Thai-Cambodia border meeting starts

BANGKOK, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A special meeting of Thai-Cambodia General Border Committee (GBC) to defuse conflicts over disputed border area of Preah Vihear Temple started in Thailand's Sa Kaew Province on Monday.

Thai side is represented by Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit while the Cambodian side by Defense Minister Gen. Tea Banh.

Earlier, Weewalit Jornsamrit, Second Army Area Deputy Commander of Thailand, said that both sides agreed to suspend military movements that may cause further tension, but the military officials would remain stationed at strategic points pending the result of the GBC meeting.

On Monday, Boonsang declined to give comments to reporters prior to his departure for the talks.

Despite commitment to a peaceful resolution of the standoff, Thailand now has some 1,500 military personnel and border patrol police officers, reinforcing security on roads in Soi Dao and PongNam Ron districts, bordering Cambodia, the state-run Thai News Agency reported.

Police checkpoints were also set up to conduct search on vehicles passing through the area, while more troops were in placeat border passes around the clock.

Boonsang was assigned by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to lead the Thai delegation to Monday's GBC meeting.

Boonsang said earlier he could not say whether the Thai troops stationed near Preah Vihear will be withdrawn as requested by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last week in a diplomatic note sent to his Thai counterpart.

"It is better to wait for the outcome of the meeting first," Boonsang said, noting that "the Thai military will not employ violence to solve this problem."

Instead, the military would use peaceful means in solving the border crisis, he said.

The military standoff between Cambodia and Thailand entered into its

Thai-Cambodia border meeting starts

BANGKOK, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A special meeting of Thai-Cambodia General Border Committee (GBC) to defuse conflicts over disputed border area of Preah Vihear Temple started in Thailand's Sa Kaew Province on Monday.

Thai side is represented by Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit while the Cambodian side by Defense Minister Gen. Tea Banh.

Earlier, Weewalit Jornsamrit, Second Army Area Deputy Commander of Thailand, said that both sides agreed to suspend military movements that may cause further tension, but the military officials would remain stationed at strategic points pending the result of the GBC meeting.

On Monday, Boonsang declined to give comments to reporters prior to his departure for the talks.

Despite commitment to a peaceful resolution of the standoff, Thailand now has some 1,500 military personnel and border patrol police officers, reinforcing security on roads in Soi Dao and PongNam Ron districts, bordering Cambodia, the state-run Thai News Agency reported.

Police checkpoints were also set up to conduct search on vehicles passing through the area, while more troops were in placeat border passes around the clock.

Boonsang was assigned by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to lead the Thai delegation to Monday's GBC meeting.

Boonsang said earlier he could not say whether the Thai troops stationed near Preah Vihear will be withdrawn as requested by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last week in a diplomatic note sent to his Thai counterpart.

"It is better to wait for the outcome of the meeting first," Boonsang said, noting that "the Thai military will not employ violence to solve this problem."

Instead, the military would use peaceful means in solving the border crisis, he said.

The military standoff between Cambodia and Thailand entered into its seventh day on Monday. Both countries historically laid claim to the 11th century temple, which now sits on Cambodian soil following the action of the International Court of Justice which awarded the ancient temple to Cambodia in 1962.

However, the temple can practicably only be accessed from Thailand. The exact demarcation of the border around the ruins remains in contention.

The security situation around the temple deteriorated after three Thais, including a Buddhist monk, were briefly detained by Cambodian soldiers after surreptitiously crossing into the disputed border area on Tuesday. The trio were released the same day but refused to leave the 4.6 square kilometers disputed area adjoining the temple complex.

Thailand first issued a warning that travel to the vicinity of the temple be avoided, but later closed off access altogether within 10 km of the temple.

seventh day on Monday. Both countries historically laid claim to the 11th century temple, which now sits on Cambodian soil following the action of the International Court of Justice which awarded the ancient temple to Cambodia in 1962.

However, the temple can practicably only be accessed from Thailand. The exact demarcation of the border around the ruins remains in contention.

The security situation around the temple deteriorated after three Thais, including a Buddhist monk, were briefly detained by Cambodian soldiers after surreptitiously crossing into the disputed border area on Tuesday. The trio were released the same day but refused to leave the 4.6 square kilometers disputed area adjoining the temple complex.

Thailand first issued a warning that travel to the vicinity of the temple be avoided, but later closed off access altogether within 10 km of the temple.

Amber Yao

Cambodia informs UN Security Council on alleged Thai incursion

Cambodia has informed the UN Security Council that Thai forces have violated its territory near an ancient World Heritage Site temple where hundreds of troops continued to face off Sunday.

Cambodia's permanent mission in New York submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border," Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said.

"Cambodia is not asking for UN intervention. We still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides," the minister told reporters in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. It was unclear when the letter was submitted. The conflict over territory surrounding Preah Vihear temple escalated when UNESCO recently approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Thai activists fear the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land since the border has never been demarcated.

Troops from the opposing forces were on the brink of a shoot-out Thursday night, which was avoided when Cambodians retreated from a site occupied by the Thais. Opposing commanders and their troops have tried to defuse tensions, sometimes even sharing meals, snapping photographs and sleeping within easy sight of one another.

A Cambodian general, meanwhile, said he had little hope that upcoming talks between his government and Thailand will resolve the tense border dispute. Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said Thai troops have deployed an artillery piece about half a mile (one kilometer) northeast of Preah Vihear temple - the latest escalation ahead of Monday's meeting aimed at averting a military confrontation. "Regarding the talks tomorrow, we have little hope about the outcome," Chea Keo said. He said the reason for his pessimism stems from a recent counterclaim by Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej that the area around a Buddhist pagoda near the historic temple belongs to Thailand. Thai troops have been stationed at the pagoda since Tuesday.

Hun Sen wrote a letter to Samak on Thursday saying relations had been "worsening" since Thai troops "encroached on our territory," and asked him to pull them back. Responding to his Cambodian counterpart, Samak said the area around the pagoda referred to in the letter "is within the Thai territory," according to a statement Saturday from the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


21 July 2008, Monday
PREAH VIHEAR AP

Air Force ready to fly out Thais in Cambodia if tension flares up

BANGKOK, THURS:

The Royal Thai Air Force aircraft are ready and standby to fly out Thai nationals living in Cambodia if tensions flare over the disputed Thai-Cambodian border at the ancient Preah Vihear temple, Thai Air Chief Chalit Phukbhasuk said Thursday.

“If the situation worsens, the Air Force can assist on a 24- hour basis and can lift out Thai nationals to repatriate them within one hour. Officials are now well prepared for the operation,

“ Chalit was quoted by the state-run Thailand News Agency (TNA) as saying. He said concerned Thai security officials — including Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej who also serves as defense minister, military commanders, the supreme commander and the permanent secretary for defense — have conducted an ongoing discussion on ways to defuse the tensions.

He said Thais should refrain from intruding into the disputed area because it is dangerous. ACM Chalit’s remarks were made following reports that both Thailand and Cambodia had reinforced their troops at and near the competing claims to the approaches to the historic Preah Vihear temple, listed by UNESCO earlier this month as a World Heritage Site. Both countries historically laid claim to the 11th century temple, which now sits on Cambodian soil following the action of the International Court of Justice which awarded the ancient temple to Cambodia in 1962. However, the temple can practicably only be accessed from Thailand.

However, the exact demarcation of the border around the ruins remains in contention. The security situation around the temple deteriorated after three Thais, including a Buddhist monk, were briefly detained by Cambodian soldiers after surreptitiously crossing into the disputed border area on Tuesday.
The trio were released the same day but refused to leave the 4.6 square kilometer disputed area adjoining the temple complex. Thailand first issued a warning that travel to the vicinity of the temple be avoided, but later closed off access altogether within 10 kilometers of the temple.

BERNAMA

Cambodia, Thailand deploy more troops

Pic: A Cambodian soldier holds a B40 rocket as he guards at Preah Vihear temple in...

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia - Cambodia and Thailand sent more troops Thursday to their disputed border region surrounding an 11th century temple — despite agreeing to hold talks next week to avoid military action.

The standoff — now in its third day — is the latest escalation in a long-standing conflict over land that surrounds Preah Vihear temple, which is similar in style to the more famous Angkor Wat in northeastern Cambodia.

The confrontation came to a head last week when UNESCO approved Cambodia's application for World Heritage Site status for Preah Vihear. Protesters in Thailand have decried their government's decision to endorse the application, saying it undermines Thai claims to the territory.

They have also accused Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej of bypassing Parliament and backing the UNESCO application in exchange for business contracts for the cronies of toppled Prime Minister Thaksin Sinawatra. The Constitutional Court has ruled in the protesters' favor.

To some extent, the demonstrators appear to be playing to nationalist sentiment to gain support for their larger goal of unseating Samak, whom they accuse of being a proxy for Thaksin.

The border standoff began after three of the protesters crossed into Cambodia on Tuesday to visit the temple and were briefly detained.

Soon afterward, Thai troops deployed to the border. The army has been tightlipped about reasons behind the troop movements, saying only that it is protecting Thai sovereignty, though it's unclear why it thought it was threatened.

Cambodia has accused the Thai troops of crossing into its territory, but Thailand has publicly maintained otherwise.

However, a senior Thai military official acknowledged Wednesday that the troops are on "disputed" ground. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the situation.

The two countries' defense ministers are to meet next Monday to ease tensions. More than 400 Thai troops — up from 200 on Wednesday — are now facing down 800 Cambodian soldiers — up from 380 — Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said.

The only clashes so far have been between Thai protesters and Thai villagers who resent their lands becoming ground-zero for a political battle.

One such clash took place Thursday about five miles from the temple in Sisaket Province, and about 10 people were injured, said Sisaket Governor Seni Jitkasem.

"It was a chaotic scene. People were beating one another with flag poles and kicking and punching," Seni said. "But the situation is now under control."

Earlier, hundreds of villagers blocked the anti-government protesters from marching to Preah Vihear, some shouting for them to "go home" and stop fomenting trouble. Police stood by a barricade blocking the road to the temple.

"We are Thais. We should be able to talk about this" to settle any differences, villager Ubondej Panthep said. "We don't want to provoke anyone to start shooting."

One protest leader, Pramoj Hoimook, said Cambodians have settled on Thai soil "and we want to correct that."

Samak condemned the Thai protesters for "trying to ignite a conflict." But he has not said anything about why the troops moved to the border.

"Now the troops on both sides are confronting each other. What madness is this? There are people who want to provoke this," Samak told reporters, referring to the anti-government protesters.

Most of the 900 Cambodian villagers living nearby fled their homes when the confrontation began Tuesday. However, some Cambodian and foreign tourists risked possible harm Thursday by visiting the temple. One of them was Liz Shura from New York City.

"It's a little frightening for me, but I don't think I am actually in danger," Shura told an Associated Press reporter, discounting the possibility of violence.

By SOPHENG CHEANG, Associated Press Writer