Preah Vihear 01
Preah Vihear 02
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Cambodia Tourism Grows
Focus on Travel News, Turkey
Published by Ozgur Tore
Monday, 20 October 2008
Cambodia reported visitor arrivals from January to August 2008 jumped 10.1% over the same period of 2007 to 1,398,557.
Siem Reap Angkor arrivals climbed to 722,944 visitors, with a 51.7% share, while Phnom Penh and other destinations brought in 675,613 visitors for a 48.3% share.
Foreign arrivals to Cambodia by all mean of transportations in August 2008 reached 156,098, an increase of 3% over last year. This included flights scheduled through the Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports and all international border check points.
Phnom Penh International Airport visitor arrivals slipped 1.9% to 43,793 in August, representing a 30.4% share of the total, while Siem Reap International Airport welcomed 39,449 visitor arrivals for a 27.4% share.
Travellers arriving via land and waterways, which made up about one-third of the total number of arrivals, soared 34.6% to 61,292. Visitors arriving by land comprised 56,637 for a 36.3% share, while the number arriving by waterways jumped 36.3% to 4,655 visitors.
South Korea maintained its position at the top of the charts with 14.4% of the market from January top August 2008. Other key markets included Vietnam with a 10.0% share, Japan (7.5%), the United States (7.0%) and China (6.2%).
Most of the top long-haul suppliers showed gains including Thailand (+34.6%), France (+12.2%), the UK (+14.8%) and Australia (+23.9%). Taiwan fell 22.2%.
Published by Ozgur Tore
Monday, 20 October 2008
Cambodia reported visitor arrivals from January to August 2008 jumped 10.1% over the same period of 2007 to 1,398,557.
Siem Reap Angkor arrivals climbed to 722,944 visitors, with a 51.7% share, while Phnom Penh and other destinations brought in 675,613 visitors for a 48.3% share.
Foreign arrivals to Cambodia by all mean of transportations in August 2008 reached 156,098, an increase of 3% over last year. This included flights scheduled through the Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports and all international border check points.
Phnom Penh International Airport visitor arrivals slipped 1.9% to 43,793 in August, representing a 30.4% share of the total, while Siem Reap International Airport welcomed 39,449 visitor arrivals for a 27.4% share.
Travellers arriving via land and waterways, which made up about one-third of the total number of arrivals, soared 34.6% to 61,292. Visitors arriving by land comprised 56,637 for a 36.3% share, while the number arriving by waterways jumped 36.3% to 4,655 visitors.
South Korea maintained its position at the top of the charts with 14.4% of the market from January top August 2008. Other key markets included Vietnam with a 10.0% share, Japan (7.5%), the United States (7.0%) and China (6.2%).
Most of the top long-haul suppliers showed gains including Thailand (+34.6%), France (+12.2%), the UK (+14.8%) and Australia (+23.9%). Taiwan fell 22.2%.
Cuban Five Cause Supported in Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Oct 20 (Prensa Latina) Cambodians and Cubans met Monday at the Cuban Embassy to Phnom Penb to express their support to the freedom cause of five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters imprisoned in the US, known as the Cuban Five.
Cuban Ambassador in Cambodia, Gilda Lopez, gave the most recent details on the unfair judicial process to which the Cuban Five have been submitted.
Lopez made a synthesis in which she highlighted the importance of solidarity to get the release of Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino and Rene Gonzalez.
The Cuban Five penetrated terrorist groups from the counter-revolutionary exile based in Florida, US, to frustrate their complots and attacks against Cuba.
The Association of Cambodian Students Graduated in Cuba, the Committee for the Liberation of the Cuban Five, officials and relatives of students in Cuba, joined to the members of the Cuban Embassy in a demonstration that closed the activity for solidarity with the Cuban Five.
ef tac sus
Cuban Ambassador in Cambodia, Gilda Lopez, gave the most recent details on the unfair judicial process to which the Cuban Five have been submitted.
Lopez made a synthesis in which she highlighted the importance of solidarity to get the release of Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino and Rene Gonzalez.
The Cuban Five penetrated terrorist groups from the counter-revolutionary exile based in Florida, US, to frustrate their complots and attacks against Cuba.
The Association of Cambodian Students Graduated in Cuba, the Committee for the Liberation of the Cuban Five, officials and relatives of students in Cuba, joined to the members of the Cuban Embassy in a demonstration that closed the activity for solidarity with the Cuban Five.
ef tac sus
Cambodia on track to become refugee model for Southeast Asia
20 Oct 2008
Source: UNHCR
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, October 20 (UNHCR) – Many foreigners seeking to be officially designated refugees in Cambodia are having their cases heard these days in a brand new Cambodian Refugee Office at the immigration department, rather than at the UN refugee agency's office as over the past 14 years.
The decision on whether or not to grant refugee status still rests with UNHCR officers, in consultation with Cambodian officials, but the change of location is an important move – symbolic of this country's determination to take on new responsibilities in protecting refugees' human rights.
Cambodia is one of only two Southeast Asian nations to have signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, and expects within the next two weeks to formalize the legal framework for establishing its own refugee status determination (RSD) procedures – although the timetable for legal adoption of the measure is not yet clear.
"The transformation has started," said Thamrongsak Meechubot, UNHCR's representative in Cambodia. "Things are moving since the government agreed in June that it was prepared to take responsibility for refugee status determination itself."
"It is a big challenge for us," agreed Police Major General Thong Lim, director of the Cambodian Immigration Department. "We really need UNHCR's full support."
As in many countries that have not signed the 1951 Convention, or have signed it but not enacted legislation to bring it to life, UNHCR conducts RSD interviews in Cambodia jointly with government officials.
Maj. Gen. Thong said the government is finalizing a draft that will be sent to legal experts and the Cambodian cabinet for discussion before being presented to Prime Minister Hun Sen for approval as a sub-decree with legal force.
The new refugee office already has a structure in place under the immigration department, with 40 officers to be deployed at border points around the country as well as in the capital, Phnom Penh. Of crucial importance, Maj. Gen. Thong stressed, will be training in refugee law so that Cambodia can live up to international standards.
Even after Cambodia takes over responsibility for RSD, the UN refugee agency will continue to give technical advice to officials and ensure that international norms are upheld.
Maj. Gen. Thong said Cambodia was embarking on a whole new set of issues – how to tell people with fake claims from genuine refugees, and how to weed out terrorists and those fleeing justice from people genuinely in need of international protection.
Still, he thinks it is an important step in Cambodia's maturity following the conflict and upheaval it experienced from 1970 until 1993, and a way of honouring the refuge that so many Cambodians received in other countries during this period.
The government has given signals that the sub-decree could be signed before the end of the year, and Thamrongsak said, "We don't expect legal complications. We expect a system that has flexibility. We don't want to burden the Cambodian bureaucracy. We want to reinforce the Cambodian bureaucracy to meet international legal standards."
Cambodia, which signed the 1951 Convention along with a raft of other international treaties when it was under UN transitional authority in the early 1990s, can be a trailblazer for much of Asia in this field.
Says Thamrongsak: "UNHCR hopes Cambodia can be a model for the region," along with the Philippines, which acceded to the Convention in 1980 and has both a legal framework and administrative regulations to implement it.
By Kitty McKinsey
in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Source: UNHCR
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, October 20 (UNHCR) – Many foreigners seeking to be officially designated refugees in Cambodia are having their cases heard these days in a brand new Cambodian Refugee Office at the immigration department, rather than at the UN refugee agency's office as over the past 14 years.
The decision on whether or not to grant refugee status still rests with UNHCR officers, in consultation with Cambodian officials, but the change of location is an important move – symbolic of this country's determination to take on new responsibilities in protecting refugees' human rights.
Cambodia is one of only two Southeast Asian nations to have signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, and expects within the next two weeks to formalize the legal framework for establishing its own refugee status determination (RSD) procedures – although the timetable for legal adoption of the measure is not yet clear.
"The transformation has started," said Thamrongsak Meechubot, UNHCR's representative in Cambodia. "Things are moving since the government agreed in June that it was prepared to take responsibility for refugee status determination itself."
"It is a big challenge for us," agreed Police Major General Thong Lim, director of the Cambodian Immigration Department. "We really need UNHCR's full support."
As in many countries that have not signed the 1951 Convention, or have signed it but not enacted legislation to bring it to life, UNHCR conducts RSD interviews in Cambodia jointly with government officials.
Maj. Gen. Thong said the government is finalizing a draft that will be sent to legal experts and the Cambodian cabinet for discussion before being presented to Prime Minister Hun Sen for approval as a sub-decree with legal force.
The new refugee office already has a structure in place under the immigration department, with 40 officers to be deployed at border points around the country as well as in the capital, Phnom Penh. Of crucial importance, Maj. Gen. Thong stressed, will be training in refugee law so that Cambodia can live up to international standards.
Even after Cambodia takes over responsibility for RSD, the UN refugee agency will continue to give technical advice to officials and ensure that international norms are upheld.
Maj. Gen. Thong said Cambodia was embarking on a whole new set of issues – how to tell people with fake claims from genuine refugees, and how to weed out terrorists and those fleeing justice from people genuinely in need of international protection.
Still, he thinks it is an important step in Cambodia's maturity following the conflict and upheaval it experienced from 1970 until 1993, and a way of honouring the refuge that so many Cambodians received in other countries during this period.
The government has given signals that the sub-decree could be signed before the end of the year, and Thamrongsak said, "We don't expect legal complications. We expect a system that has flexibility. We don't want to burden the Cambodian bureaucracy. We want to reinforce the Cambodian bureaucracy to meet international legal standards."
Cambodia, which signed the 1951 Convention along with a raft of other international treaties when it was under UN transitional authority in the early 1990s, can be a trailblazer for much of Asia in this field.
Says Thamrongsak: "UNHCR hopes Cambodia can be a model for the region," along with the Philippines, which acceded to the Convention in 1980 and has both a legal framework and administrative regulations to implement it.
By Kitty McKinsey
in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Abdullah To Send Message To Thai PM
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will send a message to his Thai counterpart Somchai Wongsawat suggesting Thailand and Cambodia de-escalate strained relations between them and avoid an armed conflict.
Foreign Minister Dr Rais Yatim said he would leave for Bangkok, either Tuesday or Wednesday, to convey Abdullah's message and meet Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat.
He said the cabinet which met last Friday decided that Abdullah send a message to his Thai counterpart in the spirit of Asean, as any military conflict between Thailand and Cambodia would have its consequence on the region.
The two nations are embroilled in a border dispute with reports suggesting that they were on the verge of war.
"We need to preserve harmony in Asean. And it is not only Malaysia that has been asked by the Asean secretariat to help but one or two other Asean member states, as well," he told reporters when met at the foreign ministry's 'Friends of Malaysia Cultural Exchange Programme' at a hotel here Monday.
He said Malaysia was of the view that skirmishes between the armies of the two countries must be "undertoned".
He said Thailand and Cambodia, being members of Asean, were close friends of Malaysia and that Malaysia "must adopt a cautious" stand in trying to resolve the issue.
"This is especially with the Asean Charter in place. We have to prove to the world that we, as Asean members, can work together and find solutions to our problems. Malaysia will play its role in this issue," he said.
The Asean Charter is a constitution for the 10 Southeast Asian Nations -- Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines and Laos.
Only Indonesia and Thailand have yet to endorse the charter, which among others, includes the removal of non-interference policy.
The Malaysian foreign minister also said that although Thailand and Cambodia had issued statements that they did not want outside interference on the conflict, Malaysia had to play its part in the spirit of Asean.
"We have to try to do something. These are the overtures from friends wanting to help. We must maintain harmony among Asean members," added Rais.
He said he would also make a similar trip to Cambodia in the near future.
-- BERNAMA
Foreign Minister Dr Rais Yatim said he would leave for Bangkok, either Tuesday or Wednesday, to convey Abdullah's message and meet Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat.
He said the cabinet which met last Friday decided that Abdullah send a message to his Thai counterpart in the spirit of Asean, as any military conflict between Thailand and Cambodia would have its consequence on the region.
The two nations are embroilled in a border dispute with reports suggesting that they were on the verge of war.
"We need to preserve harmony in Asean. And it is not only Malaysia that has been asked by the Asean secretariat to help but one or two other Asean member states, as well," he told reporters when met at the foreign ministry's 'Friends of Malaysia Cultural Exchange Programme' at a hotel here Monday.
He said Malaysia was of the view that skirmishes between the armies of the two countries must be "undertoned".
He said Thailand and Cambodia, being members of Asean, were close friends of Malaysia and that Malaysia "must adopt a cautious" stand in trying to resolve the issue.
"This is especially with the Asean Charter in place. We have to prove to the world that we, as Asean members, can work together and find solutions to our problems. Malaysia will play its role in this issue," he said.
The Asean Charter is a constitution for the 10 Southeast Asian Nations -- Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines and Laos.
Only Indonesia and Thailand have yet to endorse the charter, which among others, includes the removal of non-interference policy.
The Malaysian foreign minister also said that although Thailand and Cambodia had issued statements that they did not want outside interference on the conflict, Malaysia had to play its part in the spirit of Asean.
"We have to try to do something. These are the overtures from friends wanting to help. We must maintain harmony among Asean members," added Rais.
He said he would also make a similar trip to Cambodia in the near future.
-- BERNAMA
Cambodian PM leaves for China for ASEAN-China Expo, ASEM summit
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (L, front) arrives at the Wuxu International Airport in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Oct. 20, 2008.(Xinhua Photo)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (L, front) arrives at the Wuxu International Airport in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Oct. 20, 2008. Hun Sen is scheduled to attend the 5th ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations)-China Expo which will open on Oct. 22 in Nanning. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua)www.chinaview.cn
2008-10-20
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen left Monday for China to lead a high delegation to participate in the 5th ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations)-China Expo in Nanning of China on Oct. 22-23.
Hun Sen was seen off by some government officials at the Phnom Penh International Airport.
Subsequently, Hun Sen will attend the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to be held in Beijing, China on Oct. 24-25, a press release from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said.
On the sidelines of the ASEM summit, Hun Sen will hold a bilateral talk with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the press release said.
The Cambodian delegation will include Hun Sen's wife Bun Rany Hun Sen, Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong, Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh and other high-ranking government officials, it added.
Editor: Du
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen left Monday for China to lead a high delegation to participate in the 5th ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations)-China Expo in Nanning of China on Oct. 22-23.
Hun Sen was seen off by some government officials at the Phnom Penh International Airport.
Subsequently, Hun Sen will attend the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to be held in Beijing, China on Oct. 24-25, a press release from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said.
On the sidelines of the ASEM summit, Hun Sen will hold a bilateral talk with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the press release said.
The Cambodian delegation will include Hun Sen's wife Bun Rany Hun Sen, Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong, Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh and other high-ranking government officials, it added.
Editor: Du
Cambodian PM Plans Talks With Thai Premier In China
10/20/2008
(RTTNews) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen plans to hold talks with his Thai counterpart Somchai Wongsawat this week in Beijing after a long-running border dispute near Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple escalated into a deadly exchange of fire last week, media reports, quoting a Cambodian official said Monday.
The two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of a meeting between leaders of Asian and European nations October 24 and 25.
"During his stay in Beijing, the prime minister will bilaterally meet with the Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao and we have planned to meet with the Thai prime minister as well," Hun Sen's advisor said.
"We are planning this meeting (with Somchai)," he said, before Hun Sen left for China Monday from Phnom Penh, without giving more details.
However, Somchai said in Bangkok that no specific meeting had been planned with Hun Sen, but confirmed that he would be in China from October 23 to 25 and was open to talks.
"The Cambodia issue needs to be discussed between the two countries," he said. "(Talks) depend on whether there is an appropriate atmosphere and an appropriate time available or not."
Thai and Cambodian military officials meanwhile are scheduled to hold talks later this week in Siem Reap to calm tempers after two Cambodian soldiers were killed and seven Thai troops injured in a exchange of fire last Wednesday.
Emergency talks the following day with both Cambodian and Thai officials agreeing to joint border patrols -- which have not started yet -- but offered no lasting solution to the military stand-off along the border.
Tensions between the neighbors flared after talks to end months-long standoff over land near Preah Vihear -- a United Nations cultural heritage site inside Cambodian territory -- failed.
The conflict first arose in July when the U.N. accepted Cambodia's submission to name Preah Vihear a World Heritage site, with both countries dispatching troops to the border.
The situation quickly escalated into a military confrontation, with up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops in an eye-ball-to-eye-ball confrontation for six weeks, although both sides in August agreed to reduce the troop numbers in the disputed area.
by RTT Staff Writer
For comments and feedback:
contact editorial@rttnews.com
(RTTNews) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen plans to hold talks with his Thai counterpart Somchai Wongsawat this week in Beijing after a long-running border dispute near Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple escalated into a deadly exchange of fire last week, media reports, quoting a Cambodian official said Monday.
The two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of a meeting between leaders of Asian and European nations October 24 and 25.
"During his stay in Beijing, the prime minister will bilaterally meet with the Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao and we have planned to meet with the Thai prime minister as well," Hun Sen's advisor said.
"We are planning this meeting (with Somchai)," he said, before Hun Sen left for China Monday from Phnom Penh, without giving more details.
However, Somchai said in Bangkok that no specific meeting had been planned with Hun Sen, but confirmed that he would be in China from October 23 to 25 and was open to talks.
"The Cambodia issue needs to be discussed between the two countries," he said. "(Talks) depend on whether there is an appropriate atmosphere and an appropriate time available or not."
Thai and Cambodian military officials meanwhile are scheduled to hold talks later this week in Siem Reap to calm tempers after two Cambodian soldiers were killed and seven Thai troops injured in a exchange of fire last Wednesday.
Emergency talks the following day with both Cambodian and Thai officials agreeing to joint border patrols -- which have not started yet -- but offered no lasting solution to the military stand-off along the border.
Tensions between the neighbors flared after talks to end months-long standoff over land near Preah Vihear -- a United Nations cultural heritage site inside Cambodian territory -- failed.
The conflict first arose in July when the U.N. accepted Cambodia's submission to name Preah Vihear a World Heritage site, with both countries dispatching troops to the border.
The situation quickly escalated into a military confrontation, with up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops in an eye-ball-to-eye-ball confrontation for six weeks, although both sides in August agreed to reduce the troop numbers in the disputed area.
by RTT Staff Writer
For comments and feedback:
contact editorial@rttnews.com
Tension runs high for Preah Vihear Temple
www.chinaview.cn
2008-10-20
A Cambodian National flag is erected on the ancient ruins of the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand Oct. 19, 2008. The Preah Vihear Temple was historically claimed sovereignty by both Cambodia and Thailand. The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled it to Cambodia. In July 2008, tensions ran high between the two countries after the ancient Temple was awarded world heritage status by UNESCO. (Xinhua/Zeng Yi)
The Naga statue in the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand
A refugee sits in the ancient ruins of the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand Oct. 19, 2008.(Xinhua/Zeng Yi)
Refugees walk through the ancient ruins of the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand Oct. 19, 2008.(Xinhua/Zeng Yi)
The ancient ruins of the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand.(Xinhua/Zeng Yi)
Two men walk through the ancient ruins of the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand Oct. 19, 2008.(Xinhua/Zeng Yi)
2008-10-20
A Cambodian National flag is erected on the ancient ruins of the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand Oct. 19, 2008. The Preah Vihear Temple was historically claimed sovereignty by both Cambodia and Thailand. The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled it to Cambodia. In July 2008, tensions ran high between the two countries after the ancient Temple was awarded world heritage status by UNESCO. (Xinhua/Zeng Yi)
The Naga statue in the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand
A refugee sits in the ancient ruins of the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand Oct. 19, 2008.(Xinhua/Zeng Yi)
Refugees walk through the ancient ruins of the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand Oct. 19, 2008.(Xinhua/Zeng Yi)
The ancient ruins of the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand.(Xinhua/Zeng Yi)
Two men walk through the ancient ruins of the Preah Vihear Temple at the disputed border area of Cambodia and Thailand Oct. 19, 2008.(Xinhua/Zeng Yi)Thai PM to attend Oct 23-25 ASEM summit in China
BANGKOK, Oct 20 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat will attend the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in China between October 23 to 25 and may hold talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the two countries border dispute.
The prime minister said that dispute won't be raised during the ASEM meeting but Thailand and Cambodia may have a chance to hold bilateral talks, depending on cooperation of the ministry of foreign affairs of the two countries, he said.
Asked if he would discuss the issue with the Cambodian prime minister, Mr. Somchai said that it depended on the situation.
Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged fire in October 15 skirmishes at three disputed border locations near the Preah Vihear temple.
Two Cambodian soldiers were killed while seven Thai soldiers were wounded in the incident. (TNA)
The prime minister said that dispute won't be raised during the ASEM meeting but Thailand and Cambodia may have a chance to hold bilateral talks, depending on cooperation of the ministry of foreign affairs of the two countries, he said.
Asked if he would discuss the issue with the Cambodian prime minister, Mr. Somchai said that it depended on the situation.
Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged fire in October 15 skirmishes at three disputed border locations near the Preah Vihear temple.
Two Cambodian soldiers were killed while seven Thai soldiers were wounded in the incident. (TNA)
Cambodia postpones border talks with Thailand
RIA Novosti20/ 10/ 2008
JAKARTA, October 20 (RIA Novosti) - Talks scheduled for Tuesday between Cambodia and Thailand to address recent clashes near the 11th century Preah Vihear Temple have been postponed on Phnom Penh's request, local media said on Monday.
The Thailand News Agency said the meeting of the Regional Border Committee, which is now expected to take place on Thursday or Friday, was to bring together commanders of the two armies in the Cambodian town of Siem Reap. The reason for the postponement is not clear, although the parties are reported to have said they were not ready to come to an agreement.
The Thai Foreign Ministry was reported to have been approached by Tia Banh, the Cambodian deputy prime minister and defense minister, who asked for the meeting to be postponed.
A new wave of tensions over the temple broke out in July, when Cambodia's application to have Preah Vihear placed on the world heritage list was approved. The listing was rejected by Thailand's Constitutional Court, however, and on October 15 two Cambodian soldiers were killed and several Thai troops injured during clashes over the ownership of the land around the ancient building.
The Preah Vihear temple was awarded to Cambodia in a 1962 ruling by the World Court, but issue of sovereignty over the adjacent land was not resolved and remains a point of contention between the Southeast Asian neighbors.
Cambodian visit reveals similarities
Courtesy of La PietraTakara Sights, second from left, poses with other students in the Partnership for Youth program and Cambodian students during a relationship-building trip last summer to Cambodia.
By Takara Sights / La Pietra News
POSTED: Oct 20, 2008
When I first arrived in Cambodia, I was surrounded by differences. Phnom Penh, the country's capital, is huge. The buildings are tightly packed, and the streets are filled with pedestrians, cars and mostly mo-peds. People zigzag in and out while traffic whizzes in every direction. Vendors sell everything you can imagine, cheap under the harsh florescent lights of their shops.
The first night, these differences scared me. But the next day, I began to see familiar scenery -- a dog on the street, people eating breakfast and others grocery shopping. I saw piles of shoes by a front door and laundry on the line. This was the beginning of my understanding that although Cambodia and Cambodians are quite different from America and Americans, there are also similarities.
My summer trip to Cambodia was with a small group of high school students from all over America participating in Partnership for Youth, organized by the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii. The intention is to build international relationships. We were able to help each other practice communication, ignore stereotypes and learn a host of things.
Children and teenagers in Cambodia think education is important. Most American children agree, but not to the same degree. Many Cambodian youth study at public school during the day and take extra classes at private schools in their spare time. They do their homework diligently and study for hours every day. The children we talked to wanted to be doctors, teachers or work in business.
Achieving this goal is difficult for most Cambodians because schools are costly to run. Even when money is available, many schools are not able to provide quality education because of uneducated teachers and lack of supplies.
Several organizations help those Cambodian families who cannot provide education to their children. One organization, with a connection to Partnership for Youth and La Pietra, is PACE, or Program Advancing Children's Education. PACE is an associate program of Life and Hope Association that provides housing and school scholarships to girls in rural communities. La Pietra's middle school raised money last year for backpacks and school supplies to give to the PACE girls.
By Cambodian standards the PACE girls live in an average house. There are two main rooms on a floor elevated by stilts. In the day the biggest room serves as a classroom; at night it becomes a bedroom when the girls roll out sleeping mats under large mosquito nets. Meeting us was probably quite nerve-racking for the girls because they introduced themselves in English, and many had only just begun to master the language. The youngest girl in the program was 12, and she was the most accomplished in English. She was excited when we gave her the backpack, and she put it on right away. The eldest in the program was in her early 20s but in grade five because her family had needed her to work when she was younger.
The kids we met do more than just school, though. They play sports (basketball, soccer and volleyball), games (hide-and-seek, tag and cards), ride bicycles and swim. They enjoy Khmer and even American music and like to dance and sing. Just like in America, there are class clowns and quieter kids. Some of our group found their Cambodian twin! My friend met a boy, Sirong, who is uncannily like her in mannerisms. They make the same faces and jokes. We all discovered connections that allowed us to see how similar we are.
Although there were many things we expected, what we found was a cultural study, focused on relationships and making connections between a country's past, present and future, and, most important, how these connections affect the people. The similarities between Cambodia and America are hard to find among the apparent differences, such as religion, but once you find them they are hard to ignore. The starkest for me is that there are as many different kinds of people in different situations in Cambodia as there are in America. You can't fit any of us into a stereotype, and you shouldn't try.
Special acknowledgment to Geneva Graef, who was my travel buddy and who helped me write this article.
When I first arrived in Cambodia, I was surrounded by differences. Phnom Penh, the country's capital, is huge. The buildings are tightly packed, and the streets are filled with pedestrians, cars and mostly mo-peds. People zigzag in and out while traffic whizzes in every direction. Vendors sell everything you can imagine, cheap under the harsh florescent lights of their shops.
The first night, these differences scared me. But the next day, I began to see familiar scenery -- a dog on the street, people eating breakfast and others grocery shopping. I saw piles of shoes by a front door and laundry on the line. This was the beginning of my understanding that although Cambodia and Cambodians are quite different from America and Americans, there are also similarities.
My summer trip to Cambodia was with a small group of high school students from all over America participating in Partnership for Youth, organized by the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii. The intention is to build international relationships. We were able to help each other practice communication, ignore stereotypes and learn a host of things.
Children and teenagers in Cambodia think education is important. Most American children agree, but not to the same degree. Many Cambodian youth study at public school during the day and take extra classes at private schools in their spare time. They do their homework diligently and study for hours every day. The children we talked to wanted to be doctors, teachers or work in business.
Achieving this goal is difficult for most Cambodians because schools are costly to run. Even when money is available, many schools are not able to provide quality education because of uneducated teachers and lack of supplies.
Several organizations help those Cambodian families who cannot provide education to their children. One organization, with a connection to Partnership for Youth and La Pietra, is PACE, or Program Advancing Children's Education. PACE is an associate program of Life and Hope Association that provides housing and school scholarships to girls in rural communities. La Pietra's middle school raised money last year for backpacks and school supplies to give to the PACE girls.
By Cambodian standards the PACE girls live in an average house. There are two main rooms on a floor elevated by stilts. In the day the biggest room serves as a classroom; at night it becomes a bedroom when the girls roll out sleeping mats under large mosquito nets. Meeting us was probably quite nerve-racking for the girls because they introduced themselves in English, and many had only just begun to master the language. The youngest girl in the program was 12, and she was the most accomplished in English. She was excited when we gave her the backpack, and she put it on right away. The eldest in the program was in her early 20s but in grade five because her family had needed her to work when she was younger.
The kids we met do more than just school, though. They play sports (basketball, soccer and volleyball), games (hide-and-seek, tag and cards), ride bicycles and swim. They enjoy Khmer and even American music and like to dance and sing. Just like in America, there are class clowns and quieter kids. Some of our group found their Cambodian twin! My friend met a boy, Sirong, who is uncannily like her in mannerisms. They make the same faces and jokes. We all discovered connections that allowed us to see how similar we are.
Although there were many things we expected, what we found was a cultural study, focused on relationships and making connections between a country's past, present and future, and, most important, how these connections affect the people. The similarities between Cambodia and America are hard to find among the apparent differences, such as religion, but once you find them they are hard to ignore. The starkest for me is that there are as many different kinds of people in different situations in Cambodia as there are in America. You can't fit any of us into a stereotype, and you shouldn't try.
POSTED: Oct 20, 2008
When I first arrived in Cambodia, I was surrounded by differences. Phnom Penh, the country's capital, is huge. The buildings are tightly packed, and the streets are filled with pedestrians, cars and mostly mo-peds. People zigzag in and out while traffic whizzes in every direction. Vendors sell everything you can imagine, cheap under the harsh florescent lights of their shops.
The first night, these differences scared me. But the next day, I began to see familiar scenery -- a dog on the street, people eating breakfast and others grocery shopping. I saw piles of shoes by a front door and laundry on the line. This was the beginning of my understanding that although Cambodia and Cambodians are quite different from America and Americans, there are also similarities.
My summer trip to Cambodia was with a small group of high school students from all over America participating in Partnership for Youth, organized by the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii. The intention is to build international relationships. We were able to help each other practice communication, ignore stereotypes and learn a host of things.
Children and teenagers in Cambodia think education is important. Most American children agree, but not to the same degree. Many Cambodian youth study at public school during the day and take extra classes at private schools in their spare time. They do their homework diligently and study for hours every day. The children we talked to wanted to be doctors, teachers or work in business.
Achieving this goal is difficult for most Cambodians because schools are costly to run. Even when money is available, many schools are not able to provide quality education because of uneducated teachers and lack of supplies.
Several organizations help those Cambodian families who cannot provide education to their children. One organization, with a connection to Partnership for Youth and La Pietra, is PACE, or Program Advancing Children's Education. PACE is an associate program of Life and Hope Association that provides housing and school scholarships to girls in rural communities. La Pietra's middle school raised money last year for backpacks and school supplies to give to the PACE girls.
By Cambodian standards the PACE girls live in an average house. There are two main rooms on a floor elevated by stilts. In the day the biggest room serves as a classroom; at night it becomes a bedroom when the girls roll out sleeping mats under large mosquito nets. Meeting us was probably quite nerve-racking for the girls because they introduced themselves in English, and many had only just begun to master the language. The youngest girl in the program was 12, and she was the most accomplished in English. She was excited when we gave her the backpack, and she put it on right away. The eldest in the program was in her early 20s but in grade five because her family had needed her to work when she was younger.
The kids we met do more than just school, though. They play sports (basketball, soccer and volleyball), games (hide-and-seek, tag and cards), ride bicycles and swim. They enjoy Khmer and even American music and like to dance and sing. Just like in America, there are class clowns and quieter kids. Some of our group found their Cambodian twin! My friend met a boy, Sirong, who is uncannily like her in mannerisms. They make the same faces and jokes. We all discovered connections that allowed us to see how similar we are.
Although there were many things we expected, what we found was a cultural study, focused on relationships and making connections between a country's past, present and future, and, most important, how these connections affect the people. The similarities between Cambodia and America are hard to find among the apparent differences, such as religion, but once you find them they are hard to ignore. The starkest for me is that there are as many different kinds of people in different situations in Cambodia as there are in America. You can't fit any of us into a stereotype, and you shouldn't try.
Special acknowledgment to Geneva Graef, who was my travel buddy and who helped me write this article.
When I first arrived in Cambodia, I was surrounded by differences. Phnom Penh, the country's capital, is huge. The buildings are tightly packed, and the streets are filled with pedestrians, cars and mostly mo-peds. People zigzag in and out while traffic whizzes in every direction. Vendors sell everything you can imagine, cheap under the harsh florescent lights of their shops.
The first night, these differences scared me. But the next day, I began to see familiar scenery -- a dog on the street, people eating breakfast and others grocery shopping. I saw piles of shoes by a front door and laundry on the line. This was the beginning of my understanding that although Cambodia and Cambodians are quite different from America and Americans, there are also similarities.
My summer trip to Cambodia was with a small group of high school students from all over America participating in Partnership for Youth, organized by the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii. The intention is to build international relationships. We were able to help each other practice communication, ignore stereotypes and learn a host of things.
Children and teenagers in Cambodia think education is important. Most American children agree, but not to the same degree. Many Cambodian youth study at public school during the day and take extra classes at private schools in their spare time. They do their homework diligently and study for hours every day. The children we talked to wanted to be doctors, teachers or work in business.
Achieving this goal is difficult for most Cambodians because schools are costly to run. Even when money is available, many schools are not able to provide quality education because of uneducated teachers and lack of supplies.
Several organizations help those Cambodian families who cannot provide education to their children. One organization, with a connection to Partnership for Youth and La Pietra, is PACE, or Program Advancing Children's Education. PACE is an associate program of Life and Hope Association that provides housing and school scholarships to girls in rural communities. La Pietra's middle school raised money last year for backpacks and school supplies to give to the PACE girls.
By Cambodian standards the PACE girls live in an average house. There are two main rooms on a floor elevated by stilts. In the day the biggest room serves as a classroom; at night it becomes a bedroom when the girls roll out sleeping mats under large mosquito nets. Meeting us was probably quite nerve-racking for the girls because they introduced themselves in English, and many had only just begun to master the language. The youngest girl in the program was 12, and she was the most accomplished in English. She was excited when we gave her the backpack, and she put it on right away. The eldest in the program was in her early 20s but in grade five because her family had needed her to work when she was younger.
The kids we met do more than just school, though. They play sports (basketball, soccer and volleyball), games (hide-and-seek, tag and cards), ride bicycles and swim. They enjoy Khmer and even American music and like to dance and sing. Just like in America, there are class clowns and quieter kids. Some of our group found their Cambodian twin! My friend met a boy, Sirong, who is uncannily like her in mannerisms. They make the same faces and jokes. We all discovered connections that allowed us to see how similar we are.
Although there were many things we expected, what we found was a cultural study, focused on relationships and making connections between a country's past, present and future, and, most important, how these connections affect the people. The similarities between Cambodia and America are hard to find among the apparent differences, such as religion, but once you find them they are hard to ignore. The starkest for me is that there are as many different kinds of people in different situations in Cambodia as there are in America. You can't fit any of us into a stereotype, and you shouldn't try.
Khmer buddhist supermodel speaks out
VNS(19-10-2008)
Truong Thi May was runner-up in the Miss Viet Ethnic 2007 pageant. Although a rare beauty, she wanted to join a pagoda and become a buddhist nun at the age of 13, but the responsibility of being an elder sister to her four siblings stopped her. May speaks to Du Van Nga about this and other aspects of her unique life.
Inner Sanctum: After winning runner-up in Miss Viet Ethnic 2007, people thought that you would probably become a professional model or an actress, but others say you want to become a buddhist nun and live in a temple, what’s the story?
I do hope to become a nun one day, but first I have to help raise my brothers and sisters.
I became a vegetarian, like a hermit, when I was 13 years old, following my family traditions. My family has a long-standing Buddhist tradition, starting with my great grandparents five generations back; our family is familiar with vegetarianism and over time the whole family started eating vegetarian.
My younger brother has been leading a religious life for 14 years and my next-younger sister followed in his foot-steps and also became a buddhist priestess.
My family support me in becoming a buddhist and accumulating blessings. I do not know my fate in the previous incarnation exactly, however in this incarnation, I hope to become a buddhist priestess like my two younger siblings. I think that I can live a tranquil life and at least learn from the prayer-books to be useful to humankind and relieve their sorrows.
Although I am only 20 years old, I have gone on a pilgrimage through tens of countries all over the world and plan to go to India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Hong Kong together with my friend, a buddhist nun, in the near future.
Inner Sanctum: Why did you say that circumstance kept you from becoming a nun? Can you explain it more clearly?
No one prevented me from entering the Buddhist temple, it is simply because I have a responsibility to my family that I haven’t become a nun.
My father departed this world when I was 9 years old and my youngest sister was a one-year baby. My mother was busy working in the market, trying to make enough money to raise our family of six, while I had to stay home and look after them. When I had grown up a bit, I also helped mum working in the market.
Inner Sanctum: Why did you participate in a beauty competition and work as a model afterwards?
My younger sisters and brothers and I were somewhat disadvantaged compared with other children our age as our father passed away early, so when my brother and sister joined the temple, the high priestess there helped our family. We have always asked her for advice and help when we face difficulty, and we prayed for good fortune, of course, before the Miss Viet Ethnic competition.
She encouraged and supported my participation in the contest, I hope that this title can bring honor to my people, and will help me be useful to society. I feel proud of this when I am modeling.
Working as a model helps me earn a better income to help support my family, especially as my mother is getting too old to work.
I can take care of my sister’s and brother’s school fees as well as take classes myself. I study information technology, English and business administration.
Inner Sanctum: How did you prepare for Miss Viet Ethnic, especially as this was the first time you participated in a beauty pageant?
This was the first time I took part in a competition like Miss Viet Ethnic. I felt a little anxious at first as it all seemed so strange, but luckily for me, my whole family and my best friend, Buddhist nun Lien Vinh, supported me every step of the way.
My mother and her brother stayed with me while I was competing, the ethnic costume I wore, a symbol of my Khmer ethnicity, was made by them and they embroidered it for three days and nights. It is a priceless costume imbrued with the blood of their fingers.
My mother said she wanted to make the costume, so a part of her could be with me during the pageant to encourage me; she didn’t want me to rent a costume.
In my mind, the costume was the strongest motivatation for me to do my best, especially in the peahen dance, the talent section, and the lissom folk dance, which my mother also taught me.
My mother holds more than one position in my life, she is my driver, bodyguard, tailor, photographer, cameraman, adviser and more. She and I are like fish and water.
Inner Sanctum: After your coronation you refused several film roles, why didn’t you try your hand at movies?
Fortune smiled upon me when I was offered roles in six serial dramas, but I had to refuse as I was still studying and didn’t have time for both.
Furthermore, I am a Buddhist so I have to choose roles carefully.
I think I am still young, so if a suitable role is offered in the future, I may yet become an actress.
Inner Sanctum: "May", in my mind, is quite an impressive name, so what is the real meaning in the Khmer language?
"May" or Chanh Recsmay in the Khmer language means sun and lucky. It is also my official ethnic minority name. My mother gave me this name to wish me luck; she also taught me to hope and pray for luck and happiness for everyone, not only me and my family. However, I have another name, Magarette Truong, a stage name given to me by a Buddhism priest, and I like this name too.
Inner Sanctum: What are your plans in the years to come?
I have always dreamt of becoming a businesswoman to serve the country where I was born. However, if I am fated to join a Buddhist temple, I will leave my home to become a nun. This would be the happiest and most peaceful option.
— VNS
Club to bolster Cambodia trade
VNS
(20-10-2008)
KIEN GIANG — A new club to boost trade between businesses in Cambodia and Viet Nam opened in the capital on Thursday.
The club is part of the Viet Nam-Cambodian Friendship Association, according to president of the Industrial Machine and Instrument Institute Truong Huu Tri.
It is aimed to provide Vietnamese firms in Viet Nam and Cambodia with information on investment policies in the two countries and investment opportunities in Cambodia.
(20-10-2008)
KIEN GIANG — A new club to boost trade between businesses in Cambodia and Viet Nam opened in the capital on Thursday.
The club is part of the Viet Nam-Cambodian Friendship Association, according to president of the Industrial Machine and Instrument Institute Truong Huu Tri.
It is aimed to provide Vietnamese firms in Viet Nam and Cambodia with information on investment policies in the two countries and investment opportunities in Cambodia.
Monday, 20 October 2008
Local people flee amid concern of Cambodian-Thai armed confrontation
www.chinaview.cn
2008-10-20
By Xia Lin, Liu Lu, Long Heng
PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Some local residents have been fleeing from the area near Preah Vihear temple amid concern of armed confrontation between Cambodia and Thailand after a deadly clash on the border last week.
"Three members of my family have moved back to Kandal province and I stay here to look after my small souvenir shop in front of the temple," local businessman Srun Sokhorn told Xinhua on Monday.
Some people living at the bottom of the mountain also fled, but some others did not. They watch movies and boxing matches on TV at small cafes, Srun Sokhorn said, adding that about 200 of 319 families still stay here.
"We hope the situation will be normal soon so that I can run my business again," he said.
Local residents are facing shortage of clean water, he said, so they made tent reservoir to collect rain water.
Some children are facing flu from bad weather at the mountain area near the Preah Vihear temple, Kim Ratana, said a doctor at the Preah Vihear provincial health office.
"We are treating a soldier who was infected with malaria," she said.
Meanwhile, the Cambodian and Thai troops have become friendly to each other, after the armed clash killed two Cambodian soldiers and wounded more Thais on Oct. 15 near the Preah Vihear Temple at the border area, officers told Xinhua on Monday.
"They are shaking hands, talking to each other and asking about daily food," said Thol Sovan, deputy military commander of the Cambodian side at the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda, which is situated on the only way leading to the temple.
They have good relationship and both troops at the pagoda didn't exchange gunfire on Oct. 15, he said.
"The Thai side didn't (dare to) shoot at us here, because we were all around them at that time," he said.
But Thai soldiers elsewhere shot at us, he said, while pointing at newly fired branches of the jack fruit tree in front of the pagoda.
Meanwhile, Thai military major Apichaut Poo Paud told Xinhua that the troops themselves are like brothers and don't have problem with each other.
"We have good cooperation and relationship," he said, adding that 10 Thai soldiers and two interpreters stay in the pagoda compound.
In other places, Cambodia and Thailand are keeping the same number of soldiers, he added.
Srey Doek, regional military commander of Cambodia, told Xinhua that the situation near the temple is now normal and clam.
However, the number of both troops within the territory is roughly estimated at more than one thousand, he added.
After the Oct. 15 armed conflict, both troops have agreed to conduct joint patrol of the border area, but the two governments have postponed their talks from Tuesday (Oct. 21) to Friday (Oct. 24) to find peaceful solution for their border dispute.
In other developments, the engineering unit of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) is rebuilding and expanding the current road to the Preah Vihear Temple.
"They are rebuilding the road single direction first to provide easiness for travelers and will also construct a few small bridges over the streams at the area," said Chan Thoern, receptionist working at a neighborhood hotel near the temple.
As the renovation ends, the road is expected to become double direction and remains the only way running along the mountain to the temple, Chan told Xinhua.
"With the road completed, it will be much easier for us and tourists to access the temple, although there are still some steep places," said Chan, who came from Kampong Cham province to help his uncle run his business.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, the government and some charitable people have funded the reconstruction, according to the reports of Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News.
Tourists used to arrive at the 900-year-old temple from the Thai side, as the traffic facilities there are well-built.
In addition, the land price at the bottom of the mountain where the 900-year-old Preah Vihear Temple is situated atop, has been increasing rapidly, since it was awarded world heritage status by UNESCO in July, residents said.
"Here will be another popular destination for tourists," said taxi driver Sean Kim on Monday.
A piece of land measuring 1,000 square meters used to sell at 2,000 U.S. dollars, but now is up to 10,000 U.S. dollars, he said.
"I hope the government will build a market here soon," said Sean, adding that there is no bus station, either.
It is difficult to find a taxi car here leaving for the town or nearby province Siem Reap, he said, adding that current taxi car service and food are all expensive.
Local food vendor Neang Kheng said that the price is high because everything is brought from other provinces and the road is poor for transportation.
"Food is simple here, just drinks, rice, instant noodles, pork, fish and vegetables," she said.
The current military face off between Cambodia and Thailand has almost stalled the life at the foot of the mountain, she added.
In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage status by UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.
The tension later turned into a military stalemate, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.
In early October, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during sporadic exchange of gunfire and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine at the border area.
Editor: Yan
By Xia Lin, Liu Lu, Long Heng
PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Some local residents have been fleeing from the area near Preah Vihear temple amid concern of armed confrontation between Cambodia and Thailand after a deadly clash on the border last week.
"Three members of my family have moved back to Kandal province and I stay here to look after my small souvenir shop in front of the temple," local businessman Srun Sokhorn told Xinhua on Monday.
Some people living at the bottom of the mountain also fled, but some others did not. They watch movies and boxing matches on TV at small cafes, Srun Sokhorn said, adding that about 200 of 319 families still stay here.
"We hope the situation will be normal soon so that I can run my business again," he said.
Local residents are facing shortage of clean water, he said, so they made tent reservoir to collect rain water.
Some children are facing flu from bad weather at the mountain area near the Preah Vihear temple, Kim Ratana, said a doctor at the Preah Vihear provincial health office.
"We are treating a soldier who was infected with malaria," she said.
Meanwhile, the Cambodian and Thai troops have become friendly to each other, after the armed clash killed two Cambodian soldiers and wounded more Thais on Oct. 15 near the Preah Vihear Temple at the border area, officers told Xinhua on Monday.
"They are shaking hands, talking to each other and asking about daily food," said Thol Sovan, deputy military commander of the Cambodian side at the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda, which is situated on the only way leading to the temple.
They have good relationship and both troops at the pagoda didn't exchange gunfire on Oct. 15, he said.
"The Thai side didn't (dare to) shoot at us here, because we were all around them at that time," he said.
But Thai soldiers elsewhere shot at us, he said, while pointing at newly fired branches of the jack fruit tree in front of the pagoda.
Meanwhile, Thai military major Apichaut Poo Paud told Xinhua that the troops themselves are like brothers and don't have problem with each other.
"We have good cooperation and relationship," he said, adding that 10 Thai soldiers and two interpreters stay in the pagoda compound.
In other places, Cambodia and Thailand are keeping the same number of soldiers, he added.
Srey Doek, regional military commander of Cambodia, told Xinhua that the situation near the temple is now normal and clam.
However, the number of both troops within the territory is roughly estimated at more than one thousand, he added.
After the Oct. 15 armed conflict, both troops have agreed to conduct joint patrol of the border area, but the two governments have postponed their talks from Tuesday (Oct. 21) to Friday (Oct. 24) to find peaceful solution for their border dispute.
In other developments, the engineering unit of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) is rebuilding and expanding the current road to the Preah Vihear Temple.
"They are rebuilding the road single direction first to provide easiness for travelers and will also construct a few small bridges over the streams at the area," said Chan Thoern, receptionist working at a neighborhood hotel near the temple.
As the renovation ends, the road is expected to become double direction and remains the only way running along the mountain to the temple, Chan told Xinhua.
"With the road completed, it will be much easier for us and tourists to access the temple, although there are still some steep places," said Chan, who came from Kampong Cham province to help his uncle run his business.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, the government and some charitable people have funded the reconstruction, according to the reports of Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News.
Tourists used to arrive at the 900-year-old temple from the Thai side, as the traffic facilities there are well-built.
In addition, the land price at the bottom of the mountain where the 900-year-old Preah Vihear Temple is situated atop, has been increasing rapidly, since it was awarded world heritage status by UNESCO in July, residents said.
"Here will be another popular destination for tourists," said taxi driver Sean Kim on Monday.
A piece of land measuring 1,000 square meters used to sell at 2,000 U.S. dollars, but now is up to 10,000 U.S. dollars, he said.
"I hope the government will build a market here soon," said Sean, adding that there is no bus station, either.
It is difficult to find a taxi car here leaving for the town or nearby province Siem Reap, he said, adding that current taxi car service and food are all expensive.
Local food vendor Neang Kheng said that the price is high because everything is brought from other provinces and the road is poor for transportation.
"Food is simple here, just drinks, rice, instant noodles, pork, fish and vegetables," she said.
The current military face off between Cambodia and Thailand has almost stalled the life at the foot of the mountain, she added.
In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage status by UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.
The tension later turned into a military stalemate, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.
In early October, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during sporadic exchange of gunfire and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine at the border area.
Editor: Yan
Cambodia and Thailand work to contain border conflict
Jane's Information Group
20 October 2008
By Trefor Moss
Thai and Cambodian troops fought an hour-long battle along their shared border on 15 October, as a four-month standoff over a disputed temple complex threatened to escalate into a serious border conflict.
The Thai government reacted to the clash by advising its citizens to leave Cambodia immediately for fear of reprisals, while Phnom Penh warned that the situation could lead to "large-scale armed hostilities".
Cambodia said that two of its troops had been killed and seven wounded in the exchange at the Preah Vihear temple, while Thailand reported five soldiers injured. The Thai military denied Cambodian claims that 10 of its soldiers had been taken prisoner.
Both sides accused the other of firing first. A spokesperson for the Thai embassy in London told Jane's that Thai soldiers were conducting "a routine patrol of the area inside Thai territory when they were fired upon by RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] and machine guns". However, the Cambodian embassy described the events as "armed provocations by Thailand" and accused Thai soldiers of launching "heavy armed attacks" to dislodge Cambodian troops from positions within their own territory.
A spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged "both parties to exercise utmost restraint" and "to expedite bilateral talks".
Image: Cambodian soldiers patrol the road leading to Preah Vihear temple on 16 October (PA Photos)
20 October 2008
By Trefor Moss
Thai and Cambodian troops fought an hour-long battle along their shared border on 15 October, as a four-month standoff over a disputed temple complex threatened to escalate into a serious border conflict.
The Thai government reacted to the clash by advising its citizens to leave Cambodia immediately for fear of reprisals, while Phnom Penh warned that the situation could lead to "large-scale armed hostilities".
Cambodia said that two of its troops had been killed and seven wounded in the exchange at the Preah Vihear temple, while Thailand reported five soldiers injured. The Thai military denied Cambodian claims that 10 of its soldiers had been taken prisoner.
Both sides accused the other of firing first. A spokesperson for the Thai embassy in London told Jane's that Thai soldiers were conducting "a routine patrol of the area inside Thai territory when they were fired upon by RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] and machine guns". However, the Cambodian embassy described the events as "armed provocations by Thailand" and accused Thai soldiers of launching "heavy armed attacks" to dislodge Cambodian troops from positions within their own territory.
A spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged "both parties to exercise utmost restraint" and "to expedite bilateral talks".
Image: Cambodian soldiers patrol the road leading to Preah Vihear temple on 16 October (PA Photos)
Malaysia seeks to diffuse Thai-Cambodia border row
International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press
Published: October 20, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia's foreign minister said Monday his planned visits to Thailand and Cambodia are a friendly effort to help diffuse a border dispute between the neighbors, and not interference in their affairs.
Rais Yatim said Malaysia and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, have an interest in ensuring the border conflict does not intensify and jeopardize regional peace.
The dispute, if not checked, could embarrass ASEAN and mar its credibility as a regional bloc, he warned.
A brief but deadly gunfight erupted between Thai and Cambodian soldiers last week over disputed land near the centuries-old Preah Vihear temple, sparking fears of war.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has rejected outside help in the conflict.
"We don't consider ourselves as (outsiders). We consider ourselves within ASEAN and if we cannot play the role of a neighbor, the role of a good friend, then what are we for?" Rais told reporters.
"This is not a positive dot for ASEAN. This could be looked at as a very questionable development ... we have to convince the world that we can take care of our problems and relationship with each other," he said.
Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand are all members of ASEAN, which has a policy of noninterference in member nations' domestic affairs. ASEAN also includes Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
Rais Yatim said he would fly to Thailand on Tuesday or Wednesday, and to Cambodia later this month, to urge both parties to resolve the conflict through peaceful negotiations.
He said he would submit a letter of concern from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to the Thai and Cambodian leaders and urge them not to "resort to physical or military means."
The World Court awarded the 11th century temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty over surrounding land has never been clearly resolved.
Hun Sen is expected to meet Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat later this week in their first face-to-face meeting since the deadly gunbattle erupted Oct. 15, killing two Cambodian soldiers and wounding 10 from both sides.
Rais said his visits are partly in response to a request by ASEAN Secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan for member nations to make "friendly overtures so that the skirmish is undertoned."
The Associated Press
Published: October 20, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia's foreign minister said Monday his planned visits to Thailand and Cambodia are a friendly effort to help diffuse a border dispute between the neighbors, and not interference in their affairs.
Rais Yatim said Malaysia and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, have an interest in ensuring the border conflict does not intensify and jeopardize regional peace.
The dispute, if not checked, could embarrass ASEAN and mar its credibility as a regional bloc, he warned.
A brief but deadly gunfight erupted between Thai and Cambodian soldiers last week over disputed land near the centuries-old Preah Vihear temple, sparking fears of war.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has rejected outside help in the conflict.
"We don't consider ourselves as (outsiders). We consider ourselves within ASEAN and if we cannot play the role of a neighbor, the role of a good friend, then what are we for?" Rais told reporters.
"This is not a positive dot for ASEAN. This could be looked at as a very questionable development ... we have to convince the world that we can take care of our problems and relationship with each other," he said.
Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand are all members of ASEAN, which has a policy of noninterference in member nations' domestic affairs. ASEAN also includes Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
Rais Yatim said he would fly to Thailand on Tuesday or Wednesday, and to Cambodia later this month, to urge both parties to resolve the conflict through peaceful negotiations.
He said he would submit a letter of concern from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to the Thai and Cambodian leaders and urge them not to "resort to physical or military means."
The World Court awarded the 11th century temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty over surrounding land has never been clearly resolved.
Hun Sen is expected to meet Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat later this week in their first face-to-face meeting since the deadly gunbattle erupted Oct. 15, killing two Cambodian soldiers and wounding 10 from both sides.
Rais said his visits are partly in response to a request by ASEAN Secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan for member nations to make "friendly overtures so that the skirmish is undertoned."
Somchai could be survive? Thai politic is bad but Thai try to invade Preah Vihear
Anti-government protesters hold down photos of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and four others police commanders, bottom, and raise up photos of their death comrades, top, prior to a march protester Monday, Oct. 20, 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands of protesters took part in the protest calling Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat a 'murderer' and demanding he resign over the violent quashing of a previous rally early this month.(AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong) 
Anti-government protesters step on a poster of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat during a march protest on the street Monday, Oct. 20, 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands of protesters took part in the protest calling Prime Minister Somchai a 'murderer' and demanding he resign over the violent quashing of a previous rally early this month.(AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong) Military's pr campaign: a lot to be desired
By The Nation
Published on October 20, 2008
Failure to engage media during border clash with Cambodia points to lack of common sense
Published on October 20, 2008
Failure to engage media during border clash with Cambodia points to lack of common sense
For whatever it is worth, the man who made the most sense in the latest diplomatic and military confrontation with Cambodia was the leader of a small band of Thai paramilitary rangers overseeing a mine-infested spot along the disputed 4.6-square-kilometre area.
He pointed out that for years, troops from both sides overseeing this disputed area used to eat from the same rice pot, shared smokes and jokes and every now and then, when nobody's looking, took a sip of some vicious home-made brew.
That was until an unsound political manoeuvre from both capitals paved the way for last week's armed clashes on the ground.
It would be too easy to place the entire blame on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for issuing an ultimatum to Thailand to pull its troops out of the disputed area.
The gunfight along the Thai-Cambodian border is much more than just the work of one strongman's desire to score quick political points.
Among other things, the recent flare-ups also placed an unwanted spotlight on the way Thai political leaders and the military top brass operates. And it does not look so pretty. What is desperately lacking is some degree of common sense and the ability to think on their feet. The very concept of damage control doesn't seem to come to mind in times of trouble. Officers and policy-makers prefer to cover their own behinds instead of doing something to minimise the damage.
Indeed, for an armed force that has always whined about not getting enough budget to buy more expensive equipment, the Thai Army has made virtually no progress in understanding the importance of information strategy, much less the role of independent media or how to engage them.
Remember when Thailand agreed to send troops to the UN peacekeeping operation in East Timor and all of a sudden the unit that was being sent became camera shy? For the first three days, photographs of the Australian army doing push-ups and crawls were splashed on the front pages of newspapers around the world. And when the Thais came to their senses, the world media attention had shifted elsewhere.
Over the weekend, Thai and foreign reporters and photographers were scratching their heads with the shallow explanation as to why they were not permitted to photograph Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat getting off the military helicopter. They were told that they could photograph him handing out gifts to soldiers.
Was it the way Somchai got off the plane that had them worried? Or was he going to reveal something that would compromise national security, or do something that was so embarrassing that would ruin his political career?
Incidentally, reporters and cameramen were allowed to walk with Somchai up to the helicopter as he was departing the area.
Even more, after the prime minister's visit, shortly after the gunfight ended, a small group of Thai paramilitary rangers and soldiers went up to talk with their Cambodian counterparts. A photograph of the informal gathering was released from the Cambodian side and immediately there was unconfirmed report that 10 Thai soldiers had been captured.
The only thing the Thai Army could do was deny it. And then they became dumb struck when the photograph was made public. A little common sense would have made the top brass bring the 10 officers in question to a press conference and explain what actually happened.
On Saturday, when a senior Thai army colonel led a small band of officers and foot soldiers to the Preah Vihear Temple where soldiers on both sides were virtually holding hands and dining together, again, officers on the Thai side were not sure how to deal with this. But the Cambodians knew of the urgent need to get this image out, superficial though it may seem, of their commanders walking hand in hand, smiling and dining together.
Reporters and photographers on the Thai side were told that the situation was still too complicated to let any media person accompany the deputy commander of Suranaree Task Force. The Cambodians, on the other hand, came with every international news and photo agency. Perhaps the Thai Army could learn a thing or two from their Cambodian counterparts instead of boasting how big their guns are or how fast their jets could be mobilised.
There is no need to put the blame on any one individual person or unit, as it would be like a wild goose chase. The absence of professionalism and of a sound information strategy has to do with a bureaucratic and military culture. Most don't see themselves as being paid to think, but only to follow orders.
It's sad to know that billions of taxpayers' money goes the military to improve their capacity. Perhaps some of that needs to go towards improving common sense.
Besides a sound information strategy aimed at controlling damage, what is desperately needed is a guideline for media personnel operating on the ground. It's understandable why the army may not want reporters to reveal the exact location of their artilleries. But if an artillery battery is moving through a village or town, it's hard to hide that from a world where transmitting information globally is just a click away on a mobile phone.
He pointed out that for years, troops from both sides overseeing this disputed area used to eat from the same rice pot, shared smokes and jokes and every now and then, when nobody's looking, took a sip of some vicious home-made brew.
That was until an unsound political manoeuvre from both capitals paved the way for last week's armed clashes on the ground.
It would be too easy to place the entire blame on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for issuing an ultimatum to Thailand to pull its troops out of the disputed area.
The gunfight along the Thai-Cambodian border is much more than just the work of one strongman's desire to score quick political points.
Among other things, the recent flare-ups also placed an unwanted spotlight on the way Thai political leaders and the military top brass operates. And it does not look so pretty. What is desperately lacking is some degree of common sense and the ability to think on their feet. The very concept of damage control doesn't seem to come to mind in times of trouble. Officers and policy-makers prefer to cover their own behinds instead of doing something to minimise the damage.
Indeed, for an armed force that has always whined about not getting enough budget to buy more expensive equipment, the Thai Army has made virtually no progress in understanding the importance of information strategy, much less the role of independent media or how to engage them.
Remember when Thailand agreed to send troops to the UN peacekeeping operation in East Timor and all of a sudden the unit that was being sent became camera shy? For the first three days, photographs of the Australian army doing push-ups and crawls were splashed on the front pages of newspapers around the world. And when the Thais came to their senses, the world media attention had shifted elsewhere.
Over the weekend, Thai and foreign reporters and photographers were scratching their heads with the shallow explanation as to why they were not permitted to photograph Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat getting off the military helicopter. They were told that they could photograph him handing out gifts to soldiers.
Was it the way Somchai got off the plane that had them worried? Or was he going to reveal something that would compromise national security, or do something that was so embarrassing that would ruin his political career?
Incidentally, reporters and cameramen were allowed to walk with Somchai up to the helicopter as he was departing the area.
Even more, after the prime minister's visit, shortly after the gunfight ended, a small group of Thai paramilitary rangers and soldiers went up to talk with their Cambodian counterparts. A photograph of the informal gathering was released from the Cambodian side and immediately there was unconfirmed report that 10 Thai soldiers had been captured.
The only thing the Thai Army could do was deny it. And then they became dumb struck when the photograph was made public. A little common sense would have made the top brass bring the 10 officers in question to a press conference and explain what actually happened.
On Saturday, when a senior Thai army colonel led a small band of officers and foot soldiers to the Preah Vihear Temple where soldiers on both sides were virtually holding hands and dining together, again, officers on the Thai side were not sure how to deal with this. But the Cambodians knew of the urgent need to get this image out, superficial though it may seem, of their commanders walking hand in hand, smiling and dining together.
Reporters and photographers on the Thai side were told that the situation was still too complicated to let any media person accompany the deputy commander of Suranaree Task Force. The Cambodians, on the other hand, came with every international news and photo agency. Perhaps the Thai Army could learn a thing or two from their Cambodian counterparts instead of boasting how big their guns are or how fast their jets could be mobilised.
There is no need to put the blame on any one individual person or unit, as it would be like a wild goose chase. The absence of professionalism and of a sound information strategy has to do with a bureaucratic and military culture. Most don't see themselves as being paid to think, but only to follow orders.
It's sad to know that billions of taxpayers' money goes the military to improve their capacity. Perhaps some of that needs to go towards improving common sense.
Besides a sound information strategy aimed at controlling damage, what is desperately needed is a guideline for media personnel operating on the ground. It's understandable why the army may not want reporters to reveal the exact location of their artilleries. But if an artillery battery is moving through a village or town, it's hard to hide that from a world where transmitting information globally is just a click away on a mobile phone.
A Cambodian soldier stands guard during a meeting at the top of a mountain near Preah Vihear temple
Thai soldiers stand guard near Preah Vihear temple PHNOM PENH (AFP) — The prime ministers of Cambodia and Thailand plan to hold talks this week in Beijing after a long-running border dispute escalated into a deadly shoot-out, a Cambodian official said Monday.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expects to meet his Thai counterpart Somchai Wongsawat on the sidelines of a meeting between leaders of Asian and European nations on October 24 and 25.
"During his stay in Beijing, the prime minister will bilaterally meet with the Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao and we have planned to meet with the Thai prime minister as well," Hun Sen's advisor Sri Thamrong told reporters.
"We are organising for this meeting (with Somchai)," he said before Hun Sen departed for China on Monday from Phnom Penh.
Sri Thamrong declined to give more details on the talks.
A Thai government spokeswoman confirmed Somchai was going to China but did not give dates. She said she had no information on talks with Hun Sen.
Thai and Cambodian military officials meanwhile are scheduled to hold talks later this week in Siem Reap aimed at calming the situation after two Cambodian soldiers were killed and seven Thai troops injured last Wednesday.
The firefight erupted between soldiers stationed on disputed land near Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Emergency talks the day after ended with both Cambodian and Thai officials agreeing to joint border patrols -- which have not started yet -- but offered no lasting solution to the military stand-off along the border.
Tensions between the neighbours flared in July when Preah Vihear was awarded United Nations World Heritage status, rekindling long-simmering tensions over ownership of land surrounding the temple.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expects to meet his Thai counterpart Somchai Wongsawat on the sidelines of a meeting between leaders of Asian and European nations on October 24 and 25.
"During his stay in Beijing, the prime minister will bilaterally meet with the Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao and we have planned to meet with the Thai prime minister as well," Hun Sen's advisor Sri Thamrong told reporters.
"We are organising for this meeting (with Somchai)," he said before Hun Sen departed for China on Monday from Phnom Penh.
Sri Thamrong declined to give more details on the talks.
A Thai government spokeswoman confirmed Somchai was going to China but did not give dates. She said she had no information on talks with Hun Sen.
Thai and Cambodian military officials meanwhile are scheduled to hold talks later this week in Siem Reap aimed at calming the situation after two Cambodian soldiers were killed and seven Thai troops injured last Wednesday.
The firefight erupted between soldiers stationed on disputed land near Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Emergency talks the day after ended with both Cambodian and Thai officials agreeing to joint border patrols -- which have not started yet -- but offered no lasting solution to the military stand-off along the border.
Tensions between the neighbours flared in July when Preah Vihear was awarded United Nations World Heritage status, rekindling long-simmering tensions over ownership of land surrounding the temple.
A tug of war over Cambodian temple in Long Beach
Control of Wat Vipassanaram has divided monks and the board of directors, which transferred the temple's assets to an ambiguous nonprofit linked to a gnostic church.
By Joe Mozingo
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 20, 2008
The story of how a man named Johnny Rhondo, the self-titled grand master of the Church of the Revelation, came to hold the charter to Long Beach's oldest Cambodian Buddhist temple is a curious one.
The Buddhist waton East 20th Street is the beloved, if dilapidated, nucleus for the nation's largest Cambodian community, co-founded by the late actor Haing S. Ngor and served by monks known to hew closely to ancient tradition.
The Church of the Revelation's address is listed as a post office box in Orange.
The sudden transfer of assets to an offshoot of Rhondo's church has split the Cambodian community, infuriated a Los Angeles Superior Court judge and even stirred anger among the monks, who devote their lives to avoiding such emotion.
"We're all human," conceded head monk Khoeun Pang, 70, sitting in the lotus position on the floor of his living quarters last month.
For months, two groups have warred over which was the rightful administrator of the temple, each side depicting the other as an interloper, partly along fault lines that have increasingly divided the community in Long Beach for years. Six of the temple's seven monks have taken one side; the nine members of the board of directors, now locked out of the temple, are on the other.
The board members say the monks have been manipulated by a group of activists to rise up against them in a bid to get the temple's money. The so-called insurgents, including two of the temple's founders, depict the board as politically connected, opportunistic big shots who wrested control of the wat from the laypeople.
The temple at the center of the dispute, Wat Khmer Vipassanaram, was founded in 1985 by Khmer Rouge survivors in a depressed part of Long Beach across from a Cambodian refugee assistance center.
Run by the nonprofit Khmer Buddhist Assn., the complex is a series of old Spanish bungalows and converted apartments next to an auto body shop. The founders hoped to save enough money to ultimately build a true temple.
"We wanted a place where we could have peace of mind, meditate and contemplate, so we could forget the trauma and nightmare of the Killing Fields," said Larry Sar, a co-founder who survived the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge genocide.
The association was preparing to break ground on the new temple when the dispute broke out in December.
The monks' faction demanded an annual election of the board of directors as required by the temple's bylaws, which had been ignored for more than a decade.
The board agreed to have an election on Jan. 27, but the plans became entangled in a dispute over who was eligible to vote. The monks' faction held its own election and chose a new board.
Observers in the Cambodian community say the conflict is part of a larger factionalism. Key players in the temple dispute previously squared off over a Cambodian New Year parade and the proposed designation of Cambodia Town in central Long Beach.
Members of the board are close to the city establishment and are key promoters of the parade and Cambodia Town. Activists behind the monks, including Paline Soth and Bryant Ben, argued that the Cambodia Town initiative was being run by outsiders with little input from the people who actually lived in the area.
The temple dispute landed in a Long Beach courtroom in February, and after an agreement by both sides, a judge appointed a receiver to take over the temple's assets until the issue was resolved.
But when the receiver demanded that the president of the association, Siphann Tith, hand over the temple's books, Tith told him he didn't have them anymore. He said board members had dissolved the Khmer Buddhist Assn. and transferred all the assets to a new nonprofit organization, this one chartered by Rhondo's Church of the Revelation.
According to its website, www.gnosticism.org, the church was founded in 1978, in Arlington, Texas, by Johnny Rhondo, whose real name is John Baptist Ramirez.
"He conceived the idea of a church without the limitations of walls," the website says. "A force that could reach beyond the confines of time and space and become one with the universe." Rhondo's church purports to follow the tenets of gnosticism, a set of beliefs that dates to the 2nd century, combining bits of Greek philosophy, Oriental mysticism and Christianity.
Ramirez was named by authorities as a key player in a health insurance fraud scheme in Texas in 2002, but he was not charged with a crime and denies any wrongdoing.
When Judge Joseph Di Loretto threatened to hold Ramirez and Tith in contempt of court if they did not comply with the receiver's demands, they sought relief in federal court with a unique legal argument: The Buddha himself, Siddhartha Gautama -- "who gave away all his wealth, property and even clothing, before he began the life that ultimately led him to become Buddha" -- inspired the temple's board members to dissolve their nonprofit.
In the Buddhism practiced in Cambodia, they alleged in court filings, all objects contain spirits, which are continually reincarnated in an endless cycle of life and death called samsara: "Only when the spirit learns all the 'life lessons' it is supposed to learn will it be able to break free of the cycle of 'Samsara,' and only then will the 'spirit' be allowed to enter 'Nirvana.' For this reason 'death' is only a doorway into the next life."
And so the venerable Khmer Buddhist Assn. had to die.
Although inventive, the argument proved unpersuasive to a federal judge, who sent the matter back to Di Loretto. He was visibly fuming at a hearing this month, when he tore into Tith.
"Wasn't the real reason you did that was to subvert the settlement agreement you reached with the defendants in this case?" he asked furiously.
Tith said no, but as he tried to explain again his religious theory, the judge cut him off, saying Tith had transferred the assets from a tax-exempt entity to an unincorporated group with no tax status, "a violation of federal and state law which the attorney general might want to look into.
"He ordered Tith to bring every financial document to court or be held in contempt.When Ramirez took the stand, Di Loretto took a quizzical approach, asking where he studied tax law (he hadn't) and if his church had an address.
"A P.O. box," Ramirez said.
"Are there any members in your church?" the judge asked.
"Each church has its own entity," Ramirez said. "The gnosis is in one person."
"It is a church of one," the judge offered.
Ramirez said yes.
"So your church is you?" Di Loretto asked.
"Correct."
The issue has become a legal morass, with at least six attorneys drawn into the fray. And four local Cambodian newspapers have amped up the rhetoric.
Sweety Chap, the editor of Khemara Times, said Soth and Ben "oppose whatever is good for the community."
"Now they came to destroy the temple," he said.
Narin Kem, editor of Serey Pheap, disagrees. He said Soth and Ben represent the majority of local Cambodians, while the board represents a business elite trying to usurp power and money wherever it exists in the community.
"They think the money of the temple is their money," he said. "If they were president of the United States, they would think they owned the U.S. as their own property."
Both sides are expected back in court today.
By Joe Mozingo
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 20, 2008
The story of how a man named Johnny Rhondo, the self-titled grand master of the Church of the Revelation, came to hold the charter to Long Beach's oldest Cambodian Buddhist temple is a curious one.
The Buddhist waton East 20th Street is the beloved, if dilapidated, nucleus for the nation's largest Cambodian community, co-founded by the late actor Haing S. Ngor and served by monks known to hew closely to ancient tradition.
The Church of the Revelation's address is listed as a post office box in Orange.
The sudden transfer of assets to an offshoot of Rhondo's church has split the Cambodian community, infuriated a Los Angeles Superior Court judge and even stirred anger among the monks, who devote their lives to avoiding such emotion.
"We're all human," conceded head monk Khoeun Pang, 70, sitting in the lotus position on the floor of his living quarters last month.
For months, two groups have warred over which was the rightful administrator of the temple, each side depicting the other as an interloper, partly along fault lines that have increasingly divided the community in Long Beach for years. Six of the temple's seven monks have taken one side; the nine members of the board of directors, now locked out of the temple, are on the other.
The board members say the monks have been manipulated by a group of activists to rise up against them in a bid to get the temple's money. The so-called insurgents, including two of the temple's founders, depict the board as politically connected, opportunistic big shots who wrested control of the wat from the laypeople.
The temple at the center of the dispute, Wat Khmer Vipassanaram, was founded in 1985 by Khmer Rouge survivors in a depressed part of Long Beach across from a Cambodian refugee assistance center.
Run by the nonprofit Khmer Buddhist Assn., the complex is a series of old Spanish bungalows and converted apartments next to an auto body shop. The founders hoped to save enough money to ultimately build a true temple.
"We wanted a place where we could have peace of mind, meditate and contemplate, so we could forget the trauma and nightmare of the Killing Fields," said Larry Sar, a co-founder who survived the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge genocide.
The association was preparing to break ground on the new temple when the dispute broke out in December.
The monks' faction demanded an annual election of the board of directors as required by the temple's bylaws, which had been ignored for more than a decade.
The board agreed to have an election on Jan. 27, but the plans became entangled in a dispute over who was eligible to vote. The monks' faction held its own election and chose a new board.
Observers in the Cambodian community say the conflict is part of a larger factionalism. Key players in the temple dispute previously squared off over a Cambodian New Year parade and the proposed designation of Cambodia Town in central Long Beach.
Members of the board are close to the city establishment and are key promoters of the parade and Cambodia Town. Activists behind the monks, including Paline Soth and Bryant Ben, argued that the Cambodia Town initiative was being run by outsiders with little input from the people who actually lived in the area.
The temple dispute landed in a Long Beach courtroom in February, and after an agreement by both sides, a judge appointed a receiver to take over the temple's assets until the issue was resolved.
But when the receiver demanded that the president of the association, Siphann Tith, hand over the temple's books, Tith told him he didn't have them anymore. He said board members had dissolved the Khmer Buddhist Assn. and transferred all the assets to a new nonprofit organization, this one chartered by Rhondo's Church of the Revelation.
According to its website, www.gnosticism.org, the church was founded in 1978, in Arlington, Texas, by Johnny Rhondo, whose real name is John Baptist Ramirez.
"He conceived the idea of a church without the limitations of walls," the website says. "A force that could reach beyond the confines of time and space and become one with the universe." Rhondo's church purports to follow the tenets of gnosticism, a set of beliefs that dates to the 2nd century, combining bits of Greek philosophy, Oriental mysticism and Christianity.
Ramirez was named by authorities as a key player in a health insurance fraud scheme in Texas in 2002, but he was not charged with a crime and denies any wrongdoing.
When Judge Joseph Di Loretto threatened to hold Ramirez and Tith in contempt of court if they did not comply with the receiver's demands, they sought relief in federal court with a unique legal argument: The Buddha himself, Siddhartha Gautama -- "who gave away all his wealth, property and even clothing, before he began the life that ultimately led him to become Buddha" -- inspired the temple's board members to dissolve their nonprofit.
In the Buddhism practiced in Cambodia, they alleged in court filings, all objects contain spirits, which are continually reincarnated in an endless cycle of life and death called samsara: "Only when the spirit learns all the 'life lessons' it is supposed to learn will it be able to break free of the cycle of 'Samsara,' and only then will the 'spirit' be allowed to enter 'Nirvana.' For this reason 'death' is only a doorway into the next life."
And so the venerable Khmer Buddhist Assn. had to die.
Although inventive, the argument proved unpersuasive to a federal judge, who sent the matter back to Di Loretto. He was visibly fuming at a hearing this month, when he tore into Tith.
"Wasn't the real reason you did that was to subvert the settlement agreement you reached with the defendants in this case?" he asked furiously.
Tith said no, but as he tried to explain again his religious theory, the judge cut him off, saying Tith had transferred the assets from a tax-exempt entity to an unincorporated group with no tax status, "a violation of federal and state law which the attorney general might want to look into.
"He ordered Tith to bring every financial document to court or be held in contempt.When Ramirez took the stand, Di Loretto took a quizzical approach, asking where he studied tax law (he hadn't) and if his church had an address.
"A P.O. box," Ramirez said.
"Are there any members in your church?" the judge asked.
"Each church has its own entity," Ramirez said. "The gnosis is in one person."
"It is a church of one," the judge offered.
Ramirez said yes.
"So your church is you?" Di Loretto asked.
"Correct."
The issue has become a legal morass, with at least six attorneys drawn into the fray. And four local Cambodian newspapers have amped up the rhetoric.
Sweety Chap, the editor of Khemara Times, said Soth and Ben "oppose whatever is good for the community."
"Now they came to destroy the temple," he said.
Narin Kem, editor of Serey Pheap, disagrees. He said Soth and Ben represent the majority of local Cambodians, while the board represents a business elite trying to usurp power and money wherever it exists in the community.
"They think the money of the temple is their money," he said. "If they were president of the United States, they would think they owned the U.S. as their own property."
Both sides are expected back in court today.
Professor Teaches Cambodian Orphans
Professor Marian Diamond, center, poses with orphaned students at the Wat Racha Sin Khon monastery. Diamond travels to Cambodia to teach the children every winter.Program Combines Humanitarian Efforts In Impoverished Areas With Neural Research
THE DAILY CALIFORNIAN
By Rachel Gross
Contributing Writer
Sunday, October 19, 2008
UC Berkeley anatomy professor and neuroscientist Marian Diamond was delighted to learn last Wednesday that two of her students were heading to college-not her UC Berkeley students, but the orphaned children she taught in a poverty-stricken monastery in the forests of Cambodia.
THE DAILY CALIFORNIAN
By Rachel Gross
Contributing Writer
Sunday, October 19, 2008
UC Berkeley anatomy professor and neuroscientist Marian Diamond was delighted to learn last Wednesday that two of her students were heading to college-not her UC Berkeley students, but the orphaned children she taught in a poverty-stricken monastery in the forests of Cambodia.
Every winter for the past seven years, Diamond has traveled to the Siem Reap province to work with impoverished children at the Wat Racha Sin Khon monastery as part of a neural development research program called Enrichment in Action.
The orphanage is run by Buddhist monks who took in children after they lost their parents during the Khmer Rouge regime. When Diamond first visited, about 15 children aged 10 to 19 lived in the orphanage.
The orphange has no running water,
electricity or bathrooms. Conditions were very primitive, Diamond said, and the houses only consisted of poles, a floor and a roof.
After witnessing the orphans' poverty and lack of formal education -one was 19 and still in the second grade-Diamond said she felt the children could greatly gain from her help. She teaches English and computer skills to the children in the orphanage.
"I just wanted to see if we could change their environments for the better," she said.
Diamond said the program is also a way to apply the knowledge gained in a lab to benefit humans. Before working in Cambodia, she spent 35 years at UC Berkeley studying the effects of enriched and impoverished environments on rats.
During her research, she found that a more stimulating environment enlarged the rats' brains.
"When we put our rats in enriched environments, we increase the dimensions of the outer layers of the brain, the cerebral cortex. When we put them in impoverished environments, the cortex shrinks," she said.
However, the goal of her lab work was not just to enrich the environments of rats, but to enrich humanity.
"It's wonderful to know that we can enrich rats, but to translate it so humans can benefit from it � it's the beauty of transferring it so everybody benefits," Diamond said.
A major difference between working in a lab and working abroad, she said, is the inability to control outside factors.
"There's no way I can have controls," she said. "These are kids who have wandered in from Cambodia to just live in this monastery. And no two kids are alike, no two brains are alike, no two conditions are alike."
When she came to Cambodia, Diamond did not speak the language and was unsure of how to conduct her research. However, she soon met an English-speaking orphan named Chamroen who became her interpreter.
Now Chamroen, 28, and another man who lost his father during the Khmer Rouge regime, teach the children while Diamond is at UC Berkeley. She continues to advise from the U.S.
Diamond added that the news that two of her students would enter college this year truly brought her success home. She worked to fund the orphans' college educations, as well as most of the program, by contacting private donors she met as director of the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley.
Children in Cambodia are not the only students who benefit from her teaching. Winnie Chao, a fifth-year in Diamond's human anatomy class, praised the professor's passion for interactive lecturing.
"She actually engages you, and wants you to think about what you're learning," Chao said.
Diamond hopes the program will eventually reach a point when the orphans can do all the teaching themselves. Due to UC Berkeley and family obligations, she is unable to return to the program this year, but hopes to go back to see its progress soon.
"To see these young kids that have learned English, learned computers, out in the forest-I mean, it was a dream come true," she said.
Cambodia To Spend Over US$300 Million To Reduce Petrol, Electricity Prices
PHNOM PENH, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- The Cambodian government will spend more than US$300 million per year, to keep the petrol and electricity prices down, national media reported Monday.
"We will continue to support prices until oil drops below 900 U. S. dollars a ton," the Vietnam news agency (VNA) quoted Keat Chhon, Cambodian Minister of Economy and Finance, as saying in the Phnom Penh Post.
Imported oil costs US$960 a tonne, down from US$1,200 a tonne in early 2008, the Post said.
The government does not provide cash subsidies for energy, but has said it will not raise taxes on imported oil, which remains at US$309 a tonne, despite fluctuations in world oil prices.
The move, it says, costs hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tax revenue, according to the Post.
Meanwhile, Victor Zona, deputy general manager of the Industry Ministry, said Cambodia is likely to cut electricity costs by 10 percent in Phnom Penh and about 50 percent in provinces after 2012.
He said the reduction would hinge on major hydro-electric projects coming online.
-- BERNAMA
"We will continue to support prices until oil drops below 900 U. S. dollars a ton," the Vietnam news agency (VNA) quoted Keat Chhon, Cambodian Minister of Economy and Finance, as saying in the Phnom Penh Post.
Imported oil costs US$960 a tonne, down from US$1,200 a tonne in early 2008, the Post said.
The government does not provide cash subsidies for energy, but has said it will not raise taxes on imported oil, which remains at US$309 a tonne, despite fluctuations in world oil prices.
The move, it says, costs hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tax revenue, according to the Post.
Meanwhile, Victor Zona, deputy general manager of the Industry Ministry, said Cambodia is likely to cut electricity costs by 10 percent in Phnom Penh and about 50 percent in provinces after 2012.
He said the reduction would hinge on major hydro-electric projects coming online.
-- BERNAMA
Cambodian Army Renovates Mountain Road To Preah Vihear Temple
PREAH VIHEAR (Cambodia), Oct 20 (Bernama) -- The engineering unit of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) is rebuilding and expanding the current road to the Preah Vihear Temple, as talks are still pending to solve months-long Cambodian-Thai military face off at the border area.
"They are rebuilding the road single direction first to provide easiness for travelers and will also construct a few small bridges over the streams at the area," China's Xinhua news agency quoted Chan Thoern, a receptionist working at a neighbourhood hotel near the temple, as saying here.
As the renovation ends, the road is expected to become double direction and remain as the only way running along the mountain to the temple, Chan told Xinhua, the Chinese news agency, on Monday.
"With the road completed, it will be much easier for us and tourists to access the temple, although there are still some steep places," said Chan.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, the government and some charitable people have funded the reconstruction, according to the reports of Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News.
Tourists used to reach the 900-year-old temple from the Thai side, as the traffic facilities there are well-built.
In related development, Cambodia and Thailand have postponed their talks from Tuesday (Oct 21) to Friday (Oct 24) to find peaceful solution for their border dispute.
Clashes between both sides near the temple on Oct. 15 killed two Cambodian soldiers and wound more Thai ones. In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage by UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who claim ownership of the site.
The tension later turned into a military stalemate, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.
In early October, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during sporadic exchange of gunfire and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine at the border area.
-- BERNAMA
"They are rebuilding the road single direction first to provide easiness for travelers and will also construct a few small bridges over the streams at the area," China's Xinhua news agency quoted Chan Thoern, a receptionist working at a neighbourhood hotel near the temple, as saying here.
As the renovation ends, the road is expected to become double direction and remain as the only way running along the mountain to the temple, Chan told Xinhua, the Chinese news agency, on Monday.
"With the road completed, it will be much easier for us and tourists to access the temple, although there are still some steep places," said Chan.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, the government and some charitable people have funded the reconstruction, according to the reports of Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News.
Tourists used to reach the 900-year-old temple from the Thai side, as the traffic facilities there are well-built.
In related development, Cambodia and Thailand have postponed their talks from Tuesday (Oct 21) to Friday (Oct 24) to find peaceful solution for their border dispute.
Clashes between both sides near the temple on Oct. 15 killed two Cambodian soldiers and wound more Thai ones. In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage by UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who claim ownership of the site.
The tension later turned into a military stalemate, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.
In early October, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during sporadic exchange of gunfire and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine at the border area.
-- BERNAMA
Cambodian, Thai troops friendly to each other after deadly border clash
www.chinaview.cn
2008-10-20
PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian and Thai troops have become friendly to each other, despite the fact that an armed clash killed two Cambodians and wounded more Thais on Oct. 15 near the Preah Vihear Temple at the border area, officers told Xinhua on Monday.
"They are shaking hands, talking to each other and asking about daily food," said Thol Sovan, deputy military commander of the Cambodian side at the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda, which is situated on the only road leading to the temple.
They had good relationship and both troops at the pagoda didn't exchange gunfire on Oct. 15, he said.
"The Thai side didn't (dare to) shoot at us here, because we were all around them at that time," he said.
But Thai soldiers elsewhere shot at them, he said, while pointing at newly burnt branches of the jack fruit tree in front of the pagoda.
Meanwhile, Thai military major Apichaut Poo Paud told Xinhua that the troops themselves were like brothers and didn't have problem with each other.
"We have good cooperation and relationship," he said, adding that 10 Thai soldiers and two interpreters stayed in the pagoda compound.
In other places, Cambodia and Thailand were keeping the same number of soldiers, he added.
Srey Doek, regional military commander of Cambodia, told Xinhuathat the situation near the temple was now normal and calm.
However, the number of both troops within the territory is roughly estimated at a thousand strong, he added.
After the Oct. 15 armed conflict, both troops have agreed to conduct joint patrol of the border area, but the two governments have postponed their talks from Tuesday (Oct. 21) to Friday (Oct. 24) to find peaceful solution to their border dispute.
In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage status, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claimed ownership of the site.
The tension later turned into a military stalemate, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for several weeks.
In early October, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during sporadic exchange of gunfire and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine at the border area.
Editor: Du
PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian and Thai troops have become friendly to each other, despite the fact that an armed clash killed two Cambodians and wounded more Thais on Oct. 15 near the Preah Vihear Temple at the border area, officers told Xinhua on Monday.
"They are shaking hands, talking to each other and asking about daily food," said Thol Sovan, deputy military commander of the Cambodian side at the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda, which is situated on the only road leading to the temple.
They had good relationship and both troops at the pagoda didn't exchange gunfire on Oct. 15, he said.
"The Thai side didn't (dare to) shoot at us here, because we were all around them at that time," he said.
But Thai soldiers elsewhere shot at them, he said, while pointing at newly burnt branches of the jack fruit tree in front of the pagoda.
Meanwhile, Thai military major Apichaut Poo Paud told Xinhua that the troops themselves were like brothers and didn't have problem with each other.
"We have good cooperation and relationship," he said, adding that 10 Thai soldiers and two interpreters stayed in the pagoda compound.
In other places, Cambodia and Thailand were keeping the same number of soldiers, he added.
Srey Doek, regional military commander of Cambodia, told Xinhuathat the situation near the temple was now normal and calm.
However, the number of both troops within the territory is roughly estimated at a thousand strong, he added.
After the Oct. 15 armed conflict, both troops have agreed to conduct joint patrol of the border area, but the two governments have postponed their talks from Tuesday (Oct. 21) to Friday (Oct. 24) to find peaceful solution to their border dispute.
In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage status, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claimed ownership of the site.
The tension later turned into a military stalemate, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for several weeks.
In early October, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during sporadic exchange of gunfire and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine at the border area.
Editor: Du
Thai, Cambodian leaders to discuss border dispute
International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press
Published: October 20, 2008
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia's prime minister plans to meet with his Thai counterpart later this week to discuss the tense border dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbors, Cambodian officials said Monday.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat will meet on the sidelines of a summit of leaders from Asia and the European Union that opens in Beijing on Friday, said Sri Thamrongk, an adviser to Hun Sen.
A Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Koy Kuong, said the "current standoff at the Cambodian-Thai border" will be the most important topic at the talks.
A Thai government spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
It would be the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since a deadly gunbattle erupted Oct. 15 between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in a disputed border area near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.
The fighting, which killed two Cambodian soldiers and wounded 10 from both sides, sparked fears of war between the countries.
Thai army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd said earlier that military officials from the two sides agreed last Thursday to hold joint patrols to minimize the chance of new clashes.
But Gen. Ke Kim Yan, commander in chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, denied any deal for joint patrols had been reached. He said the two countries had only agreed to maintain their current troop deployments in the disputed area and inform each other about any troop movements to prevent further misunderstanding.
Last week's fighting was the latest flare-up in a decades-old dispute over a stretch of jungle near the Preah Vihear temple. The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty over surrounding land has never been clearly resolved.
Hun Sen, accompanied by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh, left Monday for a weeklong visit to China. They planned to attend a trade exposition before heading to Beijing.
The Associated Press
Published: October 20, 2008
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia's prime minister plans to meet with his Thai counterpart later this week to discuss the tense border dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbors, Cambodian officials said Monday.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat will meet on the sidelines of a summit of leaders from Asia and the European Union that opens in Beijing on Friday, said Sri Thamrongk, an adviser to Hun Sen.
A Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Koy Kuong, said the "current standoff at the Cambodian-Thai border" will be the most important topic at the talks.
A Thai government spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
It would be the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since a deadly gunbattle erupted Oct. 15 between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in a disputed border area near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.
The fighting, which killed two Cambodian soldiers and wounded 10 from both sides, sparked fears of war between the countries.
Thai army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd said earlier that military officials from the two sides agreed last Thursday to hold joint patrols to minimize the chance of new clashes.
But Gen. Ke Kim Yan, commander in chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, denied any deal for joint patrols had been reached. He said the two countries had only agreed to maintain their current troop deployments in the disputed area and inform each other about any troop movements to prevent further misunderstanding.
Last week's fighting was the latest flare-up in a decades-old dispute over a stretch of jungle near the Preah Vihear temple. The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty over surrounding land has never been clearly resolved.
Hun Sen, accompanied by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh, left Monday for a weeklong visit to China. They planned to attend a trade exposition before heading to Beijing.
Pictures from Preah Vihear
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Nhek Bunchhay, right, walks along with Thai and Cambodian soldiers at the Cambodian-Thai border after a meeting near the famed Preah Vihear temple, Preah Vihear province, Cambodia. The Cambodian and Thai militaries agreed Thursday to hold joint patrols to reduce tension at a disputed border area where a gun battle between the two sides a day earlier left two soldiers dead, a Thai army spokesman said.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith) 
Cambodian soldiers, foreground, talk with Thai soldiers on a road leading to the famed Preah Vihear temple, Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, near the Thai border. The Cambodian and Thai militaries agreed Thursday to hold joint patrols to reduce tension at a disputed border area where a gun battle between the two sides a day earlier left two soldiers dead, a Thai army spokesman said.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian, left, and Thai, right, commanders hold a meeting inside a Cambodian pagoda complex near the famed Preah Vihear temple, Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, near the Thai border. The Cambodian and Thai militaries agreed Thursday to hold joint patrols to reduce tension at a disputed border area where a gun battle between the two sides a day earlier left two soldiers dead, a Thai army spokesman said.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian and Thai soldiers walk at the Cambodian-Thai border after a meeting near the famed Preah Vihear temple, Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, on Thursday. The Cambodian and Thai militaries agreed Thursday to hold joint patrols to reduce tension at a disputed border area where a gun battle between the two sides a day earlier left two soldiers dead, a Thai army spokesman said.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian women, who reside on the Thai-Cambodian border, sit on the crest of the Chuor Phnom Dangkrek Mountain, the site of the disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple. Nearly 200 Cambodian residents living near the temple have taken refuge on its grounds, after recent fighting killed 2 Cambodian soldiers, a local Cambodian newspaper reported. The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but the court failed to determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) Hindu ruins, a ruling that has rankled with Thais ever since.REUTERS/Adrees Latif (CAMBODIA)
A Cambodian soldier carries rockets while on patrol near the disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, along the Thai-Cambodian border. Thai and Cambodian army commanders ended five hours of talks on Thursday with no agreement to withdraw their forces after heavy fighting near the temple killed two Cambodian soldiers.REUTERS/Adrees Latif (CAMBODIA)
Cambodian families reside inside the grounds of the disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, along the Thai-Cambodian border. Nearly 200 Cambodian residents living near the temple have taken refuge on its grounds, after recent fighting killed two Cambodian soldiers, a local Cambodian newspaper reported. The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but the court failed to determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) Hindu ruins, a ruling that has rankled with Thais ever since.REUTERS/Adrees Latif (CAMBODIA)
Cambodian boys talk to each other near the Thai-Cambodian border in Surin province, northeastern Thailand Cambodia and Thailand agreed to hold joint patrols along a disputed section of their border to defuse tensions after a deadly clash near a historic temple raised fears of outright war.(AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)
A Cambodian soldier carries a rocket launcher while patrolling the grounds of the disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple along the Thai-Cambodian border. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Friday this week's border clashes with Thailand around the temple would not escalate into a wider and more serious conflict.REUTERS/Adrees Latif (CAMBODIA)
A Cambodian soldier holds a rocket launcher while standing guard inside the grounds of the disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, along the Thai-Cambodian border. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Friday this week's border clashes with Thailand around the temple would not escalate into a wider and more serious conflict.REUTERS/Adrees Latif (CAMBODIA) 
A Thai soldier (C) checks weapons that were captured during fighting last Wednesday, at a joint meeting on the top of Phnom Trop mountain near the disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh, October 19, 2008.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA) 
A Cambodian soldier carries Thailand's B-40 rocket that he found on the ground last week back to Thai soldiers during a negotiation about a reset of soldier zones of the Cambodian-Thai border at the frontline on top of the mountain Phnom Trop about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) east of the famed Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008. Thai and Cambodian field commanders worked Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008, to strengthen a fragile truce following a deadly gun battle between their soldiers stationed on the border.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
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