Monday, 21 July 2008
Savada Khmer; a song composed by Samdech Sangha Raja Jhotañano Chuon Nath (1883 -1969).
Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Several thousand people gathered at Wat Phnom to celebrate the day. Savada Khmer [in PDF], a song composed by Samdech Sangha Raja Jhotañano Chuon Nath (1883 -1969).Savada Khmer translated into English
All Khmers, please remember the root and history of our great country
Our boundary was wide and well known
Others always thought highly of our race
And always placed our race as the elders.
We have great heritage and culture
Which has spread far and wide in the Far East.
Religion, arts and education,
Music, philosophy and strategies are all that we have spread.
All Khmers, please remember our roots and history
Which speaks of the grandeur of our great race
Make up your mind and body and try hard to rebuild
In order to lift the value of our nation
To once again rise to the greatness that we once had.
Border dispute, Myanmar, top ASEAN ministers' talks
A man walks in front of a logo of Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in SingaporeSINGAPORE (AFP) — Southeast Asian foreign ministers urged Thailand and Cambodia to show restraint in a border dispute, and urged Myanmar to free all political prisoners, as annual talks began Sunday night.
Ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) began their talks over dinner while two of its members, Thailand and Cambodia, were locked in an armed standoff over a border temple, and after rogue member Myanmar extended opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest.
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to "exert utmost efforts" to find a peaceful solution to their standoff, Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo said after the dinner at a restaurant in the city-state's botanical gardens.
"Both sides affirmed that they would abide by their ASEAN and international obligations and exert their utmost efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue," Yeo said in a statement.
More than 500 Thai troops and well over 1,000 Cambodian soldiers are stationed around a small Buddhist pagoda leading to the ruins of an 11th-century temple, where nearby land is claimed by both sides.
"We urged both sides to exercise utmost restraint and resolve this issue amicably in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity and good neighbourliness," Yeo said.
The foreign ministers also expressed "deep disappointment" over the extension of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's detention and called for all political prisoners in the country to be freed, Yeo said.
"They repeated the call by ASEAN leaders for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees as part of Myanmar's national reconciliation process," he said.
Myanmar's ruling generals extended Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest by one year on May 27. She has spent most of the past 18 years confined to her lakeside home in Myanmar's main city Yangon.
ASEAN has often been criticised for failing to act firmly against member Myanmar over human rights abuses and a lack of democratic progress.
Myanmar's junta should engage in "a meaningful dialogue with all political groups", Yeo said.
While the border dispute and Myanmar dominated the first night of the ministers' meeting, high on the official agenda is a new ASEAN charter which would create an EU-style economic block committed to democracy and human rights by 2015.
Efforts to get aid to about two million survivors of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar are also expected to feature prominently when talks continue on Monday.
Myanmar earned international contempt by refusing to allow a foreign-led relief effort when the May cyclone left 138,000 dead or missing.
ASEAN won praise for eventually bridging the gap between the junta and the outside world over cyclone relief efforts by taking the lead on a joint aid mission with the military authorities and the United Nations.
The mission is expected to release its full report on the humanitarian situation in Myanmar's devastated southern delta region here on Monday.
The temple standoff began after three Thai protesters were arrested on Tuesday for crossing a fence to reach the ancient ruins, which have been a source of tension between the neighbours for decades.
Defence officials from both countries plan to meet on the border on Monday to try to defuse the crisis.
Thai government representatives here said they could not discuss whether the countries' ministers would hold bilateral talks in Singapore.
"Any tension, any misunderstanding between and among member states is always an issue of concern for ASEAN," the bloc's secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said earlier Sunday.
He said the ministers were keen to see the matter resolved "as soon as possible."
Ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) began their talks over dinner while two of its members, Thailand and Cambodia, were locked in an armed standoff over a border temple, and after rogue member Myanmar extended opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest.
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to "exert utmost efforts" to find a peaceful solution to their standoff, Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo said after the dinner at a restaurant in the city-state's botanical gardens.
"Both sides affirmed that they would abide by their ASEAN and international obligations and exert their utmost efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue," Yeo said in a statement.
More than 500 Thai troops and well over 1,000 Cambodian soldiers are stationed around a small Buddhist pagoda leading to the ruins of an 11th-century temple, where nearby land is claimed by both sides.
"We urged both sides to exercise utmost restraint and resolve this issue amicably in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity and good neighbourliness," Yeo said.
The foreign ministers also expressed "deep disappointment" over the extension of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's detention and called for all political prisoners in the country to be freed, Yeo said.
"They repeated the call by ASEAN leaders for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees as part of Myanmar's national reconciliation process," he said.
Myanmar's ruling generals extended Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest by one year on May 27. She has spent most of the past 18 years confined to her lakeside home in Myanmar's main city Yangon.
ASEAN has often been criticised for failing to act firmly against member Myanmar over human rights abuses and a lack of democratic progress.
Myanmar's junta should engage in "a meaningful dialogue with all political groups", Yeo said.
While the border dispute and Myanmar dominated the first night of the ministers' meeting, high on the official agenda is a new ASEAN charter which would create an EU-style economic block committed to democracy and human rights by 2015.
Efforts to get aid to about two million survivors of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar are also expected to feature prominently when talks continue on Monday.
Myanmar earned international contempt by refusing to allow a foreign-led relief effort when the May cyclone left 138,000 dead or missing.
ASEAN won praise for eventually bridging the gap between the junta and the outside world over cyclone relief efforts by taking the lead on a joint aid mission with the military authorities and the United Nations.
The mission is expected to release its full report on the humanitarian situation in Myanmar's devastated southern delta region here on Monday.
The temple standoff began after three Thai protesters were arrested on Tuesday for crossing a fence to reach the ancient ruins, which have been a source of tension between the neighbours for decades.
Defence officials from both countries plan to meet on the border on Monday to try to defuse the crisis.
Thai government representatives here said they could not discuss whether the countries' ministers would hold bilateral talks in Singapore.
"Any tension, any misunderstanding between and among member states is always an issue of concern for ASEAN," the bloc's secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said earlier Sunday.
He said the ministers were keen to see the matter resolved "as soon as possible."
Cambodia's Hun Sen set to dominate polls
Agence France Presse
PHNOM PENH: Cambodian political parties are staging raucous rallies throughout the country ahead of next week's polls, but few expect voters to oust the party that has ruled for three decades. The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has undermined its political rivals and is expected to dominate the July 27 poll, extending Prime Minister Hun Sen's 23-year grip on power.
Although it appears assured of victory, the CPP has mounted a massive campaign, parading in shiny black SUVs while covering the country with posters and the airwaves with promises of further development. "People are asking why such an effort? The extra effort they are making is to ensure an absolute majority," said political analyst Chea Vannath. About 8.1 million people are registered to vote at 15,000 polling stations, under the eyes of more than 13,000 domestic and international observers.
PHNOM PENH: Cambodian political parties are staging raucous rallies throughout the country ahead of next week's polls, but few expect voters to oust the party that has ruled for three decades. The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has undermined its political rivals and is expected to dominate the July 27 poll, extending Prime Minister Hun Sen's 23-year grip on power.
Although it appears assured of victory, the CPP has mounted a massive campaign, parading in shiny black SUVs while covering the country with posters and the airwaves with promises of further development. "People are asking why such an effort? The extra effort they are making is to ensure an absolute majority," said political analyst Chea Vannath. About 8.1 million people are registered to vote at 15,000 polling stations, under the eyes of more than 13,000 domestic and international observers.
Cambodians buy food for fear of border closure
The Bangkok Post
Anxieties regarding an imminent border closure by Thailand over a disputed zone near an ancient temple led to over one thousand Cambodians to cross the border Saturday to stock up on dried foodstuffs and oil from a market in Aranyaprathet district opposite Cambodia's Poi Pet.
The Cambodians bought daily essentials to keep in reserve on worries that the Thai authorities might close the border following military reinforcements and tensions building in Thailand's Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket, where Preah Vihear temple is located.
Tensions in the area have increased in recent days as both countries have reinforced their troops near the disputed temple.
A Cambodian villager who crossed the border and bought food supplies said Cambodians in Poi Pet feared that fighting could break out.
He said Poi Pet residents believed that negotiations between the two neighbours' military leaders, scheduled for Monday and aimed at defusing the tensions, would be fruitless after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had demanded that Thailand withdraw its troops.
Cambodians believe that Thailand would not follow the Cambodian leader's request, said the villager.
Meanwhile, Thai Army soldiers and Rangers have set up a checkpoint at a border outpost in Aranyaprathet and are also patrolling the shared border to prevent Cambodians from entering Thailand illegally. (TNA)
Anxieties regarding an imminent border closure by Thailand over a disputed zone near an ancient temple led to over one thousand Cambodians to cross the border Saturday to stock up on dried foodstuffs and oil from a market in Aranyaprathet district opposite Cambodia's Poi Pet.
The Cambodians bought daily essentials to keep in reserve on worries that the Thai authorities might close the border following military reinforcements and tensions building in Thailand's Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket, where Preah Vihear temple is located.
Tensions in the area have increased in recent days as both countries have reinforced their troops near the disputed temple.
A Cambodian villager who crossed the border and bought food supplies said Cambodians in Poi Pet feared that fighting could break out.
He said Poi Pet residents believed that negotiations between the two neighbours' military leaders, scheduled for Monday and aimed at defusing the tensions, would be fruitless after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had demanded that Thailand withdraw its troops.
Cambodians believe that Thailand would not follow the Cambodian leader's request, said the villager.
Meanwhile, Thai Army soldiers and Rangers have set up a checkpoint at a border outpost in Aranyaprathet and are also patrolling the shared border to prevent Cambodians from entering Thailand illegally. (TNA)
Tensions High as Cambodia Claims Thailand Has Violated Territory in Temple Dispute
July 20, 2008: A Cambodian Buddhist monk at the entrance gate on the border between Cambodia and Thailand near Preah Vihear temple.FOX News.com
Sunday, July 20, 2008
PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia — 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.
The two countries were to hold talks Monday in Thailand aimed at resolving the dispute, but a Cambodian general said he had little hope they would succeed.
Cambodia's mission at the United Nations submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border," Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said Sunday.
"Cambodia is not asking for U.N. intervention. We still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides," the minister said.
The conflict over territory surrounding the ancient Preah Vihear Hindu temple escalated when UNESCO recently approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Thai activists say the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land.
The tension, which began Tuesday, is centered on the compound of a Buddhist temple near the Preah Vihear temple complex. Cambodia and Thailand both claim the compound.
In his letter Friday to the Security Council, Cambodian U.N. Ambassador Sea Kosal said the action by Thai troops was aimed at creating "a de facto overlapping area that legally does not exist on Cambodian soil." A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday.
Based on estimates by commanders and AP reporters on both sides of the border, more than 4,000 troops have been deployed around the temple and in the immediate border region.
Reporters saw at least nine Thai military trucks hauling small artillery pieces and soldiers toward the disputed area Sunday, but the atmosphere appeared relaxed despite the close proximity of the two forces.
Opposing commanders and their troops have tried to defuse tensions, sometimes even sharing meals, snapping photographs and sleeping within easy sight of each other.
"Some of these soldiers [the Cambodians and the Thais] have known one another a long time and they have good relationships. The soldiers on both sides understand each other," Thai field commander Col. Chayan Huaysoongnern told reporters.
A Cambodian general, however, said he had little hope that the talks Monday between his government and Thailand would resolve the matter.
Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said Thai troops have deployed artillery about half a mile northeast of Preah Vihear temple.
"Regarding the talks tomorrow, we have little hope about the outcome," Chea Keo said.
He said the reason for his pessimism stems from a recent counterclaim by Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej that the area around the Buddhist temple belongs to Thailand.
While urging both sides to exercise restraint, Samak's letter said a settlement of Cambodians in that area constitutes "a continued violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Maj. Gen. Weewalit Jornsamrit, a senior Thai commander at the border, said an estimated 1,300 Cambodian troops were deployed in and around Preah Vihear.
Weewalit declined to give Thai troop numbers but a senior Thai officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive situation, said about 2,600 soldiers were in the Thai district opposite the border. About 400 were seen in the disputed area.
"We continue to be on alert at all times. And at the same time, we keep instructing our soldiers to be patient and avoid being blamed for starting a war," Chea Keo said Sunday.
The dispute has taken a toll on tourism in the area, with the Thai side closed to visitors. It also is starting to hurt economic relations between the two neighbors.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia — 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.
The two countries were to hold talks Monday in Thailand aimed at resolving the dispute, but a Cambodian general said he had little hope they would succeed.
Cambodia's mission at the United Nations submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border," Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said Sunday.
"Cambodia is not asking for U.N. intervention. We still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides," the minister said.
The conflict over territory surrounding the ancient Preah Vihear Hindu temple escalated when UNESCO recently approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Thai activists say the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land.
The tension, which began Tuesday, is centered on the compound of a Buddhist temple near the Preah Vihear temple complex. Cambodia and Thailand both claim the compound.
In his letter Friday to the Security Council, Cambodian U.N. Ambassador Sea Kosal said the action by Thai troops was aimed at creating "a de facto overlapping area that legally does not exist on Cambodian soil." A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday.
Based on estimates by commanders and AP reporters on both sides of the border, more than 4,000 troops have been deployed around the temple and in the immediate border region.
Reporters saw at least nine Thai military trucks hauling small artillery pieces and soldiers toward the disputed area Sunday, but the atmosphere appeared relaxed despite the close proximity of the two forces.
Opposing commanders and their troops have tried to defuse tensions, sometimes even sharing meals, snapping photographs and sleeping within easy sight of each other.
"Some of these soldiers [the Cambodians and the Thais] have known one another a long time and they have good relationships. The soldiers on both sides understand each other," Thai field commander Col. Chayan Huaysoongnern told reporters.
A Cambodian general, however, said he had little hope that the talks Monday between his government and Thailand would resolve the matter.
Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said Thai troops have deployed artillery about half a mile northeast of Preah Vihear temple.
"Regarding the talks tomorrow, we have little hope about the outcome," Chea Keo said.
He said the reason for his pessimism stems from a recent counterclaim by Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej that the area around the Buddhist temple belongs to Thailand.
While urging both sides to exercise restraint, Samak's letter said a settlement of Cambodians in that area constitutes "a continued violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Maj. Gen. Weewalit Jornsamrit, a senior Thai commander at the border, said an estimated 1,300 Cambodian troops were deployed in and around Preah Vihear.
Weewalit declined to give Thai troop numbers but a senior Thai officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive situation, said about 2,600 soldiers were in the Thai district opposite the border. About 400 were seen in the disputed area.
"We continue to be on alert at all times. And at the same time, we keep instructing our soldiers to be patient and avoid being blamed for starting a war," Chea Keo said Sunday.
The dispute has taken a toll on tourism in the area, with the Thai side closed to visitors. It also is starting to hurt economic relations between the two neighbors.
Thai politics ensnared in dispute over temple
Cambodian Buddhist monks walk past a soldier standing guard in the compound of Preah Vihear temple, 245km, or 152 miles, north of Phnom Penh on Sunday. (Chor Sokunthea/Reuters)International Herald Tribune
By Seth Mydans
Published: July 20, 2008
KANTHARALAK, Thailand: Hundreds of Thai and Cambodian soldiers faced off at the ruins of an ancient Hindu temple here this weekend in a modern-day echo of the age-old clash of empires across Indochina.
The temple, high on a bluff on a disputed patch of border, was the prize, but the target was more prosaic: an embattled government in Bangkok, where political insurgents are using a historical dispute as a weapon.
Once lit, the fires of nationalism have spread in both nations; old grievances have flared, and troops and heavy weapons have been mobilized in the mists above the jungle.
On Saturday, truckloads of reinforcements could be seen heading toward the temple, called Preah Vihear, on both sides of the border. 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. For his part, the Thai prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, insists that the area is Thai.
Neither government wants a shooting war, and they planned to talk Monday to try to ease the standoff. While Thailand is enduring its slow-burn political crisis, Cambodia is preparing for a general election Sunday, and the opposition there is also waving a nationalist flag.
But in Bangkok, the 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.
"The Democrats have used this quite dishonestly to get at the current government," said Chris Baker, a British historian of Thailand, speaking of the main opposition party. "This of course is a very dangerous game. A troop buildup is a very dangerous game. It's a very stupid way for Thailand to deal with an important neighbor."
Sovereignty is a volatile issue in a region where dominance has shifted over the centuries among empires in what are now Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
"The dark side of nationalism is as dangerous as ever," said Thongchai Winichakul, a historian and author of "Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation."
Cambodia, which has been annexed throughout history by its neighbors on both its eastern and western borders, is particularly sensitive, and its temples are a source of national pride. They symbolize its last period of greatness, under the Angkorean kings, which ended with a Thai invasion in the 15th century.
Just five years ago, mobs in Cambodia burned down the Thai Embassy because of rumors that a Thai actress had claimed Thai sovereignty over Cambodia's greatest temple, Angkor Wat.
The catalyst of today's confrontation seemed mild enough: the naming of the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site, a designation that is meant to preserve historical monuments, not to call out armed soldiers.
The temple itself, built between the 9th and 11th centuries, is unlike any other. It is an ornate, sagging ruin of broken pillars and sweeping roofs that stands alone on a finger of rock, high above the forests of the Dangrek Mountains.
It was consecrated to the Hindu god Shiva when it was built, but, like other temples in the Angkorean period, was converted to Buddhist use.
Questions of sovereignty are complicated by the temple's location at the top of a sheer, 500-meter, or 1,640-foot, cliff. It is almost inaccessible from Cambodia, but it is reachable through Thailand by a comfortable drive over a smooth, paved road.
On June 17, Unesco placed the temple on its list of protected monuments, or World Heritage sites. It was responding to a bid from Cambodia that included a disputed map drawn up by French colonial rulers in 1907.
Legally, the temple has belonged to Cambodia since 1962, following a ruling in its favor by the International Court of Justice in the Hague. The French had left Indochina seven years before, and the temple had been occupied in the interim by Thai soldiers.
The Thais were forced to withdraw, and the court's decision has rankled in Thailand ever since. The validity of the French map and the court's logic have been questioned, and the focus is now on 4.6 square kilometers, or 1.8 square miles, around the temple that were not specifically covered in the ruling.
In a strangely passive response last month, the Thai government failed to insist on joining Cambodia as a bidder for the Unesco designation and signed off on the questionable map Cambodia presented.
This was fuel enough for the Thai opposition, which says, without real evidence, that a back-room deal had been struck and that the man behind it was the country's most prominent wheeler-dealer, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin, who was deposed in a coup in 2006, remains a player in business and politics, and he does have financial interests in Cambodia. The man who let Cambodia's bid slip through - and who was forced to resign as a result - was Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama, once Thaksin's personal lawyer.
The embattled prime minister, Samak, is also seen by his critics as Thaksin's proxy, and, under pressure from the opposition, he has begun talking tough.
Having earlier called the nationalist protesters crazy, Samak sounded a nationalist note on Friday, saying that the Cambodian presence at the temple "is a continued violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The Dangrek mountain range and the high plains in Thailand that lie beyond it are home to dozens of lesser temples in Khmer style, including two in Thailand that Cambodia laid claim to in 2003. Experts say there are 15 more overlapping locations along the nations' 805-kilometer border that need to be resolved.
But Preah Vihear, in its majesty and geographical ambiguity, has been the symbol for both sides' claims of dominance.
"The Preah Vihear temple is part of a wounded history of Thailand and Cambodia," said Charnvit Kasetsiri, a historian at Bangkok's Thammasat University.
That history - as the troops and heavy weapons deployed at the temple show - has not yet receded into the past.
By Seth Mydans
Published: July 20, 2008
KANTHARALAK, Thailand: Hundreds of Thai and Cambodian soldiers faced off at the ruins of an ancient Hindu temple here this weekend in a modern-day echo of the age-old clash of empires across Indochina.
The temple, high on a bluff on a disputed patch of border, was the prize, but the target was more prosaic: an embattled government in Bangkok, where political insurgents are using a historical dispute as a weapon.
Once lit, the fires of nationalism have spread in both nations; old grievances have flared, and troops and heavy weapons have been mobilized in the mists above the jungle.
On Saturday, truckloads of reinforcements could be seen heading toward the temple, called Preah Vihear, on both sides of the border. 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. For his part, the Thai prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, insists that the area is Thai.
Neither government wants a shooting war, and they planned to talk Monday to try to ease the standoff. While Thailand is enduring its slow-burn political crisis, Cambodia is preparing for a general election Sunday, and the opposition there is also waving a nationalist flag.
But in Bangkok, the 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.
"The Democrats have used this quite dishonestly to get at the current government," said Chris Baker, a British historian of Thailand, speaking of the main opposition party. "This of course is a very dangerous game. A troop buildup is a very dangerous game. It's a very stupid way for Thailand to deal with an important neighbor."
Sovereignty is a volatile issue in a region where dominance has shifted over the centuries among empires in what are now Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
"The dark side of nationalism is as dangerous as ever," said Thongchai Winichakul, a historian and author of "Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation."
Cambodia, which has been annexed throughout history by its neighbors on both its eastern and western borders, is particularly sensitive, and its temples are a source of national pride. They symbolize its last period of greatness, under the Angkorean kings, which ended with a Thai invasion in the 15th century.
Just five years ago, mobs in Cambodia burned down the Thai Embassy because of rumors that a Thai actress had claimed Thai sovereignty over Cambodia's greatest temple, Angkor Wat.
The catalyst of today's confrontation seemed mild enough: the naming of the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site, a designation that is meant to preserve historical monuments, not to call out armed soldiers.
The temple itself, built between the 9th and 11th centuries, is unlike any other. It is an ornate, sagging ruin of broken pillars and sweeping roofs that stands alone on a finger of rock, high above the forests of the Dangrek Mountains.
It was consecrated to the Hindu god Shiva when it was built, but, like other temples in the Angkorean period, was converted to Buddhist use.
Questions of sovereignty are complicated by the temple's location at the top of a sheer, 500-meter, or 1,640-foot, cliff. It is almost inaccessible from Cambodia, but it is reachable through Thailand by a comfortable drive over a smooth, paved road.
On June 17, Unesco placed the temple on its list of protected monuments, or World Heritage sites. It was responding to a bid from Cambodia that included a disputed map drawn up by French colonial rulers in 1907.
Legally, the temple has belonged to Cambodia since 1962, following a ruling in its favor by the International Court of Justice in the Hague. The French had left Indochina seven years before, and the temple had been occupied in the interim by Thai soldiers.
The Thais were forced to withdraw, and the court's decision has rankled in Thailand ever since. The validity of the French map and the court's logic have been questioned, and the focus is now on 4.6 square kilometers, or 1.8 square miles, around the temple that were not specifically covered in the ruling.
In a strangely passive response last month, the Thai government failed to insist on joining Cambodia as a bidder for the Unesco designation and signed off on the questionable map Cambodia presented.
This was fuel enough for the Thai opposition, which says, without real evidence, that a back-room deal had been struck and that the man behind it was the country's most prominent wheeler-dealer, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin, who was deposed in a coup in 2006, remains a player in business and politics, and he does have financial interests in Cambodia. The man who let Cambodia's bid slip through - and who was forced to resign as a result - was Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama, once Thaksin's personal lawyer.
The embattled prime minister, Samak, is also seen by his critics as Thaksin's proxy, and, under pressure from the opposition, he has begun talking tough.
Having earlier called the nationalist protesters crazy, Samak sounded a nationalist note on Friday, saying that the Cambodian presence at the temple "is a continued violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The Dangrek mountain range and the high plains in Thailand that lie beyond it are home to dozens of lesser temples in Khmer style, including two in Thailand that Cambodia laid claim to in 2003. Experts say there are 15 more overlapping locations along the nations' 805-kilometer border that need to be resolved.
But Preah Vihear, in its majesty and geographical ambiguity, has been the symbol for both sides' claims of dominance.
"The Preah Vihear temple is part of a wounded history of Thailand and Cambodia," said Charnvit Kasetsiri, a historian at Bangkok's Thammasat University.
That history - as the troops and heavy weapons deployed at the temple show - has not yet receded into the past.
CAMBODIA: Ecstasy tabs destroying forest wilderness
A seized distillery at Mreah Prew. The wood used to make sassafras is extremely rare and becoming extinct
Large numbers of trees are being chopped down for fire-wood for the lengthy sassafras distillation processIRIN
" These rangers are the foot soldiers protecting the forests. They operate in thick, leech-infested jungle, risking their lives every day for a paltry salary. "
PHNOM PENH, 20 July 2008 (IRIN) - The production of sassafras oil, which is used to make the recreational drug ecstasy, in southwest Cambodia, is destroying trees, the livelihoods of local inhabitants and wreaking untold ecological damage, according to David Bradfield, adviser to the Wildlife Sanctuaries Project of Fauna and Flora International (FFI).
The sassafras oil comes from the Cardamom Mountain area, one of the last forest wildernesses in mainland southeast Asia, and where the FFI project is based.
"The illicit distilling of sassafras oil in these mountains is slowly but surely killing the forests and wildlife," Bradfield told IRIN. "The production of sassafras oil is a huge operation, which affects not only the area where the distilleries are actually located, but ripples outwards, leaving devastation and destruction in its wake."
The livelihoods of 12,000-15,000 people who depend on hunting and gathering to survive in the wildlife sanctuary are at risk from the sassafras production operations.
Cambodian sassafras oil is highly sought after as it is of the highest quality - over 90 percent pure, according to the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Cambodia, Lars Pedersen. "Massive amounts of sassafras oil are smuggled every year into Vietnam and Thailand from Cambodia," he said.
What is sassafras oil?
Sassafras oil is made from the roots of the rare Mreah Prew Phnom tree - also known as Cinnamomum parathenoxylon. The roots are first chopped into small blocks of wood and shredded into a fibrous consistency. This is then typically put into large metal vats and distilled over hot wood fires for at least five days in the oil distillation process.
"[The Mreah Prew Phnom] is a very rare tree that is now beginning to disappear because of the illegal distilleries in the Cardamom Mountains," Bradfield said.
Environmental toll
"The production of sassafras oil over the last 10 years has severely depleted these trees and if the illicit production isn't stamped out soon, they could become extinct in the near future," he warned. The large vats also need substantial wood to maintain the fires, so other species of trees surrounding the distilling factory are being depleted.
Deep in the jungle, the factories are heavily guarded and the workers who distill the oil live on wildlife in the area; many are involved in poaching for commercial gain. Rare animals, including tigers, pangolins, peacocks, pythons and wild cats are consumed by the distillers or sold in illegal wildlife markets, according to FFI.
"Sassafras oil processing plants are usually located besides streams to provide water for boiling and cooling the distilled oil," Bradfield said. The oil leaks into the streams, wreaking yet more environmental damage. "There are frequently dead fish and frogs floating in the streams near these distilleries," Bradfield said. The water from this area flows down into the rest of Cambodia through the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers.
"Water tests in the area need to be carried out as a matter of urgency," he suggested. So far no tests have been carried out on the affect this water has had on villagers living downstream from the distilleries. "But it's certainly killing the fauna and flora in the vicinity of the factories," he said, having seen the damage himself.
Four years ago the Cambodian government made the production of sassafras oil illegal in an effort to protect the Mreah Prew Phnom tree. Since then the authorities have tried to eliminate the illicit production in the Cardamom Mountains with the help of international organisations, including FFI, the UN Development Programme, Wildlife Alliance and Conservation International.
"Law enforcement is the key to suppressing the illegal trade in sassafras oil," according to the officer in charge of UNODC in Cambodia, Lars Pedersen. "It's a very lucrative trade," he added, "worth millions and millions of dollars."
Policing the area
Some 50 rangers from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry are currently policing the area with the support of independent conservation groups and the UNDP. "These rangers are the foot soldiers protecting the forests," said FFI's David Bradfield. "They are the heroes of the protection effort... They operate in thick, leech-infested jungle, risking their lives every day for a paltry salary," he said.
FFI has supported the operations of these rangers since 2003. They provide their uniforms, equipment and training. They help build their ranger stations and continue to give technical advice. The UNDP also supported the project between 2004 and 2006.
The rangers face stiff challenges in putting an end to the illegal trade given the large profits smugglers can make, and the relatively small number of rangers assigned to the task.
Last November the Thai authorities seized more than 50 tonnes of sassafras oil near the Cambodian border on its way to China and the USA, according to Western anti-narcotics agents who declined to be identified. They said the single seizure was reported to be worth US$500,000, a significant amount of money in rural Cambodia.
Once in China and the USA, where it could be used to make the synthetic drug, it could have produced 7.5 million tablets worth around US$150 million, according to Western anti-narcotics agents.
" These rangers are the foot soldiers protecting the forests. They operate in thick, leech-infested jungle, risking their lives every day for a paltry salary. "
PHNOM PENH, 20 July 2008 (IRIN) - The production of sassafras oil, which is used to make the recreational drug ecstasy, in southwest Cambodia, is destroying trees, the livelihoods of local inhabitants and wreaking untold ecological damage, according to David Bradfield, adviser to the Wildlife Sanctuaries Project of Fauna and Flora International (FFI).
The sassafras oil comes from the Cardamom Mountain area, one of the last forest wildernesses in mainland southeast Asia, and where the FFI project is based.
"The illicit distilling of sassafras oil in these mountains is slowly but surely killing the forests and wildlife," Bradfield told IRIN. "The production of sassafras oil is a huge operation, which affects not only the area where the distilleries are actually located, but ripples outwards, leaving devastation and destruction in its wake."
The livelihoods of 12,000-15,000 people who depend on hunting and gathering to survive in the wildlife sanctuary are at risk from the sassafras production operations.
Cambodian sassafras oil is highly sought after as it is of the highest quality - over 90 percent pure, according to the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Cambodia, Lars Pedersen. "Massive amounts of sassafras oil are smuggled every year into Vietnam and Thailand from Cambodia," he said.
What is sassafras oil?
Sassafras oil is made from the roots of the rare Mreah Prew Phnom tree - also known as Cinnamomum parathenoxylon. The roots are first chopped into small blocks of wood and shredded into a fibrous consistency. This is then typically put into large metal vats and distilled over hot wood fires for at least five days in the oil distillation process.
"[The Mreah Prew Phnom] is a very rare tree that is now beginning to disappear because of the illegal distilleries in the Cardamom Mountains," Bradfield said.
Environmental toll
"The production of sassafras oil over the last 10 years has severely depleted these trees and if the illicit production isn't stamped out soon, they could become extinct in the near future," he warned. The large vats also need substantial wood to maintain the fires, so other species of trees surrounding the distilling factory are being depleted.
Deep in the jungle, the factories are heavily guarded and the workers who distill the oil live on wildlife in the area; many are involved in poaching for commercial gain. Rare animals, including tigers, pangolins, peacocks, pythons and wild cats are consumed by the distillers or sold in illegal wildlife markets, according to FFI.
"Sassafras oil processing plants are usually located besides streams to provide water for boiling and cooling the distilled oil," Bradfield said. The oil leaks into the streams, wreaking yet more environmental damage. "There are frequently dead fish and frogs floating in the streams near these distilleries," Bradfield said. The water from this area flows down into the rest of Cambodia through the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers.
"Water tests in the area need to be carried out as a matter of urgency," he suggested. So far no tests have been carried out on the affect this water has had on villagers living downstream from the distilleries. "But it's certainly killing the fauna and flora in the vicinity of the factories," he said, having seen the damage himself.
Four years ago the Cambodian government made the production of sassafras oil illegal in an effort to protect the Mreah Prew Phnom tree. Since then the authorities have tried to eliminate the illicit production in the Cardamom Mountains with the help of international organisations, including FFI, the UN Development Programme, Wildlife Alliance and Conservation International.
"Law enforcement is the key to suppressing the illegal trade in sassafras oil," according to the officer in charge of UNODC in Cambodia, Lars Pedersen. "It's a very lucrative trade," he added, "worth millions and millions of dollars."
Policing the area
Some 50 rangers from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry are currently policing the area with the support of independent conservation groups and the UNDP. "These rangers are the foot soldiers protecting the forests," said FFI's David Bradfield. "They are the heroes of the protection effort... They operate in thick, leech-infested jungle, risking their lives every day for a paltry salary," he said.
FFI has supported the operations of these rangers since 2003. They provide their uniforms, equipment and training. They help build their ranger stations and continue to give technical advice. The UNDP also supported the project between 2004 and 2006.
The rangers face stiff challenges in putting an end to the illegal trade given the large profits smugglers can make, and the relatively small number of rangers assigned to the task.
Last November the Thai authorities seized more than 50 tonnes of sassafras oil near the Cambodian border on its way to China and the USA, according to Western anti-narcotics agents who declined to be identified. They said the single seizure was reported to be worth US$500,000, a significant amount of money in rural Cambodia.
Once in China and the USA, where it could be used to make the synthetic drug, it could have produced 7.5 million tablets worth around US$150 million, according to Western anti-narcotics agents.
Thais try to calm feud
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The NationSingapore
Published on July 21, 2008
P Penh raises ante with appeal to UN, Asean
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over Preah Vihear temple - not Burma or the region's food and energy crisis - was the hot topic at the Asean ministerial meeting here.
Thailand, which is due to take over Asean's rotating chair after Singapore, placed much effort in bringing the border stand-off to a bilateral discussion level.
"We would inform Asean that the two countries have bilateral mechanisms under the General Border Committee, which will discuss the issue intensively in Thailand on Monday," said Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Bunditkul who led the local delegation to the meeting.
"Asean should not jeopardise a meeting in Sa Kaew to tackle the problem directly," he told reporters.
Supreme Commander Gen Boonsang Niempradit will attend the meeting in Sa Kaew today, to resolve the tense border dispute that has seen hundreds of troops face off around the ancient temple.
Preah Vihear has been a centre of conflict since Cambodia moved to list it as a World Heritage Site amid complaints from Thailand.
Under a ruling by the International Court of Justice in 1962, the 11th century temple belongs to Cambodia.
But many Thais reject the court's ruling and some wanted the country to join Cambodia in applying for the temple to be listed as a heritage site.
At the United Nations, Cambodia's permanent mission has submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border", Cambodian Infor-mation Minister Khieu Kanharith said.
The move also called for attention from Singapore, an official said.
Some observers suggested the Asean chair could issue a statement voicing concern and calling both sides to reconcile, he said.
Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Virasakdi Futrakul urged Phnom Penh not to push the issue too far on the international stage.
"Of course, Cambodia has the right to raise the issue at Asean and the UN, but if we can talk, why should we not resolve the problem step by step using the bilateral mechanism first?" he told reporters.
"As the next Asean chairman, we do not want to see disputes between [two] members and neighbours discussed among the group," he said.
Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of Asean and a former Thai foreign minister, urged ministers from the two countries to talk.
"The ministers may wish to address the issue ... trying to encourage early resolution and maximum restraint, in order to avoid any repercussion on the image of the organisation," Surin was quoted as saying by The Straits Times.
The NationSingapore
Published on July 21, 2008
P Penh raises ante with appeal to UN, Asean
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over Preah Vihear temple - not Burma or the region's food and energy crisis - was the hot topic at the Asean ministerial meeting here.
Thailand, which is due to take over Asean's rotating chair after Singapore, placed much effort in bringing the border stand-off to a bilateral discussion level.
"We would inform Asean that the two countries have bilateral mechanisms under the General Border Committee, which will discuss the issue intensively in Thailand on Monday," said Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Bunditkul who led the local delegation to the meeting.
"Asean should not jeopardise a meeting in Sa Kaew to tackle the problem directly," he told reporters.
Supreme Commander Gen Boonsang Niempradit will attend the meeting in Sa Kaew today, to resolve the tense border dispute that has seen hundreds of troops face off around the ancient temple.
Preah Vihear has been a centre of conflict since Cambodia moved to list it as a World Heritage Site amid complaints from Thailand.
Under a ruling by the International Court of Justice in 1962, the 11th century temple belongs to Cambodia.
But many Thais reject the court's ruling and some wanted the country to join Cambodia in applying for the temple to be listed as a heritage site.
At the United Nations, Cambodia's permanent mission has submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border", Cambodian Infor-mation Minister Khieu Kanharith said.
The move also called for attention from Singapore, an official said.
Some observers suggested the Asean chair could issue a statement voicing concern and calling both sides to reconcile, he said.
Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Virasakdi Futrakul urged Phnom Penh not to push the issue too far on the international stage.
"Of course, Cambodia has the right to raise the issue at Asean and the UN, but if we can talk, why should we not resolve the problem step by step using the bilateral mechanism first?" he told reporters.
"As the next Asean chairman, we do not want to see disputes between [two] members and neighbours discussed among the group," he said.
Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of Asean and a former Thai foreign minister, urged ministers from the two countries to talk.
"The ministers may wish to address the issue ... trying to encourage early resolution and maximum restraint, in order to avoid any repercussion on the image of the organisation," Surin was quoted as saying by The Straits Times.
Tensions rise ahead of crisis talks
Vandy Rattana; Cambodian and Thai soldiers rest on the road to Preah Vihear as a military standoff over territory surrounding the temple enters its sixth dayThe Phnom Penh Post
Written by Thet Sambath and Brendan Brady
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Tensions remain high at Preah Vihear as Cambodian and Thai troops continue to mass along the border ahead of crisis talks Monday that are hoped to defuse the standoff over territory around the 11th century temple.
More than 1,500 soldiers have now been deployed to Preah Vihear, where Cambodia maintains that Thai troops crossed into its territory last week and continue to occupy land near the temple.
"Thai soldiers have violated Cambodian territory ... I am sorry that they will not leave," Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan told reporters over the weekend after making a trip to the area.
"Preah Vihear is internationally recognized as Cambodia's. So when Thais protest about this, they are protesting against the international community."
Cambodia has written a letter to the UN Security Council informing it of the standoff, officials said over the weekend.
Military officials and diplomatic personnel from China, Vietnam, France and the United States have also traveled to Preah Vihear to review the situation.
Bangkok insists that its soldiers are on Thai territory, and has refused to withdraw them despite Thai military commanders saying Friday that they would leave.
Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart, Samak Sundaravej, have each written letters to other claiming the territory and urging the removal of troops ahead of talks to be held in Thailand on Monday. Hun Sen said last week that the worsening situation was "very bad for relations" between the two countries.
"These [Thai] soldiers have encroached on our territory ... and have since increased in number rather than withdrawing," Hun Sen wrote, according to government spokesman Khieu Kanharith.
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 temple was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 7 after years of resistance from Bangkok to the inscription, further inflaming Thai nationalism.
Cambodian military police commander Sao Sokha, however, said it is unlikely the dispute will erupt in violence, despite the concentration of men and weapons. "Why would we shoot each other? Let our leaders solve this problem ... we are all Buddhists here," he said, urging the Thais to stop sending troops to the area. A senior Cambodian military commander who did not want to be named also said the Thais were massing troops across the border from Anlong Veng in northern Cambodia. "We have also sent our troops to Anlong Veng. We are matching them at all points along the border," he told the Post on Saturday. The crisis began last Tuesday when Cambodia says Thai soldiers crossed the border and took up positions in Cambodian territory following the arrest of three Thais who jumped an international checkpoint to try and protest Preah Vihear's ownership.
The temple has been closed to Thais since last month, when a group of angry demonstrators massed on the Thai side of the border crossing to rally against Cambodia's claim to the temple.
The dispute has caused political turmoil in Thailand, as opposition parties seized on the issue to put pressure on Samak's government.
On July 10, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama stepped down after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had acted illegally in signing an agreement supporting Cambodia’s bid to have Preah Vihear temple listed as a World Heritage Site without the permission of parliament.
Written by Thet Sambath and Brendan Brady
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Tensions remain high at Preah Vihear as Cambodian and Thai troops continue to mass along the border ahead of crisis talks Monday that are hoped to defuse the standoff over territory around the 11th century temple.
More than 1,500 soldiers have now been deployed to Preah Vihear, where Cambodia maintains that Thai troops crossed into its territory last week and continue to occupy land near the temple.
"Thai soldiers have violated Cambodian territory ... I am sorry that they will not leave," Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan told reporters over the weekend after making a trip to the area.
"Preah Vihear is internationally recognized as Cambodia's. So when Thais protest about this, they are protesting against the international community."
Cambodia has written a letter to the UN Security Council informing it of the standoff, officials said over the weekend.
Military officials and diplomatic personnel from China, Vietnam, France and the United States have also traveled to Preah Vihear to review the situation.
Bangkok insists that its soldiers are on Thai territory, and has refused to withdraw them despite Thai military commanders saying Friday that they would leave.
Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart, Samak Sundaravej, have each written letters to other claiming the territory and urging the removal of troops ahead of talks to be held in Thailand on Monday. Hun Sen said last week that the worsening situation was "very bad for relations" between the two countries.
"These [Thai] soldiers have encroached on our territory ... and have since increased in number rather than withdrawing," Hun Sen wrote, according to government spokesman Khieu Kanharith.
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 temple was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 7 after years of resistance from Bangkok to the inscription, further inflaming Thai nationalism.
Cambodian military police commander Sao Sokha, however, said it is unlikely the dispute will erupt in violence, despite the concentration of men and weapons. "Why would we shoot each other? Let our leaders solve this problem ... we are all Buddhists here," he said, urging the Thais to stop sending troops to the area. A senior Cambodian military commander who did not want to be named also said the Thais were massing troops across the border from Anlong Veng in northern Cambodia. "We have also sent our troops to Anlong Veng. We are matching them at all points along the border," he told the Post on Saturday. The crisis began last Tuesday when Cambodia says Thai soldiers crossed the border and took up positions in Cambodian territory following the arrest of three Thais who jumped an international checkpoint to try and protest Preah Vihear's ownership.
The temple has been closed to Thais since last month, when a group of angry demonstrators massed on the Thai side of the border crossing to rally against Cambodia's claim to the temple.
The dispute has caused political turmoil in Thailand, as opposition parties seized on the issue to put pressure on Samak's government.
On July 10, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama stepped down after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had acted illegally in signing an agreement supporting Cambodia’s bid to have Preah Vihear temple listed as a World Heritage Site without the permission of parliament.
Mindless leadership now downright dangerous
Published on July 21, 2008
After Chetta's 'truce' and the Preah Vihear debacle, it's time to take a hard look at the people we elect
From the stand-off between Thai and Cambodian soldiers along the Northeast border to the deep South, where an end to the 100-year-old insurgency was announced, Thailand over this past week found itself caught between hope and despair. But in the end, the latter was too good to be true. How did Thailand find itself in this predicament? The answer, it seems, lies with all of us, particularly our short-sighted, ill-considered, brain-dead leaders who lack the political courage to go against public sentiment that could, if worse came to worst, put Thailand on the war path.
First, there was retired Army commander Chetta Thanajaro claiming credit for supposedly brokering an end to the ongoing insurgency in the deep South. The former defence minister, who now leads the small Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana Party, thought he could score some quick political points by making the bold announcement.
But once it became clear that the self-proclaimed separatist leaders were not the real thing, Chetta had nowhere to go but down.
Surely he couldn't have been that na๏ve? After all, the man is a highly decorated Army veteran and a former defence minister. Did he really think he could get away with having three unnamed men sporting fake beards announce a historic breakthrough in the deep South? Did he think that would be enough to convince the public?
He must know that the credibility of his claim will be readily apparent in time. The ceasefire was supposed to have gone into effect on July 14. The statement was aired on July 17. In the three intervening days, and shortly thereafter, police headquarters in Yala and Pattani were bombed, while a patrol unit was ambushed just two hours after the supposed "truce" was announced.
If this is the measure of our elected leaders, perhaps it is time for us to ask ourselves whether we are doing enough as citizens to scrutinise the kind of people we put into office.
Meanwhile, along the Thai-Cambodian border in the Northeast, leaders of the two countries have found themselves on a fast-moving train of nationalism and they can't get off.
First, the Cambodians succeeded in getting Preah Vihear declared a Unesco World Heritage site, with Cambodia as the only country attached to the bid, never mind that part of the temple is on disputed territory. After all, this is an election year in Cambodia and every move like this helps - even if it means that only part of the temple could be put on the prestigious list.
The dispute took a turn for the worse when a group of Thais decided they wouldn't accept the decision and would rather continue to cry over spilled milk. They blocked roads, charged the hills and spilled blood as they clashed with fellow Thais on the emotionally charged matter.
And when some of them crossed into the disputed overlapping border area and forced Cambodian authorities to react, the government responded by dispatching 400 troops to the area. Cambodia reciprocated and dispatched 1,000 troops.
Phnom Penh was confident that it had acted properly and thus flew foreign officials into the border area to witness firsthand the deteriorating relations between the two countries.
After Chetta's 'truce' and the Preah Vihear debacle, it's time to take a hard look at the people we elect
From the stand-off between Thai and Cambodian soldiers along the Northeast border to the deep South, where an end to the 100-year-old insurgency was announced, Thailand over this past week found itself caught between hope and despair. But in the end, the latter was too good to be true. How did Thailand find itself in this predicament? The answer, it seems, lies with all of us, particularly our short-sighted, ill-considered, brain-dead leaders who lack the political courage to go against public sentiment that could, if worse came to worst, put Thailand on the war path.
First, there was retired Army commander Chetta Thanajaro claiming credit for supposedly brokering an end to the ongoing insurgency in the deep South. The former defence minister, who now leads the small Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana Party, thought he could score some quick political points by making the bold announcement.
But once it became clear that the self-proclaimed separatist leaders were not the real thing, Chetta had nowhere to go but down.
Surely he couldn't have been that na๏ve? After all, the man is a highly decorated Army veteran and a former defence minister. Did he really think he could get away with having three unnamed men sporting fake beards announce a historic breakthrough in the deep South? Did he think that would be enough to convince the public?
He must know that the credibility of his claim will be readily apparent in time. The ceasefire was supposed to have gone into effect on July 14. The statement was aired on July 17. In the three intervening days, and shortly thereafter, police headquarters in Yala and Pattani were bombed, while a patrol unit was ambushed just two hours after the supposed "truce" was announced.
If this is the measure of our elected leaders, perhaps it is time for us to ask ourselves whether we are doing enough as citizens to scrutinise the kind of people we put into office.
Meanwhile, along the Thai-Cambodian border in the Northeast, leaders of the two countries have found themselves on a fast-moving train of nationalism and they can't get off.
First, the Cambodians succeeded in getting Preah Vihear declared a Unesco World Heritage site, with Cambodia as the only country attached to the bid, never mind that part of the temple is on disputed territory. After all, this is an election year in Cambodia and every move like this helps - even if it means that only part of the temple could be put on the prestigious list.
The dispute took a turn for the worse when a group of Thais decided they wouldn't accept the decision and would rather continue to cry over spilled milk. They blocked roads, charged the hills and spilled blood as they clashed with fellow Thais on the emotionally charged matter.
And when some of them crossed into the disputed overlapping border area and forced Cambodian authorities to react, the government responded by dispatching 400 troops to the area. Cambodia reciprocated and dispatched 1,000 troops.
Phnom Penh was confident that it had acted properly and thus flew foreign officials into the border area to witness firsthand the deteriorating relations between the two countries.
Does anybody know the rules of engagement, or even what the military mission of the troops of the two countries is?
Pictures of the troops from both sides sitting on the grass and having a picnic lunch were certainly for domestic consumption. This is not to say that this is unprecedented. Troops and security officials of both countries have often mingled in the past. Doing so became status quo back in 2000 when both countries agreed that it should be. There have been some minor disagreements and protests, such as those taking place on the road leading to the site from inland Cambodia, but back then diplomatic notes of protest were not delivered by hundreds of armed paramilitary rangers. Tensions didn't stop soldiers on either side from getting together and sipping whisky at night.
Today, the atmosphere has changed completely. Protest letters from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen calling on Thailand to withdraw its troops drew an equally strong-worded response from Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.
The two men, it seems, have put themselves in a tight corner and don't know how to get out of it.
It would not have been so bad if it was just the two of them. We could call it the "Battle of the Brain-dead". But unfortunately, any errors in judgement from them could have grave consequences on the citizens of both countries.
Thailand stands to miss its chance to shine as asean chair
By Kavi Chongkittavorn
Published on July 21, 2008
Thailand is like a monkey entangled in a huge fishnet - the more it tries to escape, the worse the situation gets.
Published on July 21, 2008
Thailand is like a monkey entangled in a huge fishnet - the more it tries to escape, the worse the situation gets.
Thailand's current situation also comes at the worst of times, as the country is taking on multiple roles within the region beginning this weekend.
Thailand will assume the Asean chair this weekend. It should be an exciting, if not historic, occasion for every Thai. After all, Thailand helped found Asean in August 1967 and will occupy this slot until the end of next year. As the first country to implement the Asean Charter, it wants to set the highest standards.
Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, considered the most democratic Asean members, are taking longer to ratify the charter. Ongoing debates in their capitals, especially Indonesia, among intellectuals, civil-society groups and parliaments have increased the charter's creditability regarding its people-centred concept. Despite its domestic doldrums, Bangkok expects to ratify the charter when Parliament opens next month.
Over the next 18 months, dozens of summit meetings with Asean's dialogue partners and supporters from at least 27 countries will take place. Leading dialogue partners, such as Australia, China and South Korea, have expressed high hopes that Thailand's stewardship of Asean would mean increased opportunities to work together to meet future challenges in the region and foster bilateral relations with the grouping as a whole.
But continued political uncertainty at home and renewed tensions between Thailand and Cambodia over the disputed Preah Vihear Temple are posing serious threats that could further undermine Thailand's leadership role in Asean, which has been degraded continuously since 2001. At the moment, both countries are under heavy pressure due to rising nationalist sentiment that could have an impact on the well-being and security of Asean. Phnom Penh has already asked the UN to intervene. If the border situation worsens, it could also dash Thailand's longstanding plan to strengthen ties and cooperation between Asean and civil-society groups, especially to work out terms of reference for an Asean human-rights body that would provide some teeth to investigate and punish rights violators.
One would think that at such a critical time, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej would show some leadership and vision. He has shown neither. Worse, he continues to perform his daily "freak show" without showing one iota of understanding of the implications on the country's regional and international standings that his impromptu statements have. In his weekly TV talk-show programme yesterday he made a turnaround on the controversies over the outcome of the World Heritage Committee's decision by attacking its listing of Preah Vihear.
Instead of naming a successor to Noppadon Pattama, he assigned his buddy, Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Banditkul, to attend the Asean annual meeting in Singapore beginning today.
Thailand will assume the Asean chair this weekend. It should be an exciting, if not historic, occasion for every Thai. After all, Thailand helped found Asean in August 1967 and will occupy this slot until the end of next year. As the first country to implement the Asean Charter, it wants to set the highest standards.
Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, considered the most democratic Asean members, are taking longer to ratify the charter. Ongoing debates in their capitals, especially Indonesia, among intellectuals, civil-society groups and parliaments have increased the charter's creditability regarding its people-centred concept. Despite its domestic doldrums, Bangkok expects to ratify the charter when Parliament opens next month.
Over the next 18 months, dozens of summit meetings with Asean's dialogue partners and supporters from at least 27 countries will take place. Leading dialogue partners, such as Australia, China and South Korea, have expressed high hopes that Thailand's stewardship of Asean would mean increased opportunities to work together to meet future challenges in the region and foster bilateral relations with the grouping as a whole.
But continued political uncertainty at home and renewed tensions between Thailand and Cambodia over the disputed Preah Vihear Temple are posing serious threats that could further undermine Thailand's leadership role in Asean, which has been degraded continuously since 2001. At the moment, both countries are under heavy pressure due to rising nationalist sentiment that could have an impact on the well-being and security of Asean. Phnom Penh has already asked the UN to intervene. If the border situation worsens, it could also dash Thailand's longstanding plan to strengthen ties and cooperation between Asean and civil-society groups, especially to work out terms of reference for an Asean human-rights body that would provide some teeth to investigate and punish rights violators.
One would think that at such a critical time, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej would show some leadership and vision. He has shown neither. Worse, he continues to perform his daily "freak show" without showing one iota of understanding of the implications on the country's regional and international standings that his impromptu statements have. In his weekly TV talk-show programme yesterday he made a turnaround on the controversies over the outcome of the World Heritage Committee's decision by attacking its listing of Preah Vihear.
Instead of naming a successor to Noppadon Pattama, he assigned his buddy, Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Banditkul, to attend the Asean annual meeting in Singapore beginning today.
Sahas, who knows next to nothing on Thai diplomacy and Asean affairs, will have lots of explaining to do on a plethora of issues affecting Asean, including the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, the Thai-Cambodian confrontation, as well as exchange views on the proposed regional security architecture, the Asia Pacific Community, suggested by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in early June.
The outgoing chair, Singapore, and Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan have done a good job of steering the grouping through the uncharted waters after Nargis. To a certain degree, Asean has regained its creditability after a decade of Burma's non-compliance by convincing the Burmese junta to loosen up its restrictive guidelines on international relief workers and lift limits imposed on air-lifts operated by UN agencies conducting rescue and relief operations into the Irrawaddy Delta. Now all UN agencies and recognised international humanitarian agencies are operating inside Burma with an expanded space. But only state-run Asean media get permits to file reports from inside.
Now the litmus test will be the common action taken by Asean members on Burma in the future.
In Singapore today, Asean foreign ministers will consider the report prepared by the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment teams sponsored by Asean, the UN and Burma. The comprehensive report will help international donors plan ahead and pledge their support later this week in Rangoon at the Asean-UN International Pledging Conference. The UN has recently appealed for a total of US$303 million (Bt10 billion) to continue relief and recovery operations.
Future support would hinge very much on the Burmese junta's willingness to cooperate even further. The junta leaders have been persistent in saying that the relief phase has ended and the next step involves helping those who lost their livelihoods in the great flood. International relief organisations still want more access and increased freedom of movement in affected areas. So far, approximately 80 per cent of affected areas have seen some forms of help. Cyclone victims still need clean water, shelter, and medical care to combat dengue and malaria during the monsoon season.
Resentment among international donors is still running high over the junta's refusal to accept additional aid and allow more foreign relief workers into the country. Several thousand lives could have been saved during the first two weeks. Before they commit more assistance, other countries must ensure that a better monitoring mechanism is in place, especially in the current foreign-currency exchange regime, which has already benefited the junta's pockets greatly. Such guarantees are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to attain from the junta, which has no record of transparency and accountability.
In the aftermath of Nargis, Asean and Burma have found each other's value in their relationship. Asean has to take advantage of this unique position to make sure it produces a positive political outcome, otherwise all efforts will have been in vain. Beyond this, the international community may also be finding out just what Asean as a regional organisation can do and what it can offer to a new regional order.
Coming as it does now amid a confluence of negative factors and the term of the embattled Samak government, it is doubtful whether Asean - unceremoniously baptised by Nargis - will come of age under Thailand's chairmanship.
Lessons to be learned from the preah vihear temple dispute
By MR Pridiyathorn Devakula
Published on July 21, 2008
This article is the first part in a series by MR Pridiyathorn Devakula, former deputy prime minister and finance minister, focusing on the troublesome negotiations before, and the potential problems after the listing of the Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site
In 2005, Cambodia submitted a proposal to the World Heritage Committee for Preah Vihear Temple to be listed as a World Heritage site. It was told then to gather more academic details to support its plan. The following year, Phnom Penh applied again, and this time the proposal was included on the World Heritage Committee's agenda for its 31st meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2007.
Thailand lodged a protest before that meeting and proposed to the Cambodians that the two countries submit a joint nomination of the site, reasoning that structures of historical value on the Thai side should be included to make it a "complete" World Heritage site. The Thai proposal was rejected.
Finally, at the Christchurch meeting, the same Cambodian map that triggered the Thai protest was submitted. Worse still for Thailand, much of the information about the temple and the historical details submitted were seen by Bangkok as having been distorted to the extent that structures on the Thai side were not considered part of the temple. In other words, Cambodia said the main temple site, which the World Court ruled it owns, was enough for "temple" status, and that the main site had strong ties with ancient Cambodian communities.
This, Thailand believed, distorted many historical facts. For example, it was claimed that the stairs that were laid down from the temple to the Thai side were built later, and therefore should not be considered an original part of the temple. It was said that the original stairs were the narrow and broken ones built on the eastern side from Cambodian territory. From the Thai point of view, it is unlikely that these narrower stairs were intended to serve as the main entrance to the temple.
The 159-step main staircase is located north of the Hindu temple and led to ancient communities north of the site where it is believed that local residents helped take care of the temple. Beyond those stairs on the Thai side some other structures are situated, including a pond that could have been used by ancient local villagers. Those structures and the temple, according to Thailand, are obviously architectural elements of the same period, albeit when Khmer King Suryavarman the First (1002-1050) built Preah Vihear. Cambodia insists the pond was a natural water source and Phnom Penh made no mention of any ancient locals on Thai soil.
The debate over such differences was inconclusive and both countries were advised to cooperate and Cambodia was told to find a way to gain the support of Thailand in time for the next World Heritage Committee meeting, which was held earlier this month in Quebec.
On August 15-17, 2007, a Thai delegation to Cambodia informed Phnom Penh that Thailand was willing to cooperate, but insisted that Bangkok's reservations concerning the historical value of the structures on the Thai side be considered. The Thai stance was that a joint nomination should be explored and that both countries should find a way to register all related structures. Cambodia refused.
Late last year, Cambodia took officials from the International Council on Monuments and Sites, who came from four countries, on a tour of the temple so that they could provide their academic opinions to the World Heritage Committee.
Rather than taking them up the main stairs to the temple on the Thai side, the officials, who had come from the US, France, Belgium and India, were flown in by helicopter.
In January of this year, Cambodia sought support from many countries, including France, the US, Belgium, India, China and Japan, to assist in the preparation of Phnom Penh's progress report. Two Thai delegates who joined in the preparations found out that the Cambodian map still encroached on the Thai border and Cambodia did not want Thailand to be actively involved in the management of overlapping zones. (Thailand was only allowed to submit management plans for the Thai side, whereas the foreign experts and Cambodian officials took charge of the plans for the overlapping areas.)
In addition to that, Cambodia's doubtful historical data was virtually endorsed by foreign academics. The French experts, in particular, claimed that the Preah Vihear Temple plan was designed according to Buddhist geometry that involved ancient structures down below on Cambodian soil. The French experts' imagination saw Preah Vihear and the surrounding areas as something resembling the five-hilltop Khao Pra Sumane. However, in its latest document, Cambodia changed that to "three" hilltops that symbolised three most important Hindu Gods.
The Thai party was not into furthering these "imaginings" and thought that no matter what picture one conjured by watching the Dongrak mountain range from the Cambodian side, there was only one clear motive: to devalue the significance of any attachment the Thai side had to the temple.
Despite strong Thai protests, Bangkok's delegation was outnumbered. It subsequently ended its participation, and on January 14 the Thai ambassador to Cambodia was assigned to inform the international party working on the progress report of the walkout and Thailand's objection to the use of a map that encroached on Thai territory.
Published on July 21, 2008
This article is the first part in a series by MR Pridiyathorn Devakula, former deputy prime minister and finance minister, focusing on the troublesome negotiations before, and the potential problems after the listing of the Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site
In 2005, Cambodia submitted a proposal to the World Heritage Committee for Preah Vihear Temple to be listed as a World Heritage site. It was told then to gather more academic details to support its plan. The following year, Phnom Penh applied again, and this time the proposal was included on the World Heritage Committee's agenda for its 31st meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2007.
Thailand lodged a protest before that meeting and proposed to the Cambodians that the two countries submit a joint nomination of the site, reasoning that structures of historical value on the Thai side should be included to make it a "complete" World Heritage site. The Thai proposal was rejected.
Finally, at the Christchurch meeting, the same Cambodian map that triggered the Thai protest was submitted. Worse still for Thailand, much of the information about the temple and the historical details submitted were seen by Bangkok as having been distorted to the extent that structures on the Thai side were not considered part of the temple. In other words, Cambodia said the main temple site, which the World Court ruled it owns, was enough for "temple" status, and that the main site had strong ties with ancient Cambodian communities.
This, Thailand believed, distorted many historical facts. For example, it was claimed that the stairs that were laid down from the temple to the Thai side were built later, and therefore should not be considered an original part of the temple. It was said that the original stairs were the narrow and broken ones built on the eastern side from Cambodian territory. From the Thai point of view, it is unlikely that these narrower stairs were intended to serve as the main entrance to the temple.
The 159-step main staircase is located north of the Hindu temple and led to ancient communities north of the site where it is believed that local residents helped take care of the temple. Beyond those stairs on the Thai side some other structures are situated, including a pond that could have been used by ancient local villagers. Those structures and the temple, according to Thailand, are obviously architectural elements of the same period, albeit when Khmer King Suryavarman the First (1002-1050) built Preah Vihear. Cambodia insists the pond was a natural water source and Phnom Penh made no mention of any ancient locals on Thai soil.
The debate over such differences was inconclusive and both countries were advised to cooperate and Cambodia was told to find a way to gain the support of Thailand in time for the next World Heritage Committee meeting, which was held earlier this month in Quebec.
On August 15-17, 2007, a Thai delegation to Cambodia informed Phnom Penh that Thailand was willing to cooperate, but insisted that Bangkok's reservations concerning the historical value of the structures on the Thai side be considered. The Thai stance was that a joint nomination should be explored and that both countries should find a way to register all related structures. Cambodia refused.
Late last year, Cambodia took officials from the International Council on Monuments and Sites, who came from four countries, on a tour of the temple so that they could provide their academic opinions to the World Heritage Committee.
Rather than taking them up the main stairs to the temple on the Thai side, the officials, who had come from the US, France, Belgium and India, were flown in by helicopter.
In January of this year, Cambodia sought support from many countries, including France, the US, Belgium, India, China and Japan, to assist in the preparation of Phnom Penh's progress report. Two Thai delegates who joined in the preparations found out that the Cambodian map still encroached on the Thai border and Cambodia did not want Thailand to be actively involved in the management of overlapping zones. (Thailand was only allowed to submit management plans for the Thai side, whereas the foreign experts and Cambodian officials took charge of the plans for the overlapping areas.)
In addition to that, Cambodia's doubtful historical data was virtually endorsed by foreign academics. The French experts, in particular, claimed that the Preah Vihear Temple plan was designed according to Buddhist geometry that involved ancient structures down below on Cambodian soil. The French experts' imagination saw Preah Vihear and the surrounding areas as something resembling the five-hilltop Khao Pra Sumane. However, in its latest document, Cambodia changed that to "three" hilltops that symbolised three most important Hindu Gods.
The Thai party was not into furthering these "imaginings" and thought that no matter what picture one conjured by watching the Dongrak mountain range from the Cambodian side, there was only one clear motive: to devalue the significance of any attachment the Thai side had to the temple.
Despite strong Thai protests, Bangkok's delegation was outnumbered. It subsequently ended its participation, and on January 14 the Thai ambassador to Cambodia was assigned to inform the international party working on the progress report of the walkout and Thailand's objection to the use of a map that encroached on Thai territory.
Cambodian PM agrees with Thai PM on mutual efforts to defuse border tension
www.chinaview.cn
2008-07-20
PHNOM PENH, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Sunday that he agrees with his Thai counterpart Samak Sundaravej that both countries should make utmost effort to prevent the border situation from deteriorating in order to preserve long-lasting friendship and good cooperation between the two peoples.
"We will closely collaborate to find interim measures to defuse the current tension," he said in the letter to Samak which was made available to reporters later Sunday.
Hun Sen first wrote a letter to Samak on July 18 to ask him to withdraw hundreds of Thai troops, which stationed near the Preah Vihear Temple in Cambodia's eponymous province in a serious military standoff with Cambodian troops, also hundreds in total number.
Samak wrote back on July 19 and Hun Sen wrote him again on Sunday (July 20). Both sides agreed to hold top-level meeting in Thailand on July 21 to find a solution for the military stalemate arising from their dispute about the true possession of the border area near the temple.
"In this context, I have instructed Tea Banh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, to lead a Cambodian delegation to a special session of the Cambodian-Thai General Border Committee (GBC), which will be held on Monday, July 21, 2008, in Sa Kaeo province of Thailand, to find an appropriate solution for the present problem," said Hun Sen.
"I have also instructed Var Kim Hong, chairman of the Cambodian-Thailand Joint Border Commission (JBC), to work with his Thai counterpart to convene a JBC meeting as soon as possible, in order to expedite completion of the demarcation work of the entire Thai-Cambodian border," he said.
In the letter, Hun Sen also outlined international documents that tells about the exact land and building ownership within the dispute area.
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.
Earlier 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 the face off with Cambodian soldiers there. Bilateral military build-up occurred day by day.
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
PHNOM PENH, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Sunday that he agrees with his Thai counterpart Samak Sundaravej that both countries should make utmost effort to prevent the border situation from deteriorating in order to preserve long-lasting friendship and good cooperation between the two peoples.
"We will closely collaborate to find interim measures to defuse the current tension," he said in the letter to Samak which was made available to reporters later Sunday.
Hun Sen first wrote a letter to Samak on July 18 to ask him to withdraw hundreds of Thai troops, which stationed near the Preah Vihear Temple in Cambodia's eponymous province in a serious military standoff with Cambodian troops, also hundreds in total number.
Samak wrote back on July 19 and Hun Sen wrote him again on Sunday (July 20). Both sides agreed to hold top-level meeting in Thailand on July 21 to find a solution for the military stalemate arising from their dispute about the true possession of the border area near the temple.
"In this context, I have instructed Tea Banh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, to lead a Cambodian delegation to a special session of the Cambodian-Thai General Border Committee (GBC), which will be held on Monday, July 21, 2008, in Sa Kaeo province of Thailand, to find an appropriate solution for the present problem," said Hun Sen.
"I have also instructed Var Kim Hong, chairman of the Cambodian-Thailand Joint Border Commission (JBC), to work with his Thai counterpart to convene a JBC meeting as soon as possible, in order to expedite completion of the demarcation work of the entire Thai-Cambodian border," he said.
In the letter, Hun Sen also outlined international documents that tells about the exact land and building ownership within the dispute area.
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.
Earlier 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 the face off with Cambodian soldiers there. Bilateral military build-up occurred day by day.
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
ASEAN ministers to discuss Cambodia, Thailand border row
M&G Asia-Pacific NewsJul 20, 2008
Singapore - The Association of the South-East Asian Nations will discuss the raging border row between two of its members, Cambodia and Thailand, one of the ministers said Sunday.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said that it is in the interest of the 10-member regional grouping to actively help solve problems between its members.
'ASEAN has reasons because it is a matter among its members, that's why we would have interest and various plans of actions...to defuse the situation' he told reporters ahead of the ASEAN ministerial meeting in Singapore. '
'We will try our best to discuss and find solutions,' he added.
Wirajuda clarified that Cambodia did not seek the help of the United Nations in setting the row, but wrote a letter to inform the world body about the problem.
'They are very much thinking of informing the ASEAN as well,' he said.
Wirajuda said ASEAN hopes that Cambodia and Thailand would exercise utmost restraint in resolving the issue.
'Certainly it is our collective wish that the direct parties concerned, Thailand and Cambodia, will exercise utmost restraint and settle the problems between themselves.'
Wirajuda expressed hope that a direct meeting between Cambodia and Thailand joint border committee on Monday will finally find resolution to the problem.
Nearly 1,000 Cambodian troops and 500 Thail soldiers continue to face each other on the disputed territory since the tension began a week ago.
Sunday, 20 July 2008
In tussle over Cambodian temple, religion suffers (News Feature)
M&G Asia-Pacific News
By Bronwyn Sloan
Jul 20, 2008
Preah Vihear, Cambodia - Preah Vihear local Sor Sarom went to the pagoda on the first day of Buddhist Lent as she always does, and found herself being held at gunpoint by a man dressed in black.
'It brought all my memories of the Khmer Rouge back. I was terrified. He just came out of the shadows inside the temple,' the 50-year-old said.
Slowly she realized the armed man pointing an assault rifle at her inside Wat Keo Setha Kiri Svarak, around 600 metres from the main Preah Vihear temple on the Thai border, was a Thai soldier.
Buddhist Lent, when Buddhist monks sequester themselves for the monsoon season, is traditionally a period of meditation, teaching and introspection for monks on both sides of the border.
This year Lent began Friday, but for three days Thai troops had already been camped in an area they say is a disputed no man's land and Cambodia says is sovereign territory, after tensions, building since UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage site earlier this month, boiled over.
By Bronwyn Sloan
Jul 20, 2008
Preah Vihear, Cambodia - Preah Vihear local Sor Sarom went to the pagoda on the first day of Buddhist Lent as she always does, and found herself being held at gunpoint by a man dressed in black.
'It brought all my memories of the Khmer Rouge back. I was terrified. He just came out of the shadows inside the temple,' the 50-year-old said.
Slowly she realized the armed man pointing an assault rifle at her inside Wat Keo Setha Kiri Svarak, around 600 metres from the main Preah Vihear temple on the Thai border, was a Thai soldier.
Buddhist Lent, when Buddhist monks sequester themselves for the monsoon season, is traditionally a period of meditation, teaching and introspection for monks on both sides of the border.
This year Lent began Friday, but for three days Thai troops had already been camped in an area they say is a disputed no man's land and Cambodia says is sovereign territory, after tensions, building since UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage site earlier this month, boiled over.
Sovereignty of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple is not in dispute - the International Court ruled in 1962 that it was Cambodian.
Surrounding land remains contested, however, and Thailand had objected to the temple's listing on those grounds.
Chief monk at Wat Keo Setha, Khan Yon, says the dispute and resulting military buildup has been emotionally wrenching on devout Buddhist citizens and soldiers on both sides.
'One Thai commander came to me and offered money to the pagoda to show his feelings,' Khan Yon said. 'Thai Buddhists are like Cambodian Buddhists, but now Thai soldiers come here wearing all black like the Khmer Rouge of Pol Pot.'
Some had even slung hammocks in the pagoda before they were ordered to pull back a few metres from the religious site late Saturday after a visit by an international delegation, he said.
'Those people are not real Buddhists. Please take off your black caps and do not carry weapons inside. This is a place of prayer.'
Cambodians still remember when black-clad Khmer Rouge troops abolished religion and slaughtered monks in a disastrous 1975-79 reign, and although they know that is not the Thai soldiers' intent, the sight of armed men in black at a pagoda is cruelly evocative.
'I feel very sad about weapons at a pagoda. I am a Buddhist, too,' Thai Colonel Chay An Huay Sooner said. 'But I am a soldier, so I follow orders, although I don't know who gave them.'
Although more than 1,000 troops from both sides are now dug in the disputed territory around a temple sacred to both sides, there are hopes that talks over the border in Thailand Monday might be the beginnings of a solution and the focus can return to religion.
'Thai monks used to come here all the time, and we welcome them because we believe in the same things,' said Khan Yon. 'I hope that can happen again.'
Poll: 54% of respondents think temple showdown will escalate
BANGKOK, July 20 (TNA) -- More than half of the total respondents in a new nationwide Suan Dusit Poll believe that the row over the ancient temple now taking place between Thailand and neighboring Cambodia will escalate and turn into a major crisis between the two countries.
Suan Dusit Rajabhat University conducted its survey among 3,055 people in Bangkok and upcountry during July 17-20 and found that 54 per cent of the respondents believed that conflicting claims over a disputed area near the temple, and on the Preah Vihear temple itself, could become a more serious problems between Thailand and Cambodia, as they both had sent troop reinforcements along the border in the area.
Only 19 per cent of the respondents thought the issue would not blow out of proportion because the temple was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962. However, they worry that the ongoing problem could affect the normally warm relations and investment between the two nations.
Asked about people's confidence in regard to the Thai government's attempts to solve the temple problem, 39.55 per cent said they were uncertain. They reasoned that previous Thai governments had allowed the temple issue to drag on for a long time while former Thai foreign minister Noppadon Pattama had also signed a joint communique with Cambodia supporting its application to list the temple as a World Heritage site.
On attempts by Thai military to help solve the problem, 36 per cent said they did not have much confidence and the problem should be handled by the government.
Their opinions were made as Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit prepared to depart to lead the Thai delegates to meet Cambodian Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh in Thailand's Sa Kaeo province on the Thai-Cambodia border adjacent to Poi Pet to find ways to end the military confrontation near the temple. (TNA)
Suan Dusit Rajabhat University conducted its survey among 3,055 people in Bangkok and upcountry during July 17-20 and found that 54 per cent of the respondents believed that conflicting claims over a disputed area near the temple, and on the Preah Vihear temple itself, could become a more serious problems between Thailand and Cambodia, as they both had sent troop reinforcements along the border in the area.
Only 19 per cent of the respondents thought the issue would not blow out of proportion because the temple was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962. However, they worry that the ongoing problem could affect the normally warm relations and investment between the two nations.
Asked about people's confidence in regard to the Thai government's attempts to solve the temple problem, 39.55 per cent said they were uncertain. They reasoned that previous Thai governments had allowed the temple issue to drag on for a long time while former Thai foreign minister Noppadon Pattama had also signed a joint communique with Cambodia supporting its application to list the temple as a World Heritage site.
On attempts by Thai military to help solve the problem, 36 per cent said they did not have much confidence and the problem should be handled by the government.
Their opinions were made as Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit prepared to depart to lead the Thai delegates to meet Cambodian Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh in Thailand's Sa Kaeo province on the Thai-Cambodia border adjacent to Poi Pet to find ways to end the military confrontation near the temple. (TNA)
Pictures from Preah Vihear Temple: 20 July 2008
Buddhist monks pass Cambodian soldiers near the Thai-Cambodia border on July 20. Thailand has said that a military standoff with Phnom Penh over disputed land should be resolved through negotiations, but a top Cambodian general said he had little faith in talks(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy) 
Cambodian military police sit and guard at a closed border gate between Cambodia and Thailand at Preah Vihear temple, Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 20, 2008. Cambodia has complained to the U.N. Security Council that Thai forces have violated its territory near an ancient World Heritage Site temple where hundreds of troops continued to face off Sunday.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
A Cambodian soldier on guard near a pagoda at the Thai-Cambodia border on July 20. Thailand has said that a military standoff with Phnom Penh over disputed land should be resolved through negotiations, but a top Cambodian general said he had little faith in talks(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)
A Cambodian soldier carries a shoulder-launched grenade launcher while guarding a road which leads to the ruins of Preah Vihear temple near the Thai-Cambodia border on July 19. Upcoming talks between Cambodia and Thailand are unlikely to resolve the military standoff at the disputed border point, a Cambodian commander has said(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)
A Cambodian Buddhist monk, left, talks at entrance gate in the border between Cambodia and Thailand near Preah Vihear temple, Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 20, 2008. Cambodia has complained to the U.N. Security Council that Thai forces have violated its territory near an ancient World Heritage Site temple where hundreds of troops continued to face off Sunday.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
A Cambodian Buddhist monk, left, talks at entrance gate in the border between Cambodia and Thailand near Preah Vihear temple, Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 20, 2008. Cambodia has complained to the U.N. Security Council that Thai forces have violated its territory near an ancient World Heritage Site temple where hundreds of troops continued to face off Sunday.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
A Cambodian soldier walks past a Cambodian Buddhist monk at the Preah Vihear temple, 245km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 20, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over an ancient Hindu temple.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)
Cambodian Buddhist monks walk pass a soldier standing guard at the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda in the compound of the Preah Vihear temple, 245km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 20, 2008 . Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over an ancient Hindu temple.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)
Cambodian Buddhist monks stand in front of the entrance gate of Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 20, 2008. A Cambodian general said Sunday that he has little hope that upcoming talks between his government and Thailand will resolve a tense border dispute that has seen hundreds of troops face off around an ancient temple.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Thai soldiers walk back from a Cambodian Buddhist temple complex to the Thai side near Preah Vihear temple, Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 20, 2008. A Cambodian general said Sunday that he has little hope that upcoming talks between his government and Thailand will resolve a tense border dispute that has seen hundreds of troops face off around an ancient temple.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Soldiers from Thailand walk past a land mine sign as they patrol at Cekakiri Svarak pagoda in the compounds of Preah Vihear temple, 245km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 20, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns on Saturday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over an ancient Hindu temple.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)
Thai soldiers walk by a mine field at a Cambodian Buddhist temple complex near Preah Vihear temple, Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 20, 2008. A Cambodian general said Sunday that he has little hope that upcoming talks between his government and Thailand will resolve a tense border dispute that has seen hundreds of troops face off around an ancient temple.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Thais clear land mines at a Cambodian Buddhist temple complex near Preah Vihear temple, Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 20, 2008. A Cambodian general said Sunday that he has little hope that upcoming talks between his government and Thailand will resolve a tense border dispute that has seen hundreds of troops face off around an ancient temple.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Thai deminers look for mines at a Cambodian Buddhist temple complex near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 20, 2008. A Cambodian general said Sunday that he has little hope that upcoming talks between his government and Thailand will resolve a tense border dispute that has seen hundreds of troops face off around an ancient temple.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith) 
Thai PM stresses need to talk on "no-man's land" to end dispute
Thai PM talking like an one year old boy just learn how to talk. If Cambodia declaire that Bangkok is the land of Cambodia did Mr Samak agree on NO MAN LAND TOO?
BANGKOK, July 20 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Sunday said the disputed border area between Thailand and Cambodia is in "no-man's land" and that talks between officials of both countries are needed to iron out the dispute.
The Thai premier made the remarks after the Cambodian representative to the UN informed the UN Security Council on Thursday of alleged Thai incursion into its territory.
Speaking in his weekly television address, Mr. Samak said he preferred not to talk about the issue as the matter had already reached the United Nations and the Thai foreign ministry would take care of it.
Cambodia's permanent mission in New York submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border,'' Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said.
"Cambodia is not asking for UN intervention. We still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides,'' the Associated Press quoted the minister as saying in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. The disputed area claimed by both countries is the 4.6 square kilometres adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Troops of both countries have been reinforced in the area recently as Thai Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit and Cambodian Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh are preparing to confer on Monday in Sa Kaeo province opposite Cambodia's Poi Pet on issues related to the ancient temple.
Officials of both countries have already inspected the hotel's meeting venue to ensure the safety of delegates attending the meeting which is scheduled to start at 10 am local time. Meanwhile, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a group which coalesced thousands of people rallying for months to pressure the premier to step down, on Sunday urged the Thai government to inform the United Nations that the disputed zone adjacent to Preah Vihear temple belongs to Thailand.
Pipop Thongchai, one of three PAD core leaders, said the time is opportune for Thailand to inform the international community that if the border demarcation between Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia is based uoon the natural watershed, the contested area is definitely in Thai territory.
He said past misunderstandings happened due to the Cambodian government use of a map drawn during the French occupation of Cambodia which determined the 11th century temple as well as the adjacent area to be in Cambodian territory. (TNA)
BANGKOK, July 20 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Sunday said the disputed border area between Thailand and Cambodia is in "no-man's land" and that talks between officials of both countries are needed to iron out the dispute.
The Thai premier made the remarks after the Cambodian representative to the UN informed the UN Security Council on Thursday of alleged Thai incursion into its territory.
Speaking in his weekly television address, Mr. Samak said he preferred not to talk about the issue as the matter had already reached the United Nations and the Thai foreign ministry would take care of it.
Cambodia's permanent mission in New York submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border,'' Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said.
"Cambodia is not asking for UN intervention. We still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides,'' the Associated Press quoted the minister as saying in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. The disputed area claimed by both countries is the 4.6 square kilometres adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Troops of both countries have been reinforced in the area recently as Thai Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit and Cambodian Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh are preparing to confer on Monday in Sa Kaeo province opposite Cambodia's Poi Pet on issues related to the ancient temple.
Officials of both countries have already inspected the hotel's meeting venue to ensure the safety of delegates attending the meeting which is scheduled to start at 10 am local time. Meanwhile, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a group which coalesced thousands of people rallying for months to pressure the premier to step down, on Sunday urged the Thai government to inform the United Nations that the disputed zone adjacent to Preah Vihear temple belongs to Thailand.
Pipop Thongchai, one of three PAD core leaders, said the time is opportune for Thailand to inform the international community that if the border demarcation between Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia is based uoon the natural watershed, the contested area is definitely in Thai territory.
He said past misunderstandings happened due to the Cambodian government use of a map drawn during the French occupation of Cambodia which determined the 11th century temple as well as the adjacent area to be in Cambodian territory. (TNA)
Thailand condemned for kicking out refugees
The Bangkok Post
Sunday July 20, 2008
Karen civilians face violence in Burma
DEUTSCHE PRESSE-AGENTUR
New York-based Human Rights Watch yesterday blasted Thailand for forcing 52 Karen refugees to return to a conflict zone in Burma on Asarnha Bucha Day.
On Thursday, paramilitary troops forced the Karen civilians, most of them women and children, to leave two refugee camps in Mae Hong Son province and cross back to Burma, where they had fled a military offensive early this year.
''The Thai government cynically launched this illegal operation during the first day of a major Buddhist holiday,'' said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
''This, along with the Thai media's preoccupation with escalating border tensions with Cambodia over the Preah Vihear temple, provides effective cover for Thailand's serious breach of international law,'' said Mr Adams in a statement issued from New York.
Thai media attention has been focused this week on the Thai-Cambodian border, where both countries' troops have amassed over an escalating row over the ancient Hindu temple, perched on the border and subject to a territorial dispute.
Thailand, a magnet for hundreds of thousands of refugees and illegal workers from its less developed neighbours _ Cambodia, Laos and Burma _ has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, but Mr Adams argued that Bangkok is still bound by the principle of non-refoulement, a prohibition in customary international law, from returning refugees to any country where they are likely to be persecuted or their lives are at risk.
''The Thai government has ignored its obligations to protect refugees fleeing violence in Burma,'' Mr Adams said.
''Sending these people back to conflict zones dominated by the Burmese army is disgraceful.
Forcing civilians back into an active war zone may be an easy answer for Thailand, but it's brutal _ a completely inhumane and unacceptable solution,'' he said.
Human Rights Watch called on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the European Union, the United States and other countries to pressure the government to immediately cease the refoulement of refugees and continue to provide sanctuary to people fleeing fighting or persecution in Burma.
Sunday July 20, 2008
Karen civilians face violence in Burma
DEUTSCHE PRESSE-AGENTUR
New York-based Human Rights Watch yesterday blasted Thailand for forcing 52 Karen refugees to return to a conflict zone in Burma on Asarnha Bucha Day.
On Thursday, paramilitary troops forced the Karen civilians, most of them women and children, to leave two refugee camps in Mae Hong Son province and cross back to Burma, where they had fled a military offensive early this year.
''The Thai government cynically launched this illegal operation during the first day of a major Buddhist holiday,'' said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
''This, along with the Thai media's preoccupation with escalating border tensions with Cambodia over the Preah Vihear temple, provides effective cover for Thailand's serious breach of international law,'' said Mr Adams in a statement issued from New York.
Thai media attention has been focused this week on the Thai-Cambodian border, where both countries' troops have amassed over an escalating row over the ancient Hindu temple, perched on the border and subject to a territorial dispute.
Thailand, a magnet for hundreds of thousands of refugees and illegal workers from its less developed neighbours _ Cambodia, Laos and Burma _ has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, but Mr Adams argued that Bangkok is still bound by the principle of non-refoulement, a prohibition in customary international law, from returning refugees to any country where they are likely to be persecuted or their lives are at risk.
''The Thai government has ignored its obligations to protect refugees fleeing violence in Burma,'' Mr Adams said.
''Sending these people back to conflict zones dominated by the Burmese army is disgraceful.
Forcing civilians back into an active war zone may be an easy answer for Thailand, but it's brutal _ a completely inhumane and unacceptable solution,'' he said.
Human Rights Watch called on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the European Union, the United States and other countries to pressure the government to immediately cease the refoulement of refugees and continue to provide sanctuary to people fleeing fighting or persecution in Burma.
Cambodia denies requesting UN intervention over temple dispute
B&G Asia-Pacific News
Jul 20, 2008
Phnom Penh - Cambodia denied allegations Sunday that it had asked for UN intervention in a border dispute with Thailand, and said it still hoped to settle the matter bilaterally through diplomatic channels.
'Thailand's claims we have asked for United Nations intervention over Preah Vihear are wrong. Our mission in New York has sent a letter (to the UN) advising on the situation, but Prime Minister Hun Sen wants to settle the matter directly with Thailand,' government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said.
The two sides are gearing up for talks in Thailand Monday in the dispute over 4.6 kilometres of land surrounding the 11th-century border temple of Preah Vihear that was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site this month.
Thailand objected to the listing, and tensions boiled over Tuesday and have continued to escalate.
Cambodia says Thai troops have entered its territory, but Thailand maintains that hundreds of its soldiers are in undefined territory that does not legally belong to Cambodia.
'We are optimistic that Monday's talks may solve some issues - let's wait and see,' Kanharith said.
He declined comment on reports the border standoff between more than 1,000 troops from both sides was worsening, or that Thailand had begun moving in heavy artillery on the eve of the talks.
'Let's just focus on the talks,' he said.
Cambodian state television station TVK aired extensive footage Saturday night of an international delegation's visit to the temple, including the Chinese and Vietnamese military attaches to Cambodia.
The Vietnamese wore full military uniform.
Jul 20, 2008
Phnom Penh - Cambodia denied allegations Sunday that it had asked for UN intervention in a border dispute with Thailand, and said it still hoped to settle the matter bilaterally through diplomatic channels.
'Thailand's claims we have asked for United Nations intervention over Preah Vihear are wrong. Our mission in New York has sent a letter (to the UN) advising on the situation, but Prime Minister Hun Sen wants to settle the matter directly with Thailand,' government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said.
The two sides are gearing up for talks in Thailand Monday in the dispute over 4.6 kilometres of land surrounding the 11th-century border temple of Preah Vihear that was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site this month.
Thailand objected to the listing, and tensions boiled over Tuesday and have continued to escalate.
Cambodia says Thai troops have entered its territory, but Thailand maintains that hundreds of its soldiers are in undefined territory that does not legally belong to Cambodia.
'We are optimistic that Monday's talks may solve some issues - let's wait and see,' Kanharith said.
He declined comment on reports the border standoff between more than 1,000 troops from both sides was worsening, or that Thailand had begun moving in heavy artillery on the eve of the talks.
'Let's just focus on the talks,' he said.
Cambodian state television station TVK aired extensive footage Saturday night of an international delegation's visit to the temple, including the Chinese and Vietnamese military attaches to Cambodia.
The Vietnamese wore full military uniform.
Cambodian-Thai border dispute deadlocked: commander
A Cambodian soldier carries a grenade launcher near the ruins of Preah Vihear temple near the Thai-Cambodia borderPREAH VIHEAR (AFP) — Upcoming talks between Cambodia and Thailand are unlikely to resolve the military standoff at their disputed border near an ancient temple, a Cambodian commander said on Sunday.
More than 500 Thai troops and well over 1,000 Cambodian soldiers are stationed around a small Buddhist pagoda on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of 11th century Preah Vihear temple. Officials from both countries plan to meet Monday to try and resolve the standoff.
"We have very little hope about the negotiations," said Brigadier Chea Keo, commander of Cambodian forces in the area, on day six of the confrontation.
"We have only a little hope because the new Thai government has written a letter to our prime minister saying that the land they are stationed on belongs to them," he told reporters.
"We're on high alert," he added.
Cambodia has also sent letters about the standoff to the United Nations, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP.
"Cambodia's permanent mission at the United Nations has sent two letters. One to the Security Council and another one to the chief of the UN General Assembly in order to draw the attention about the situation that is happening in Cambodia," Khieu Kanharith said.
"After the Monday negotiations we will decide what is the next step," he added.
The mood among Cambodians was tense Friday evening after word spread of a letter from Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen saying the addition of Cambodian troops had caused the situation to "deteriorate".
The standoff nearly erupted into violence late Thursday, when witnesses said troops twice pointed their guns at each other during 10 tense minutes at the pagoda after 50 Cambodian troops entered the compound to protect food supplies for dozens of monks.
The confrontation began after three Thai protesters were arrested for jumping a fence to reach the temple on Tuesday.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia. But the most accessible entrance to the Khmer ruins lies in Thailand and 4.6 square kilometres (1.8 square miles) of the surrounding land remains in dispute.
More than 500 Thai troops and well over 1,000 Cambodian soldiers are stationed around a small Buddhist pagoda on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of 11th century Preah Vihear temple. Officials from both countries plan to meet Monday to try and resolve the standoff.
"We have very little hope about the negotiations," said Brigadier Chea Keo, commander of Cambodian forces in the area, on day six of the confrontation.
"We have only a little hope because the new Thai government has written a letter to our prime minister saying that the land they are stationed on belongs to them," he told reporters.
"We're on high alert," he added.
Cambodia has also sent letters about the standoff to the United Nations, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP.
"Cambodia's permanent mission at the United Nations has sent two letters. One to the Security Council and another one to the chief of the UN General Assembly in order to draw the attention about the situation that is happening in Cambodia," Khieu Kanharith said.
"After the Monday negotiations we will decide what is the next step," he added.
The mood among Cambodians was tense Friday evening after word spread of a letter from Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen saying the addition of Cambodian troops had caused the situation to "deteriorate".
The standoff nearly erupted into violence late Thursday, when witnesses said troops twice pointed their guns at each other during 10 tense minutes at the pagoda after 50 Cambodian troops entered the compound to protect food supplies for dozens of monks.
The confrontation began after three Thai protesters were arrested for jumping a fence to reach the temple on Tuesday.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia. But the most accessible entrance to the Khmer ruins lies in Thailand and 4.6 square kilometres (1.8 square miles) of the surrounding land remains in dispute.
Cambodia informs UN Security Council of Thai incursion into its territory
www.chinaview.cn
2008-07-20
PHNOM PENH, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has complained to the UN Security Council that Thai forces violated its territory near World Heritage Site the Preah Vihear Temple, where hundreds of troops continued to face off Sunday, said a government press release.
Cambodia's permanent mission in New York has submitted an account of facts, including a letter and maps, for the Security Council in relation to Thai violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia, according to the release.
"On July 15, 2008, about 50 Thai soldiers crossed into the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda located in Cambodia's territory at about 300 meters from the Temple of Preah Vihear. By July 16 to 17, 2008,the number of Thai soldiers in the pagoda ground increased to 480," said the letter signed by Cambodian Ambassador to UN Sea Kosal for chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith told reporters that the letter aimed to draw UN's attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border.
Cambodia is not asking for UN intervention, he said, adding that the government still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides.
Saturday, under the arrangement of the Cambodian government, representatives from Chinese, U.S., French and Vietnamese embassies flew to Preah Vihear province by helicopter to study the Cambodian-Thai military standoff over their land dispute.
Friday, the government invited a group of domestic and foreign journalists to the region to watch the situation.
Earlier Tuesday, three Thai protesters were arrested for jumping an immigration checkpoint to reach the Preah Vihear Temple. Thai troops then came to fetch them, triggering face off with Cambodian troops there. Military build-up occurred day by day.
The protesters trespassed the border with intention to reclaim the 11-century classic Khmer-style temple, which the International Court of Justice awarded, together with the land it occupies, to Cambodia in 1962. The decision has rankled the Thais ever since.
The 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: Sun Yunlong
PHNOM PENH, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has complained to the UN Security Council that Thai forces violated its territory near World Heritage Site the Preah Vihear Temple, where hundreds of troops continued to face off Sunday, said a government press release.
Cambodia's permanent mission in New York has submitted an account of facts, including a letter and maps, for the Security Council in relation to Thai violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia, according to the release.
"On July 15, 2008, about 50 Thai soldiers crossed into the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda located in Cambodia's territory at about 300 meters from the Temple of Preah Vihear. By July 16 to 17, 2008,the number of Thai soldiers in the pagoda ground increased to 480," said the letter signed by Cambodian Ambassador to UN Sea Kosal for chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith told reporters that the letter aimed to draw UN's attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border.
Cambodia is not asking for UN intervention, he said, adding that the government still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides.
Saturday, under the arrangement of the Cambodian government, representatives from Chinese, U.S., French and Vietnamese embassies flew to Preah Vihear province by helicopter to study the Cambodian-Thai military standoff over their land dispute.
Friday, the government invited a group of domestic and foreign journalists to the region to watch the situation.
Earlier Tuesday, three Thai protesters were arrested for jumping an immigration checkpoint to reach the Preah Vihear Temple. Thai troops then came to fetch them, triggering face off with Cambodian troops there. Military build-up occurred day by day.
The protesters trespassed the border with intention to reclaim the 11-century classic Khmer-style temple, which the International Court of Justice awarded, together with the land it occupies, to Cambodia in 1962. The decision has rankled the Thais ever since.
The 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: Sun Yunlong
Cambodia: Little hope for Thai talks
Thai deminers look for mines at a Cambodian Buddhist temple complex near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Sunday, July 20, 2008. A Cambodian general said Sunday that he has little hope that upcoming talks between his government and Thailand will resolve a tense border dispute that has seen hundreds of troops face off around an ancient temple.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith) By SOPHENG CHEANG, Associated Press Writer
PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia - Cambodia has complained to the U.N. Security Council that Thai forces have violated its territory near an ancient World Heritage Site temple where hundreds of troops continued to face off Sunday.
Cambodia's permanent mission in New York submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border," Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said.
"Cambodia is not asking for U.N. intervention. We still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides," the minister told The Associated Press in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.
The conflict over territory surrounding Preah Vihear temple escalated when UNESCO recently approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Thai activists fear the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land.
The tension that began Tuesday is centered on the compound of a Buddhist pagoda near the Preah Vihear temple complex. Cambodia and Thailand have both laid claims to the compound.
In his letter to the Security Council on Friday, Cambodia's U.N. Ambassador Sea Kosal said the provocative act by Thai troops was aimed at creating "a de facto overlapping area that legally does not exist on Cambodian soil." A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday.
Based on estimates of commanders and Associated Press reporters on both sides of the frontier, more than 4,000 troops have been deployed around the temple and in the immediate border region.
The forces were on the brink of a shoot-out Thursday night, which was avoided when Cambodians retreated from the pagoda compound occupied by the Thais.
Opposing commanders and their troops have tried to defuse tensions, sometimes even sharing meals, snapping photographs and sleeping within easy sight of one another.
A Cambodian general, meanwhile, said he had little hope that upcoming talks between his government and Thailand will resolve the matter.
Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said Thai troops have deployed artillery about half a mile northeast of Preah Vihear temple — the latest escalation ahead of Monday's meeting aimed at averting a military confrontation.
"Regarding the talks tomorrow, we have little hope about the outcome," Chea Keo said.
He said the reason for his pessimism stems from a recent counterclaim by Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej that the area around a Buddhist pagoda near the historic temple belongs to Thailand. Thai troops have been stationed at the pagoda since Tuesday.
Hun Sen wrote a letter to Samak on Thursday saying relations had been "worsening" since Thai troops "encroached on our territory," and asked him to pull them back.
Responding to his Cambodian counterpart, Samak said the area around the pagoda referred to in the letter "is within the Thai territory," according to a statement Saturday from the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
While urging both sides to exercise restraint, Samak's letter said the settlement of Cambodians in that area constitutes "a continued violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Despite their pledge to hold talks Monday in Thailand to try to defuse the tensions, both Cambodia and Thailand have massed troops at the site.
Maj. Gen. Weewalit Jornsamrit, a senior Thai commander at the border, said an estimated 1,300 Cambodian troops were deployed in and around Preah Vihear. Associated Press reporters estimated the number to be at least 1,100 based on interviews with local commanders.
Weewalit declined to give Thai troop numbers but a senior Thai officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive situation, said about 2,600 soldiers were in the Thai district opposite the border. Around 400 were seen in the disputed area.
"We continue to be on alert at all time. And at the same time, we keep instructing our soldiers to be patient and avoid being blamed for starting a war," Chea Keo said Sunday.
The dispute has taken a toll on tourism in the area, with the Thai side closed to visitors. It also is starting to hurt economic relations between the two neighbors.
___
Associated Press writers Ambika Ahuja in Bangkok, Thailand, and Ker Munthit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, contributed to this report.
PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia - Cambodia has complained to the U.N. Security Council that Thai forces have violated its territory near an ancient World Heritage Site temple where hundreds of troops continued to face off Sunday.
Cambodia's permanent mission in New York submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border," Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said.
"Cambodia is not asking for U.N. intervention. We still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides," the minister told The Associated Press in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.
The conflict over territory surrounding Preah Vihear temple escalated when UNESCO recently approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Thai activists fear the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land.
The tension that began Tuesday is centered on the compound of a Buddhist pagoda near the Preah Vihear temple complex. Cambodia and Thailand have both laid claims to the compound.
In his letter to the Security Council on Friday, Cambodia's U.N. Ambassador Sea Kosal said the provocative act by Thai troops was aimed at creating "a de facto overlapping area that legally does not exist on Cambodian soil." A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday.
Based on estimates of commanders and Associated Press reporters on both sides of the frontier, more than 4,000 troops have been deployed around the temple and in the immediate border region.
The forces were on the brink of a shoot-out Thursday night, which was avoided when Cambodians retreated from the pagoda compound occupied by the Thais.
Opposing commanders and their troops have tried to defuse tensions, sometimes even sharing meals, snapping photographs and sleeping within easy sight of one another.
A Cambodian general, meanwhile, said he had little hope that upcoming talks between his government and Thailand will resolve the matter.
Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said Thai troops have deployed artillery about half a mile northeast of Preah Vihear temple — the latest escalation ahead of Monday's meeting aimed at averting a military confrontation.
"Regarding the talks tomorrow, we have little hope about the outcome," Chea Keo said.
He said the reason for his pessimism stems from a recent counterclaim by Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej that the area around a Buddhist pagoda near the historic temple belongs to Thailand. Thai troops have been stationed at the pagoda since Tuesday.
Hun Sen wrote a letter to Samak on Thursday saying relations had been "worsening" since Thai troops "encroached on our territory," and asked him to pull them back.
Responding to his Cambodian counterpart, Samak said the area around the pagoda referred to in the letter "is within the Thai territory," according to a statement Saturday from the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
While urging both sides to exercise restraint, Samak's letter said the settlement of Cambodians in that area constitutes "a continued violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Despite their pledge to hold talks Monday in Thailand to try to defuse the tensions, both Cambodia and Thailand have massed troops at the site.
Maj. Gen. Weewalit Jornsamrit, a senior Thai commander at the border, said an estimated 1,300 Cambodian troops were deployed in and around Preah Vihear. Associated Press reporters estimated the number to be at least 1,100 based on interviews with local commanders.
Weewalit declined to give Thai troop numbers but a senior Thai officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive situation, said about 2,600 soldiers were in the Thai district opposite the border. Around 400 were seen in the disputed area.
"We continue to be on alert at all time. And at the same time, we keep instructing our soldiers to be patient and avoid being blamed for starting a war," Chea Keo said Sunday.
The dispute has taken a toll on tourism in the area, with the Thai side closed to visitors. It also is starting to hurt economic relations between the two neighbors.
___
Associated Press writers Ambika Ahuja in Bangkok, Thailand, and Ker Munthit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, contributed to this report.
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