Cambodia's corruption 'cancer' unlikely to sway voters

Ranariddh Party supporters rally in Phnom Penh on June 26. Cambodia is rising from the ashes of civil war and the brutal legacy of the Khmer Rouge's "Killing Fields," but it remains hobbled by endemic corruption hindering its efforts to escape poverty.(AFP/File/Sreng Meng Srun)

Supporters of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) rally in Phnom Penh on July 13. Cambodia is rising from the ashes of civil war and the brutal legacy of the Khmer Rouge's "Killing Fields," but it remains hobbled by endemic corruption hindering its efforts to escape poverty.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Cambodian opposition party leader Sam Rainsy (centre) stands on a truck as he greets supporters during an election rally in Phnom Penh on June 26. Cambodia is rising from the ashes of civil war and the brutal legacy of the Khmer Rouge's "Killing Fields," but it remains hobbled by endemic corruption hindering its efforts to escape poverty.(AFP/File/Tang Chhin Sothy)

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodia is rising from the ashes of civil war and the brutal legacy of the Khmer Rouge's "Killing Fields," but it remains hobbled by endemic corruption hindering its efforts to escape poverty.

As the country records high economic growth, authorities have been accused of extorting payoffs and officials have been linked to everything from high profile land grabs and skimming off development projects to illegal logging.

"Corruption is the biggest problem for the nation. Corruption is like a cancer right now -- it happens everywhere," said Kek Galabru, head of local human rights group Licadho.

Cambodia remains mired near the bottom of Transparency International's global corruption index, indicating the government is among the most graft-ridden on the planet.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has said that his government is acutely aware that "corruption is a dangerous cancer" that needs to be tackled "without compromise."

But as Cambodia heads into elections Sunday, analysts say there's no sign that rampant corruption will hurt his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) at the polls, which it is widely expected to dominate.

Hun Sen has promised to hand over his personal properties to the new government if the CPP fails to win, apparently in an effort to counter allegations that his government is too corrupt to stay in power.

However, the CPP is the only one of the 11 parties in the campaign that has not promised to pass a long-awaited anti-corruption law.

Main opposition leader Sam Rainsy kicked off his campaign by declaring to cheering supporters: "Down with the corrupt group!"

But he said in an interview that many voters don't have a full understanding of the way corruption affects their lives.

"When people see what corruption is and what bad activities there are, they will support the SRP," Sam Rainsy told AFP, referring to his party.

International donors, who fund half the country's budget, have repeatedly demanded that the government take stronger action against corruption since UN-backed elections in 1993 brought democracy here.

Hun Sen lost that first election to a royalist party, but he bargained his way into a power-sharing deal and then reasserted total control in a 1997 coup.

Hundreds of people were killed in the run-up to elections the following year, and protests against the CPP victory were put down violently.

The last national election in 2003 was far less violent, and this year's campaign has seen even fewer irregularities than in the past, said monitors.

This could be partly because the country is more stable, with double-digit economic growth from garment exports and tourism helping to pull Cambodia from the ruins of civil war.

Up to two million people died of starvation and overwork, or were executed, as the communist Khmer Rouge dismantled modern Cambodia in a bid to forge an agrarian utopia during its 1975-1979 rule.

Despite the recent stability, Cambodia remains one of the world's poorest nations. Some 35 percent of its 14 million people live on less than 50 US cents a day, and economists say corruption is a major drag on the nation's growth.

But persistent poverty does not mean that voters will turn against the government on polling day.

"This (the opposition's anti-corruption) message may sway some voters, but is not decisive to change the leadership," said Lao Mong Hay, a senior researcher at the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission.

"The issues do not affect voters' decision as much as personalities."

The CPP has relied on Hun Sen's broad rural appeal and its record of gradual development in its pursuit of victory, and some analysts said this makes voters forget about rampant corruption.

CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said only a "small handful" of his party members were corrupt and said it deals with graft "step by step towards development."

"We are not neglectful about fighting graft," Cheam Yeap said. "Fighting corruption is the hot issue that we care about."

Waiting game

Vandy Rattana Cambodian soldiers walk past razor wire that has been laid near Preah Vihear temple as a military standoff with Thailand continues.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Thet Sambath and Brendan Brady
Tuesday, 22 July 2008

Talks between Thai and Cambodian military leaders to end the standoff at Preah Vihear have deadlocked after the Thai side insisted on recognizing a different border between the two countries, Cambodian negotiators said.

The failure to reach a solution has forced Cambodia to seek an intervention from its regional neighbors, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, a day after military leaders walked away empty-handed from the negotiating table.

Thousands of troops and equipment, including heavy artillery, from both sides have been deployed to the border in the largest military build-up in years following last week's alleged incursion into Cambodia by Thai soldiers.

An area of 4.8 square kilometers around the temple remains in dispute after the World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia.

The issue escalated following Preah Vihear's July 7 listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government coming under fire for supporting Cambodia's World Heritage bid amid accusations that Thailand's leaders were ceding territory to Cambodia.

Bangkok maintains that its troops are occupying Thai territory located a short distance from the 11th-century temple – a claim that has repeatedly been rejected by Cambodia.

"At first, everything in the meeting was going very well. But at the end, it failed because the Thai side raised the issue of its right to use its own map," said Bun Seng, commander of Cambodian Military Region 5, who attended the eight-hour talks Monday in the Thai-Cambodian border town of Aranyaprathet.

"We have different ideas on this point. We use the map drawn by France in 1904 and 1907, but the Thai side wants to use its own map. It's completely different," he told the Post on Tuesday.

"That is why when they raised the issue of the map, everything failed. I am very disappointed," he added.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith also confirmed that the talks had ended without resolution, but said that both sides agreed that the standoff would not escalate into armed conflict.

Cambodia's government called Tuesday on its regional neighbors to intervene in the issue, asking Asean chair Singapore to form an "inter-ministerial group" to mediate a solution to end the standoff, according to a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Asean leader had earlier urged both sides to exercise restraint as they continued to deploy troops to the area.

In Preah Vihear, the failure of the countries' military leader to resolve the crisis came as no surprise to many troops on the ground.

"I'm not surprised there has not been an agreement since so much has happened already," Vou Vinak, a 26 year-old Cambodian soldier, told the Post Monday night along what has become a de facto frontline near the temple.

Coils of razor wire have been laid in parts of the temple compound, while heavily armed Thai and Cambodian soldiers from who have gathered near a Buddhist pagoda that is claimed by both sides continued to eye each other warily.

"I'm very frustrated. I've been made to leave my family. Thailand made this problem by invading, so they should fix it," said another soldier, Sim Nara.

Bun Seng said talks are expected to continue, but nothing has yet been scheduled.

"We have tried hard for success, but then the Thai side made it [the meeting] fail. We will have further negotiations, but we do not know when," he said.

Ex-Khmer Rouge troops, officers talk tough at standoff

Gulf Times
Tuesday, 22 July, 2008

PREAH VIHEAR: They may wear flip-flops, but most the Cambodian forces facing Thai troops at a border standoff are battle-tested former Khmer Rouge fighters, officers and soldiers said yesterday.

More than 500 Thai troops and well over 1,000 Cambodian soldiers have been stationed for a week around a small Buddhist pagoda on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple. The mood at the standoff was calm yesterday as each side chatted, snapped photos and shared meals with each other, a stark contrast to Thursday when they pointed guns at each other, though no shots were fired.

The former Khmer Rouge guerrillas said they were eager to fight and the Thai troops should not be fooled by their appearance – the Cambodians wear flip-flops and sport Cold War-era guns.

They said we are small and are wearing flip-flops, but with flip-flops we can move very quickly. We know the area very well. We are small but strong,” said Doung Tay, 32, who began fighting for the Khmer Rouge when he was 12.

The Thai troops, with modern arms and uniforms, appear better prepared.“The Thai soldiers only know the theories of fighting. They said that we are small but they don’t know that we are wild chickens,” said Yan San, 47, who became a Khmer Rouge soldier when he was 15.

“I want to fight with the Thai soldiers,” he added.

Brigadier Chea Koe, commander of forces in the disputed area and himself a former Khmer Rouge soldier, said more than 60% of his troops fought for the brutal Marxist regime which ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.

Leaders from both countries have ordered troops not to fire and called for a peaceful solution. Thai and Cambodian defence officials met yesterday in a bid to resolve the crisis which broke out last week.

Nearly 2mn people died from starvation, overwork, torture and execution during the four-year Khmer Rouge regime before it was swept from power by Vietnam-backed troops.

Preah Vihear temple was the scene of the final surrender of several hundred remaining Khmer Rouge guerrilla forces in 1998.

The current confrontation around Preah Vihear began after three Thai protesters were arrested for jumping a fence to reach the temple last Tuesday.

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 sq km of the surrounding land remains in dispute. – AFP

Scribe's Murder, Temple Dispute Muddy Cambodian Polls

Dancers perform during an election rally in Phnom Penh. Cambodia will hold a general election on July 27. (Photo: Reuters)

By ANDREW NETTE
Tuesday, July 22, 2008

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia has entered the final week of its national election campaign shocked by the murder of a well-known journalist and facing an increasingly tense standoff with Thailand over a disputed 11th century Hindu temple.

The July 11 slaying of Khim Sambo in a drive-by-shooting in Phnom Penh has cast a cloud over the poll, which until then had been largely free of serious violence, and sent shock waves through the journalist community.

"For Cambodian people it is scary," said Kek Galabru, president of Licadho, a prominent local human rights organization that is investigating the incident. "The killing will have a negative impact on the election. In journalists it will increase self-censorship. There is a chilling effect.
Everyone is wondering who will be next."

Although some have claimed that the Sambo killing was an election-related political assassination, no evidence has been produced to back this.

"We estimate at 70 percent (probability) that this is a revenge case," Phnom Penh police commissioner Touch Naroth told the media last week. "The journalist could have had personal conflicts."

The most feasible explanation, according to local and international human rights groups, is that Sambo was killed because of his articles.

A veteran reporter for the newspaper ‘Monseaseka,’ or Khmer Conscience, which is affiliated to the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), the country’s main opposition political party, Sambo reported on issues relating to corruption, land grabbing and other controversial topics.

Monseaseka’s editor, Dam Sith, an SRP election candidate, was last month charged with defamation against a senior government minister and jailed for a week.

In a statement the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said it was "concerned that Sambo may have been targeted in reprisal for his reporting on government corruption."

"My feeling is that it is certainly related to what he wrote," said Galabru. "Whatever the case, there was a crime and we want the authorities to mount a serious investigation to being the perpetrators to justice."

No one has yet been arrested for the killing and opposition parties and human rights investigators are pessimistic that any one will be.

According to the United Nations Office of High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Cambodia, Sambo’s killing is one of eight similar murders and attempted murders of journalists since 1994.

In all the cases cited by OHCHR no one was arrested and the perpetrators remain at large.

The uncertainty relating to Sambo’s death says much about the difficulties facing journalists in Cambodia. Almost all Cambodia’s media is politically aligned, either through the direct ownership by parties or by wealthy individuals who have strong political connections.

According to a May 2008 Licadho study on the state of the country’s media, journalists are typically poorly paid and many live in fear of physical or legal attack because of their work. "Fear is a fact of life for many of Cambodia’s journalists," it said.

The study cited a 2007 survey of 150 journalists which showed that 65 percent of them were afraid of being physically attacked, and 62 percent feared legal action. "More tellingly, 54 percent said they had been threatened with physical harm or legal action,’’ the survey said.

The report also stated that problems also arise from endemic corruption in the media, with many journalists regularly taking bribes for favorable coverage or for not reporting stories.

"Even if it (the Sambo killing) is not politically related the environment of fear it creates is a serious issue", said Mar Sophal, monitoring coordinator with the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia.

It is difficult to get accurate figures on the number of killings and acts of violence related to the election.

According to Sophal, by the end of last week there had been at least four politics-related deaths during the official four-week campaign period. Three of the victims were CPP-affiliated activists. The fourth was an opposition party supporter.

Another issue creating uncertainty in the closing stages of the Sunday election is the escalating dispute between Phnom Penh and Bangkok over the ownership of the Preah Vihear temple that stands on the border between the two neighboring countries.

The standoff has placed Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) in a difficult position.

They must prevent a broader conflict while placating public anger over the presence of Thai soldiers in the temple, which many in the Khmer media are calling "an invasion".

The United Nations’ recognition of the temple as Cambodian produced a massive public outpouring of national fervor across the country, with mass rallies, cultural celebrations and fireworks displays. CPP officials were quick to credit the World Heritage committee’s decision to Hun Sen’s leadership and placed advertisements in all the Khmer newspapers stating this.

"They have tried to take credit for it and have used the state budget to promote themselves as heroes," said Son Chhay, an SRP parliamentarian. "Now they have backed off given their desire not to antagonize the Thais."

In a letter sent Saturday to the Thai Prime Minister, Hun Sen maintained the temple is Cambodian, but pressed for a negotiated end to the stalemate.

Indeed, it is the opposition parties that are now trying to take advantage of the situation.

In a statement released last week the SRP called the presence of Thai soldiers at the temple "an invasion" and said the government should refuse to negotiate "as long as the Thai government remains on Cambodian territory".

It demanded the withdrawal of the Thai ambassador and steps to "strengthen the armed forces into a national army that is capable and well-equipped with adequate weapons to withstand the invasion of neighboring countries."

Asean to discuss Cambodia request for mediation in border row

The Bangkok Post
Singapore (dpa)

Foreign ministers of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) met Tuesday to discuss a request by Cambodia to mediate in its border row with Thailand.

Asean Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said the ministers of the 10-country grouping met on the sidelines of its annual meetings to discuss the tension among its two members.

"It's unfortunate that we have to deal with the issues of two neighbours but we cannot control the situation," he said. "Whether or not the situation is dangerous, that has to be assessed."

A meeting on Monday between a joint border committee of Cambodia and Thailand did not produce satisfactory results, prompting Phnom Penh to seek the help of Asean in resolving the issue.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong, who was not present in the Asean meeting, asked Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo, current chair of Asean, to mediate in the dispute.

On Sunday, the Asean ministers urged its two bickering members to exercise utmost restraint and to settle the problem amicably and offered the facilities of Asean to hasten the resolution of the row.

Nearly 1,000 Cambodian troops and 500 Thai soldiers continue to face each other on the disputed territory since the tension began a week ago.

Cambodia calls for UN Security Council meet on Thai border issue

The Straits Times
July 22, 2008

PREAH VIHEAR (Cambodia) - CAMBODIA called on Tuesday for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to resolve a military standoff with neighbouring Thailand over a temple.

More than 500 Thai troops are facing off against at least 1,000 Cambodian soldiers around a small Buddhist pagoda on disputed land near the ruins of an ancient temple, which belongs to Cambodia.

'In order to avoid armed confrontation' the country requests 'an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to find a solution to the problem in accordance with international laws', the Cambodian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said earlier on Tuesday that a third party was needed to help solve the stand-off.

Senior Thai and Cambodian defence officials emerged from hours of closed-door talks on Monday with no resolution to the week-long standoff.

Thailand, however, does not want foreign mediators involved in its border dispute with Cambodia, a Thai military official said on Tuesday. He conceded though that the two sides were at a stalemate.

'The problem was that we and Cambodia are using two different maps. Cambodian is using the French version while we used a US-drawn map, thus it's hard for us to reach agreement,' General Boonsrang Niumpradit, Thailand's chief negotiator in the dispute said on Thai television.
On Cambodia's suggestion to take their dispute to the World Court in The Hague and to hold a UN Security Council meeting on the crisis, Gen Boonsrang said the Thai side was not keen on international involvement.

'The dispute should be discussed between the two countries,' he said. 'Better that than elevating it to Asean (the Association of South-east Asian Nations) or the UN.'

Gen Boonsrang said, however, that tensions between the two countries may ease after elections in Cambodia on July 27.

'It will be easier to talk after the elections,' he said.

Regional interventionEarlier, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong asked Singapore, the chair of the Association of South-east Asian Nations, to form a regional 'inter-ministerial group ... to help find a peaceful solution to the current crisis and avoid military confrontation between the two Asean members'.

In his letter to Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo late on Monday, Mr Hor Namhong asked that the group comprise the foreign ministers of Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos.

'Thai troops with artillery 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 the region,' he said in the letter seen on Tuesday.

The Asean foreign ministers are holding their annual meeting in Singapore this week.

Several thousand Thai and Cambodian troops are to remain along their countries' shared border after Monday's talks failed to resolve a now eight-day dispute over land near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

Representatives from both countries nevertheless reiterated their commitment to avoiding an armed conflict as the one-day meeting ended in the Thai-Cambodian border town of Aranyaprahet.

'The most important thing is to avoid a confrontation so that there is no violence,' Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh told reporters, adding that 'the temperature ... hasn't been reduced'.

Thai Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niempradit refused to describe the talks as a failure, while insisting troops from both countries would remain near the temple but would 'not use any violence or weapons'.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that the 11th century Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia. But the most accessible entrance lies in Thailand, and 4.6 square kilometres of the surrounding land remains in dispute, stirring nationalist sentiment in both countries.

Tensions flared last week when three Thais tried to enter Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple, and both sides stationed troops around a small Buddhist pagoda on a mountain slope leading to the temple ruins.

Asean grapples with disputeSouth-east Asian nations also grappled on Tuesday with the vexing issue of democracy in Myanmar and a simmering border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia ahead of a key security meeting of regional superpowers.

'What we need is for Cambodia and Thailand to really exercise their utmost restraint ... to prevent any outbreak of open conflict,' Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda told reporters.

There must be a 'cooling off' by the two sides, said Mr Wirajuda, who is here to attend the annual foreign ministers' meeting of the Association of South-east Asian Nations through Thursday. -- AFP, AP

Cambodia wants UN to resolve military standoff

A Cambodian soldier relaxes near a rocket launcher outside a Buddhist pagoda where Thai soldiers have occupied, near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Tuesday, July 22, 2008. Cambodia has requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to break a military stalemate with neighboring Thailand over disputed frontier territory around a historic temple. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

By SOPHENG CHEANG

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia asked the U.N. Security Council and its Southeast Asian neighbors to intervene in resolving a military standoff over disputed border territory around an ancient temple, stepping up its rhetoric against Thailand.

"In the face of this imminent state of war, this a very serious threat to our independence and territorial integrity, we have an obligation to resort to the U.N. Security Council," said Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, using the harshest terms yet in the confrontation.
There was no immediate reaction from the Thai government.

The dispute over 1.8 square miles of land near the Preah Vihear temple escalated earlier this month when UNESCO approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site.

More than 4,000 troops have been deployed around the temple and in the immediate vicinity since July 15.
The troops are to remain in place, but the two sides nevertheless reiterated their commitment to avoiding an armed conflict as a bilateral meeting in the Thai-Cambodian border town of Aranyaprathet ended without a deal.

On Tuesday, Cambodia launched a diplomatic offensive.

Hor Namhong made his statement during a meeting with several foreign ambassadors, including those from countries that are permanent members of the Security Council.

He said the Cambodian ambassador in New York Monday submitted his country's request for an emergency meeting of the council to find a solution to the problem in accordance with international laws.

Cambodia is also seeking regional intervention.

Hor Namhong asked Singapore, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to form a regional "inter-ministerial group ... to help find a peaceful solution to the current crisis and avoid military confrontation."

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said the Cabinet was waiting for a report from Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Banditkul, who is representing Thailand at the Singapore meeting.

"It is a sensitive issue and we are worried about the current standoff. We are waiting to hear from him before making comments," Somchai told reporters.

The Cambodian Foreign Ministry statement said talks failed "because Thailand insisted on using a map drawn unilaterally, thus violating Cambodia's territory."

It said Cambodia was adhering to a map, drawn up in 1908, which was endorsed by the International Court of Justice when it awarded the disputed temple to Cambodia in a 1962 ruling.

Thailand's "aggression" also violated the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia drawn up by ASEAN, the statement said.

In a letter to Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo late Monday, Hor Namhong asked that the foreign ministers of Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos be included in a group to resolve the crisis.

"Thai troops with artillery 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 the region," he said in the letter seen Tuesday.

The ASEAN foreign ministers are holding their annual meeting in Singapore this week.

Thailand sent troops to the border after anti-government demonstrators attacked Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government for supporting Cambodia's request to designate the temple a World Heritage Site. And Cambodia responded with its own deployment.

The Thai protesters claim the temple's new status will undermine their country's claim to the disputed patch of land.

Despite the deadlock, the atmosphere appeared relaxed Tuesday between the two forces at the site.

Opposing soldiers mingled casually. Some were lying in hammocks, while others sat on rocks swinging their legs with their weapons on their laps or on the ground near them.

"Nothing has changed. We have received orders to continue maintaining patience" after the talks failed, Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said Tuesday.

"We're disappointed that this has happened," U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli told reporters after the Tuesday meeting with Hor Namhong.

"The movement of troops is something that is always worrisome. When you have that many young men with that many weapons in that close proximity, there's always a danger of violence," he said, calling on both countries to try to resolve their standoff "in a peaceful, fair manner."

Associated Press writers Ambika Ahuja and Sutin Wannabovorn in Bangkok, Thailand, Ker Munthit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and writer Sumeth Panpetch along the Thai-Cambodian border contributed to this report.

Cambodia wants Security Council meeting

Cambodian soldiers relax as they hold rocket launchers outside a Buddhist pagoda where Thai soldiers have occupied, near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Tuesday, July 22, 2008. Cambodia has requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to break a military stalemate with neighboring Thailand over disputed frontier territory around a historic temple. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

By SOPHENG CHEANG

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AP) — Stepping up its diplomatic offensive, Cambodia has asked the U.N. Security Council and its Southeast Asian neighbors to help resolve a military standoff over disputed border territory around an ancient temple.

The government requested an emergency meeting of the council "to find a solution to the problem in accordance with international laws," said a Foreign Ministry statement received Tuesday.

Cambodia is also seeking regional intervention after talks between the neighbors Monday failed to end the stalemate around the Preah Vihear temple.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong asked Singapore, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to form a regional "inter-ministerial group ... to help find a peaceful solution to the current crisis and avoid military confrontation."

There was no immediate reaction from the Thai government to the initiatives.

The dispute over 1.8 square miles of land near the temple escalated earlier this month when UNESCO approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site.
More than 4,000 troops have been deployed around the temple and in the immediate vicinity since July 15.

The troops are to remain in place, but the two sides nevertheless reiterated their commitment to avoiding an armed conflict as Monday's bilateral meeting ended in the Thai-Cambodian border town of Aranyaprathet.

"The most important thing is to avoid a confrontation so that there is no violence," Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh told reporters, adding that "the temperature ... hasn't been reduced."

Thai Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niempradit refused to describe the talks as a failure, while insisting troops from both countries would stay put, but would "not use any violence or weapons."

The Cambodian Foreign Ministry statement said talks failed "because Thailand insisted on using a map drawn unilaterally, thus violating Cambodia's territory."

It said Cambodia was adhering to a map, drawn up in 1908, which was endorsed by the International Court of Justice when it awarded the disputed temple to Cambodia in a 1962 ruling.

Thailand's "aggression" also violated the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia drawn up by ASEAN, the statement said.

In a letter to Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo late Monday, Cambodia's Hor Namhong asked that the foreign ministers of Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos be included in a group to resolve the crisis.

"Thai troops with artillery 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 the region," he said in the letter seen Tuesday.

The ASEAN foreign ministers are holding their annual meeting in Singapore this week.

Thailand sent troops to the border after anti-government demonstrators attacked Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government for supporting Cambodia's request to designate the temple a World Heritage Site. And Cambodia responded with its own deployment.

The Thai protesters claim the temple's new status will undermine their country's claim to the disputed patch of land.

"It is a deadlock at this point and that means the relationship between the two countries will go from bad to worse," Surachart Bamrungsuk, a security analyst at Chulalongkorn University's faculty of Political Science, said Monday about the failed talks.

Still, the atmosphere appeared relaxed Tuesday, despite the close proximity of the two forces at the site.
Opposing soldiers mingled casually. Some were lying in hammocks, while others sat on rocks swinging their legs with their weapons on their laps or on the ground near them.

"Nothing has changed. We have received orders to continue maintaining patience" after the talks failed, Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said Tuesday.

Associated Press writers Ambika Ahuja and Sutin Wannnabovorn in Bangkok, Thailand, Ker Munthit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and writer Sumeth Panpetch along the Thai-Cambodian border contributed to this report.

Cambodia informs compatriots about Thai encroachment of its territory

Cambodian military police patrol Preah Vihear temple, 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 21, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

www.chinaview.cn

2008-07-22

PHNOM PENH, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has spoken more seriously about its border dispute with Thailand, as its foreign ministry issued a letter Tuesday to its compatriots to tell about the Thai occupation of its territory and the ensuing Thai military threat.

"On July 15 2008, the armed forces of Thailand encroached on Cambodian territory in the vicinity of the Preah Vihear Temple," said the letter dated Monday and made public Tuesday morning.

"Thailand has violated the international boundary of the two countries which had been delineated since 1908 by the Mixed Commission composed of representatives from Siam (now called Thailand) and a delegation of the Protectorate Power (namely France) representing Cambodia at that time," said the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the letter addressed to all the kingdom's compatriots.

"To date, the diplomatic efforts of the Royal Government of Cambodia to persuade Thailand to withdraw its troops and return to the status quo prior to July 15 2008 have been to no avail," it said.

"The negotiations were not successful because Thailand insisted on using a map drawn unilaterally, thus violating Cambodia's territory," it said.

Therefore, the ministry decided to "request for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to find a solution to the problem in accordance with international law," it added.

Hor Namhong, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, is currently meeting with the ambassadors from the five permanent member countries of the UN Security Council and will hold a press conference before Tuesday noon to make clear Cambodia's latest reaction to the dispute.

Earlier Monday, he asked Singapore, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to rally the foreign ministers of Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos, to find a way to help ease the tension at the Cambodian-Thai border.

"Thai troops with artillery 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 the region," he told ASEAN in a letter.

Also Monday in Thailand, bilateral top-level talks failed to produce any consensus in regard with the military standoff near their border.

Last Tuesday, three Thai protesters trespassed the border to reclaim the temple, but were immediately arrested. Thai troops then came in to fetch them, thus triggering face-off with Cambodian soldiers there. Bilateral military build-up occurred dayby day. Currently, the troops there are widely estimated at thousands.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the 11th century classic Khmer-style Preah Vihear Temple, together with the land it occupies, to Cambodia. The decision has rankled the Thais ever since.

The temple straddles the Thai-Cambodian border atop the DangrekMountain and was listed as a World Heritage Site on July 7 by the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.

Secretary-General appeals for calm between Cambodia and Thailand

UN NEWS CENTRE

escalation of tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on both sides to peacefully resolve the situation.

There is a build-up of military forces near the Preah Vihear Temple in Cambodia, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) earlier this month.

“The Secretary-General calls for restraint on both sides and hopes that this matter can be resolved peacefully and by diplomatic means in the context of the excellent relations that traditional exist between the two countries,” according to a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.

The temple, which dates back to the 11th century, and was recognized by the World Heritage Committee for “its natural situation on a promontory, with sheer cliffs overlooking a vast plain and mountain range; the quality of its architecture adapted to the natural environment and religious function of the temple; and, finally, the exceptional quality of the carved stone ornamentation of the temple.”

News #9 - Preah Vihear - 21.07.2008

Cambodian-Thai Border Talks Fail to Reach Solution

VOA
By Liam Cochrane
2-348523
21 July 2008

Cochrane report - Download (MP3)
Cochrane report - Listen (MP3)

Top-level talks between Thailand and Cambodia have failed to resolve a dispute over who owns an ancient temple. The talks were called after Thai soldiers entered Cambodia and troops from both countries gathered along the disputed border.

Liam Cochrane reports from Preah Viheah temple on the Cambodian-Thai border.The Defense Ministers of Cambodian and Thailand met Monday at a border town away from the disputed temple site.

They spoke for eight hours, but the discussion ended without a solution to the dispute or a schedule for further talks.

The Director General of the National Authority for Preah Viheah, Professor Hang Soth says the two sides had different ideas on how to resolve the standoff, but said the Cambodian government was committed to finding a non-violent solution.

"No matter how long it takes, Cambodian government still calm, still use any new way to find peace, never want to make the conflict and no want to have fighting with each other," he said.

At Preah Viheah temple, Cambodian and Thai soldiers chatted and posed for photographs together in an atmosphere that was mostly friendly.

But both sides have hundreds of well-armed troops and heavy machine guns in place in case fighting does break out. Thailand sent troops to the border after anti-government demonstrators attacked Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government for supporting Cambodia's request to designate the temple a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Thai protesters say the temple's new status will undermine their country's claim to land around the site.

Cambodia turns down Thai request to review border lines

www.chinaview.cn

2008-07-22

PHNOM PENH, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian side Monday turned down the Thai side's request to review the border lines, during the meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) between both countries held in Thai province of Sa Kaew, said a senior Cambodian official.

"We had good negotiation with the Thai side. We agreed with each other on one point and another, but the Cambodian side didn't agree the Thai side's request to review the border lines with us. We already had border lines with the Thai side according to the treaties signed by France and Thailand in 1904 and 1907. It was international border," said Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Tea Banh at a press conference held at the Poit Pet town of Cambodia near the border upon his arrival at homeland.

"This was the hottest issue (during the meeting), but we just couldn't accept it," said Tea Banh, who led the Cambodian delegation to Thailand for the eight-hour top-level meeting originally meant to solve the seven-day bilateral military standoff at the border area.

Meanwhile, Var Kim Hong, chairman of the Cambodian Border Committee and member of the Cambodian delegation to Thailand, said that the Thai side insisted on saying that both sides didn't have border lines on land and only had border lines in air.

"We couldn't accept it because France and Thailand signed border treaties in 1904 and 1907. Actually, we already had border lines and they were stipulated in these international treaties," he added.

France was protectorate of Cambodia from 1863 to 1953.

In addition, Tea Banh told reporters at the press conference that the meeting didn't reach any resolution to withdraw the Thai troops stationed near the Preah Vihear Temple, but the major achievement was the promise made by both sides not to allow any violence and confrontation at the border area near the temple.

"Both troops won't mobilize and have to keep calm," he was quoted by national radio VOA as saying.

The two countries will have more meetings, but the date is not clear yet, the radio added.

Right after the meeting was over in Thailand, the Cambodian delegation held a joint press conference with the Thai side, saying that they could understand each other and the talks were held in friendly atmosphere, but nothing resulted.

It included complicated legal matters, so the delegations could not make any decision, they said.

Anyway, there will be no any violence and confrontation at the border area in order to guarantee a peaceful environment, especially for the ongoing Cambodian general election, whose polling date falls on July 27, they added.

Before the negotiation, both prime minister had exchanged letters, saying that the two countries should make utmost effort to prevent the border situation from deteriorating, so as to preserve long-lasting friendship and good cooperation between the two peoples.

Last Tuesday, three Thai protesters trespassed the border to reclaim the temple, but were immediately arrested. Thai troops then came in to fetch them, thus triggering face-off with Cambodian soldiers there. Bilateral military build-up occurred day by day. Currently, the troops there are widely estimated at thousands.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the 11- century classic Khmer-style Preah Vihear Temple, together with the land it occupies, to Cambodia. The decision has rankled the Thais ever since.

The temple 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: Mu Xuequan

Why Thai-Cambodian temple dispute lingers

Whose ancient temple is it? Thailand and Cambodia failed Monday to end a weeklong border dispute at Preah Vihear. Both sides’ troops are stationed nearby.Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom

Each side has domestic reasons to prolong the conflict.

By Simon Montlake Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the July 22, 2008 edition

Bangkok, Thailand - Senior security officials from Thailand and Cambodia failed Monday to defuse a border dispute centered on a 10th-century temple that has seen hundreds of troops mobilized on both sides and claims by Cambodia of incursions by Thai soldiers.

After a week of saber-rattling over Preah Vihear, which UNESCO recently designated as a World Heritage Site for Cambodia, Thai analysts and Western diplomats say there is a risk that tempers could flare. Neither side wants to be seen backing down, since parties on both sides are using the dispute to further domestic political goals, especially in Thailand.

"Nobody wants to see this dispute escalate," says a Thai military officer, who requested anonymity. "We are doing our best not to let anything happen.... Cambodia understands that the problem arises from domestic political problems in Thailand."

The risk of violence, though, remains slight as the two militaries have a close working relationship. No shots have been fired, and the only injuries came when Thai nationalists clashed last week with local Thai villagers opposed to their campaign against Cambodia's claim to the temple.

Domestic politics fuel conflict

Still, with opposition politicians in both countries playing nationalism cards, the row may prove hard to douse. Five years ago, a rumor that a Thai actress had spoken of taking back Angkor Wat, another temple, sparked anti-Thai riots in Phnom Penh. The Thai Embassy was torched and Thai nationals in Cambodia had to be evacuated by military aircraft.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is campaigning ahead of national elections on Sunday, and opponents who lag far behind in opinion polls have attacked his handling of the row, as well as his lauding of the temple's new status.

A more proximate cause, though, lies in Bangkok. Here, opponents of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who have led months of street protests and lawsuits against his government, have used the issue to accuse it of surrendering sovereignty.

"It doesn't seem too complicated to fix [the dispute]. But Thai politics [are] so polarized that it's being used to accuse the government of selling out the country. Sentiment is high on the Thai side," says Gothom Arya, a peace advocate and chairman of the National Economics and Social Advisory Council, a government think-tank.

At a summit in Singapore, foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which groups Thailand, Cambodia, and eight others in the region, called for "utmost restraint" on the border. Cambodia said Sunday that it had written to the UN Security Council about the alleged Thai incursions, but insisted it wasn't trying to involve the UN in bilateral talks, the Associated Press reported.

A history of border disputes

Seemingly minor territorial disputes have long plagued Southeast Asia, whose colonial-era borders overwrote divisions of bygone kingdoms. Singapore and Malaysia have scrapped for years over claims to tiny islands. Thailand fought a brief border war with Laos in the 1980s. For their part, Cambodians are suspicious of Vietnamese designs on its territory, a legacy of both centuries-old rivalry and a period of occupation after Vietnam's 1979 ouster of the genocidal Khmer Rouge government.

Thai nationalists are still smarting over France's delineation of their border with Cambodia, a former French colony, which had ruled Thailand during the heyday of the Angkor period, before shrinking in size. In 1962, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that Preah Vihear belonged to Cambodia, but the status of the surrounding Thai-administered area wasn't determined.

Overlapping interests

Thai nationalists fear that the temple's designation will weaken Thailand's hand, though UNESCO has said that its decision has no bearing on overlapping land claims.

Earlier this month, Thailand's Constitutional Court ruled that the government was wrong when it signed a joint communiqué with Cambodia on the issue without consulting parliament. Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama later resigned.

Behind the rhetoric is a grinding war of attrition between Mr. Samak and his enemies, whose ongoing street protests are a repeat of events in 2006 that paralyzed Thailand, before former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a coup. Samak is an ally of Mr. Thaksin, who is barred from politics but continues to loom over public life here.

Critics allege that Thaksin is cutting business deals in Cambodia and that his friends in government are smoothing his path. "This is a very sensitive issue on both sides of the border.

The [Thai] government should have informed the people from the beginning. The suspicion is that there are dealings under the table," says Kasit Piromya, a former Thai ambassador to Washington and opposition supporter.

For decades, Preah Vihear was off the map as visitors steered clear of war-torn Cambodia. But the surrender of Khmer Rouge troops in the 1990s paved a tourism boom in Cambodia focused on Angkor Wat, the vast temple complex that symbolizes the country's ancient glories. Cambodia hopes to repeat the trick with Preah Vihear.

Until this month, day trippers from Thailand could visit the temple, which sits atop a rocky escarpment that is much harder to ascend from Cambodia. Both countries benefited from this arrangement by levying fees on visitors, but Cambodia eventually plans to channel tourists from its side of the border, capitalizing on its UNESCO designation.

For now, there are no tourists, only soldiers hunkered down around the ruined temple.

Cool off

The Bangkok Post

By Anucha Charoenpo and Wassana Nanuam at Sa Kaeo

Talks between Thailand and Cambodia went nowhere yesterday after both countries refused to back down from claiming sovereignty over the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple.

But Supreme Commander Gen Boonsrang Niempradit and Cambodian Defence Minister Gen Tea Banh promised not to take any further military action that might heighten tension on the border between Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province and the Cambodian province of Preah Vihear, where the 900-year-old temple is located.

"The two sides affirmed there will be neither a withdrawal nor reinforcement of their troops," Gen Boonsrang said.

After eight hours of intense talks at a hotel in the border district of Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo province involving the two generals and selected officials, the two countries called it quits and agreed to adjourn the General Border Committee ( GBC) meeting to next month.

A government source said a new schedule has been tentatively set for Aug 18-20 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Gen Boonsrang, who is the GBC deputy chairman for Thailand, admitted the main obstacle was their "different legal documents".

He said Thailand and Cambodia insisted on using different agreements as a basis for the talks on the disputed border area.

Gen Boonsrang did not elaborate but was apparently referring to ways to resolve the 4.6-square-kilometre area of disputed territory.

"The meeting yesterday was not easy," he said.

Thailand insists on using the watershed mark as the border between the two countries.

Cambodia maintains the demarcation of the area has to be based on a map drawn in 1908.

Gen Tea Banh, who is also a deputy prime minister and chairman of the GBC for Cambodia, did not consider the talks a failure and said there was a need to ease the border tension.

"We realise we have to reduce the [unfriendly] atmosphere, tension and [military] stand-off," Gen Tea Banh said.

Thailand and Cambodia each have about 500 soldiers deployed in the overlapping area. Thailand has 2,400 troops and Cambodia has about 2,000 troops in the area as a back-up.

The border row started after the ancient temple was listed as a World Heritage site by the World Heritage Committee at a meeting in Quebec, Canada, early this month.

The listing prompted some Thais to launch protests at the northeastern border.

In addition to Gen Boonsrang, key Thai officials involved in the meeting were army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda, army chief-of-staff Gen Songkitti Chakkrabat, Border Affairs Department director-general Lt-Gen Niphat Ethnical and permanent secretary for foreign affairs Virasakdi Futrakul.

The Cambodian negotiators comprised Deputy Defence Minister Gen Neang Paht, Deputy Foreign Minister Long Visaro, Senior Minister Var Kim Hong and deputy chief-of-staff Gen Pol Saroeun, as well as Gen Tea Banh.

An army source said a key issue which prolonged the talks and resulted in no agreement was the proposed military withdrawal from the contested area. Two other issues discussed in the talks were the need to avoid any armed action and a promise not to use the border conflict for political gains by the respective governments, the source added.

Thailand did not expect any breakthrough in the talks yesterday as Cambodia will hold a general election on Sunday.

An official in the Thai delegation expected several more rounds of talks to take place before the border issue could be resolved as the issues were sensitive.

"The problem cannot be simply resolved overnight," he said.

With the meeting making no progress, Gen Anupong told the commander of the Second Army, Lt-Gen Sujit Sithiprapa, of the need to station troops in the area, said another army source.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said in his second letter to Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on July 19 that the disputed area was part of Cambodia.

His second letter, which was released by the Cambodian embassy, was to counter Mr Samak’s position that the area was inside Thailand.

Mr Hun Sen said Mr Var Kim Hong, who is in charge of border demarcation, had been assigned to hold a Joint Boundary Commission with Thailand "as soon as possible".

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

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Part 2



Part 3