ancient temple was unlikely to get violent. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Sat Jul 19, 2008
By Nopporn Wong-Anan

KANTARALAK, Thailand (Reuters) - Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over an ancient Hindu temple.

Despite the military build-up, both sides said they were willing to negotiate an end to the stand-off at the Preah Vihear temple, which has raised investor fears of a major confrontation.

The diplomatic sparring between Bangkok and Phnom Penh has intensified ahead of high-level talks on Monday involving the two countries' defense ministers.

Thailand summoned Cambodia's ambassador on Friday to respond to Prime Minister Hun Sen's charge that Thai troops had "encroached on our territory" and the situation was "worsening".

In a letter to Hun Sen, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Cambodian troops and buildings on the disputed 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) area were a "violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity".

But he added his government was "resolved to seek a just and peaceful solution to the situation".

The temple, perched on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary, has been a source of tension since the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia, a decision that still rankles Thais.

The listing of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site this month triggered a political uproar in Thailand, stoked by groups opposed to Samak, whom they accuse of being a proxy of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.

Thailand's main stock index has fallen more than 23 percent since anti-government street protests in Bangkok started in late May, and could drop further if border tensions get worse, analysts said.

NATIONALIST FERVOUR

In Cambodia, Preah Vihear has become a key issue in the run-up to next Sunday's general election as Hun Sen's ruling party and the opposition jockey for votes by stoking nationalist fervor.

"They should focus on issues like fighting poverty and corruption instead of using Preah Vihear for their political interests," said Kek Galabru, head of the LICAHDO rights group.

Lieutenant General Sujit Sitthiprapha, commander of Thailand's Second Army, said more troops were sent to the border after Cambodia reinforced its forces at the temple.

A Reuters witness saw a convoy of eight Thai army trucks ferrying several hundred soldiers armed with M-16 rifles to the border. In another convoy, trucks were towing heavy artillery guns.

"If things escalate, we can use those troops right away," Sujit said, although he added the soldiers at the temple "were still talking to each other".

Thailand estimates it is facing 1,200 Cambodian troops in and around the temple, although Phnom Penh disputes that figure.

Chea Mon, Cambodia's military commander at Preah Vihear, said the situation was calm at the temple where his men faced about 400 Thai soldiers.

"We are protecting our borders. We will leave it to government leaders to solve this issue," he said by telephone.

(Additional reporting by Ek Madra in PHNOM PENH; Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Cambodians buy food, oil over Thai border fearing border closure

MCOT English News

SA KAEO, July 19 (TNA) - Anxieties regarding an imminent border closure by Thailand over a disputed zone near an ancient temple led to over one thousand Cambodians to cross the border Saturday to stock up on dried foodstuffs and oil from a market in Aranyaprathet district opposite Cambodia's Poi Pet.

The Cambodians bought daily essentials to keep in reserve on worries that the Thai authorities might close the border following military reinforcements and tensions building in Thailand's Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket, where Preah Vihear temple is located.

Tensions in the area have increased in recent days as both countries have reinforced their troops near the disputed temple.

A Cambodian villager who crossed the border and bought food supplies said Cambodians in Poi Pet feared that fighting could break out.

He said Poi Pet residents believed that negotiations between the two neighbours' military leaders, scheduled for Monday and aimed at defusing the tensions, would be fruitless after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had demanded that Thailand withdraw its troops.

Cambodians believe that Thailand would not follow the Cambodian leader's request, said the villager.

Meanwhile, Thai Army soldiers and Rangers have set up a checkpoint at a border outpost in Aranyaprathet and are also patrolling the shared border to prevent Cambodians from entering Thailand illegally. (TNA)

Boonsang: Only military-related issues to be discussed at border meeting

MCOT English News

BANGKOK, July 19 (TNA) - Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit said Saturday he would confer only on militarily-related issues with Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh when they meet early next week.

Gen. Boonsang has been assigned by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to lead the Thai delegation to Monday's session of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) at Sa Kaeo on the Thai-Cambodian border to discuss issues concerning the Preah Vihear temple situation with Cambodia.

The talks will be held as troop movements from both countries are raising the level of armed readiness on both sides of the border in the vicinity of the 11th century temple which was awarded World Heritage site status by UNESCO earlier this month.

Speaking on a Bangkok radio station, Gen. Boonsang said he could not yet say whether the Thai troops stationing near Preah Vihear will be withdrawn as requested by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, in a diplomatic note sent to his Thai counterpart.

"It is better to wait for the outcome of the meeting first," Gen. Boonsang said, noting that . "the Thai military will not employ violence to solve this problem." Instead, the military would use peaceful means in solving the border crisis.

Gen. Boonsang said he had spoken with Gen. Teah Banh, calling for military commanders of both sides to order soldiers at the border to show restraint.

Both countries have claimed sovereignty over a 4.6 square kilometres area adjacent to the temple.

The Thai foreign ministry will be responsible in negotiations regarding the disputed zone and not the military because it is a "sensitive issue", Gen. Boonsang added. (TNA)