Monday, February 7, 2011

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Hor Nam Hong: 5 Cambodian soldiers killed, 45 injured during the 4 clashes with Thailand

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 05:15 PM PST

07 Feb 2011
Kampuchea Thmey
Translated from Khmer by Soch
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Phnom Penh – During a meeting with Marty M. Natalegawa, the Indonesian minister of Foreign Affairs, Hor 5 Hong discussed about the situation of the attack by Thai troops on 4 occasions.

Hor 5 Hong told reporters that, as of the evening of 07 February 2011, 5 Cambodian soldiers lost their lives and 45 were injured. Villagers in the disputed area fled the region after the clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops.

Marty Natalegawa said that he wants both sides – Cambodia and Thailand – resolve the violent dispute where lives were lost through armed clashes. He asked both sides to end the armed conflict and return peacefully to the negotiation table because both countries belong to ASEAN and they are neighboring countries.

Thai senators to file complaint against Hun Xen at the ICC, accusing him of being a war criminal

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 04:17 PM PST

ICC move against Hun Sen?

February 8, 2011
The Nation

Thai senators are preparing to file a complaint with the International Criminal Court accusing Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen of being a war criminal, following the latest military clash on the border.

Appointed Senator Paiboon Nititawan, a key member of the 40 Senators Group, said yesterday they would meet with international law experts to discuss their plan to sue Hun Sen.

"A military fight against each other is normal. But Cambodian soldiers intentionally firing heavy weapons into Thai villages was considered an unacceptable attack," Paiboon said.

He believed the senators could sue Hun Sen because Cambodia was a signatory of the ICC.

The move appears to be a largely symbolic protest as the senators should be aware the international court is purely a court of "last resort" that only handles extremely serious matters such as genocide and crimes against humanity - if such issues can't be resolved in a country's own courts.

A 'world' site, a 'world' war, a 'world' apart

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 04:05 PM PST

8/02/2011
Atiya Achakulwisut
Bangkok Post
COMMENTARY

I am sure Unesco's World Heritage Committee must be very proud of its achievement at Preah Vihear. Two Thais and three Cambodians were killed and scores injured in the latest skirmish along the troublesome border shared by the two countries where the ancient ruin is perched - its perimeter seemingly straddles both countries.

Would the committee like to erect a Southeast Asian version of the "Wailing Wall" inscribed with the names of the five who have most recently fallen so that future visitors to this "World Heritage" site can remember how fatally difficult it was for the site to be successfully listed and managed?

Not a bad idea, is it? But the powers-that-be at the committee had better make it a big wall because, considering the circumstances, there certainly will be many more names of people who will have to give up their lives so that this sacred place of ruin can be successfully managed as a World Heritage site. Death means revenge. And revenge is an interminable heritage usually managed by means of war.

But who am I to talk about "heritage", especially one for the world? I am obviously invading into the committee's territory here. I hope it forgives me for my cumbersome trespassing.


Since both Thailand and Cambodia have seen more than a dozen deaths of their soldiers and civilians in regard to this temple and the disputed area around it, I am confident both countries will manage the "heritage" that the committee has inducted them into beautifully, deep into the future generations.

What did you say? That Unesco director-general Irina Bokova has expressed her "deep concern" at the "sudden" escalation of border tensions? Of course, I have no doubt that Unesco must be troubled, even shocked, at the recent shoot-out and use of heavy weapons. It definitely could not have seen it coming, considering the history of amicability that the two countries have publicly displayed, at least not from the Unesco's vantage position at Place de Fontenoy.

It's true that Thailand has consistently protested Cambodia's unilateral listing of the temple whose entrance is on the Thai side but the Unesco or World Heritage Committee could not have thought of the gesture as something serious. The two countries are neighbours and the verdict by the international court of justice granting sovereign right over the temple to Cambodia was clear enough, the international body must have thought. Cambodia asked for its temple to be listed. The committee granted that right. It's a simple state of affairs. What more would the world body need to manage?

By now, the WHC must have received the news sent out by Cambodia that parts of the temple have been affected by the fighting. "A wing of our Preah Vihear Temple has collapsed as a direct result of the Thai artillery bombardment," a Cambodian military commander based near the 900-year-old temple was quoted as saying.

The report must be a cause for even deeper concern for Unesco. But then again, for the sake of the heritage issue it specialises in, why not leave the ruin in ruins? Leave the marks of destruction and traces of fighting, if there are any, the way they are so that the international agency can tell the world and the people who will surely throng to visit the place once it can be opened to the outside world what a precious heritage it is, that people from the two adjacent countries had to drag their heavy weapons and fight head over heels on how it would be managed.

The world body must know that the war scars will make the place even more "exotic" to would-be visitors.

But of course, the WHC never wants a war to break out between neighbours. It's there for culture and beauty - those are its deepest concern.

The committee must have assumed that the prestige of being on its World Heritage list must be big enough for the two countries to want to talk it over and end their decades-long territorial feud. The listing is good for all humankind. It's good for the economy, of the whole region if not for the whole world. It should not be delayed by some unresolved territorial disputes by two small countries. This is the WORLD heritage the committee is talking about. Try pronouncing it. "World" - the word does have a grandiose and altruistic ring to it. That is probably why Ms Bokova is also calling upon both sides to exercise restraint for the sake of the "temple". And I am sure that both countries will be paying heed to her "deep concern". Eventually, I suppose. After they are done shouting the word "war" into each other's ears and firing another RPG into each other's territory.
-------------
Atiya Achakulwisut is Deputy Editor, Bangkok Post.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Adventure Wars

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 04:01 PM PST

A little too self-righteous

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 03:59 PM PST

8/02/2011
Bangkok Post
EDITORIAL

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his government must reconsider their strategy to settle the conflict with Cambodia in order to restore peace at the border without hesitation. Yet the government and the army yesterday reiterated that the conflict must be solved bilaterally. The border dispute - and the clashes over the past four days - could indeed be resolved if both parties showed restraint and agreed on a long-term solution. But their efforts to date, sadly, have not worked.

If the tension continues, our troops must defend our borders. Of that there is no question. But we may find ourselves further on the defensive diplomatically and internationally - and it is in this area that we need to seriously review our position.

For too long we have been less than enthusiastic in engaging international agencies over the border dispute by sticking to the belief that it can be solved bilaterally. Yet diplomatically, we have been on the defensive. Conversely, Cambodia has pushed hard diplomatically while we stick to our position. Phnom Penh tried to involve the United Nations or internationalise the issue long before Prime Minister Hun Sen sent a letter to Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, the chair of the United Nations Security Council, calling for an end to the "grave aggressions by Thailand". By calling for the deployment of UN peace-keepers, the Cambodian leader is pushing the perception that his country is being bullied.


Cambodia's recourse to international law is its best defence. We have to admit that it is very difficult to undo the World Court decision of 1962 and decisions by Unesco. Thus the more the conflict is prolonged, the more reason there will be for external parties to want to become involved - at least as far as international sentiment and pressure is concerned. Thailand's position, then, will look rather weak and flimsy. And when the pressure builds, it will not be able to claim and defend that position behind "bilateral mechanisms" for too long. This country will look the belligerent party by avoiding mediation from outside.

We now have explained our position to the UN as Cambodia has done. But in reality, key members of the UNSC are unlikely to become involved, especially in respect of a UN peacekeeping force - China and the United States will choose to remain neutral. Still, we will continue to be saddled with the international perception that the border tension has been caused in part by our own internal political problems stemming from the actions and rallies by the People's Alliance for Democracy and the Thai Patriots Network.

In light of this, Thailand missed a golden opportunity to gain some diplomatic leverage when Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan suggested Asean be invited to play a role in resolving the dispute. It is unfortunate Mr Abhisit was too quick to brush aside Asean's involvement and the advice from Indonesia, the grouping's chair this year. Cambodia, on the other hand, will no doubt welcome a visit by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

The prime minister has reinforced the fact that Thailand is lukewarm about an Asean role. In reality, he should have welcomed the move as it would dispel doubts that Thailand is being dogmatically self-righteous in its conduct at the border.

Asean's regional diplomacy is expected by the international community. Indonesia, meanwhile, has its own diplomatic weight and recognition. Thailand, as a founding member of Asean, has a wider interest in promoting Asean's viability in regional affairs. A firm and warm welcome by Mr Abhisit to this Asean initiative would be a good start towards a new diplomatic direction.

Thailand blames Hun Manet for resumed hostilities

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 03:55 PM PST

Hun Manet (2nd from L) can be seen talking to field commanders in Preah Vihear last week (Photo: CEN)
Army rules out rushed talks with Cambodia

Hun Sen's son blamed for resumed hostilities

8/02/2011
Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post
"Brig Gen Hun Manet, 33, who graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, wanted to retaliate against Thai troops after Cambodian troops suffered severe damage in Friday's clashes" - Thai source
Thai army officers have no plans to rush into talks with Cambodia to end the border conflict as they say the Cambodians are lacking in unity and are not keeping to their word.

"Despite [previous] talks [among commanders] and truce agreement, Cambodian field units started firing again," 2nd Army commander Thawatchai Samutsakhon said yesterday.

"It's them who start the fight every time and then [they] come up with this and that excuse. I won't negotiate [with them] yet," Lt Gen Thawatchai said.

"As for now, we are fully prepared to curb whatever is to come."

He said the ceasefire deal might not have been conveyed properly to field units, and this was why firing went on.


Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has ordered the 2nd Army to try to hold further talks with Cambodia and to find a way to effectively end the fighting, Defence Ministry spokesman Thanathip Sawangsaeng said.

Col Thanathip said Gen Prawit was very worried about the situation.

"In past negotiations between military commanders from the two sides, Cambodia has agreed to stop firing and the commanders seemed to understand," the spokesman said.

"But the agreed messages might have not reached all operation units yet, so there were still clashes."

An army source said Gen Prawit spoke with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Defence Minister Tea Banh by telephone on Saturday and they agreed to a ceasefire and to stop reinforcing their troops.

"But Cambodia has not kept its word and has started a new attack on Thailand, which has infuriated the [Thai] defence minister," the source said.

Thai field commanders believe the Cambodian operation after the ceasefire on Sunday was the work of Hun Sen's son, Hun Manet, who was promoted to a two-star general in a ceremony earlier this month.

He is commanding the Cambodian troops based near the Preah Vihear temple himself.

"Hun Sen wants the Cambodian people to be satisfied with his son and he wants to show them his [impressive] roles before he is to be promoted to the army chief's post," a source said.

Brig Gen Hun Manet, 33, who graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, wanted to retaliate against Thai troops after Cambodian troops suffered severe damage in Friday's clashes, the source said.

"I know that the Cambodian side faced heavy losses," Lt Gen Thawatchai said.

"We also have some losses, so we should not fight. But when Cambodian troops do not have unity, it's useless to talk with them now."

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said yesterday he hoped dialogue between the two sides was still possible as a key mechanism to end the border row.

Thai army admits firing on Preah Vihear ... but still accuses Cambodia

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 03:46 PM PST

Army admits firing on ancient temple

8/02/2011
Bangkok Post

The 11th-century Preah Vihear temple has been damaged in fighting between Thailand and Cambodia after Cambodian troops used the temple as a military base to fire on Thai soldiers, says army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sent a letter to the United Nations Security Commission on Sunday accusing Thai troops of firing at the Hindu temple, which is listed as a world heritage site.

Col Sansern said yesterday Cambodian soldiers used the Preah Vihear temple as a heavy arms base to fire at Thai soldiers stationed in areas in Thai territory that were at lower elevation.

Col Sansern on Sunday dismissed Cambodian reports of damage to the Preah Vihear temple as "propaganda".

Abhisit sends protest note to UN

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 03:44 PM PST

[Thai] PM counters Hun Sen's allegations of 'invasion'

8/02/2011
Bangkok Post

Thailand has countered a diplomatic initiative by Cambodia by sending a protest note to the United Nations Security Council accusing Phnom Penh of provoking the border conflict that led to clashes between their troops over the past four days.

The protest note signed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva followed a request from Cambodia to the UNSC on Sunday asking the world organisation to bring an end to Thailand's "invasion of Cambodia".

Thai and Cambodian soldiers have exchanged artillery fire across the border near Preah Vihear temple every day since Friday, with each accusing the other of starting the hostilities.

The fourth day of cross-border shelling erupted yesterday morning after fierce fighting on Sunday night, despite a ceasefire being agreed to by field commanders from the two countries on Saturday.

At least five people - three Cambodians and two Thais - have been confirmed killed and scores of others wounded in the skirmishes which caused damage to the world heritage-listed Preah Vihear temple.


Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen claimed in his letter to the UNSC on Sunday that Thai soldiers had launched a full-scale offensive against Cambodian soldiers despite the truce agreement following clashes on Friday and Saturday.

He called on the world body to intervene by sending peacekeepers to act as a buffer between the two countries' forces.

The secretary to the foreign affairs minister, Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, yesterday said it was Cambodian soldiers who started the conflict by firing on a Thai military post on Friday.

"The Thai government feels that Cambodia wants the international community to intervene in the case because Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sent his letter to the UNSC while the fighting is still under way," Mr Chavanond said.

Thailand insists the border dispute is a bilateral issue that can best be solved by the two countries sitting down to negotiations.

Mr Chavanond and acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn stressed this position at a news conference held yesterday to call on Cambodia to join Thailand in settling the border dispute through existing bilateral mechanisms.

Thailand informed the UNSC of the two countries' intention to hold a Joint Boundary Committee meeting this month to discuss the border conflict, Mr Chavanond said. The last JBC meeting took place in 2009.

Thailand and Cambodia were encouraged yesterday to avoid the use of force to settle the border dispute.

A statement issued by the spokesman for the UN secretary-general said Ban Ki-moon was "deeply concerned" by the fighting and urged both sides "to exercise maximum restraint".

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who represents his country as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, visited Cambodia yesterday in a bid to help mediate a peaceful solution to the conflict. He is scheduled to visit Thailand today.

China also called on Thailand and Cambodia to remain calm amid the escalating border clashes.

"Both Cambodia and Thailand are China's friendly neighbours," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement issued yesterday.

"China hopes that the two sides will exercise calmness and restraint, resolve disputes through consultation, and prevent the situation from escalating."

Singapore expressed "deep concern" over the deadly border battles.

"We urge Thailand and Cambodia to resolve their differences through negotiations," a foreign ministry spokesman said.

"This is important both for their long-term relationship, as well as in the broader interests of Asean."

US urges Thai-Cambodia restraint, undecided on UN

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 02:41 PM PST

State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley
February 7, 2011
AFP

WASHINGTON — The United States called Monday for Thailand and Cambodia to show restraint after four days of cross-border fighting but took no stance on Phnom Penh's bid for UN involvement.

The United States has "raised our concerns with senior officials" in both Thailand and Cambodia, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.

"We continue to urge both sides to exercise maximum restraint and take all necessary steps to reduce tensions," he said.

Crowley said that the United States was "undecided" on whether the United Nations should be involved after Cambodia called for urgent action by the Security Council.


"We are discussing the best way forward within the Council," Crowley said.

Brazil, the president of the Security Council for February, said that members voiced "great concern" about the situation.

Thailand has called for a bilateral solution and criticized Cambodia over "internationalization" of the conflict, according to diplomats.

Each country has accused the other of provoking the violence near the disputed 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, which has claimed seven lives and displaced thousands.

UN willing to meet on Cambodia-Thai clashes

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 02:37 PM PST

08 February 2011
Channel News Asia (Singapore)

UNITED NATIONS : The UN Security Council Monday voiced concern about four days of cross-border fighting between Cambodia and Thailand and said it would be willing to hold a meeting on the dispute.

"Members of the council expressed great concern at the aggravation of the tension on the border," said Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, the Brazilian ambassador who is president of the Security Council for February.

"They called for a ceasefire and urged the parties to resolve the situation peacefully," she said of the fighting which has claimed seven lives and displaced thousands.

"They expressed their willingness to hold a Security Council meeting," she said, adding they will continue to follow the situation closely."


Earlier, Cambodia called on the council to take "urgent" action over the border conflict with Thailand.

"They expressed support to the mediation undertaken by the chair of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the minister of foreign affairs of Indonesia," Viotti said, adding envoys from the 15 nations on the council had held closed door consultations talks.

Cambodian and Thai troops clashed Monday for a fourth straight day, after heavy fighting on Sunday when a ceasefire agreed a day earlier collapsed. The violence is the worst clashes between the two neighbours in years.

Both sides have accused each other of starting the fighting.

Cambodia and Thailand have written to the Security Council on the hostilities, diplomats said.

Cambodia sent two letters to the Security Council on the conflict over the weekend, one of which demanded "urgent" action, said a diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has called for UN troops to be sent to set up a buffer zone on the contested border. It was not clear however if this demand was put in the Cambodian letters.

Thailand has also written twice, with a letter from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva handed over Monday. Thailand has called for a bilateral solution to the dispute and the letter accused Cambodia of using "internationalization" of the conflict, the diplomat said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who on Sunday called for a "cessation of hostilities", offered last year to help the two sides set up talks to resolve the border dispute.

Ban is "consulting with senior advisers" on the trouble, his spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters.

It is unclear exactly what triggered the latest violence, but diplomatic frictions have grown since late December when seven Thais, including one lawmaker, were arrested by Cambodia near the border for illegal entry.

Thai-Cambodia Troops in New Clash

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 02:34 PM PST



If you cannot see this video, click this link

UN may meet on Cambodia-Thai clash

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 02:28 PM PST

Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti
7/02/2011
AFP

The UN Security Council Monday voiced concern about four days of cross-border fighting between Cambodia and Thailand and said it would be willing to hold a meeting on the dispute.

"Members of the council expressed great concern at the aggravation of the tension on the border," said Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, the Brazilian ambassador who is president of the Security Council for February.

"They called for a ceasefire and urged the parties to resolve the situation peacefully," she said of the fighting which has claimed seven lives and displaced thousands.

"They expressed their willingness to hold a Security Council meeting," she said, adding they will continue to follow the situation closely."

Earlier, Cambodia called on the council to take "urgent" action over the border conflict with Thailand.


"They expressed support to the mediation undertaken by the chair of the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the minister of foreign affairs of Indonesia," Viotti said, adding envoys from the 15 nations on the council had held closed door consultations talks.

Cambodian and Thai troops clashed Monday for a fourth straight day, after heavy fighting on Sunday when a ceasefire agreed a day earlier collapsed. The violence is the worst clashes between the two neighbours in years.

Both sides have accused each other of starting the fighting.

Cambodia and Thailand have written to the Security Council on the hostilities, diplomats said.

Cambodia sent two letters to the Security Council on the conflict over the weekend, one of which demanded "urgent" action, said a diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has called for UN troops to be sent to set up a buffer zone on the contested border. It was not clear however if this demand was put in the Cambodian letters.

Thailand has also written twice, with a letter from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva handed over Monday. Thailand has called for a bilateral solution to the dispute and the letter accused Cambodia of using "internationalization" of the conflict, the diplomat said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who on Sunday called for a "cessation of hostilities", offered last year to help the two sides set up talks to resolve the border dispute.

Ban is "consulting with senior advisers" on the trouble, his spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters.

It is unclear exactly what triggered the latest violence, but diplomatic frictions have grown since late December when seven Thais, including one lawmaker, were arrested by Cambodia near the border for illegal entry.

Cambodia and Thailand Continue Armed Clash Over Temple

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 02:24 PM PST

February 7, 2011
By SETH MYDANS
The New York Times

THNAL BEK, Cambodia — Refugees clustered around cooking fires at a schoolhouse here as Cambodia and Thailand prepared for the possibility of further violence after a fourth day of shelling on Monday at their disputed border.

Cambodia Asks U.N. to Act Amid Clashes With Thailand (February 7, 2011) The Cambodian Army cleared out military vehicles and construction equipment and evacuated villagers from the foot of a steep cliff that is the site of an 11th-century Hindu temple claimed by both sides.

The dispute involves a century-old French colonial map, a ruling by the International Court of Justice and a decision in 2008 by Unesco, the cultural arm of the United Nations, to list the temple, Preah Vihear, as a Cambodian World Heritage site.

It has become tangled within the complex knot of Thai politics as well as simmering enmity between the two neighbors that has erupted into violence near the temple several times since the World Heritage listing.


The current fighting is the most sustained engagement between the two nations. As many as five civilians and soldiers have been killed on both sides, according to Thai and Cambodian news media reports.

Cambodia called on the United Nations to send peacekeepers to the border area one day after asking the Security Council to convene an urgent meeting to "stop Thailand's aggression."

"We will go to the Security Council whether you like it or not," Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a speech Monday, addressing his counterparts in Thailand. "The armed clash is threatening regional security."

Thailand has always taken the position that the dispute is a bilateral issue and that there is no need to involve outside organizations.

The Thai Foreign Ministry sent its own letter to the Security Council on Monday formally protesting what it called "repeated and unprovoked armed attacks by Cambodian troops."

Both sides have accused each other of initiating the conflict and of shooting first in each exchange of shelling.

"Thai soldiers had no choice but to exercise the inherent right of self-defense," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand said.

The Cambodian government said that Thai shelling had damaged part of the temple, but reporters were barred from the conflict area and the report was impossible to verify.

Late Sunday, the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said he was "deeply concerned" by the fighting and urged both sides "to exercise maximum restraint," according to a statement by his spokesperson.

In the dispute, both sides offer different interpretations of a French colonial map drawn up at the beginning of last century.

The temple is most easily accessible on the Thai side. It can be reached only up a steep cliff on the Cambodian side.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia.

The Cambodian side erected a plaque near the temple that read, in English: "Here! is the place where Thai troops invaded Cambodian territory on July 15, 2008, and withdrew at 10:30 A.M. on Dec. 1, 2010."

Responding to Thai demands, the Cambodians removed the plaque, but replaced it with another that read: "Here! is Cambodia." It, too, was later removed amid objections from Thailand.

The temple dispute has become a rallying cry for the "yellow shirt" demonstrators in Thailand, who oppose the "red shirts" who occupied Bangkok's central shopping area last year in a protest that ended with a military crackdown.

As political tensions heat up in an election year in Thailand, thousands of yellow shirt protesters have blocked a Bangkok street for a second week, demanding that Mr. Abhisit take tougher measures at the border.

Some have called for Mr. Abhisit to resign, the same demand the red shirts made last year.

War caused by Yellow shirt and Abhisit - An appeal by Anonymous

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 02:18 PM PST

War caused by
Yellow shirt and Abhisit

By Anonymous

Beloved Cambodians in SISAKET, SURIN and along the border,

This war is caused by Yellow shirt and Abhisit. Abhisit was installed by Yellow shirt. 2 Yellow shirts are in Cambodian Jail. Abhisit will do everything including war to obey Yellow shirt. Khmers overseas strongly condemn Abhisit administration and Yellow shirt.

We are sorry if our brothers and sisters in Sisaket, Surin and along the border were affected by this war of aggression committed by Yellow shirt and Abhisit team.

We ask all of our brothers and sisters in Sisaket, Buriram, Surin and other place in Thailand to stand up to demand for immediate stop the dirty war and ask for compensation from Thai authority.

Khmer Empire

This map shows the extent of the Khmer empire at its peak (gold color)
– it was at least 4 times as large as Cambodia is today (tan/brown).

Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community's Statement on the Thai invasion

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 02:10 PM PST

Click on the article in Khmer to zoom in

Condolences to Khmer Soldiers - by R. Visal

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 02:04 PM PST


I would like to extend my heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of Cambodian Soldiers who lost their life and injured defending our territories integrity in Preah Vihear. May God bless our heroes and their families!

It is obvious that Thailand is illegally intruding into Cambodia. However, Preah Vihear issues would be diplomatically preventable through international legal processes rather than shedding blood if the Cambodian government would choose to. Prasat Preah Vihear has long been the subject of an emotional dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. In 1904, the Thais and the French colonial authorities ruling Cambodia formed a joint commission to demarcate the mutual border. In 1907, the French drew up a map to show the border's location, and placed all of the temples on the Cambodian side. In 1954, Thai forces occupied the temple following the withdrawal of French troops from Cambodia. Cambodia protested and in 1959 asked the International Court of Justice to rule that the temple and the surrounding land lay in Cambodian territory. On June 15, 1962, following a lengthy dispute over ownership, the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia. On July 7, 2008, Preah Vihear was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Therefore, Preah Vihear has belonged to Cambodia in the eye of the international court of law. Hun Sen chooses not to settle this legally and prolongs the conflicts with the Thais as a diversionary tactic to steer the general attention away from the massive border encroachment by the Vietnamese.

It is sad for Cambodia that the current ruling party is ignorant. They will not listen to words. Even after it is explained how right and wrong will lead to different paths, the ignorant will refuse to follow rules of behavior. As I mentioned previously, the Preah Vihear issue can peacefully be resolved through the International Court of Justice. But the government sustain these disputes as tools to benefiting Vietnamese political gain. It is not fair for Khmer soldiers in the battle, for villagers in the area and for all citizens in general. These wasted funds could have been used somewhere else to benefit the nation as a whole. Again, that's just my opinion. All war starts from disagreement and end with pen and paper, not guns and weapons.

R. Visal
Philadelphia, PA

Feisty dispute turns into a war of words

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 02:02 PM PST

8/02/2011
Bangkok Post

Thailand and Cambodia put their case in letters to UN Security Council president Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti.

Debris clutters the entrance to a school at Ban Phum Srol. JETJARAS NA RANONG

CAMBODIA

"Once again, despite negotiation by the field commander of both sides for a cease fire, on 6 February, 2011 [Sunday], at 18:20, Thai armed forces launched a full scale armed aggression against Cambodia, using heavy sophisticated weapons including many 105, 120, 130, 155 artillery shells which were fired into the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR, a World Heritage [site], the region of TASEM, VEAL INTRY and PHNOM TRAP hill and others. All these areas are well inside Cambodian territory. Thai artillery shells have landed as far as approximately 20 km inside the Cambodian territory.

"While I write this letter to Your Excellency, Thai armed forces still continue firing of heavy weapons into Cambodian territory.

"This fresh onslaught by Thai armed forces has resulted in more human casualties and damages to the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR as well as other properties."

It continues: "Considering this recent extremely grave aggressions by Thailand, which has gravely threatened peace and stability in the region, I earnestly request Your Excellency to convene an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council so as to stop Thailand's aggression. I would also highly appreciate it if Your Excellency could circulate this letter to all members of the United Nations Security Council as an official document."

A man looks at a huge crater in front of a house in the border village of Ban Don-aow. The crater was caused by a rocket fired from Cambodian soil that narrowly missed hitting the house. JETJARAS NA RANONG


-------------------------------

THAILAND
1.Following the incidents of armed attacks in the afternoon of 4 February and again in the early morning of 5 February 2011, both of which were initiated by Cambodia, both Thai and Cambodian regional commanders met at Chong Sa-ngam Pass, Si Sa Ket Province, Thailand, in the morning of 5 February 2011. At that meeting, they reached an agreement on immediate ceasefire.

2.However, on 6 February 2011, at 18.30 hours, Cambodian troops breached the above agreement by opening fire, preceded by firing of military illumination flares into the sky, into Chong Don Ao Pass and Phu Ma Khua in Thai territory before launching attacks to other areas in Thai territory, namely Sattasom Hill, Phlan Yao, Chong Ta Thao Pass, the area near the Temple of Phra Viharn, and the Phum Srol village.

The incident resulted in severe destruction of many civilian structures and injury of two Thai civilians and eight Thai military personnel, one of which has sustained serious injury. Again, about 15,000 innocent villagers living along the border where the attacks took place had to be evacuated.

3.At 08.17 hours of 7 February 2011 Cambodian troops opened fire at Thai military personnel stationing at Phu Ma Khua and Phlan Yao in Thai territory. The incident lasted until 08.27 hours. Casualties from the attack are under investigation.

4.In this connection, Thailand categorically rejects the allegation made by Cambodia that Thailand initiated the attacks. The fact is that Thailand has always exercised utmost self-restraint, but in the face of such unprovoked armed attacks from Cambodia, it had no choice but to exercise its inherent right of self-defence.

An anti-war group gathers at the Victory Monument and arranges candles in a peace symbol to call for a stop to fighting between Thailand and Cambodia. PAWAT LAOPAISARNTAKSIN

5.Thailand therefore protests in the strongest terms against Cambodia's blatant violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity and its attacks on Thai civilians and properties.

6.Thailand is gravely concerned about the use of the Temple of Phra Viharn by Cambodia for military purposes, which is in violation of the international law, in particular the Article 4 (1) of the 1954 Hague Convention on Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

7.Thailand wishes to point out the fact that the attacks by Cambodian troops on 6 February 2011 were intentionally launched at night time. These attacks were pre-meditated and well planned in advance to create a situation which would serve Cambodia's political objective of internationalising what is essentially a bilateral issue while bilateral negotiations are still ongoing. The swiftness of the release of the letter from the Prime Minister of Cambodia to Your Excellency dated 6 February 2011, shortly after the attacks started, only confirms the pre-meditated nature of the attacks and unfriendly intention.

8.It is the firm conviction of Thailand that any differences between countries shall be settled by peaceful means.

9.Thailand wishes to reiterate its commitment to working closely with Cambodia through existing bilateral frameworks.

10.Thailand hopes that, with all bilateral channels of communication still open and ongoing dialogue by officials of both countries, the situation in this specific border area will return to normalcy soon.

Second Army commander Tawatchai Samutsakhon, left, and Suranaree Task Force commander Chavalit Choonprasarn take a break in front of a convenience store in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district. WASSANA NANUAM
A Don-aow villager stands behind parts of a rocket Cambodian soldiers fired into Thai territory. JETJARAS NA RANONG
Thais occupy a campin front of Kantharalak district office, Si Sa Ket. JETJARASNA RANONG
Amonkwalks on a deserted road at Ban PhumSrol after villagers fled the village following the border clashes. PHONGTHAIWATTANAVANIATVUT
Agroup of villagers board ane-tan farm truck as they flee their villages in SiSa Ket's Kantharalak district. PHONGTHAIWATTANAVANIATVUT

While Thai soldiers are on alert at the border, Thai generals paused for a snack break at 7-Eleven

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 01:51 PM PST

Second Army commander Tawatchai Samutsakhon, left, and Suranaree Task Force commander Chavalit Choonprasarn take a break in front of a convenience store in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district. WASSANA NANUAM

Cambodia appeals to UN over temple 'war'

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 01:49 PM PST

Tuesday, February 08, 2011
By Southeast Asia correspondent Zoe Daniel
ABC News Australia
Cambodia says the temple has been heavily damaged in the fighting, but Thailand says that claim is "propaganda".
Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen has called on the United Nations to intervene in an ongoing and deadly dispute with Thailand over the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

The Cambodian government says the latest round of fighting, which broke out on Friday, has killed several people, including a local tourist who was apparently taking photos of the temple.

Hun Sen has described the clashes between troops on the Thailand-Cambodian border as "a big skirmish or a small war" and claims Thailand is trying to capture the disputed 4.6 square kilometres around the border temple.

He says the UN should send peacekeepers to provide a buffer between the two nations to prevent further fighting.


The temple was ruled Cambodian territory by an international court in the 1960s, but when it was declared a World Heritage site in 2008, a long-festering disagreement flared about its ownership and the territory around it.

Since then, opposing troops have been stationed there, with both countries vowing to protect their sovereignty.

Thailand will now ask UNESCO to take it off the World Heritage list.

A group of Thai nationalists rallying in Bangkok over the issue has demanded Thailand withdraw from the World Heritage committee.

Cambodia says the temple has been heavily damaged in the fighting, but Thailand says that claim is "propaganda".

In The [Thai] Danger Zone

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 01:42 PM PST



Amid ongoing violence, people in the village of Phum Srol, Si Sa Ket province discuss the difficulties of living in the conflict zone. Concern for their homes and belongings, lack of food and repeated attacks are just some of the problems these civilians face as Thailand and Cambodia continue to fight over Preah Vihear and its surrounding land. Video by Jetjaras Na Ranong.

If you cannot watch this video here, click this link

Thailand-Cambodia clashes continue, but Bangkok insists mediation 'not necessary'

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 09:23 AM PST

Calls for intervention have met firm rejections from Bangkok, even as Thailand-Cambodia clashes that have already killed 10 people continued into their fourth day.

February 7, 2011
By Simon Montlake, Correspondent
The Christian Science Monitor

Bangkok, Thailand - As fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops along a disputed land border entered a fourth day, Indonesia's foreign minister flew Monday to Cambodia for crisis talks. At least 10 people have died since clashes began Friday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of villagers on both sides of the border.

While the US and other countries have urged restraint by both sides, Cambodia has asked the United Nations to act over what it calls "flagrant aggression" by Thailand. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a separate statement that he was "deeply concerned" by the violence and that the UN stood ready to assist.

But calls for outside intervention have been met with firm rejections by Thailand, which has repeatedly insisted that bilateral talks are the best way to resolve the crisis. "We feel that mediation by outside parties is not necessary," says Thani Thongpakdi, a spokesman for Thailand's Foreign Ministry.


Indonesia holds the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which both Thailand and Cambodia are members. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa met Monday with his Cambodian counterpart and is scheduled to arrive in Bangkok on Tuesday for similar talks. Mr. Thani described the visit as a fact-finding mission.

ASEAN's secretary general, Surin Pitsuwan, a former Thai foreign minister, has urged the rival armies to calm tensions and warned that instability could affect member economies. In a statement on Saturday, he offered to help broker a temporary truce.

But ASEAN is unlikely to play a proactive role in resolving this or other bilateral disputes, even if Thailand shifted its position, say analysts and diplomats. The organization lacks any mechanism for mediation or monitoring ceasefires and has long shied away from sensitive issues that could divide its members, who range from democracies to dictatorships.

"It's toothless and it doesn't have much influence, either officially or unofficially, so it won't play a role," says Paul Quaglia, director of PSA Asia, a security consultancy in Bangkok.

The latest Thai-Cambodian border clashes are among the most serious since 2008, when Preah Vihear, an 11th century Khmer temple, became a nationalist rallying cry for both countries. Cambodia, which won sovereignty over the temple in 1962, successfully sought its listing by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2008, angering Thai nationalists who said the surrounding area belonged to Thailand. Troop buildups on both sides have since choked off tourist arrivals to the temple.

Thai nationalists have accused Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of failing to enforce Thai claims along the border. Thousands of protesters have camped out in central Bangkok calling for his resignation and pressing for the return of two Thai nationalists jailed in Cambodia after being convicted last week for illegal entry and spying. Analysts say it's unclear if the clashes will boost the protests, which have so far failed to attract large crowds.

Cambodia said Sunday that Thai artillery shells had damaged part of the temple, contemporaneous with the better-known Angkor Wat temple complex some 150 miles southwest. Both sides have accused each other of sparking the conflict. In its letter to the UN Security Council, Cambodia accused Thai troops of staging a raid into Cambodian territory on Friday.

Thai-Cambodian border shellings in 4th day

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 09:16 AM PST

THNAL BEK, Cambodia, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Cambodia evacuated villages near a disputed temple on the Thai border after a fourth day of shelling Monday, officials said.

As many as five civilians and soldiers had been killed on both sides, The New York Times reported, citing Thai and Cambodian media.

The 11th-century Hindu temple, Preah Vihear, was declared a Cambodian World Heritage site by Unesco in 2008.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen asked the United Nations to send peacekeepers a day after demanding an urgent Security Council meeting to "stop Thailand's aggression."


"We will go to the Security Council whether you like it or not," he told Thailand Monday.

Thailand formally protested "repeated and unprovoked armed attacks by Cambodian troops" to the Security Council Monday.

Cambodia said Thai shelling had damaged the temple, but reporters were barred from the area and could not verify the assertion.

On Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the fighting to stop.

The conflicting claims broke out into combat Friday, with each country accusing the other of shooting first.

The temple was awarded in 1962 to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, whose government is under pressure from the so-called Yellow Shirts over the issue, said the border dispute can be solved at the bilateral level, the Thai News Agency reported.

UN urges restraint in deadly Thai-Cambodia clashes

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 08:52 AM PST

Monday, February 07, 2011
By Suy Se
AFP

Cambodian and Thai troops clashed on Monday for a fourth straight day as the UN chief called for "maximum restraint" in a border dispute that has claimed seven lives and displaced thousands.

The latest hostilities, which lasted for less than an hour, followed heavy fighting on Sunday after the collapse of a ceasefire agreed a day earlier in the wake of the worst clashes between the two neighbours in years.

Four days of violence have left five dead and 45 injured on the Cambodian side, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters, but declined to provide more details. Thailand has reported two deaths, including one civilian.

Phnom Penh said Thai artillery fire had damaged the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple at the centre of the stand-off and accused Thailand of wanting to occupy a disputed 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square-mile) surrounding area.


In New York, Ban Ki-moon's office said the UN chief was "deeply concerned" about the stand-off.

"The secretary-general appeals to both sides to put in place an effective arrangement for cessation of hostilities and to exercise maximum restraint," it said, in a call echoed by China and Singapore.

Hun Sen has called on the UN Security Council to hold an urgent meeting about what he described as "Thailand's aggression", warning that regional stability was at risk.

The outspoken strongman asked for UN troops to be sent to the area to create a "buffer zone" and said he would welcome help from allies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to resolve the dispute.

Both sides have accused each other of starting the fighting.

Marty Natalegawa, foreign minister of Indonesia -- the current ASEAN chair -- held talks with Hor Namhong in Phnom Penh Monday and said he hoped the situation could be "resolved peacefully through dialogue and negotiations".

"I'm not pessimistic," Marty told reporters after the meeting, adding that he would also visit Bangkok, which has dismissed intervention by the regional bloc as "unnecessary".

Sombo Manara, a history professor at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said long-standing disagreement over the countries' border was behind the dispute.

"I don't think that the conflict will end without intervention from a third party and clear demarcation (of the border) between the two countries," he said.

The violence has displaced thousands of people on both sides of the frontier.

"There was serious gunfire last night with shells dropping just behind my home," said Cambodian villager Tim Nga as he and his family arrived at a tent camp erected some 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of the Preah Vihear temple area.

In Thailand's eastern province Si Sa Ket, about 15,000 people spent the night at 38 temporary shelters and 23 schools near the border were told to close temporarily, according to provincial governor Somsak Suwansujarit.

It is unclear exactly what triggered the latest violence, but diplomatic frictions have grown since late December when seven Thais, including one lawmaker, were arrested by Cambodia near the border for illegal entry.

Two of them were sentenced to lengthy jail terms for spying, in a case that has caused outrage among nationalist Thais, who have held protests in Bangkok calling for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign.

Ties between the neighbours have been strained since Preah Vihear was granted UN World Heritage status in July 2008. Thailand and Cambodia have each accused the other of starting the ongoing clashes.

"Thailand does not invade any country. We protect our sovereignty," Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban told reporters.

"The army has reaffirmed that retaliation was conducted carefully and avoided the temple," he said.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear itself belonged to Cambodia, although its main entrance lies in Thailand.

Cambodia calls for UN support to end Thai border clashes over temple

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 08:48 AM PST

Prime Minister Hun Sen says a UN military 'buffer zone' is needed to prevent fighting after five deaths in four days

Monday 7 February 2011
Mark Tran
guardian.co.uk

Cambodia has asked for an urgent UN security council meeting after Thai and Cambodian troops clashed for a fourth consecutive day over a disputed border area at an 11th-century temple.

Several hours of shelling and machine-gun fire subsided on Monday morning as both sides blamed each other for hostilities which have killed at least five people since Friday.

A Cambodian government spokesman, Phay Siphan, said fighting broke out again after halting around midnight. There was no immediate comment from the Thai authorities, but an Associated Press reporter in the area said the sound of gunfire and artillery could be heard.

The Cambodian prime minister, Hun Sen, said the latest clash was sparked when Thai soldiers crossed the border in search of a dead comrade and Cambodians opened fire. Hun Sen, who has warned that the fighting poses a threat to regional stability, said: "We need the United Nations to send forces here and create a buffer zone to guarantee that there is no more fighting."


Hun Sen has sent a letter to the UN security council calling for an emergency meeting. Thailand's foreign ministry sent its own letter to the security council to formally protest against the "repeated and unprovoked armed attacks by Cambodian troops". In the past, Thailand has ruled out foreign involvement in its long-running dispute.

A statement from the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, on Sunday said he was "deeply concerned" by the fighting and urged both sides "to exercise maximum restraint".

Singapore's foreign ministry has called on the two neighbours to negotiate for their own sake and "the broader interests of Asean", the south-east Asian regional grouping.

The clashes have aroused nationalist passions in Thailand, ahead of elections scheduled for this year. The yellow-shirt faction, which helped bring the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to power in 2008, has been pressing him to take a tougher line against Cambodia.

Cambodian officials say a Thai artillery barrage on Sunday caused the partial collapse of the Preah Vihear temple, a UN world heritage site, but Thai officials have dismissed that account as propaganda. The international court of justice in 1962 awarded the temple to Cambodia, which uses a century-old French map as the basis for its territorial claims, but the ruling failed to determine ownership of the scrub next to it.

Built between the ninth and 11th centuries, Preah Vihear is dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva and revered partly for having one of the most stunning locations of all the temples constructed during the Khmer empire, the most famous of which is Angkor Wat. It sits on top of a 525-metre (1,700ft) cliff in the Dangrek mountains about 150 miles (240km) north of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

At UN on Thai - Cambodia, 2 Council Members Said to Want Meeting, Not ASEAN Deferral

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 08:45 AM PST

Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, calls and responses not shown
By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
Inner City Press

UNITED NATIONS, February 7 -- After Cambodia's prime minister Hun Sen wrote Sunday to the President of the UN Security Council, Brazil's Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, she made 14 calls to Council members and the Secretary General's office about the border skirmishes with Thailand.

The consensus on Sunday, Inner City Press is told by sources, was to have ASEAN deal with the conflict in the first instance, with Indonesia's foreign minister (and former UN ambassador) taking the lead.

On Monday morning, however, something change. With the issue set to be discussed in closed door consultations under Any Other Business, two countries are said to want there to be a formal meeting on Cambodia's requests, which now include a request for UN peacekeepers and a buffer zone.

Much discussed on Monday morning at the UN was the last time this border and temple dispute came to the Council, in 2008. Then, with fellow ASEAN member Viet Nam holding the Council presidency, pressure was brought to bear to keep the dispute at the national and regional level.

Finally, Viet Nam's Permanent Representative told Inner City Press, "Letter withdrawn.... problem disappear." But will that happen this time? Perhaps not. Watch this site.

 

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