The Great Heroic King Samdech Euv Issued a Letter to Respond to Critics about the Sangkum Reastr Niyum Regime

Posted on 22 July 2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 570

“Phnom Penh: A Royal Letter of the Great Heroic King dated 19 July 2008, which was published [on his Internet website] for all compatriots who are his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, is his response to a not named political dignitary who accused the Sangkum Reastr Niyum [often translated as “People’s Socialist Community” or “Popular Socialist Community”] to have eliminated all political parties, so that there remained only one party: the Sangkum Reastr Niyum Party. Without making any comment, this Royal Letter is made know also here:

Royal LetterNorodom Sihanoukof Cambodiato his most Beloved Compatriots, Brothers and Sisters, Children, Grandchildren, and Great-Grandchildren

Phnom Penh, 19 July 2008

Yesterday night, a political dignitary said that the Sangkum Reastr Niyum regime eliminated all political parties and made Cambodia to have only one Party – the Sangkum Reastr Niyum Party - which started from 1954 to 1969.

Responding to this very unjust accusation, I would like to correct it and to tell the truths to our compatriots and to history as follow:

1.The Sangkum Reastr Niyum regime started in 1955, not in 1954.

2.The Sangkum Reastr Niyum regime did not eliminate other parties. In 1955, there was a national election to elect a parliament, monitored by the International Control Commission (officially called the International Commission for Supervision and Control [to supervise the cease-fire at the end of the French-Vietnamese military confrontation in Vietnam at the end of French colonial rule in Indochina, the withdrawal of foreign troops, the release of prisoners of war, and the overall compliance with the terms of the agreement]) in which there was India as president, and Poland as a representative of the communist block, and Canada as a representative of the democratic block as members.

“The triumph of the Sangkum Reastr Niyum Party was a sign of multiparty democracy, and the elections were 100% fair, as monitored by internationals.

“The results of the national election were announced by International Control Commission as follows:

The Sangkum Reastr Niyum Party won 82% of the citizens’ ballots
The Democratic Party got 13%

The Khmer Vietminh People’s Party got 3%

“Mr. Sim Va, who opposed Sihanouk 500%, was not happy with the 100% Sihanoukist Assembly. He got the permission from Preah Karuna Preah Bat Norodom Suramarit [Sihanouk's father] (who reigned as King after me) to dissolve the Assembly which supported Sihanouk very much. I resigned from the throne in 1955 and created the Sangkum Reastr Niyum Party, in response to requests of citizens who were Sihanoukists, in order to participate in the national election to choose a parliament, monitored by internationals.

“In 1958, there was another national election to elect a parliament. The result was as follows:

“The Sangkum Reastr Niyum continued to gain more successes than before. As for the Democratic Party that did to want to be shamed, it did not dare to compete with the Sangkum Reastr Niyum Party. The Khmer Vietminh People’s Party dared to join the competition, but it received only 1% of the ballots from the compatriots.

3.Samdech Krom Preah Sisowath Monireth, my uncle, told Lon Nol and Prince [Sisowath] Sirik Matak of their National Renovation Party and the Democratic Party that the fortress of the Sangkum Reastr Niyum was very strong; anyone who wanted to destroy the fortress of the Sangkum Reastr Niyum by an attack from outside would not be successful. Unless enemies could get inside of the Sangkum Reastr Niyum, the fortress of the Sangkum Reastr Niyum Party could be ruined.

“That was why Lon Nol, Prince [Sisowath] Sirik Matak and others joined the Sangkum Reastr Niyum Party in order to ruin it, by making a coup d’état on 18 March 1970 when I was not in the country.

“Hence, the accusation which says that Norodom Sihanouk made the Sangkum Reastr Niyum Party the only party is very unfair. But it was Lon Nol and Prince [Sisowath] Sirik Matak and others who had merged their parties into the fortress of the Sangkum Reastr Niyum in order to destroy it from inside when I was not in the country.

4.As for Prince Sisowath Yuthewong [the founder of the Democratic Party], I took as good care of him as I could. He wanted to stay at a royal palace belonging to the King in Kep, and in Tonle Bati; I, on behalf of the King of Cambodia, gave him and his wife, a French national, everything he wanted. My uncle, Samdech Sisowath Monireth told my mother that Sisowath Yuthewong and his wife acted like King and Queen, that was not like democrats!

“I pray in the name of the three virtues of the Buddhist trinity [the Buddha, his Teaching, and his disciples], to the angels who protect Cambodia, such as the angels who hold the huge white protective parasol, and to the spirits of all former Kings and Queens of the Kingdom of Cambodia, to take care of our most beloved compatriots, brothers and sisters, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, for the five Buddhist goods: Ayu [long life], Vannak [good complexion – having a good life], Sokhak [health], Poleak [strength], and Padepheaneak [wisdom] forever.

Thank you very much.

(signed) N. Sihanouk

Koh Santepheap, Vol.41, #6402, 21.7.2008

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:Monday, 21 July 2008

Thailand warns Asean off temple

The Bangkok Post

Thailand will not allow the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to play a role in resolving the border row with Cambodia, a government source said yesterday.

The source said the Thai intention was to settle the problem over the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple through bilateral negotiations rather than getting the regional grouping involved in the issue.

The border conflict between the two countries has raised concerns among Asean foreign ministers, who began their annual talks in Singapore yesterday.

"The situation has escalated dangerously, with troops from both sides facing off on disputed territory near the Preah Vihear temple," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a speech opening the Asean meeting. "Asean could not stand idly by without damaging its credibility."

Singapore, which chairs the meeting, on Sunday night issued a statement urging Thailand and Cambodia to exercise the utmost restraint and resolve the issue amicably.

Asean was also ready to help resolve the problem, the statement said.

Thailand and Cambodia informed the informal meeting of foreign ministers on Sunday night about the situation in the area immediately adjacent to the temple.

Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Bunditkul led the Thai delegation to Singapore.

Against the Odds: Hem Bunting

Cambodia's best Olympic hope says money - or lack of it - is his main problem

The Olympic athletes all live in a dilapidated stadium

BBC News
Monday, 21 July 2008

The lack of finance is a recurring theme in conversation with Cambodia's athletes

The BBC's Against the Odds series is following athletes heading to the Olympics despite huge hurdles.

Guy De Launey meets a Cambodian runner so poor he lives in the crumbling athletics stadium where he trains.

The BBC will meet him again after he arrives in Beijing.

Hem Bunting proudly fishes his medals out of one of a line of narrow, wooden lockers. One is silver, the other is bronze, and they confirm his status as one of the best distance runners in Southeast Asia.

At the SEA Games in Thailand last year, only one man could beat Bunting in the marathon. Just two finished ahead of him in the 5,000m.

Soon he will represent Cambodia at the Olympic marathon in Beijing, as one of just four competitors from his country.

Living in stadium

It is amazing that Bunting has come so far.

As he sits down on his simple wooden bed, with a mosquito net nailed above, he casts his eyes down the room. There are dozens of similar beds with barely enough room to walk between them.

This is where Cambodia's elite athletes live, all together in an improvised dormitory overlooking the swimming pool at Phnom Penh's crumbling Olympic Stadium.

Bunting says the living arrangements leave a lot to be desired.

"Sometimes my team-mates come back late at night when I am trying to get some rest," he complains.

Perhaps it would not be so bad if the morning starts were not so early. The sun has yet to rise when Bunting makes his way down to the dirt track to start his warm-up routine.

Second class citizens

Sometimes he restricts himself to laps around the perimeter.

That, however, is not ideal preparation for a marathon runner - especially as he has to swerve round crowds of early-morning exercisers shuffling round the track.

"There are too many people around," says Bunting. "I'm always having to slow down and swerve around them."

The elite athletes say they are often treated as second-class citizens by staff at the stadium.
On one recent morning they arrived to find the gates locked, and they were told they would have to train somewhere else.

The coaches were just as outraged as their charges - and, grim-faced, continued their track drills after everyone had squeezed through a gap in the perimeter fence.

No money for shoes

Bunting and his training partner Cheng Chandara mutter that it all boils down to cash.

If athletics were a rich sport, they reckon, they would not be facing these problems.

The lack of finance, however, is a recurring theme in any conversation with Cambodia's best Olympic hope.

He receives an allowance of less than $50 a month, which leaves him hard-pressed to cover his basic living expenses.

A pair of running shoes costs around double that amount, and with no corporate sponsorship Bunting finds it tough to buy the equipment he needs.

His relatives can only provide moral support - and even then, from a distance.

Traffic-choked streets

Bunting is one of nine children from a farming family in the remote province of Stung Treng, where sports officials spotted his talent at a provincial event and brought him to the capital.

Now he pounds the traffic-choked streets around Phnom Penh in the run-up to the Olympics.

With no large, green spaces in the city, putting the miles in means sucking up red dust and exhaust fumes from the lorries and SUV's which thunder past, and dodging the motorbikes driving the wrong way up the gutter.

At least it means that, unlike some famous marathon runners, Bunting has no concerns about pollution levels in Beijing.

With the Games just over the horizon, government officials and business people alike have started to wake up to the plight of the Olympian in their midst.

Several have pledged three-figure sums to Bunting to help with his equipment costs.
And despite all the hardship, Bunting is proud to be representing Cambodia.

"This is a wonderful thing that I can do for my country," he smiles. "Nobody else can do it - only me."

_________________

What do you think of Hem's story. Do you have any questions for him in Beijing. Do you know anyone heading to the Olympics "Against the Odds"? Send us your comments by clicking here

Talks Fail as Border Standoff Escalates

Cambodian military police patroled Preah Vihear temple Monday, as a military standoff escalated without resolution.

By Reporters, VOA Khmer
Original reports from Banthey Meanchey province and Phnom Penh
21 July 2008

Khmer audio aired 21 July 2008 (1.97 MB) - Download (MP3) Khmer audio aired 21 July 2008 (1.97 MB) - Listen (MP3)

Members of a Thai-Cambodian border committee failed to find common ground Monday as they sought resolution to a continued military build-up that has escalated to include tanks and artillery, officials said.

A Cambodian delegation remained in Thailand late Monday, but officials were unsure they would resume negotiations Tuesday.

Monday's meeting was not successful, because the Thai side asked Cambodia to discuss border demarcation that was not acceptable, Defense Minister Tea Banh told VOA Khmer.

Both sides have so far kept calm on both sides of the border, he added.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong meanwhile sent a request to Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo for an Asean inter-ministerial group to solve what he called a "grave situation" where "tension between Thailand and Cambodia is escalating."

"Thai troops with artilleries and tanks are building up along the border, constituting a very serious threat not only to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia, but also to peace and stability in our region," Hor Namhong wrote.

More than 4,000 Thai and Cambodian troops have moved to the border near Preah Vihear temple, more than double the number Friday, the Associated Press reported.

Cambodian troops remained in an alert posture Monday, although there was no sign of fighting.
Soldiers on both sides said they remained safe.

One Thai soldier told VOA Khmer he was impatient to leave and was not anxious to fight.

Thai officials maintain their soldiers are firmly on Thai soil, a claim disputed by Cambodia, which claims the land surrounding Preah Vihear temple, an 11th-Century Hindu structure dedicated to the god Shiva.

The temple's July 7 inclusion on a Unesco World Heritage site list was celebrated in Cambodia but led to a political crisis in Thailand. On July 8, a contingent of Thai troops entered a pagoda claimed by Cambodia following the detention by Cambodian police of three Thai protesters in the temple.

Soldiers on both sides of the border at Preah Vihear temple have been ordered not to drink, as the standoff entered its seventh day, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said.

Most villagers from the Preah Vihear area have fled for fear of fighting, but the situation remained calm Monday. Not all were prepared to go, however.

"I will not leave if there is no order for me to leave," said Van Son, 44, who lives with his wife in a small home at the top of the mountain, about 40 meters from troops north of the temple.

Lawyer Agrees to Defend Khieu Samphan

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
21 July 2008

Khmer audio aired 21 July 2008 (823 KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired 21 July 2008 (823 KB) - Listen (MP3)

Jailed Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan has chosen a replacement Cambodian lawyer, a professor of law at a private university named Sar Sovan.

Sar Sovann, a 69-year-old who studied law in France and returned to Cambodia in 1994, will represent Khieu Samphan as the aging former Khmer Rouge president continues proceedings at the tribunal.

Sar Sovann said Monday he had confirmed his appointment with the tribunal July 17.
Sar Sovann is replacing Say Bory, who resigned as defense earlier this month, and will join French defense attorney Jacques Verges.

He agreed to defend Khieu Samphan because "he and I are not enemies," Sar Sovann said.
"I have the legal action to defend Khieu Samphan, but I cannot guarantee Khieu Samphan will get out of the charges [against him]," Sar Sovann said.

Rupert Skilbeck confirmed Sar Sovann was selected, but he said no formal announcement has been made.

Prosecutors Send Final Charges for Duch

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
21 July 2008

Khmer audio aired 21 July 2008 (1.38 MB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired 21 July 2008 (1.38 MB) - Listen (MP3)

Tribunal prosecutors have sent their final charges, documents and evidence to the investigating judges in the case of Kaing Kek Eav, alias Duch, paving the way for the first trial of five jailed Khmer Rouge leaders.

Duch faces charges of crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, and crimes of torture and homicide. He was the chief of Tuol Sleng prison, where as many as 16,000 Cambodians were tortured and sent to their deaths.

A closing order must now be issued by the investigating judges, which will comprise the full indictment of the former Khmer Rouge cadre.

The prosecutors submitted documents related to interviews with 63 witnesses, including ex-guards and victims, investigations of 25 alleged crime locations and 27 interviews with Duch, tribunal prosecutors said in a statement.

Observers said the submission will bring about a trial date very soon, more than two years after the hybrid tribunal began.

"I believe that it would take one to three months to begin," said Long Panhavuth, a tribunal observer for the Open Society Justice Institute.

Hisham Mousar, a tribunal monitor for the rights group Adhoc, agreed with the timeframe, but said investigating judges will need to collect documents from both the defense and civil parties first.

"It would take two or three weeks' time," he said. "We can see all the documents sent to the co-investigating judges and then sent to the Trial Cahmber judges to make a date."

Media Remained Unfair in Campaign: Monitor

By Seng Ratana, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
21 July 2008

The vast majority of Cambodian media remained biased through the election campaign period, a committee of neutral observers said Monday.

In a report released Friday, the Asian Network for Free Elections said the broadcast and print media provided unbalanced stories in favor of the ruling Cambodian People's Party.

"Most [media outlets] have not been fair in broadcasting or writing news of political parties equally," the group said.

Candidates of the CPP have more possibilities for coverage in media, including images, photographs, activities and political message to voters, Somsri Hananuntasuk, executive director of Anfrel, said.

This year marked the first mission of Anfrel in observing Cambodian elections. In a three-week mission, they brought in observers from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Nepal and India.

The observers traveled to eight provinces, including Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, Kampot, Battambang, Banthey Meanchey, Siem Reap, Kandal and Takeo provinces.

In Cambodia, there are 24 radio and seven TK stations. Print media includes more than 300 outlets. Anfrel noted that besides, UNDP, NDI and NEC programming, non-ruling parties did not receive any coverage by these outlets, Anfrel said.

CPP lawmaker Chiem Yeap said CPP had a possibility of media coverage because it is the ruling party, and CPP rents time on both radio and television.

"CPP booked the time a year ago for broadcast during the election campaign," he said.

NEC Secretary-General Tep Nitha said he recognized the Anfrel observations, and he said the NEC has instructed the media many times to maintain professional and election standards.
However, NEC has no role to control the media, he said.

SRP lawmaker Son Chhay said the gap between ruling party and opposition party coverage were as far apart as "land and sky."

The Sam Rainsy Party has one hour per day aired on two radio stations, but the CPP uses nearly all the stations all the time, he said.

The unfair use of media is a major concern for non-governmental agencies, Hang Puthea, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, said.

Voters were not getting information from all parties joining the election, he said.
The NEC has allowed more than 24,000 local and 400 international observers from 12 countries.

Information Freedom Finds Support: Report

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
21 July 2008

A coalition of 18 organizations issued 15,000 booklets Monday that were aimed at raising awareness of the attitude and intentions toward freedom of information of the country's 11 competing political parties.

"The Platform Summary for Freedom of Information on the Eleven Political Parties Participating in the National Election," a 16-page summary of each party's political position on freedom of information, will be distributed to non-governmental agencies, political parties and voters, the group said.

All of the parties reported in the summary said they supported the passage of a law on the freedom of information, which was drafted in July 2007.

"The Freedom of Information Law is very important for Cambodians, because it allows citizens to have admission to information held in public bodies, whether the local commune council or a government department," according to a statement by the Advocacy and Policy Institute.

The Institute published the platform survey in conjunction with the Freedom of Information Working Group, which includes 18 organizations, including election monitors and prominent rights groups.

The law would "give the right for people to know about budgets and the cost of projects, for the media to have access to information on the procurement of ministerial projects, for members of parliament and government officials to have more access to information held by public institutions for investigations and audits," the institute said.

"Awareness of the freedom of information in Cambodia is limited," said Yung Kim Eng, president of the People's Center for Development and Peace, which was part of the working group. "It is very difficult to get important information, such as a draft law or national budget or contract on economic land concessions."

Thai-Cambodian dispute over Preah Vihear unresolved

SA KAEO, July 21 (TNA) - Thai and Cambodian officials failed to make headway in resolving the dispute over Preah Vihear temple that straddles the Thai-Cambodian border.

Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit and Cambodia's Defence Minister Tea Banh announced at a press conference in this eastern Thai border province following eight hours of informal discussion that the only issue two sides agreed upon for now is to refrain from using force.

As a result of failing to strike any agreement during the informal session, the two sides decided against convening the formal Joint Thai Cambodian Border Committee meeting.

Heads of the two delegations indicated that they will meet again after general elections in Cambodia.

Gen. Boonsang said no agreement was reached because of differences over the legal framework.

Thailand wanted to use the US version of cartography whereas Cambodia insisted on the French version of border demarcation. Both commanders said they now have to report back to their respective authorities for a political decision on what legal basis to follow in order to move talks forward.

But for now, Gen Boonsang and his counterpart are adamant that both sides will refrain from troop reinforcement, and to avoid escalating border tensions.

"The talks did not fail. We both gained and the concrete achievement resulting from the meeting today is that we remain at peace," said Gen. Boonsang.

Gen. Tea Banh, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, said both delegations have tried their best and have reached certain degree of mutual understanding, even though the joint border committee session could not be convened as originally planned.

Asked to comment on why Cambodia brought the case up to the UN, Gen. Tea Banh said the move was part of Cambodia's efforts to resolve the conflict and that the inconclusive talks today amidst tense border stand-off would not lead to violence.

The Preah Vihear issue is high on the agenda at the 41st Asean foreign ministers meeting which started Monday in Singapore. In the latestdevelopment on the controversial issue, Asean secretary general Surin Pitsuwan told Thai News Agency late Monday evening that Cambodia’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Hor Nam Hong had sent a letter to George Yeo, Singapore’s foreign minister and outgoing Asean chairman, highlighting tensions on the Preah Vihear issue had escalated.

The letter also claimed Thailand had deployed more forces to the disputed area. It’s understood an inter ministerial meeting on the Preah Vihear issue has been organised for Tuesday lunchtime on the sidelines of the Asean ministerial meeting.

Asean members expected to attend the talks include Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos.(TNA)

Talks fail between Cambodia - Thai; War is a good option for both countries?

We wish all of our Royal Cambodian Arm Forces at Preah Vihear to be healthy and strong to defend our peoples and our country.

___________

Bravo ! The Royal Khmer Army !!

Pictures From Koh Santepheap Daily News

Talks fail to end Thai-Cambodia temple row

21 Jul 2008
Source: Reuters
(Recasts with end of talks)

By Nopporn Wong-Anan

ARANYAPRATHET, Thailand, July 21 (Reuters) - Talks between Thailand and Cambodia failed on Monday to end a military stand-off over an ancient temple on their border, which regional neighbours feared could turn violent.

Hundreds of troops facing each other at the temple for the past week will hold their positions, Thai and Cambodian negotiators said after eight hours of talks.

"The best option is to stay where they are, but avoid using weapons," Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niumpradit told reporters.

Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said "it is impossible to find a solution at this second", but negotiations would continue at a later date.

The meeting took place in the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet, 380 km (235 miles) from the 11th century temple awarded to Cambodia by an international court in 1962. That ruling still rankles Thais.

At the heart of the dispute is a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) area around the temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary, that is claimed by both nations.

Cambodia complained to the United Nations Security Council on Friday about Thailand's violation of Cambodia's "sovereignty and territorial integrity", but did not ask the U.N. to intervene.

In a sign of easing tensions, soldiers at the site had agreed on Monday to keep weapons out of the temple itself, Cambodian commander Chea Mon said.

"We do not want any armed troops to disturb Buddhist monks who are praying there," he told Reuters.

NEIGHBOURS URGE RESTRAINT

The stand-off has revived memories of a 2003 spat over Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temple complex, which saw a mob set fire to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, and worried neighbours.
The 10-country Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) urged members Thailand and Cambodia to show "utmost caution and restraint" and offered to help resolve the impasse.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, opening the annual ASEAN meeting in the city state, said the "situation has escalated dangerously" and the group "could not stand idly by without damaging its credibility".

Analysts say domestic politics in Thailand, where the temple is known as Khao Pra Viharn, have played a big role in fuelling the border fracas.

Preah Vihear's listing as a World Heritage site this month triggered political uproar in Bangkok, where the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) accused the government of selling out Thailand's history by initially backing the listing.

The PAD, a coalition of activists and royalists, is waging a street campaign against Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, whom they accuse of acting as a proxy for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a coup in 2006.

"The PAD will use any tool, any instrument to bring down the Samak government. Khao Pra Viharn is a casualty of Thailand's domestic political crisis," Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a foreign affairs lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, told Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Ek Madra in Phnom Penh and Melanie Lee in Singapore) (Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Alan Raybould and Roger Crabb)

Thai-Cambodia meeting on military stand off fails to reach agreement

The Nation
Mon, July 21, 2008

An eight-hour meeting between Thailand and Cambodia to solve military stand off near Preah Vihear Temple failed to reach any breakthrough on Monday.

Both countries will remain number of their troops and weapons there and will order their troops not to use forces in the area.

Supreme Commander Gen Boonsang Niempradit and Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Tea Banh who chaired the special meeting of the General Border Commission emerged at a press conference after nearly eight hours of meeting in Indochina Hotel in Sa Kaew's Aranyaprathet district.

The meeting was called as the military stand off near Preah Vihear Temple reached the six days. Both countries deployed troops and weapons to a plot of 4.6 square kilometre near the temple. The Thai side claimed that the areas are overlapping zones while Cambodia claimed it is in its territory.

Both Boonsang and Tea Banh cited legislation and legal technicalities as obstacles in reaching any agreement on the issue.Gen Tea Banh told reporters that both sides tried to lower down the degree of tension during the meeting but failed due to the legislationa and legal technicalities.

Boonsang declined to answer when asked if the meeting was a failure. They said both troops will avoid using forces in the area. They will forward the outcome of the meeting to their prime ministers for consideration.

Special News From TVK : Preah Vihear Situation

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3

Solution sought for buffer zone

By THE NATION
Published on July 21, 2008

The Democrat Party yesterday issued an open letter to the supreme commander urging him to negotiate not only military affairs but "bring to a conclusion" the question of sovereignty of the 4.6 square kilometres overlapping zone near Preah Vihear temple.

Supreme Commander General Bunsang Niampradit will lead a government delegation to negotiate with Cambodia over the Preah Vihear dispute today in the Joint Boundary Commission Between Thailand and Cambodia (JBC) meeting.

The move came after military tension rose with a confrontation at the Thai-Cambodia border.

Some 60 shop owners have been ordered by the army to remove their goods and leave their shops around Preah Vihear.

In the letter, the Democrats shadow justice minister Peeraphan Saleeratwipak urged Bunsang to focus on negotiations in four areas:

lWhy the barbed wire that Thailand used to demarcate the area around Preah Vihear since 1962 had been moved and when would it be put back in its original position?

lWhy only Cambodian had been allowed to live in the overlapping zone agreed by the two countries since 1962?

lThailand has protested to Cambodia four times but had been ignored each time. Instead it sent more troops and people to live in the buffer zone. Thailand regards the buffer zone as belonging to Thailand in accordance with the treaty ratified between Thailand and France in 1904 and 1907.

Thailand has the right to push back Cambodian soldiers and people from this area.

Bansang should produce results about when the Cambodians will leave this area.

lHow are Cambodian soldiers and civilians able to easily cross the border and transport supplies and weapons to the overlapping zone? Should immigration procedures be made stricter?

The letter said Cambodia has been taking advantage of the situation to seize sovereignty of the buffer zone. They had filed the petition to the United Nation to mislead the international community into thinking Thailand had violated Cambodia's rights.

This may indicate Cambodia is not sincere over the dispute and Thailand should be aware of these incidents.

Meanwhile Deputy Government spokesman Nattawut Saikua said Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had asked the Foreign Ministry and security agencies to forge an understanding with the UN and Cambodia over the dispute.

The government called on people who are not involved to stop any action that would add fuel to the fire.

"The problem has been worsening because some groups of people have tried to incite public sentiment by misleading them that the country has lost sovereignty to Cambodia, even though this is not true. They must stop doing that,'' he said.

Meanwhile, a high-ranking Cambodian military official yesterday inspected a hotel in Sa Kaeo where the JBC meeting is to be held. There was concern the People's Alliance for Democracy may stage a protest to disrupt the meeting.

Lt General Sok Piab, chief Thailand-Cambodia border co-ordinator led a military team to inspect the Indochina Hotel in Aranyaprathet District where Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Tea Ban would meet with Supreme Commander General Bunsang Niempradit over the buffer zone dispute.

Meanwhile, Sa Kaeo Provincial Governor Surapol Pongtadsirikul and Burapha Task Force commander Maj General Walit Rojanapakdi and Sa Kaeo Provincial Police chief Pol Maj General Ithipol Piriyapinyo met to draw up a security plan to ensure a smooth meeting today. The team also inspected the Indochina Hotel.

Vimpelcom buys Cambodia's Sotelco for $28 mln

MOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - Vimpelcom, Russia's second-largest mobile phone operator, said on Monday it has agreed to buy a 90 percent stake in Cambodia's Sotelco from its largest shareholder, Altimo.

Altimo, the telecom vehicle of Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman's Alfa Group, acquired 90 percent of Sotelco in August 2007 for an undisclosed sum.

Vimpelcom said in a statement its transaction was made through the purchase of 90 percent of Sotelco's parent company, Atlas Trade Limited, for $28 million, with the remaining 10 percent staying with a local partner, a Cambodian entrepreneur.

"VimpelCom has also acquired a call option to purchase the 10 percent interest of the local partner for market value at the date of exercise of the option," it said.

Altimo owns 44 percent of Vimpelcom, while Norway's Telenor has 29.9 percent. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; editing by Rory Channing)

Talks begin over temple standoff

The 11th-century Hindu ruin is at the centre of a diplomatic row [EPA]

Al Jazeera
Monday, July 21, 2008

Senior Thai and Cambodian defence officials have begun talks to find a solution to the week-long standoff over disputed land near an ancient temple along their border.

Thai Supreme Commander General Boonsrang Niumpradit is due to hold talks with Tea Banh, the Cambodian defence minister, in an eastern Thai border town on Monday.

Last week, hundreds of Cambodian and Thai troops massed at the border and came close to a shootout as the confrontation escalated over the territory near the Preah Vihear temple complex.

The move for a peaceful resolution was reaffirmed by senior Thai and Cambodian diplomats at the Association of Southeast Nations (Asean) foreign ministers meeting in Singapore.

George Yeo, Singapore's foreign minister and former Asean secretary-general, said the 10-member group urged the two countries "to exercise utmost restraint and resolve this issue amicably".

"Both sides affirmed that they would ... exert their utmost efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue," Yeo said on Sunday.

But Thailand and Cambodia have both expressed pessimism about what the talks can achieve.

Brigadier Chea Keo, commander of the Cambodian forces in the area, said on Sunday that he had little faith in the talks because Thailand insists that the land near the 11th-century temple is within its border.

"We have very little hope about the negotiations," Chea Keo said.

Cambodia maintains that Thai troops are trespassing on its territory.

Samak Sundaravej, the Thai prime minister, said in his weekly Sunday television show that the negotiations will not be easy because both sides are sticking to their original positions.

Hun Sen, the Cambodian prime minister, said in a letter to Samak dated Saturday that a previous international court ruling showed that Thailand was wrong.

The letter said the map used in the 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice shows that the temple "is legally located approximately 700m inside Cambodian territory".

"Nonetheless, I have full confidence that our joint efforts will result in a mutually satisfactory solution to [our] current problem," Hun Sen said.

The conflict over territory surrounding the ancient Hindu temple escalated earlier this month when Unesco, the UN cultural body, approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage site.

Thai activists say the status undermines Thailand's claim to the compound of a nearby Buddhist pagoda.

Closed door meeting between Gen Boonsang and Gen Tea Banh finishes

By Nuntida Puangthong
The NationDeutsche
Presse Agenture

Full General Border Committee meeting starts

A closed door meeting between Thai Supreme Commander Gen Boonsang Niempradit and Cambodia's defence minister Gen Tea Banh has finished after almost four hours in a bid to solve the military standoff near Preah Vihear Temple.

Both are chairmen of ThaiCambodia General Border Committee (GBC) and started the closeddoor meeting (known as the "four-eyed meeting") at 11am at the Indochina Hotel in Sa Kaew's Aranyaprathet district.

The special GBC meeting was called to defuse the tense military situation near Preah Vihear Temple.The full GBC meeting will start after the conclusion of the foureyed meeting.

Other senior officials including Army Defence Minister Gen Anupong Paojinda and Permanent Secretary of Foreign affairs Virasakdi Futrakul also attended the meeting.

Both countries have deployed about 4,000 troops to a 4.6 square kilometre plot of land near the temple. The area claimed on the Thai side claimed is an overlapping zone which the Khmer side claims as in its soil.

The border spat coincided with the annual meeting of Asean foreign ministers meeting in Singapore this week.

Cambodia tried to use the Asean ministerial meeting as a mechanism to defuse the standoff. However Thailand rejected the effort, saying the conflict should be approached on a bilateral basis.

Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo urged Cambodia and Thailand to exercise the utmost restraint while finding a peaceful solution to the row.

"We urge both sides to exercise utmost restraint and resolve this issue amicably, in the spirit of Asean solidarity and good neighbourliness," Yeo said after an informal dinner of Asean officials on the eve of annual ministerial meeting.

Yeo said Asean can offer its facilities if Thailand and Cambodia fail to solve their dispute over Preah Vihear.

Thailand offers 'reasonable proposals' to defuse tension: Supreme Commander

SA KAEO, July 21 (TNA) - Talks between Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit and Cambodian Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh in this Thai eastern border province, aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the border conflict over the disputed ancient temple, continued into Monday afternoon with the Thai delegate expressing optimism that a solution could be found.

Gen. Boonsang, who led the Thai delegation of the Thai-Cambodian Genera Border Committee (GBC), first met with his subordinates soon after his arrival at a hotel which is the meeting site in Aranyaprathet district on the Cambodian border.

He later told journalists that "Thailand would offer reasonable proposals to the Cambodian side to consider in order to reduce tensions."

"It is expected that the Cambodian side would agree to the proposals," he said, expressing hope that his negotiations would be conducted within the good relations existing between Thailand and Cambodia.

"Also, the talks are expected to become a vital mechanism in solving the border problem at Thailand's Si Sa Ket Province and at Preah Vihear province of Cambodia," Gen. Boonsang said.

At 10:15 am, Gen. Boonsang began private talks with Gen. Tea Banh in a closed door session. Talks between the two military leaders went on for more than three hours and were continuing.

Initially, the private talks were expected to be held for only 15 minutes.

Armed plainclothes Thai soldiers and police officers provided full security at the meeting venue. An activist group, however, turned up at the hotel and submitted a letter to Gen. Boonsang through Thailand's Burapha Task Force chief.

The letter urged him to move through politics, military and negotiations means and through also an international law called the Tokyo Peace Convention of May 9, 1941 which would make a ruling by the International Court of Justice in 1962 which awarded the Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia null and void.

The temple row between the two neighbouring countries, both also members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), erupted again when the UNESCO earlier this month listed the 11th century temple the World Heritage site. Troops of both countries have been built up at the temple in recent days. (TNA)

Cambodia, China launch stamps to mark 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties

www.chinaview.cn

2008-07-21

PHNOM PENH, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and China here Monday launched a set of twin stamps to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which fell on July 19, 2008.

The twin stamps sell at 2,000 riels (about 0.5 U.S. dollars), with the left one featuring China's national flag and the Tian'anmen Rostrum, and the right one Cambodia's national flag and the Royal Palace.

The 200,000 sets of commemorative stamps were donated by the Chinese government to the Cambodian Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.

Minister of Post and Telecommunications So Khun and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Zhang Jinfeng signed the transfer certificates during the launching ceremony.

So Khun said that the donation will enable his ministry to better serve domestic and global clients.

Zhang said that it will help all buyers of the stamps to have a better understanding of the long-lasting ties between the two countries.

The stamps will be on market here from Tuesday.

Editor: Du Guodong

Preah Vihear Temple and the Thai's Misunderstanding of the World Court Judgment of 15 June 1962

By Bora Touch, Esq.
(Australia - 29 June 2008)

Courtesy of The Adventure of A Cambodian Student

There are worrying signs of tension between Cambodia and Thailand over Preah Vihear temple. This could escalate into war. It is a hot issue in Thai politics and the dispute has arisen from misunderstanding of the International Court of Justice Judgment of June 1962 on the part of Thai successive governments, politicians, Thai academics with except of a few such as Dr. Charnvit Kasetsiri. The tensions have been exacerbated by incorrect and fraudulent statements made by Thai partisans.

A fraudulent statement was recently made by Thai Democrat MP Sirichok Sopha "The ICJ ruled only the temple was under Cambodia's sovereignty and Thailand obligated to hand the ruin temple to Cambodia, not soil under and surrounding the ruin": The Nation, 25 June 2008. This has been the Thai theme since July 1962. The Thai Foreign Affairs Statement of 25 March 2008 reinforces this theme.

More recently, a Thai Columnist Nophakhun Limsamarnphunnop writes "the issue of the surrounding areas, currently in Thailand's territory, would be complicated and the integrity of Preah Vihear complex would be compromised, given that a number of elements of the temple such as a giant reservoir and the Naga staircase are situated in Thai territory.": The Nation 28 June 2008.

I wish to raise two issues I hope will eradicate any misunderstanding among the Thais;
There is nothing I can do with those who persist in knowingly making false statements:

1. Did the International Court of Justice ("ICJ") accept or rule as binding all Cambodian-Thai boundary maps (1907-1908) including the Annex 1 Map and the boundary line indicated on it ?

2. What is the size of the "disputed" land?

ISSUE #1: Did the International Court of Justice ("ICJ") accept or rule as binding all Cambodian-Thai boundary maps (1907-1908) including the Annex 1 Map and the boundary line indicated on it ?

At the ICJ hearing on 20 March 1962, Cambodia asked the Court to rule on (5) Final Submissions (claims) for Cambodia:

1. "To adjudge and declare that the map of the Dangrek sector (Annex I to the Memorial of Cambodia) was drawn up and published in the name and on behalf of the Mixed Delimitation Commission set up by the Treaty of 13 February 1904, that it sets forth the decisions taken by the said Commission and that, by reason of that fact and also of the subsequent agreements and conduct of the Parties, it presents a treaty character;"

2. "To adjudge and declare that the frontier line between Cambodia and Thailand, in the disputed region in the neighborhood of the Temple of Preah Vihear, is that which is marked on the map of the Commission of Delimitation between Indo-China and Siam (Annex I to the Memorial of Cambodia);"

3. "To adjudge and declare that the Temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Cambodia";

4. "To adjudge and declare that the Kingdom of Thailand is under an obligation to withdraw the detachments of armed forces it has stationed, since 1954, in Cambodian territory, in the ruins of the Temple of Preah Vihear";

5. "To adjudge and declare that the sculptures, stelae, fragments of monuments, sandstone model and ancient pottery which have been removed from the Temple by the Thai authorities since 1954 are to be returned to the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia by the Government of Thailand.": ICJ Reports 1962, p. 11

In its reply at the Court hearing, (here I only repeated two of the relevant Thailand rebuttal submissions) Thailand objected to all 5 Submissions above as follows.

The Annex I Map was not published in the name or on behalf of the Mixed Commission, but was prepared by the French section of the Mixed Commission alone, and published only in the name of the French section.

No decision of the Mixed Commission was recorded about the boundary at Preah Vihear.
In the ICJ operative provisions of the judgment of 15 June 1962, the Court accepted Thai rebuttal Submissions 1 and partially 2. The Court found/ruled that:

1. "the Temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia;"[Cambodia's Submission 3]

2. "Thailand is under an obligation to withdraw any military or police forces, or other guards or keepers, stationed by her at the Temple, or in its vicinity on Cambodian territory"; [Cambodia's Submission 4]

3. "Thailand is under an obligation to restore to Cambodia any objects of the kind specified in Cambodia's fifth Submission which may, since the date of the occupation of the Temple by Thailand in 1954, have been removed from the Temple or the Temple area by the Thai authorities.": ICJ Reports 1962, p. 36, 37. [Cambodia's Submission 5]

Using this as a reason, following the ICJ ruling in July 1962, the Thai Cabinet dispatched a proces verbale to the United Nations in which, in essence, Thailand formally accepted the Court ruling and provided its "understanding" of the Court ruling and that is that, according to Thailand, the ICJ found that the Temple is located in Cambodian territory, but the Court rejected the Annex 1 Map and the border line indicated on it. Thailand unilaterally drew the new boundary line as it understood: (see Map "3", Courtesy Aide Memoire of the Royal Government of Cambodia 1961.)

That is an incorrect understanding of the ICJ judgment by the Thais and the facts are as follows:
In Cambodia's Submission 1 (and 2) Cambodia asked the Court to accept its very precisely wording contention/claim that Annex 1 Map was published on the authority of the Mixed Commission for Delimitation. The Court found that the Mixed Commission did not order or approve that the Maps be made. Because of the lack of necessary technical facilities, Siamese Government asked the French Government to make the boundary Maps, including the Map in question. Four French officials three of whom were members of the first Mixed Commission established under the 1904 Treaty, were appointed to prepare the Maps. The Court held that:

"What is certain is that the map must have had a basis of some sort, and the Court thinks there can be no reasonable doubt that it was based on the work of the surveying officers in the Dangrek sector. Being one of the series of maps of the frontier areas produced by French Government topographical experts in response to a request made by the Siamese authorities, printed and published by a Paris firm of repute, all of which was clear from the map itself, it was thus invested with an official standing; it had its own inherent technical authority; and its provenance was open and obvious. The Court must nevertheless conclude that, in its inception, and at the moment of its production, it had no binding character" : ICJ Report 1962, 21

But the lack of the Commission's authority to publish the Map was not important and it was not the relevant question. The Court held that:

"The real question … which is the essential one in this case, is whether the Parties did adopt the Annex I map, and the line indicated on it, as representing the outcome of the work of delimitation of the frontier in the region of Preah Vihear, thereby conferring on it a binding character.": ICJ Report 1962, 22. (emphasis added).

The Court found that this was exactly what Thailand (and Cambodia) had done; for instance, as the Court pointed out, the following facts supported that Thailand adopted the Maps:

Siam's official wide circulation of the Map,

Siam asked France for more Map copies,

the silence of the Siamese members of the Mixed Commission, who saw the map
the silence of the then governor Khukhan province (now Si Saket), who saw the Map.

The Parties thus accepted the map and the line on it. The Court held "the acceptance of the Annex I map by the parties caused the map to enter the treaty settlement [1904] and to become an integral part of it [the 1904 Treaty]" . This process, according to the Court, did not involve a departure from, or violation of, the Treaty of 1904 because even if the map line diverged from the watershed line, the Map was nonetheless accepted by the parties.

The Court held, finally that " the indication of the line of the watershed in Article 1 of the 1904 Treaty was itself no more than an obvious and convenient way of describing a frontier line objectively, though in the general terms. There is, however, no reason to think that the Parties attached any special importance to the line of the watershed as such, as compared with the overriding importance, in the interests of finality, of adhering to the map line as eventually delimited and as accepted by them. The Court, therefore, feels bound, as a matter of treaty interpretation, to pronounce in favor of the line as mapped in the disputed area": ICJ Report 1962 p. 33 (emphasis added).

Further clarity of the issue (boundary line on the Map) is seen in the Separate Declaration of 2 majority member Judges, Judge Tanaka and Judge Morelli which states "The claim as it is formulated in Cambodia's Application is directed not to the return of the Temple as such, but rather to sovereignty over the portion of territory in which the Temple is situated": ICJ Reports 1962, p 38.

It is beyond dispute. The Annex 1 Map (and the boundary line indicated on it) was ruled by the Court as valid and binding. (ICJ Annex 1 Map, attached marked "4": ICJ Reports 1962)

Both Thailand and Cambodia had accepted the Annex 1 Map and were to accept it.

Case closed!

ISSUE #2: The size of the "disputed" land

The attached Maps "A" and Map "B" shows the lines of Annex 1 Map and Thai line.

The "disputed" land where the temple is situated is more than 4.6 square kilometres larger than the Thailand has claimed:(see Thai internal working map attached "A", the blue writings are my additions)

From the cliff or the Temple's main sanctuary to the stone staircase (the main reservoir) is about 650m: (see Preah Vihear Temple Plan attached, courtesy Korat Magazine 2007).

Map marked Map "B" is an internal Thai working paper. A square on the Map, as correctly pointed by the Thai official, represents 2 square kilometres (2 tarang kilometr, red handwriting on top, right hand side of Map "B") on the Map. If you look at the square which covers temple, you will see that from the temple's stone staircase and the grand reservoir to the boundary line shows at least 2.6 km. (Note: the writings on the French map (1:200,000 scale) in blue and pink are my additions)

Thus the road (the road head) built by Thailand and the Thai Police checkpoint at the road head are therefore at least 2.6 km inside Cambodia.

Bora Touch, Esq.
Source: http://www.preah-vihear.com/

Preah Vihear temple areas are Thai territory: Minister tells ASEAN

SINGAPORE, July 21 (TNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Banditkul on Monday affirmed before the assembled foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that areas where Preah Vihear temple is situated are Thai territory.

Speaking after joining a dinner with the foreign ministers of 10-member ASEAN, Mr. Sahas, who is acting on behalf of the Thai government at the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial meeting being held here July 21-24, said the Cambodian minister raised the disputed Preah Vihear temple issue for discussion.

He told the ministers of Phnom Penh's move to keep the United Nations informed of the dispute only, but said Cambodia had never wanted to put the issue as an agenda item for the UN Security Council.

Mr. Sahas said he had clarified the issue and affirmed before the foreign ministers that the temple areas are Thai territory.

"Once Cambodia raises the issue for discussion, we explain it. The point is not whether the areas will finally belong to Thailand or Cambodia. But we affirm the areas are our territory,'' he said.

Of late, Mr. Sahas said, the Singaporean foreign minister, who is acting as ASEAN chairman, issued a statement that all members shared a common view that the Preah Vihear temple dispute is an internal affair which both Thailand and Cambodia may have some discrepancy in coming to a proper understanding.

So, they want the neighbouring countries to hold their own talks on the issue first.

Should the negotiations fail, ASEAN is ready to play a role in facilitating efforts to solve the problem, he quoted the Singapore minister as saying. (TNA)

News #8 - Preah Vihear - 21.07.2008

Cambodia-Thai temple dispute talks start and situation remain calm 21/07/2008

Sunrise looks over Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple near the Cambodian-Thai border in Preah Vihear, Cambodia Monday, July 21, 2008. The two nations will begin talks Monday aimed at resolving a lingering dispute over territory near the World Heritage Site temple, where more than 4,000 troops from the two sides have been deployed.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh arrives at the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet, 250 km (155 miles) east of Bangkok, July 21 2008. Thailand and Cambodia began high-level talks on Monday aimed at resolving a military stand-off over the disputed Preah Vihear temple on their joint border.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Thai Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niumpradit (R) walks with Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh at the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet, 250 km (155 miles) east of Bangkok, July 21, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia began high-level talks on Monday aimed at resolving a military stand-off over the disputed Preah Vihear temple on their joint border.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Thai Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niumpradit (R) greets Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh at the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet, 250 km (155 miles) east of Bangkok, July 21 2008. Thailand and Cambodia began high-level talks on Monday aimed at resolving a military stand-off over the disputed Preah Vihear temple on their joint border.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

A Cambodian soldier carries weapon as he walks outside a Buddhist temple where Thai soldiers occupied, near the Cambodian-Thai border in Preah Vihear, Cambodia, Monday, July 21, 2008. The two nations plan to talk Monday aimed at resolving a dispute over territory near a World Heritage Site temple, where more than 4,000 troops from the two sides have been deployed.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian soldiers stand at Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 20, 2008. Cambodia complained to the U.N. Security Council that Thai forces have violated its territory near a World Heritage Site temple, as more than 4,000 troops from the two sides were deployed in the border region Sunday.(AP Photo/Str)

A Cambodian soldier sits at the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda in the Preah Vihear temple compound, 245km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 21, 2008. Cambodia has complained to the U.N. Security Council about its military standoff with Thailand over the ancient temple on their disputed border.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Cambodian Buddhist monks take a photo with an old gun at Preah Vihear temple, 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 21, 2008. Cambodia has complained to the U.N. Security Council about its military standoff with Thailand over an ancient temple on their disputed border.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Cambodian military police officers make their way on a patrol at Preah Vihear temple near the Cambodian-Thai border in Preah Vihear, Cambodia, Monday July 21, 2008. Cambodia and neighboring Thailand will begin talks Monday aimed at resolving a lingering dispute over territory near a World Heritage Site temple, where more than 4,000 troops from the two sides have been deployed.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian military police patrol Preah Vihear temple, 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 21, 2008. Cambodia has complained to the U.N. Security Council about its military standoff with Thailand over an ancient temple on their disputed border.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

A Cambodian Buddhist monk stands next to Thai soldiers at a pagoda close to Preah Vihear temple. Senior defence officials from Thailand and Cambodia will meet Monday to try and resolve a week-long military standoff on their border, but pessimism has clouded the talks.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Sunrise looks over Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple near the Cambodian-Thai border in Preah Vihear, Cambodia Monday, July 21, 2008. The two nations will begin talks Monday aimed at resolving a lingering dispute over territory near a World Heritage Site temple, where more than 4,000 troops from the two sides have been deployed.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian riot police stand guard at the Preah Vihear temple near Thai border. Senior defence officials from Thailand and Cambodia will meet Monday to try and resolve a week-long military standoff on their border, but pessimism has clouded the talks.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Sacravatoons :" Siam,Greed,Power and Buddhism "

Courtesy of Sacravatoon at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/

A Poem by Ong Att : " Preah Keo-Borei "

Courtesy of Sacravatoon at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/

Sacravatoons :" When 2 Siamese-Cats are fighting "

Courtesy of Sacravatoon at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/

Hindu temple Thai, Cambodia tense military stand-off continues

Thaindian.com
July 21st, 2008

Kantharalak (Thailand), July 21 (ANI): Hundreds of Thai and Cambodian soldiers remained locked in a tense standoff at the ruins of an ancient Hindu temple here for a sixth straight day on Sunday, in a modern-day echo of the age-old clash of empires across Indochina.

The contentious 4.6-square-kilometre zone is in Si Sa Ket province, to the west of the ancient temple that Cambodia has successfully listed as a World Heritage site.

The centre of the dispute is the makeshift Wat Viharn temple that Cambodia built in the disputed area in 2001, despite opposition from Thailand.

Soldiers from both sides remain there on condition that all of them must be unarmed, the New York Times reported.

Outside the self-proclaimed “temple” but inside the 4.6-sq-km area, about 1,000-armed Thai and Cambodian soldiers have set up their camps.

Beyond the disputed area, into both nations” soil, some 4,000 more soldiers of both sides remain on standby with heavy artillery.

Tense moments have been reported when weapons were aimed within the temple complex. The prime ministers of both nations have exchanged stern notes, hardening their positions.

The Cambodian government has taken its complaint to the United Nations, saying that Thai troops have intruded onto its territory. The Thai Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej, insists that the area is Thai.

Neither government wants a war, and there were plans for the countries” defence ministers to hold talks on Monday.

The conflict comes at a delicate time for both countries. Thailand has its slow-burning political crisis, and nationalism is looming as a factor in Cambodia’’s general election next Sunday as well.

But in Bangkok, political damage has already been done: the resignation of a cabinet minister, a censure debate in Parliament and accusations of national betrayal have further weakened a shaky, ineffective government. (ANI)

Government appears ready to go for broke

The Bangkok Post
Monday July 21, 2008

VEERA PRATEEPCHAIKUL

After a series of legal setbacks delivered by the judiciary and with a few more crushing rulings expected in the near future, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is fighting back with the tenacity of a cornered animal.

The besieged premier told an audience at a trade fair on Thursday that he would never bow to pressure on him to quit. A few days earlier in his Sunday television talk show, he ranted at the judiciary for overstepping its authority and vowed to rectify the situation by amending the constitution.

He also promised vengeance against government opponents. "From now on, my men will also go for the kill. We have already suffered many casualties," he was quoted as saying.
Thus began the game of tit for tat.

Hundreds of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrators, on their way to the 11th-century Hindu temple of Preah Vihear in a convoy of buses and cars, were blocked by about 200 pro-government locals in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district on Thursday. The confrontation developed into scuffles which resulted in injuries to some warriors on both sides.

PAD protesters managed to break through the blockade and reach the temple's entrance where they held a brief protest against Cambodia's listing of the temple as a World Heritage site.

Although there were no serious injuries, the incident should serve as a warning that future confrontations between the opposing sides - in other words, the pro- and anti-Thaksin forces - will likely turn violent.

Frankly, both sides are to blame for provoking violence. The PAD protesters may claim they have the right to protest against Cambodia. But was it necessary to go all the way to the temple entrance to make their statement, unnecessarily heightening the already strained relations between Thailand and Cambodia? PAD has always pointed fingers at the government, accusing it of being the main culprit for the diplomatic debacle over the temple issue.

On the other hand, the Si Sa Ket locals were equally provocative, some armed with wooden clubs and steel pipes as they blocked PAD protesters.

PAD has specifically targeted protests against Interior Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, to the extent that he is unable to undertake inspection trips to the countryside, particularly in the southern provinces.

PAD's conduct in this regard has come under heavy criticism, seen by many critics as being beyond legitimate free expression.

It was reliably reported that PAD protesters would meet counter-protests by rivals at many venues in the escalating tit-for-tat strategy recently adopted by the People Power party.

The recently revived pro-Thaksin television station, known as PTV, was due to hold a rally over the weekend in Bangkok to campaign in support of the government's bid to rewrite the charter.

Meanwhile, in parliament, the ongoing attempts by a pro-Thaksin senator to ask the Election Commission to disqualify dozens of Democrat MPs and anti-Thaksin senators for holding shares in companies, with concession rights from the government, in violation of the constitution was also viewed in a broader context as part and parcel of Mr Samak's war cry against the opponents of his government.

But the battle royale will be over the current constitution. Mr Samak, who earlier backed off on the bid to rewrite the charter, appears determined to go for broke this time around.

Contrary to his earlier statement that rewriting the charter is the responsibility of parliament, he recently declared that amending the constitution would be the first item to be deliberated in the House when it reconvenes.

The government may feel emboldened that it will have more public support this time, thanks to its economic assistance package recently announced.

On the other hand, the PAD is likely to go for broke as well, because it cannot afford to have the government succeed in amending the charter.

Both sides are on a collision course, and you can guess what the consequences will be. Unless, of course, there is an intervention by an "invisible hand".

Veera Prateepchaikul is Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Post Publishing Co Ltd.

Go on PR offensive, govt urged

Photos of the Preah Vihear site and drawings of the sanctuary which appear in Cambodia's nomination document for the listing of the ancient temple as the World Heritage site.

The Bangkok Post
Monday July 21, 2008

Temple management committee could result in Thailand losing sovereignty over heritage site

MR Pridiyathorn

The government should mobilise state agencies to deal with the Preah Vihear issue, and appoint a national committee to steer the effort, MR Pridiyathorn Devakula suggests in an open letter to Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.

The national committee, chaired by a deputy prime minister, needs to coordinate efforts from state agencies in explaining to the world community loopholes in the process leading to the decision by the World Heritage Committee to list Preah Vihear temple, he says in the letter.

The listing was based on debatable information on the temple's history.

The Cambodian government had distorted the fact that significant parts of the Preah Vihear temple site were in Thai territory, said MR Pridiyathorn, a former Bank of Thailand governor, and ex-finance minister.

A diplomatic campaign should be launched to tell the world community that Thailand was willing to cooperate with the Preah Vihear listing, but the listing must be properly carried out and meet all the criteria for World Heritage sites.

To carry out such a diplomatic campaign, agencies should work in the same direction and with the same strategy.

A national committee must be set up to direct agencies' efforts. Internationally recognised experts including historians, archaeologists and civil servants well-versed in the issue should be invited to work with the committee, he said.

The deputy prime minister appointed to chair the committee should be independent from political groups as the public could ask questions if the chairman has any conflict of interest on the issue.

"Mr Prime Minister, I write this letter to point out information that some might have overlooked.

"Many have tried to point a finger at those causing Thailand to make mistakes on this issue. But I'm afraid we might forget our real opponents abroad. They are also threatening opponents, who are not easy to deal with.

"So I've tried to find a way to deal with them and propose it for your consideration. I hope you won't overlook this important national issue."

The fact that the WHC had now listed Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site should not be a problem for Thailand as Cambodia's latest map of the temple proposed to the WHC did not include area in the disputed territory.

The listing, which Thailand opposed, had not affected this country's territory.

The government should, however, be wary of Item 14 in the WHC's Preah Vihear listing ruling. It says the WHC "requests the State Party of Cambodia, in collaboration with Unesco [the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation], convene an international coordinating committee for the safeguarding and development of the property no later than February 2009, inviting the participation of the Government of Thailand and not more than seven other appropriate international partners, to examine general policy matters relating to the safeguarding of the outstanding universal value of the property in conformity with international conservation standards".

The statement seemed harmless. However, the phrase "the safeguarding of the outstanding universal value of the property in conformity with international conservation standards" had wide ramifications.

It gave an international committee, comprising representatives from Cambodia, Thailand and seven other nations authority to manage the surrounding area of the ancient Preah Vihear temple, including adjacent architecture on Thai soil.

The international conservation standard required all parts of a World Heritage site and its surroundings to be conserved and restored to fit its heritage status.

The letter quotes former chairman of the National Committee for Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, Adul Wichiencharoen, as saying Item 14 of the WHC's ruling created an opportunity for the international committee to supervise conservation areas at the ancient temple.

The statement in Item 14 was unprecedented as the WHC had not before opted to use an international panel in the protection or the creation of a conserved or development area of a World Heritage site, Mr Adul was quoted as saying.

The fact that the WHC allowed Cambodia to invite representatives from seven other nations to join the committee was a way to silence representatives from Thailand when any disagreement arose.

Whenever the Thai government disagreed with any idea proposed to the committee, Cambodia's partners from the seven countries could simply unite to oppose its stance.

Thailand would then have no chance to do anything on its own territory due to pressure from the majority on the international committee. It would be equivalent to losing the country's sovereignty over the disputed area, said Mr Adul.

He suggested the conserved and development area should be managed by a joint panel between Thailand and Cambodia only.

Archaeologist and anthropologist Srisakra Vallibhotama had suggested the government not cooperate with the WHC's plan to appoint the international committee to supervise Preah Vihear temple's protection, according to the letter.

Mr Srisakra said the government's participation on the committee would be tantamount to the country's acknowledgement of the temple's listing and eventually the country could lose 4.6 square kilometres of overlapping territory.

However, the government could not do what Mr Srisakra suggested, MR Pridiyathorn wrote, because Thailand has ratified the Unesco Convention concerning the protection of world cultural and natural heritage. The government was obliged to cooperate in the process to manage and protect heritage sites listed by the WHC.

If Thailand did not cooperate, Thailand might have to end its membership in Unesco's World Cultural and Natural Heritage programme.

If Thailand decided not to join the international committee for the management of Preah Vihear temple and failed to properly explain its decision to other countries, those who did not know the issue might think Thailand irrationally refused to cooperate because it could not co-host the listing of Preah Vihear temple.

Such a misunderstanding could damage the country's image in the world community.

The national committee was needed to make sure the world community understands Thailand's stance on Preah Vihear and the history of Preah Vihear temple correctly, he said.