Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire on their disputed border near Preah Vihear temple

A Thai commander (2nd R) talks to a Cambodian commander (L) at Egal field where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire on their disputed border near an ancient Hindu temple in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 4, 2009. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT)

Thai soldiers stand guard at the front line of the border where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire near an ancient Hindu temple in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 4, 2009. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT)

Cambodian soldiers look at anti-personnel mines which were confiscated when Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire on their disputed border near an ancient Hindu temple in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 4, 2009. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT)

A Thai commander (C) talks to a Cambodian commander (L) at the front line of the border where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire near an ancient Hindu temple in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 4, 2009. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT)

A Cambodian soldier receives an intravenous drip at Egal field where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire near an ancient Hindu temple in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 4, 2009. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA HEALTH MILITARY CONFLICT RELIGION POLITICS)

A Cambodian soldier stands guard at the front line of the border where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire near an ancient Hindu temple in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 4, 2009. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS MILITARY RELIGION CONFLICT)

Cambodian soldiers examine a burnt market near an ancient Hindu temple where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 4, 2009. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA CONFLICT POLITICS RELIGION MILITARY IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE)

A Cambodian soldier obtains water to drink at a burnt market near an ancient Hindu temple where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 4, 2009. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS CONFLICT MILITARY RELIGION FOOD DRINK)

Cambodian soldiers guard at the front line of the border where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire near an ancient Hindu temple in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 4, 2009. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS RELIGION MILITARY CONFLICT)

A Thai soldier looks at a Cambodian solider (R) at the front line of the border where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire near an ancient Hindu temple in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 4, 2009. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS RELIGION CONFLICT MILITARY)

Cambodian soldiers close to Preah Vihear temple near the Thai border, some 543 kilometers north of Phnom Penh on April 4, 2009. Tensions were high among troops on both sides of the disputed Cambodian-Thai border Saturday while their prime ministers played down gunbattles near a temple which left two soldiers dead.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Thai press: Cambodian army fires twice at Thai troops, no injuries

www.chinaview.cn

2009-04-04

BANGKOK, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian troops opened fire twice at Thai troops at the border area near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple Saturday afternoon, but no one was injured, local media reported.

Around 11:30 a.m. (0430 GMT), a Cambodian soldier fired over ten shots of AK-47 assault rifle from in front of Preah Vihear temple into a ground of Mor Edaeng Cliff, prompting Thai paramilitary troopers there to run for cover. A Cambodian soldier was then heard shouting, the gun accidentally fired, The Nation news website said Saturday.

Over an hour later at 12:45 p.m. (0545 GMT), Thai troops stationed on a base on the cliff heard an artillery fire from the "Cambodian soil", prompting them to run for cover, according to The Nation.

The incident came one day after the both sides exchanged fire at the disputed area which caused at least one Thai soldier dead and seven others injured.

Also on Friday, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva blamed a "misunderstanding" as the cause of the border clash while Cambodia insisted that all the incidents along the border be resolved through negotiations, but reserved rights of self-defense,

Meanwhile, Thai villagers living in 25 villages considered "risk prone areas" were instructed to prepare for evacuation if a fresh clash erupts or if soldiers of either side starts to reinforce troops, the Thai News Agency quoted a Si Sa Ket border province governor's order as saying.

Since July 2008, troops from both sides have stationed near the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and two armed confrontations last year sparked brief concerns of war. The two neighboring countries have never fully demarcated their disputed border, partly due to the landmines left over from decades of civil war in Cambodia.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

Doctors Help Restore Vision For Ny Tim

WCSH-TV

SOUTH PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER) -- Ny Tim lost his vision six years ago after developing a condition called pterygium.

He wouldn't have been able to afford the surgery for that condition in his native Cambodia. So doctors here in Maine came to the rescue.

Thanks to Dr. David Heward of VSP Vision Care and ophthalmologist Dr. Charles Zachs, Tim now has twenty-forty vision in his right eye.

Dr. Heward says the damage to Tim's eyes was caused by over exposure to ultra violet rays. Tim spent most of his life farming and working in the rice fields under the intense Cambodian sun.

"The ultra violet can damage the cornea, as it did in his case," says Dr. Heward, "but it can also cause cataracts which is more common in our country or it can go right through the eye and create a loss of vision by burning the retina."

Ny Tim says he will be forever grateful to the doctors here in Maine for restoring his vision. When he goes home he will be able to see -- really see -- his wife and children for the first time in many years.

NEWS CENTER

Aid groups warn G20 cash may not reach poorest in time

A Cambodian garment worker from a closed Malaysian-owned factory sits in her rented house while waiting for her pay in Phnom Penh, February 2009. Many garment factories in Cambodia are closing as shoppers in the United States, Europe and elsewhere cut back on clothing purchases due to the global financial crisis. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Reuters AlertNet
Written by: Megan Rowling

The new money promised by G20 leaders at Thursday's summit to help poor countries cope with the economic crisis is more than aid agencies had expected. But they are warning it might not filter down to those most in need quickly enough.

The final communique from the London meeting says the G20 will provide $50 billion to support social protection, boost trade and safeguard development in low-income countries. Leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goals and their aid pledges.

Oxfam said the top-line $50 billion figure - mostly a combination of lending through the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, proceeds from the sale of gold held by the IMF and trade finance - is higher than the $24-41 billion it was calling for.

It also exceeds the 0.7 percent of financial stimulus packages the World Bank had urged wealthy governments to stump up for poor nations, which Oxfam estimates at $12 billion.

"Give or take that not all of it is going to be perfect money - that it won't all be released in a year and it won't all come dribbling down - there's still something there, particularly for the low-income (countries), which we were particularly concerned about," said Hetty Kovach, an Oxfam adviser on development finance.

But the European Network on Debt and Development has criticised the G20 for not detailing how much will be available this year, noting that one section of the communique suggests the money will be disbursed over two to three years.

"If the question is whether this is going to make a difference quickly to poor countries, then the answer is probably not," said George Gelber, a policy adviser with the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD).

The World Bank estimates that lower economic growth rates will trap 46 million more people on less than $1.25 a day this year than was expected before the crisis, and the British government says that figure could rise to 90 million by the end of 2010.

Peter Chowla from the London-based Bretton Woods Project, an advocacy organisation that monitors the World Bank and IMF, noted that the new G20 cash will not go straight to developing nations, with most offered as loans through multilateral financial institutions.

"It's coming in the form of loans, so countries are just going to become more indebted and will just have to pay this money back eventually," he said. "Countries that haven't done anything to cause the crisis will now be faced with the bill."

Chowla said much of the funding will likely have conditions attached to it, as in the past, influencing how governments can use the money and requiring them to build up financial reserves rather than spending as much as they need to on social programmes and protection.

"I think the one downside of what came out (of the G20) was that, although they gave a lot of money to the IMF, they didn't do anything about the IMF's method of lending it, or the conditions and terms they give it on," he told AlertNet.

Aid groups fear much of the G20 money may not trickle down to the poorest people who are being worst affected by the economic crisis as jobs are slashed amid falling trade and income from remittances drops.

They expressed disappointment at the low level of G20 pledges to a "vulnerability framework" established by the World Bank, intended to provide funding for social safety net schemes like pensions and cash transfers. The G20 statement talks only vaguely of "voluntary bilateral contributions" to this fund and investment in "long-term food security".

The British Red Cross says the commitments made at the summit will not cover the anticipated demand for extra humanitarian relief as the financial crisis hits countries already struggling to cope with natural disasters and conflicts.

"The IMF is not and never has been a mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid. There is a very real question mark hanging over how anticipated additional humanitarian need will be met," said David Peppiatt, the BRC's acting international director. "Alongside the financial stimuli, we must make sure those who are already in desperate humanitarian need are not simply abandoned to their fate while the world waits for its economies to recover."

REFORM MORE IMPORTANT THEN EVER

Aid agencies are also calling for faster and deeper reforms in the management of international financial institutions to give poor countries more influence over how their expanding resources are used.

The G20 communique does commit governments to implementing planned reforms of the IMF and the World Bank, which have been dominated by rich nations. "Emerging and developing economies, including the poorest, should have greater voice and representation," says an annex to the statement.

ActionAid says this is more important than ever because the institutions have effectively been put in charge of a huge global fiscal stimulus. "These promises must be kept and poor countries must be given an equal say in the institutions that now hold the world's chequebook," said head of policy Claire Melamed.

Many non-governmental groups remain sceptical about the extent and speed of proposed changes, highlighting reluctance by the European Union and the United States to relinquish control of the organisations.

"Although there were nice words about making sure (the IMF is) reformed and that there are developing country voices, I think that's essentially handing a blank cheque to them, and we really want some guarantees that institution will be held accountable," said Oxfam's Kovach.

On a more positive note, aid agencies welcomed a separate announcement by U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday that he would ask Congress to back the rapid release of $448 million in aid for vulnerable populations from Africa to Latin America, as well as a doubling of Washington's funding for food security programmes to more than $1 billion.

Mercy Corps said some of the money should be invested in agricultural development, and the administration should use cash-based food aid rather than only sending food commodities overseas.

"This will allow countries to respond quicker and better to food crises," said Heather Hanson, the relief group's director of public affairs. "If we can get money into the hands of people, markets working, and social safety nets established, it is far less likely that families will go hungry."

The United Nations estimates the number of hungry people around the world will top one billion this year because of the combined effects of the global economic crisis and high food prices.

Reuters AlertNet is not responsible for the content of external websites.

A tribute to Cambodians

PARNA SANYAL, Special to The Gazette

The Disappeared
By Kim Echlin

The Disappeared, Kim Echlin's novel set during and after the Cambodian genocide, seems less a work of art than an artistic mission.

The book is dedicated to "the woman in the market," a Cambodian stranger who told Echlin that she had lost all her family during Pol Pot's regime, adding quietly: "I just thought you should know."

The opening quote ("Tell others") is from Vann Nath, a painter who survived the genocide. In effect, this novel is a serious attempt to "tell others" about the "unwitnessed life."

The story begins with 16-year-old Anne Greves's passion for a young Cambodian musician named Serey. The lovers hang out in Montreal bars, talk, sing, make love, cook, climb up the mountain, defy her disapproving academic father, and make plans to live together.

Serey's secret burden rarely finds expression: Sent to seek refuge and study in Canada by his parents, he has not heard from them since the borders of Cambodia closed four years earlier. One day, the light-as-air love comes crashing down. The borders reopen and Serey, promising to keep in close contact with Anne, returns home. Anne

never hears from him again. Unable to forget him, she flies to Cambodia 10 years later to find him.

The love story is framed on a mythic scale. Anne, narrating the story as a middle-age woman, declares: "You were my crucifixion, my torture and rebirth." But there is nothing mythic about either Anne or Serey. Both are well-mannered, well-adjusted and entirely ordinary. The character of Serey is not much developed beyond a charming stranger with a tragic past. The reader must simply accept the fact of Anne's immortal devotion, which she expresses throughout in a somewhat strained manner: "But I could not leave you, and I could not forget, and I did not know what to do, and always I loved you beyond love."

What does ring true here is Echlin's portrait of human courage and suffering. She renders the numerous Cambodians, who drift through the pages murmuring about those who are "gone," with a vividness and urgency missing from the book's central relationship. In one symbolic passage, Anne describes a girl "with a face that shocked me. She had no eyes and no nose. The centre of her face was a rectangle of shiny skin graft. ... Below the graft her lips were sensual and full and she had a delicate chin and a beautiful neck."

In reflecting on the misery around her, and in suffering her own losses, Anne becomes a rich character: "Why do some people live a comfortable life and others live one that is horror-filled? What part of ourselves do we shave off so we can keep on eating while others starve?"

The real story of The Disappeared, in short, is the author's longing to bear witness to buried lives. In this endeavour, Echlin succeeds, bringing to her work what she calls the "infinite attentiveness that is love."

Kim Echlin speaks at Books & Breakfast on Sunday, May 3, at 10 a.m. at Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel, 1201 René Lévesque Blvd. W. Tickets: $30. Call 514-845-5811.

Aparna Sanyal is a Montreal writer.

Hope blooms in Cambodian resort

The Khmer Rouge abolished money and private property

The powder-blue bathroom has long since fallen into disrepair

Much of Kep's French colonial era mansions and villas were destroyed

BBC News

In Cambodia, as the pain of the brutal Khmer Rouge years is relived in a courtroom in Phnom Penh, Petroc Trelawny goes further back in time to revisit the days of the French colonial era - and explores one of their old seaside playgrounds.

The security guard finally appeared, after my driver had spent some minutes shouting and banging the gate.

He was a middle-aged man, who stumbled out of what had once been the reception room window, down the curved ramp passing the crumbling remains of a pair of cast-concrete statues.

A few dollar bills later, the rusty chain around the gate was loosened and I was in.

Ghostly remains

Kep-sur-Mer is what the French called this small town in colonial times. A nice beach, lush forestation, and sea breezes to keep the colons [colonisers] cool - all this a matter of hours by car from the heat and dust of the capital.

From the end of World War II through until the mid 1960s, French settlers - and a few rich Cambodians - built dozens of bungalows and villas for themselves.

Then came the gradual rise of the Khmer Rouge. It soon became too dangerous to leave Phnom Penh.

At first the contents of the weekend homes were looted, then the doors and window-frames and roof tiles were taken.

What was left was then abandoned to the elements, or set ablaze as part of the Khmer Rouge's quest to eliminate anything to do with an imperial past.

But the buildings were too well constructed to be completely destroyed.

Now Kep is full of ruins, houses with crumbling verandas where pastis was once sipped as the sun set, lovingly tended vegetable plots now overgrown, trees where beds and sofas were once carefully arranged.

Of all the ghostly remains, my home-behind-the-gates was by far the most spectacular.

A grand double-fronted residence, with wide balconies on the first floor and gaping gaps where shuttered French windows would once have stood.

But there was something different about this place, and it took me a few moments to work out what. Then I realised. The ruin was surrounded by perfectly kept gardens.

The lawn was trimmed, the shrub-beds immaculate, the white roses carefully pruned.

The young gardener soon appeared, a broad smile on his face as he carried buckets of water.

Round the back of the house was his well, and his toddler daughter, alarmingly amusing herself playing with an axe.

I pointed to show that I would like to look inside the house, and he waved me in.

Red and white tiles still covered 60% of the floor. In the central hall, an elegantly curved staircase slowly wound its way upstairs, its banisters long gone.

The walls were riddled with bullet marks - there had obviously once been some stand-off here.

The occupant of the master-bedroom would have enjoyed spectacular views of the Gulf of Thailand.

The adjacent bathroom had once boasted a powder-blue suite - most of it gone, or reduced to rubble, save for the lavatory roll holder, which somehow had survived intact.

Mysterious benefactor

Then came a clue as to the ownership of this house. Another bedroom had been turned into a makeshift classroom.

A series of cartoons painted on the wall seemed to poke fun at the government.

In one a spotlight shone on a man in a suit, who looked like Hun Sen, prime minister for the past 25 years. In the beam, the word "transparency" was written in English and in capitals.

On another wall, a blackboard had the words along the top, again in English, HM Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia.

Sihanouk was monarch until 2004, when he unexpectedly abdicated, handing power to one of his sons, Norodom Sihamoni, a former ballet dancer who has spent most of his life abroad.

"King house, king house," my driver told me as we pulled away, waving goodbye to the gardener and his daughter.

In fact as I discovered later, it was actually the villa of the king's mother.

The king's own residence is on a bluff the other side of town, a '60s fantasy with sweeping picture windows and circular terraces overlooking the sea.

Again the house is crumbling, but the grounds are perfectly maintained.

So who is paying the gardeners? Locals told me that money arrives regularly and discreetly from the royal family itself.

Kep is gradually coming to life again.

French families are staying in the simple hotel on the beach and an eco-resort has opened in the hills.

The grand former colonial governor's house - rather like a Normandy chateau - has been restored and surrounded by chalets, though a financial dispute means the complex is currently locked shut.

Cambodia now attracts over a million foreign tourists a year, but Norodom Sihamoni is king of a nation that is still high up the UN list of Least Developed Countries and suffers from what has been described as "pandemic" corruption.

Recently the IMF announced Cambodia's economic outlook was distinctly gloomy.

But if it is the king who is keeping his gardens growing in this little coastal town, perhaps he dreams of a day when Cambodia's situation is more stable, rosier, and Kep-sur-Mer as was, can become a royal resort once again.

Border conflict 'not a war'

Cambodian troops listen to a briefing at the edge of the Phreah Vihear temple, the disputed site between Thailand and Cambodia. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

The Straits Times
April 4, 2009

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIAN Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.

'I regard the fighting yesterday as an incident, not a war,' Mr Hun Sen said a day after Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged rifle and rocket fire near the Preah Vihear temple that has been a source of tension for decades.

Cambodia suffered no casualties, while Thai authorities said two of their soldiers were killed and nine wounded in the worst fighting since a military stand-off near the temple last year.

'I don't want to see these incidents repeated or fighting expand to other areas,' Mr Hun Sen told a group of disabled soldiers during a visit to the coastal province of Kampot. Both sides accused each other of firing first in two separate clashes on Friday, which Thailand called a 'misunderstanding'.

Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand, sits on an escarpment that forms the natural border between the two countries and has been a source of tension for generations.

The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but the ruling did not determine the ownership of 4.6 sq km of scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.

A joint border committee set up to demarcate the jungle-clad border area after last year's clashes, which killed one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers, will meet again on Sunday for three days of talks.

Both sides have talked about developing the site into a tourist destination. The site is some 600km east of Bangkok and only a decade ago was controlled by remnants of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrilla army. -- REUTERS

Cambodia calls for negotiations to resolve border disputes with Thailand

www.chinaview.cn

2009-04-04

PHNOM PENH, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia insisted that all the incidents along the Cambodian-Thai border be resolved through negotiations, but reserved rights of self-defense, said an official statement received here on Saturday.

"Cambodia has good will and has exercised the utmost restraints in order to find a peaceful solution to the border issues with Thailand through bilateral mechanism. However, Cambodia reserves its rights to self-defense and to protect its national territorial integrity," said the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in its letter addressed to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Cambodia hopes that the same sentiment and commitment is reciprocated by the Thai side in order to put an immediate and definite end to the border disputes," it added.

In the letter, the ministry also outlined the whole process and details of the two rounds of crossfire that occurred on Friday at the border area near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

The gunfire exchange took place after well-armed Thai troops intruded on Cambodian lands, respectively around 07:12 local time (0012 GMT) and 14:00 local time (0700 GMT) "within the territory under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Cambodia," and the first clash lasted 7 to 8 minutes and the second 35 minutes, it said.

"The Thai forces fired rounds of DK recoilless rifles, 12.7 heavy machine-guns, B 40 Rocket launchers, M79 launchers and other weaponries" during the clashes, it said.

"It is very regrettable that Thai armed intrusions continue to occur repeatedly in the same areas" near the border, and "these acts of violation have compelled the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces to exercise their rights to self-defense and to protect the Cambodian territorial integrity," it added.

Four Thai soldiers were killed and 10 arrested by the Cambodian side during the two rounds of fighting on Friday, according to Cambodian government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, who did not provide the casualty numbers on the Cambodian side.

Since July 2008, troops from both sides have stationed near the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and two armed confrontations last year sparked brief concerns of war.

The two neighboring countries have never fully demarcated their disputed border, partly due to the landmines left over from decades of civil war in Cambodia.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

Cambodian PM downplays clashes on Thai border

By SOPHENG CHEANG

KOH SLA, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia's prime minister on Saturday downplayed the border clashes that killed at least three Thai soldiers near a disputed 11th century temple as a mere "incident" between neighbors that would not erupt into a war.

Military commanders from both sides said calm had been restored after Friday's fighting, in which troops exchanged fire with assault rifles and rocket launchers along Cambodia's northern border near Preah Vihear temple.

Thailand acknowledged that three of its soldiers had been killed and 12 wounded. Cambodia said its military suffered no casualties.

"Yesterday there was brief fighting, but the fighting was like neighbors who live close to each other and always have disputes," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said. "Today they have a dispute, then they soothe things and talk to each other."

The border area has been a hot spot since Thailand took offense over Cambodia having the temple declared a U.N. World Heritage Site last year.

Although the World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple, also claimed by Thailand, is on Cambodian territory, many Thais still rankle over the decision. Thailand continues to claim nearby land where the fighting took place.

The temple tensions erupted in brief border clashes last year, killing two Cambodian soldiers and one Thai, and both sides have stepped up deployment of soldiers at the border since then.

On Saturday, Hun Sen, who just a few days earlier had issued a fierce warning that Thailand would face tough fighting if its troops crossed into disputed territory, struck a conciliatory tone.

Smiling as he spoke, he described the burst of combat as an "incident," not a war.

He said Friday's fighting was triggered when Thai soldiers advanced into heavily mined territory claimed by Cambodia and ignored warnings to turn back. Thai officials denied any intrusion and said they went into the disputed area to clear explosives after a Thai soldier lost his leg when he stepped on a mine Thursday. Thai authorities said the Cambodian troops fired first.

Hun Sen emphasized that the fighting left no Cambodian soldiers killed or wounded, with "not even a scratch."

Thailand's deputy regional commander, Maj. Gen. Tawatchai Samutsakorn, said three Thai soldiers were killed — including one who died in a hospital Friday night — and 12 were wounded. Cambodia earlier had said as many as four Thai soldiers were killed.

Thai army commander Gen. Anupong Paochinda said Sunday that Thailand is not planning any military response or troop redeployment following the clash.

"This has to be resolved through negotiations," he said. "Any redeployment will have to be done on both sides."

Since Friday, Thailand has closed down the road leading to Preah Vihear temple — which is more easily accessed from the Thai side — to ensure the safety of civilians and tourists, Tawatchai said.

Associated Press writer Ambika Ahuja in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Cambodian PM calls for peace after border clashes

Gulf News

April 04, 2009

Koh Sla: Cambodia's prime minister has urged for a peaceful resolution of a border crisis with neighbouring Thailand, a day after armed skirmishes between the two countries left at least three Thai soldiers dead.

Military commanders from both sides said calm had been restored after Friday's fighting, which saw troops exchange fire with assault rifles and rocket launchers along Cambodia's northern border near an 11th century temple.

Thailand acknowledged three of its soldiers had been killed and 12 wounded. Cambodia said it suffered no casualties.

The area has been a hotspot since Thailand took offence over Cambodia having the Preah Vihear temple declared a UN World Heritage site last year.

Troops standby after deadly clash at Cambodia-Thai border

Thai soldiers stand guard near the border with Cambodia.

Channel NewsAsia
04 April 2009

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia: Troops were on alert at the disputed Cambodian-Thai border Saturday, after heavy gunbattles left at least two soldiers dead a day earlier, Cambodian officials said.

The mood was tense after the fighting Friday, which was the biggest flare-up for months in a bitter feud over territory near an ancient temple.

"The situation at the border is quiet now and back to normal, but as usual, our soldiers are on 24-hour alert," said Yem Pem, a Cambodian commander stationed in the disputed area.

Soldiers exchanged rocket, machinegun and mortar fire on Friday near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple on the frontier, following a brief skirmish earlier in the day, officials from both sides said.

Hundreds of Cambodians who live near the ancient Khmer temple could be seen fleeing the area Saturday, after their homes and the local market were destroyed in the fighting.

The area was the scene of several clashes last year after Cambodia successfully applied for United Nations world heritage status for the ruins in July, with four soldiers killed in a battle there in October.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sought to downplay the latest incident during a Saturday speech to handicapped veterans and villagers in the southern province of Kampot.

"It is normal that every side has the right to self-defence. If they come, it happens. And as we enter their territory they also have the right to fire at us," Hun Sen told the crowd.

"But we consider this (clash) an incident. I don't call it a war... We are very sorry. We don't want Cambodian or Thai soldiers to die," he added.

One Thai soldier was killed at the site of the clash on Friday and another died in hospital later, while 10 others were injured, said the Thai military. Cambodian officials reported they suffered no casualties.

A Thai military official said nine soldiers were still being treated in two hospitals in the northeastern Thai city of Ubon Ratchathani, with two of them in critical condition.

Thailand's defence minister, General Prawit Wongsuwon, would visit the injured soldiers later Saturday she added.

The clashes came three days after Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed into disputed land. Thailand denies claims that about 100 of its troops went over the frontier a week ago.

Tensions first flared along the border in July last year over the granting of UN heritage to the temple, although the countries have been at loggerheads over the site for decades.

Subsequent talks between Cambodia and Thailand have not resolved the dispute and Thailand's foreign minister was forced to apologise Thursday, after being accused by Hun Sen of calling him a gangster.

Further talks are due address the latest clash on Monday and Tuesday in Phnom Penh.

Cambodia's Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva are due to take part in a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and key regional partners in Thailand from Friday.

Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said the latest clashes would not affect scheduled talks between the two sides.

"Plans for all of our programmes remain the same, including the ASEAN meeting and joint border talks between Cambodia and Thailand," Koy Kuong said.

Thepthai: Thaksin sighted in Cambodia

By: bangkokpost.com
4/04/2009

Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has allegedly been sighted in Cambodia, says Abhisit Vejjajiva’s personal spokesman Thepthai Senpong. Thaksin was allegedly spotted near the residence of Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen.

Mr Thepthai said if this was true, the Cambodian government should clarify the matter with Thailand, similar to Lao PDR’s manner when it made clear Thaksin was banned from entering its territory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was inspecting this issue.

Cambodia, Thailand exchange fire

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Four Thai soldiers are dead and 10 others have been detained after a clash at the Thai-Cambodian border.

A Cambodian government spokesman says Thai and Cambodian soldiers fired at each other with machine guns and rocket launchers Friday along a disputed border.

The fighting represents an escalation of tension in a longstanding feud near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith says four Thai soldiers were killed and 10 others detained in two clashes. He said no Cambodians died.

The Thai army could not be reached to confirm the fatalities on the Thai side.

The fighting is the latest flare-up near the temple, which is on the Cambodian side of an ill-defined border.

Firefight erupts at disputed temple on Thailand Cambodia border

Cambodian and Thai troops clash in border region that has been a focus of conflict. Up to four dead are reported.

Associated Press
April 4, 2009

Phnom Penh, Cambodia -- Thai and Cambodian soldiers revived a long-simmering dispute over an 11th century temple near their border, trading fire with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades in clashes that left as many as four people dead.

The latest flare-up could overshadow a summit of Asian leaders opening next week in the Thai coastal town of Pattaya. The summit was delayed in December after anti-government protesters took over the two main airports in Bangkok, the Thai capital.

The fighting broke out Friday morning near the cliff-top Preah Vihear temple, on the Cambodian side of an ill-defined border. Soldiers clashed again hours later, but the area was quiet by evening and the two sides were in talks to defuse the crisis.

Accounts varied on casualties and other details. Both sides said Cambodia fired first, but Cambodian officials said it was because Thai soldiers strayed into their territory.

Thailand's Foreign Ministry denied that and said the Thai troops were investigating a land-mine blast the previous day in which a soldier lost a leg.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said four Thai soldiers were killed and 10 captured.

Thailand's Foreign Ministry said that only one Thai soldier was killed, seven were injured and none was taken prisoner. But two Thai army officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said two soldiers were killed and 10 injured.

The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty over the surrounding land has never been clearly resolved.

Tensions flared last July when UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have the temple named a World Heritage Site, leading some Thais to believe their claim to the surrounding land was being undermined.

Troops on alert after Cambodia-Thai border clash

File photo shows Cambodian soldiers walking at the Preah Vihear temple. Troops were on alert at the disputed Cambodian-Thai border Saturday, after heavy gunbattles left at least two soldiers dead a day earlier, Cambodian officials said.Photo:Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP

Sat Apr 4

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AFP) - Troops on both sides of the Cambodian-Thai border were on alert Saturday after gunbattles near a disputed temple left at least two soldiers dead, a Cambodian official said.

The mood was tense after Friday's firefight, which was the biggest flare-up for months in a bitter feud over territory near the ancient temple.

"The situation at the border is quiet now and back to normal," a Cambodian commander named Yem Pem said, adding that troops were on "24-hour alert."

Soldiers exchanged rocket, machinegun and mortar fire Friday, damaging the staircase of the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, following a brief skirmish earlier in the day, officials said.

Cambodia's foreign ministry said a local government office was damaged, and hundreds of Cambodians, who lost their homes and local market in the fighting, were evacuated to a school 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.

"We were so frightened because the situation was so tense," said Chum Vanna, 27, who was evacuated with her husband and children.

"I'm very angry with the Thai soldiers. All of my belongings were completely burned. We came here with just a few clothes," she added.

The area saw several clashes last year after Cambodia successfully applied for United Nations world heritage status for the temple ruins in July.

Four soldiers were killed in a firefight in October.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sought to downplay the latest incident during a Saturday speech to handicapped veterans and villagers in the southern province of Kampot.

"It is normal that every side has the right to self-defence. If they come, it happens. And as we enter their territory they also have the right to fire at us," Hun Sen told the crowd.

"But we consider this (clash) an incident. I don't call it a war... We are very sorry. We don't want Cambodian or Thai soldiers to die," he added.

One Thai soldier was killed at the site of the clash on Friday and another died in hospital later, while 10 others were injured, said the Thai military. Cambodian officials reported no casualties.

A Thai military official said nine soldiers were still being treated in two hospitals in the northeastern Thai city of Ubon Ratchathani, with two of them in critical condition.

Thai Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon would visit the injured later Saturday, she added.

The clashes came three days after Hun Sen warned Thailand not to allow its troops to cross into disputed land. Bangkok denies claims that 100 went over the frontier a week ago.

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the site of decades but tensions spilled over into violence last July when the temple was granted UN heritage status.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that the ruins belonged to Cambodia, but the most accessible entrance is in Thailand, and some of the disputed land is yet to be demarcated.

Talks between Cambodia and Thailand have failed to resolve the dispute and further discussions are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in Phnom Penh.

Hun Sen and Thai counterpart Abhisit Vejjajiva are due to join a summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations and key regional partners in Thailand from Friday.

Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said the clashes would not affect talks and that plans remained the same, including for the summit.

Singapore, meanwhile, urged both sides to "exercise utmost restraint in the broader interests of the region."

Cambodia PM says Thai border conflict "not a war"

Thai soldiers walk along a road in the disputed border area with Cambodia of Preah Vihear temple, in Si Sa Ket province April 3, 2009. One Thai soldier was killed and seven others wounded on Friday in fighting with Cambodian troops near the disputed Hindu temple on their border, a Thai general said.
REUTERS/Stringer

Sat Apr 4, 2009

By Ek Madra

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.

"I regard the fighting yesterday as an incident, not a war," Hun Sen said a day after Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged rifle and rocket fire near the Preah Vihear temple that has been a source of tension for decades.

Cambodia suffered no casualties, while Thai authorities said two of their soldiers were killed and nine wounded in the worst fighting since a military stand-off near the temple last year.

"I don't want to see these incidents repeated or fighting expand to other areas," Hun Sen told a group of disabled soldiers during a visit to the coastal province of Kampot. Both sides accused each other of firing first in two separate clashes on Friday, which Thailand called a "misunderstanding."

Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand, sits on an escarpment that forms the natural border between the two countries and has been a source of tension for generations.

The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but the ruling did not determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.

A joint border committee set up to demarcate the jungle-clad border area after last year's clashes, which killed one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers, will meet again on Sunday for three days of talks.

Both sides have talked about developing the site into a tourist destination. The site is some 600 km (370 miles) east of Bangkok and only a decade ago was controlled by remnants of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrilla army.

(Additional reporting by Vithoon Amorn in Bangkok)

(Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Four Dead In Fresh South Thailand Clashes - Police

NARATHIWAT (AFP)--Thai security officials shot dead two suspected separatist militants during a gunfight Saturday in the restive southern border area, police said.

They said about 100 soldiers and police had surrounded a house in Narathiwat, one of three Muslim-majority provinces wracked by five years of unrest, after a tip-off that militants were inside.

After a 15-minute exchange of fire between authorities and seven militants, police arrested one and said two others had been killed, adding that four gunmen had fled. One policeman was also wounded, they said.

The incident followed the deaths of two other men overnight in nearby Pattani province, police said.

A 60-year-old Buddhist man and his 18-year-old nephew were killed in front of their home in a drive-by shooting, they said.

More than 3,600 people have been killed and thousands more injured in five years of separatist violence in Thailand's Muslim-majority provinces near the Malaysian border.

Buddhist-majority Thailand annexed the ethnic Malay area in 1902, sparking decades of tension.

Shots fired on Thai-Cambodia border

The disputed border area has been at the centre of an armed stand-off since last year [AFP]

Preah Vihear temple
The 11th-century temple was built in the reign of King Suryvarman I, during the 600-year Khmer empire.Built to honour the Hindu god Shiva, the temple has withstood decades of war.In 1998, hundreds of Khmer Rouge guerrillas made their final surrender at the temple.Unesco deemed the temple a World Heritage site for its location, rare architecture, religious function and carved stone ornaments.

"There is also a lot of very unhelpful political wrangling at the top levels"
Laura Kyle, Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

At least two Thai soldiers have been killed and up to 10 others wounded in a clash between Thai and Cambodian troops on a disputed stretch of the shared border.

Both sides accused each other of firing the first shots in two separate clashes on Friday, the latest in a long-running feud over a 900-year-old Hindu ruin.

Soldiers traded rocket, machine gun and mortar fire near Preah Vihear, an 11th-century Khmer temple on the frontier, officials said.

Thailand's military said two of its soldiers were killed, but Khieu Kanharith, a Cambodian government spokesman, said four Thai soldiers were killed and 10 captured during the clashes.

"We are fighting with each other, it is serious gunfire," Kanharith said.

Thailand's Foreign Ministry denied that any Thais had been seized.

The latest fighting comes a day after a Thai soldier lost a leg when he stepped on a landmine in an area claimed by Thailand.

A Thai patrol visited the blast site on Friday morning and encountered 20 Cambodian soldiers.

"After talks between the two sides failed, the Cambodian side started to walk away and turned back to open fire at Thai troops with rifles and RPG rockets, forcing the Thai side to fire back in self-defence," the Thai foreign ministry said in a statement.

'Misunderstanding'

There were reports of more fighting in the afternoon, hours after Thai and Cambodian commanders met for talks on the border.

The latest gunfight happened after a Thai general described the first incident as a "misunderstanding".

Cambodian officials said Friday's first shootout began after Thai troops crossed into Cambodian territory.

The landmine incident a day earlier had already put Cambodian troops on "high alert" said Thai officials.

Earlier this week Hun Sen, the Cambodian prime minister, had warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed their disputed frontier.

But Thailand denies claims that about 100 of its troops had crossed over the frontier.

Hun Sen and Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai prime minister, are scheduled to attend a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and key regional partners in the Thai resort of Pattaya next week.

The conflict focuses on an area of land of just over five square kilometres surrounding the temple.

'Political wrangling'

Ownership of the property itself was awarded to Cambodia by an international court in 1962, but ownership of the surrounding land has remained in dispute.

The recent listing of the temple as a UN World Heritage site has revived nationalist tensions in Thailand and Cambodia.

The same area was the scene of several clashes last year, with four soldiers killed in October.

Al Jazeera's Laura Kyle reporting from Phnom Penh said: "Violence peaked last year when the temple became a world heritage site ... there are negotiations taking place to try and diffuse the situation and bring the fighting to a halt.

"But there is also a lot of very unhelpful political wrangling at the top levels," she said.

Cambodia, Thai border clash leaves soldiers dead

Thai soldiers stand guard near the border with Cambodia. Thai and Cambodian troops fought heavy gun-battles on their disputed border, leaving at least two soldiers dead in the biggest flare-up for months in a bitter feud over an ancient temple.(AFP/AFP)

Thai soldiers stand guard in the disputed border area with Cambodia of Preah Vihear temple, in Si Sa Ket province April 3, 2009. One Thai soldier was killed and seven others wounded on Friday in fighting with Cambodian troops near the disputed Hindu temple on their border, a Thai general said. REUTERS/Stringer (THAILAND CONFLICT POLITICS MILITARY) THAILAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN THAILAND

Thai soldiers walk along a road in the disputed border area with Cambodia of Preah Vihear temple, in Si Sa Ket province April 3, 2009. One Thai soldier was killed and seven others wounded on Friday in fighting with Cambodian troops near the disputed Hindu temple on their border, a Thai general said. REUTERS/Stringer (THAILAND POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT) THAILAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN THAILAND

Cambodian soldiers stand guard near the Preah Vihear temple near the border with Thailand in October 2008. Cambodian and Thai troops fought heavy gunbattles along their disputed border, leaving three soldiers dead in a major flare-up of a long-running feud over an ancient temple.(AFP/File/Tang Chhin Sothy)

A Cambodian soldier sits at Phnom Trop near Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple in a world heritage site at the Cambodian-Thai border, about 245 kilometers (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 11, 2008. Cambodian troops said Friday a brief gunfight broke out with Thai soldiers at their tense border near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, the site of increasingly regular conflicts between the neighbors.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodia refugees are seen in Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple

Cambodia refugees are seen in Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple, where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire, in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Hindu temple.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS CONFLICT)

Cambodia refugees walk in Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple, where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire, in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Hindu temple.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS CONFLICT)

Cambodia refugees are seen in a truck at Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple, where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire, in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Hindu temple.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS CONFLICT)

Cambodia refugees walk after getting out from a truck at Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Hindu temple.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea ( CAMBODIA POLITICS CONFLICT)

Cambodia refugees get out from a truck at Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire near an ancient Hindu temple in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Hindu temple. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA POLITICS CONFLICT IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE)

4 Thai soldiers killed along border with Cambodia

Monks rest at Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple near the border with Thailand, 245 kilometres north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Heng Sinith/Associated Press)

CBC News

Friday, April 3, 2009

long-standing land dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over an 11th-century temple turned deadly Friday with reports of fighting that killed four Thai soldiers.

Thai and Cambodian soldiers fired at each other with machine-guns and rocket launchers near the Preah Vihear temple, a Cambodian government spokesman said.

The official said 10 Thai soldiers were detained.

The Thai army could not be reached to confirm fatalities on its side.

The fighting is the latest flare-up near the temple, which is on the Cambodian side of an ill-defined border.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the hilltop temple to Cambodia, but the ruling did not determine ownership of a 4.6-square-kilometre area around it.

Teen accused of duct-taping ex-girlfriend faces three felonies in Floyd County

Neighbors called ‘heroes’ for stepping in to stop crime

New Albany Tribune

By MATT THACKER
Matt.Thacker@newsandtribune.com

The Cambodian teenager accused of bounding his ex-girlfriend with duct tape and stealing gifts he admitted buying her has been charged with three felonies in Floyd County Superior Court No. 3.

Theara Meng, 18, has been charged with class A felony burglary resulting in bodily injury, class C felony criminal confinement and class D felony theft.

The Floyd County Sheriff’s Department alleges that Meng entered an apartment at Charlestown Crossing wearing a mask of Sean Connery as “James Bond.” Police say Meng tied the 16-year-old ex-girlfriend’s hands and mouth with duct tape and stole gifts he gave her when they were dating.

Police were able to capture Meng shortly after the incident occurred Monday night, due in large part to help from the victim’s neighbors, they say.

Lt. Russ Wyatt of the sheriff’s department said the neighbors were “incredible” in providing police with information, and said he did not know if they would have caught Meng without their help.

Greg Brodfehrer, the brother of one of those neighbors, is calling his brother and other neighbors heroes for stopping to help when they were walking down the street and heard the girl struggling.

Brodfehrer said his brother and a neighbor banged on the door until Meng walked out. He said the neighbor used his car to try to block a vehicle from leaving the apartment complex. Police arrived shortly and arrested the suspect.

“I am so proud of him for stepping in the way he did to help out a total stranger,” Brodfehrer said of his brother.

He said he did not want their names published because of concern for their safety.

The suspect — whose name originally appeared in court documents as Meng Theara — faces up to 61 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

He is being held in the Floyd County Jail on a $200,000 bond. A jury trial was set for June 8. His attorney, Gordon Ingle, was not immediately available for comment.

Preah Khan in Angkor, Cambodia

D.B. Kim

Interior Design
April 3, 2009

“The space of the living world is filled with our activities. The space in a photograph is free of the multitude of phenomena.” –Richard Pare

Entering the site of Preah Khan in Angkor, Cambodia is like the experience of entering an abandoned treasure site, akin to what one might have seen in a Hollywood adventure movie. I am not sure if anything like this exists anywhere else in the world.

The temple site was built in the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII. The planning is based on Buddhist rectangular shapes and houses rich carvings and architecture similar to other temples in Angkor. Preah Khan is famous for its invasions of life, or collisions between nature and architecture. As I hope you will observe from the following images, these beautiful “damages” are quite spectacular. Although one might consider the results to be weathered and aged, I would interpret it as stunning—a rare treat for an ancient architectural site.

The forceful willfulness of nature is so amazing that even a sacred temple cannot stop its growth and willingness. What I loved most is the balance between nature and the architecture components: yin and yang. Some of the compositions seem so stunningly calculated that I became curious about the future of their relationship, considering the existing trees and what is left of the architectural site.

The venerability of both nature and the temple architecture showcases beautifully at Preah Khan, and suggests many questions to the visitors. For me, I ask, “How long will this exact moment last?” It also became clear to me that we evolve every moment, as does our architecture within the nature and time in which we live.

Thai soldiers stand guard Friday in a disputed border area near the Preah Vihear temple. The clashes between Cambodian troops and Thai soldiers come days before a meeting on the border dispute.
Reuters

At least three soldiers were killed during gunfights near a 900-year-old temple, whose ownership has been contested by both sides.

Christian Science Monitor

By Arthur Bright
from the April 3, 2009 edition

• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.

At least three people were killed in a firefight between Cambodian and Thai troops Friday in the latest of a recent series of clashes along the disputed Thai-Cambodian border. The skirmish comes days before the two sides were set to discuss the issue at a regional summit.

Agence France-Presse reports that two Cambodian soldiers and one Thai soldier died during a number of skirmishes Friday.

"We are fighting with each other, it is serious gunfire. Two of our soldiers have been killed," Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said. "The gunfire is continuing in at least two areas," he added....

Cambodian and Thai authorities confirmed heavy gunfire had broken out at 2:00 pm (0700 GMT) in a number of spots near the border, which has never been fully demarcated due to landmines left after decades of war in Cambodia.

"We have occupied many areas now. The gunfire ended after about 35 minutes of fighting. We have won the fight now," Cambodian commander Bun Thean told AFP.

Bloomberg reports that the fighting has now stopped and that the two sides are discussing the situation, according to Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat.

"The army chiefs are now talking," Tharit said. "We asked for a ceasefire and do not want to use force."

Cambodian and Thai troops engaged in "large-scale fighting" today, Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said by phone. Two Thai soldiers were killed and six wounded, he said. Tharit denied the claim and said Thailand had suffered no deaths or injuries.

The battles took place around the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, the ownership of which has been contested by Thailand and Cambodia. Although the International Court of Justice at the Hague ruled in 1962 that the temple was within Cambodia's territory, the court did not address the ownership of the surrounding land, which both nations have claimed. As a result, the temple has remained a flashpoint. In July 2008, both countries engaged in a troop buildup and saber-rattling over the temple, after UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site for Cambodia, The Christian Science Monitor reported. Several soldiers were killed in a subsequent skirmish near Preah Vihear in October.

Friday's gun battles come a day after a Thai soldier lost a leg to a land mine in a forest near Preah Vihear, reports The Phnom Penh Post. The Post writes that the soldier had been on patrol when he stepped on the mine, which had probably been placed there years before, according to a Cambodian military official.

Yim Phim, commander of Brigade 8, said the Cambodian troops "don't dare walk" in the area where the Thai soldier was wounded.

"Mines were laid there during the fighting in the 1980s and 1990s," he said, referring to clashes between government troops and resistance fighters.

Bloomberg notes, however, that Mr. Charungvat said that Thai officers believe that the mine had recently been planted.

The BBC reports that Friday's battles seem to have been sparked during a subsequent visit by a Thai patrol to the site where the Thai soldier was injured Thursday.

"After talks between the two sides failed, the Cambodian side started to walk away and turned back to open fire at Thai troops with rifles and RPG rockets, forcing the Thai side to fire back in self-defence," said a statement from Thailand's foreign ministry.

"It was an accident, a misunderstanding among officials on the ground, which is common when you are closely positioned," said Thai Defense Minister Pravit Wongsuwan.

However, the Cambodian foreign ministry called it an "intended aggressive invasion by the Thai military", and said a letter of protest would be sent to Thailand.

The Associated Press reports that a Cambodian soldier said they opened fire only after some 60 Thai soldiers entered Cambodian territory, sparking a gun battle that lasted about 10 minutes. The AP adds that neither side reported any casualties in the first round of fighting.

The BBC notes that the battles come just days before representatives from Thailand and Cambodia were scheduled to discuss the issue peacefully. The Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Committee was set to begin three days of talks on Sunday, in the Cambodian town of Siem Reap. Bloomberg adds that leaders of the two countries are scheduled to meet during an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit next week, and that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is due to visit Cambodia later in April.

Soldiers die as Thai, Cambodian troops trade fire

A Cambodian soldier walks past Preah Vihear temple in the Cambodian province of Preah Vihear.

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged fire early Friday killing at least four soldiers near a disputed border temple that was the site of clashes last year, a Thai military official said.

A group of about 20 Cambodian soldiers "intruded" into Thai territory and opened fire after they were warned to leave by Thai soldiers, said Thai army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkunerd. Both sides exchanged gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades in a firefight that lasted about five minutes with no casualties

But in a second round of fighting two Thai soldiers died and 10 others were injured, said Thai army Lt. Col. Vichit Mugkarun.

Two Cambodian soldiers and nine others were injured in the battle, the official said

Cambodian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

The fighting took place about 2 miles (3 km) from the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

For months last year, the two countries saber-rattled over the ancient temple. The nations differ on whether some territory around the temple forms part of Thailand or Cambodia.

Both countries posted troops in the area after the United Nations in July approved Cambodia's application to have the temple listed as a World Heritage Site -- a place the United Nations says has outstanding universal value.

The temple sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil, but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side.

The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962. Thailand claims, however, that the 1.8 square mile (4.6 sq. km) area around it was never fully demarcated.

Thailand says the dispute arose from the fact that the Cambodian government used a map drawn during the French occupation of Cambodia -- a map that places the temple and surrounding area in Cambodian territory.

The United Nations' decision re-ignited tensions, with some in Thailand fearing it will make it difficult for their country to lay claim to disputed land around the temple.

Last year's flare-up began July 15, when Cambodian guards briefly detained three Thais who crossed into the area. Once they were let go, the three refused to leave the territory.

Cambodia claimed Thailand sent troops to retrieve the trio and gradually built up their numbers. Thailand denied that, saying its troops are deployed in Thai territory.

Thai, Cambodian troops clash near border

Reuters
Cambodian troops patrolling the disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province last year

TV New Zealand
Source: Reuters

Thai and Cambodian soldiers have exchanged rocket and small arms fire on a disputed stretch of their border, the latest flare-up in a long-running feud over a 900-year-old Hindu temple.

Both sides accused each other of firing first in a clash lasting nearly an hour at Eagle Field, near the Preah Vihear temple, which was at the centre of a military stand-off between the Southeast Asian neighbours last year.

There were no reports of wounded or dead. Thai and Cambodian military commanders on the border agreed to meet at midday to avoid further violence.

General Srey Doek, Cambodia's commander at the temple, said a Thai patrol crossed into Cambodian territory and opened fire on his men.

"The Thais fired rockets and rifles at us, and we responded in the same way," he told Reuters. Both sides agreed a ceasefire after their border commanders spoke by radio.

In Bangkok, Thai officials denied their troops had trod on Cambodian soil and accused the other side of shooting first.

"This was just a misunderstanding," Thai army chief Anupong Paochinda said.

Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand, sits on an escarpment that forms the natural border between the two countries and has been a source of tension for generations.

The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but the ruling did not determine the ownership of 4.6 sq km of scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.

The latest fighting erupted a day after a Thai soldier was badly wounded when he stepped on a landmine near the temple, where both sides have stationed troops since the armed clashes last year.

Tensions

Tensions rose last month when 100 Thai troops crossed into a disputed area near the temple and were stopped by Cambodian soldiers, but no fighting occurred.

The border had been quiet for months while the Southeast Asian neighbours sought to jointly demarcate the jungle-clad area where one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers died in last October's exchange of rifle and rocket fire.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander, warned this week that his soldiers would fight if Thai troops crossed the disputed border again.

The site is 600 km east of Bangkok and only a decade ago was controlled by remnants of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrilla army.

Few foreign visitors go there, although both countries have said they would like to develop the area as a tourist destination.

The Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Committee will meet again on Sunday for three days of talks in the Cambodian resort town of Siem Reap to try and find a solution to the row.