Thailand and Cambodia border clashes

[CougarKing]

12pm there is 1am EDT

War in 1 hour? keep you updated

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodia's prime minister has issued an ultimatum to Thailand to withdraw its troops from a disputed border area by noon or face a "life-and-death battle zone."

Prime Minister Hun Sen's warning Tuesday came amid rising tensions over a disputed stretch of border near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

Hun Sen accuses Thai troops of advancing on a border area near the temple in an attempt to occupy Cambodian land.

Hun Sen warns that he has "set the timeline for them to withdraw by 12 o'clock." Noon in Cambodia is 1 a.m. EDT.

He says that he had ordered Cambodia's army chiefs to "take full responsibility over this area. It is a life-and-death- battle zone."

Cambodia issues ultimatum to Thailand to withdraw

 

[CougarKing]

And the Thais withdraw.

Cambodia: Thai troops retreat on ultimatum
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/13/cambodia.thailand.ap/index.html?iref=topnews

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- Thai troops retreated from a disputed border on Tuesday, according to a Cambodian army official, after Cambodia's prime minister issued a noon ultimatum to Thailand.

Cambodian army commander Brig. Gen. Yim Pin says all Thai troops have retreated and are about half a mile (1 kilometer) from the contested territory.

Yim Pin told the Associated Press that the "tense situation has now eased."

Prime Minister Hun Sen's warning to withdraw troops from a disputed border area or face a "life-and-death battle zone "came amid rising tensions over a stretch of border near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple. It has been a source of dispute between the two countries for decades.

Hun Sen accused Thai troops of advancing on a border area called Eagle Field near the temple in an attempt to occupy Cambodian land.

"They must withdraw," Hun Sen said. "I have set the timeline for them to withdraw by 12 o'clock." Noon in Cambodia is 0500 GMT.

"At any cost, we will not allow Thai troops to invade this area. I would like to be clear about this," Hun Sen said, adding that he had ordered Cambodia's army chiefs to "take full responsibility over this area. It is a life-and-death battle zone."

Don't Miss
Thai, Cambodian troops wounded in clash
Thailand's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said he had ordered the army to "take care of the situation so there is no violence."

"We do not object to redeployment so there is no confrontation," Somchai told reporters as he headed into Tuesday's weekly Cabinet meeting. However, he added that he was not aware of Hun Sen's deadline, and it was unclear whether any Thai troop withdrawal would be completed ahead of the deadline.

Both countries have long claimed Preah Vihear, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962. However, sovereignty over some of the land around the temple has not been clearly resolved.

Tensions flared July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N. agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have the Preah Vihear temple named a World Heritage Site. Both sides deployed troops to the border.

A brief gunfight broke out between the two sides early this month, with one Cambodian and two Thai soldiers wounded. Both sides claimed the other fired first and blamed each other for being on the wrong side of the border. Three days later, two Thai soldiers lost legs when they stepped on land mines in the area.

Hun Sen met Monday with Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat, but the meeting appeared to end without a resolution.

He said Monday, "We told them that if they do not stop (trespassing), armed clashes will break out."

There has been a limited troop withdrawal from the area since, and talks have been held several times to resolve the conflicting claims, but without much progress.

 

[CougarKing]

Sorry for posting this two days late, though of course the usual apathy is obvious here since this hasn't been posted yet here.

2 dead in Thai-Cambodia border clash
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20081016-166649/2-dead-in-Thai-Cambodia-border-clash

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 06:22:00 10/16/2008

PREAH VIHEAR -- Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire on the border on Wednesday in a clash over disputed land which left two soldiers dead and several wounded, officials said.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said two of his country's soldiers were killed and two wounded in the clashes, which erupted sporadically for more than two hours before tapering off.

Lieutenant General Wiboonsak Neeparn, the army commander for northeastern Thailand, said five Thai troops were wounded but later announced military talks in a bid to resolve the dispute.

Gunfights broke out in the afternoon in a number of small patches of disputed land just a few kilometers (miles) from the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, a UN World Heritage site on Cambodian territory.

Cambodia and Thailand have been sparring over the land since July and tensions mounted this week after talks on Monday failed and about 80 Thai troops entered a disputed area, enraging Cambodia.

After the fighting ended Wednesday, Cambodian and Thai officials traded barbs over who had started the violence.

"The gunfire between Cambodia and Thailand was in Cambodia's territory. Thai troops opened fire at our troops first," Hor Namhong told reporters, before issuing a statement to the media addressing the Thai government.
"Cambodia strongly protests against these repeated and very serious armed provocations by Thailand which would lead to large scale armed hostilities between the two countries," it said, announcing a complaint would be lodged with the UN Security Council.

Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said the situation along the border had returned to normal but added that Bangkok would lodge a complaint with Phnom Penh.

"We are not the ones who ignited the violence," Somchai told reporters but added that he was confident the tensions would be resolved.

Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat told AFP he was ready to issue the order for all Thais to be evacuated from Cambodia if need be.

A Cambodian army official said at least 10 Thai soldiers stationed in a disputed area had surrendered -- a claim denied by Wiboonsak.

Thai TV on Wednesday showed military trucks loaded with tanks heading toward the border and troops setting up mortars while the Thai air force spokesman said before the clashes erupted that fighter jets were on stand-by.

Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd, the Thai army spokesman, earlier confirmed there had been a reinforcement of troops by both Thailand and Cambodia but declined to say how many Thai soldiers were being readied.

The United States, meanwhile, urged both Thailand and Cambodia to show restraint and resolve differences "via political channels and political means."

UN chief Ban Ki-moon also urged the countries to resolve their differences peacefully.

"The secretary general is deeply concerned about the exchange of gunfire today along the Cambodia-Thailand border and the reported casualties," added a statement issued by his spokeswoman Michele Montas.

A meeting between both armies would be held on Thursday at 11am (0400GMT) in Thailand to discuss troop levels and weaponry, both sides confirmed.

The standoff between the neighbors first flared in July after Preah Vihear was awarded World Heritage status by the UN cultural body UNESCO, angering some Thai nationalists who still claim ownership of the site.

The situation quickly escalated into a military confrontation, with up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops facing off for six weeks, although both sides in August agreed to reduce troop numbers in the main disputed area.

Tensions flared again this week after failed talks on Monday aimed at cooling the months-long standoff.

The Cambodian-Thai border has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

 

[CougarKing]

Thai troops and their Scorpion tanks, APCS, etc.

 

[CougarKing]

And here are some Cambodian troops and their vehicles.

Look closely at the whole picture and tell me what stands out?

Aren't those M-35 US Army trucks (or even ex-ARVN ones?) behind to the left of those Soviet-era BRDMs?

Leftovers from the Vietnam War?

 

[tomahawk6]

Yes they are.
Anyway the Cambodian and Thai forces have been doing joint patrols to avoid further shooting incidents.

A Cambodian soldier (L), listens to a Thai soldier (R), as they patrol together at Cambodian, Thai border near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, 17 October 2008. The Cambodian and Thai militaries agreed Thursday to hold joint patrols to reduce tension at a disputed border area where a gun battle between Cambodian and Thai soldiers left two soldiers dead.

Cambodian (L) and Thai (R) military generals and top commanders hold talks at a pagoda near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, some 543 kilometers north of Phnom Penh on October 16, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia on October 16 agreed to introduce joint patrols in disputed areas along their border after deadly clashes between the two sides, a Thai army official said.

 

[CougarKing]

And here is a sudden re-escalation since that rise of tensions last year between the two neighbours.

Cambodia, Thailand exchange fire
Updated April 03, 2009 08:00 PM 


PHNOM PENH (AP) - 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 today 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.

 

[CougarKing]

Just more details, plus more file pictures of Thai troops with their new digicam and their Tavors for everyone's reference.

Agence France-Presse - 4/3/2009 1:11 PM GMT
Thailand, Cambodia in deadly border clashes
Thai and Cambodian troops fought heavy gun-battles on their disputed border Friday, leaving at least two soldiers dead in the biggest flare-up for months in a bitter feud over an ancient temple.

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

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.

One Thai soldier died at the site of the clash on Friday and another passed away in hospital later, while 10 others were injured, regional Thai military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Wichit Makarun said.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith initially announced that two soldiers from his country were killed, but later retracted the statement, saying it was an unofficial figure but without providing further details.

(...)

Tensions first flared along the border in July last year over the granting of UN heritage to the temple on the border, 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 on Monday and Tuesday in Phnom Penh.

Hun Sen and Abhisit are also scheduled to take part in a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and key regional partners in the Thai resort of Pattaya, starting on April 10.

Thai troops:

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Wonder if the Thai government is trying to distract people from internal strife? You would think they have enough fish to fry with the Islamic insurgency and the internal unrest.

 

[CougarKing]

Just more details and pictures from the developing situation.

Cambodia, Thai troops exchange fire
By: AFP
Published: 3/04/2009 at 10:30 AM
Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged gunfire briefly on Friday in a disputed area on their border, a Thai official said, raising tensions that erupted into a deadly clash last year.

The exchange of shots occurred about 7.10am after Cambodian soldiers went to investigate the area where a Thai soldier stepped on a landmine on Thursday and lost a leg,  Si Sa Ket governor Seni Chittakasem said.

"There is no report of loss (of life) on the Thai side and it's ended now,'' he said.

The trouble flared one kilometre inside the disputed territory, the governor said.

A Cambodian soldier stationed at the border said the gunfire had further raised tensions between troops, but disputed that Thai soldiers had fired any shots.

"A group of Thai soldiers this morning entered Cambodian territory and Cambodian troops opened fire,'' Yeim Kheang told AFP by telephone.

"The situation is now tense... the Thai troops did not fire back,'' he said.

Thailand's foreign ministry immediately accused Cambodia of violating its sovereignty and said it would be sending a note of protest to authorities in Phnom Penh.

"We had to retaliate because Cambodians opened fire at Thai soldiers first. We want to reiterate that this area is our territory,'' ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat told AFP.

There was no immediate comment from Cambodian authorities.

The landmine incident a day earlier had put Cambodian troops on "high alert'' he said, two days after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen warned Thailand there would be fighting if its troops crossed their disputed frontier.

Tensions over the long-disputed territory flared in July last year after the 11th century Preah Vihear temple at the border was granted Unesco World Heritage status. Troops clashed in the area in October and four soldiers died.

Subsequent talks between Cambodia and Thailand have not resolved the dispute.

The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/139454/troops-exchange-gunfire


Two Khmer soldiers killed in border clashes
By: AFP
Published: 3/04/2009 at 02:51 PM

Two Cambodian soldiers were killed in a gunfight with Thai troops on the disputed area near Preah Vihear temple, a Cambodian government spokesman said Friday afternoon.
   
"We are fighting with each other, it is serious gunfire. Two of our soldiers have been killed," Khieu Kanharith told AFP.

Cambodian and Thai authorities confirmed heavy gunfire had broken out about 2pm following a brief exchange of shots earlier in the day.

Cambodian commander Bun Thean told AFP that shots had been fired between troops in a number of spots near the ancient temple on the border, which has not been fully demarcated.

Thailand foreign ministry spokesman, Tharit Charungvat later confirmed the clash, but said fighting had since ended with no Thai casualties.

Tensions had been raised since an exchange of shots early in the morning after Cambodian soldiers went to investigate the spot where a Thai soldier stepped on a landmine on Thursday and lost his leg.

Thai and Cambodian government officials both accused the other of violating its sovereignty and of triggering the gunfire, which left no reported injuries.

Tensions flared along the border in July last year after the 11th century Khmer temple there was granted United Nations world heritage status. Soldiers clashed in the area in October, leaving four troops dead.

Cambodian troops said they were placed on "high alert" after the landmine incident, two days after their premier Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed their disputed frontier.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/139480/heavy-gunfire-reported-on-border

Gunfire on Thai-Cambodian border

There have been a number of clashes around the temple of Preah Vihear
Troops from Thailand and Cambodia have exchanged heavy gunfire in a disputed border area, officials say.

It was the second exchange of fire on Friday near the ancient temple of Preah Vihear, which has been the scene of sporadic clashes in recent months.

Officials could not confirm a report that two Cambodian soldiers had died.

A Cambodian spokesman said troops first opened fire when Thai soldiers entered their territory. A Thai official called it a "misunderstanding".

The BBC's Guy Delauney in Phnom Penh says the clashes come just days ahead of fresh talks between the two sides.

The Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Committee is expected to hold three days of talks over the dispute in the Cambodian resort town of Siem Reap, starting on Sunday.

Landmine injury

The first, brief exchange of fire took place early on Friday.

"The armed clash began when Thai soldiers entered Cambodian territory. We fired rockets at the Thai soldiers," Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan told Reuters news agency.


Seni Chittakasem, governor of Sisaket province in Thailand, said the incident happened inside the disputed area.

"There is no report of loss [of life] on the Thai side and it's ended now," AFP news agency quoted him as saying.

The fighting appeared to have started after a Thai patrol visited the site where a Thai soldier was injured after stepping on a landmine on 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.

The second exchange reportedly involved the use of artillery.

Cambodian authorities said they could not confirm reports of two soldiers being killed. Thailand denied it had taken any casualties.

An international court awarded Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962, but the land surrounding it remains the subject of rival territorial claims.

Soldiers from the two countries have been stationed in the area since tensions increased in July last year. Two Cambodian soldiers were killed at the site in October in a gun battle.

Last week, Cambodia accused Thai troops of crossing over briefly into its territory.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7980535.stm

PREAH VIHEAR
Thailand shuts tourist spots after fatal clashes
By: WASSANA NANUAM, THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL and PRASIT TANGPRASERT
Published: 4/04/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News
Thai authorities have closed indefinitely tourist spots near the Preah Vihear temple as Thai and Cambodian soldiers clashed twice in the vicinity on Friday, leaving two Thai and two Cambodian soldiers dead, and several injured.

Closed are Pha Mor E-Daeng cliff, the Khao Phra Viharn National Park and its gate to the Preah Vihear temple in Si Sa Ket province.

According to Maj Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon, deputy chief of the Second Army, the clashes followed a landmine explosion that blew off a Thai soldier's leg in Phu Ma Khua area a few kilometres west of Preah Vihear temple.

It lies in an area which both Cambodia and Thailand claims to be its own.

After the explosion, 30 Thai soldiers visited the area Friday morning to clear landmines.

Twenty-three Cambodian soldiers showed up and told the Thais to retreat, claiming it was Cambodian soil.

The Thais resisted, and both sides started to fight about 7am.

The clash lasted five minutes, and killed two Cambodian soldiers and injured nine.

A second round of shooting erupted about 2pm, in an area about two kilometres away.

Maj Gen Thawatchai says he assumes Cambodian troops came in search of revenge.

The second round of the gun battle lasted about half an hour, killed two Thai soldiers, injured seven, and also set ablaze a Cambodian market near the entrance to Preah Vihear temple.

Cambodia has deployed more than 3,000 soldiers at the ancient temple ruins and Thailand had slightly over 2,000 troops on Pha Mor E-Daeng cliff, according to some reports.

At the site of the deadly shooting, Phu Ma Khua, both sides left about 300 soldiers each to confront each other late on Friday.

Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon said the morning clash was an accident which could normally result from misunderstandings by low-ranking officers as the forces of both sides were located close to each other.

Army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda said the morning clash resulted from a misunderstanding and officers at the scene would have to work out measures to prevent it from recurring.

Initially, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said it was preparing to take serious action over the clashes but changed its mind in the evening when it acknowledged the incidents were caused by misunderstandings.

Spokesman Tharit Charungvat said army leaders of both sides have arranged to meet and the ministry would wait for the result.

The government will lodge a protest over the incident with Cambodia, according to the ministry.

The government reaffirmed Thailand's sovereignty over the area where the clashes took place. It called on the Cambodian side to avoid any use of force and to continue with negotiations under bilateral mechanisms.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/14506/thailand-shuts-tourist-spots-after-fatal-clashes

Thai Army chief: Thai-Cambodian border clashes caused by "misunderstanding"
www.chinaview.cn  2009-04-04 19:40:46

    BANGKOK, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Anupong Paochinda said Saturday clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers at the disputed border area on Friday resulted from "misunderstanding", according to Thai News Agency (TNA).

    Soldiers of each country stationed on the disputed border area thought that the other side intruded into their country's territory, said Anupong.

    Leaving Bangkok for a visit at a hospital in Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province where soldiers wounded in the border clashes are being treated, the Army Chief noted that Thailand would not use force to resolve the problem.

    He said preparation were under way for negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia, at the ministerial level as well as with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, to resolve the issue, according to the TNA report.

    However, senior army officers of both countries in the disputed area will play a significant role in finding ways to end the dispute, said Anupong.

    Thailand and Cambodia have earlier conducted a few round of negotiations which involved the militaries and foreign ministries from the two sides to solve the border dispute regarding areas around the ancient Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO world heritage site.

    The international court ruled the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia more than 40 years ago. But dispute about borders areas around the temple has remained a fuse in the Thai-Cambodian relationship.

    The issue became hot again after the Cambodia applied successfully for the temple to be listed as a world heritage site in July last year. Military deployment was enhanced and sporadic clashes were reported along the border.

    Not much progress has been made in the negotiations between two foreign ministers and two militaries except for a promise to act "restraint".

    Friday's new border clashes caused the deaths of two Thai soldiers and two Cambodian soldiers, and injuries of nine Thai soldiers.

    The number of Thai soldiers stationed in the area remains unchanged, even though plans to evacuate villagers living near the disputed area have been prepared, Anupong said.

Editor: Bi Mingxin 

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/04/content_11131528.htm


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thank http://www.daylife.com


Cambodian troops

Thai troops

Troops from both countries conversing

 

[CougarKing]

Add this one to the ever worsening relations between the two neighbors.

Cambodia, Thai recall ambassadors over Thaksin row
(philstar.com) Updated November 05, 2009 11:42 PM 


PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and Thailand have recalled their ambassadors from each other's country in a row over Cambodia naming ousted former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as a government adviser.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Council of Ministers Sok An announced on Thursday evening at a press conference that his government decided to call back its envoy in a reciprocal action.

Thailand recalled its ambassador Thursday afternoon, saying it considered the appointment of Thaksin to be an interference in its internal affairs. It also said it would review all of its agreements with Cambodia.

Thailand Ambassador to Cambodia Prasas Prasavinitchai left here on Thursday night, and Cambodia's Ambassador to Thailand You Ay will return home on Friday, Sok An said at the press conference.

"The move we took is a response to Thai's recall of its Ambassador to Cambodia," Sok An said, adding that "we appointed Thaksin as our government's adviser is Cambodia's internal affairs and conforms to international practice."

Sok An said that it was withdrawing its envoy from Bangkok as a "temporary measure" until Thailand sent its envoy back to Phnom Penh.

Meanwhile, Sok An said the recalls between the two countries would not affect trade or raise tensions along the border.

At the same time, Royal Combodian Armed Forces (RCAF)'s Deputy Commander-in-Chief Chea Dara, who heads RCAF operations at Preah Vihear area, said on Thursday that the situation was calm on the border but the military will remain on high alert around the disputed temple, where the two countries last fought in April, to defend "our every inch of territory."

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is now in Japan to attend the first Mekong-Japan Summit from Nov. 6 to 7, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan.

The Cambodian government announced on Wednesday that former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was officially appointed as adviser of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Royal Government of Cambodia by King Norodom Sihamoni. Moreover, the Cambodian government will not allow to extradite the ex-Thai premier.

Also, the Thai government said that it is ready to demand of revising bilateral agreements, which have been agreed by the two countries, Thai News Agency reported.

The Thai government's movement is based on diplomatic principle, which does not intend for any violence to occur between the two neighboring countries, the report said.

Ties between Cambodia and Thailand have been difficult since July 2008 amid an ongoing border conflict over land surrounding an 11th century temple, which has claimed several lives. The withdrawal of ambassadors was the most severe diplomatic actions thus far in ongoing tensions between the two countries which will only result in further worsening of the relations between them.

Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in September 2006, in accusation of corruption, and has been kept in exile since then.

He returned to Thailand in February 2008 to face corruption charges, but he later fled into exile again and was convicted in absentia.

 

 

[CougarKing]

An update:

Thai and Cambodian troops in deadly clash near temple

Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, authorities said, the latest flare-up in an ancient feud over territory surrounding a 900-year-old Hindu temple.

Cambodian police said two Cambodian soldiers had been killed and two wounded, the first fatalities in the militarised border area since a Thai soldier was shot dead on January 31 last year. Thai media said two or three Thai soldiers had been wounded.

Shelling began at about 8 a.m. British time and continued into early evening, military officials and witnesses said. Artillery shells landed at Huay Thip village on the Thai side but there were no reports Thai fatalities, a witness said.

Five Thai soldiers had been captured, said army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd.

"There is sporadic shelling but details are very sketchy at this point," said another Thai army official.

The clash comes three days after a Cambodian court handed down jail terms of six and eight years to two Thai nationalists found guilty of trespassing and spying in the border region, a verdict that has angered some in Thailand.

link

 

[CougarKing]

Another update:

link

UN urges Cambodia-Thailand cease-fire, but will it happen?
The clashes between Cambodia and Thailand in the past month have killed at least eight, displaced thousands, and damaged the World Heritage-listed Preah Vihear temple. The UN says it must stop.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The UN Security Council has called on Thailand and Cambodia to show “maximum restraint” in a deadly border dispute. But the UN statement will likely do little to resolve tensions between the two countries, which recently clashed violently and have been trading rhetorical barbs while ramping up their military presence along disputed sections of the border.

Why Thai-Cambodian temple dispute lingers

The conflict centers around Preah Vihear temple, an 11th-century structure near a piece of land claimed by both countries. But the conflict highlights tension along other sections of the border.

A Cambodian court recently convicted two Thai leaders of the “Yellow Shirt” protest movement on espionage charges, and handed out suspended sentences for “illegal entry” to five others who were later released. The group crossed into Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey Province while “investigating” demarcation at a contentious section of the border with troops massed on both sides.

Local media here reported Tuesday that families are fleeing coastal villages in Koh Kong province, where it is rumored that the Thai Navy is deploying ships around a disputed, oil-rich marine section of the border. Military and government officials said they had no evidence of a naval buildup.

International mediation?

Cambodia has sought international mediation, asking for a meeting with the Security Council and even calling for the deployment of UN peacekeepers, while Thailand favors bilateral negotiations. The Security Council statement appears to support Thailand’s position, which is likely to frustrate Cambodian authorities.

“The members of the Security Council further urged the parties to establish a permanent cease-fire, and to implement it fully and resolve the situation peacefully and through effective dialogue,” said a statement, released after foreign ministers from both countries addressed the Council on Feb. 14.

IN PICTURES: Preah Vihear temple battle

Thai state media quoted Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Veijajiva saying that the statement “shows that the international community wants both sides to use bilateral talks to end the conflict.”

But Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesman Koy Kuong said such talks have so far failed.

“The reason we made a submission to the Security Council is that the bilateral approach doesn’t work,” he said in an interview. “We have used the bilateral mechanism for three years. The result of it is aggressive clashes.”

Simmering conflict
The conflict has simmered for decades and occasionally exploded into violence, most recently when soldiers exchanged heavy artillery and small arms fire in a series of battles between Feb. 4, and Feb. 7. Thai and Cambodian soldiers and civilians were killed and injured, while the fighting displaced thousands of families on both sides of the border.

The locus of the dispute is a piece of land less than 5 square kilometers at the foot of the temple. The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple itself was in Cambodia, but left ownership of the land at the foot of the temple unresolved. Thailand has repeatedly indicated that it accepts the court’s ruling.

But nationalists have accused their government of ceding Thai land to Cambodia, and the temple has become a focal point for anger during times of political instability in Thailand. On Monday, for example, nationalist protesters rallied in Bangkok, calling for Abhisit to step down over his handling of the border dispute.

Many analysts say domestic Thai politics are the root of the border conflict. A nationalist section of the Yellow Shirt movement that helped bring Abhisit to power now wants him gone. For his part, Abhisit has sought to distance himself from the more radical elements of the movement in a bid to gain international support. But those factions have successfully played upon nationalist public sentiment to attack him. Preah Vihear is the key plank in their platform, and it will continue to be as long as Thailand is in political turmoil.

Despite the UN Security Council’s wishes that Thailand and Cambodia settle their differences through dialogue, political turmoil in Thailand shows no signs of abating soon.

Meanwhile, both countries have massed troops and military equipment along the border. With Thailand and Cambodia facing off on military and diplomatic fronts, the dispute is more likely to continue as it has for decades, periodically claiming lives on either side of the border.

Thai military massing troops and materiel near disputed border 

 

[VIChris]

First off, I must admit near complete ignorance of the details of this dispute before what I've read in this article. I do find it odd, then, that it is Cambodia asking for UN SC mediation, as opposed to the Thais. I always thought of Cambodia as being more of a belligerent state. Again, I haven't read much about the workings of Cambodia since the Pol Pot era.