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Pullback approved
Cambodia Date: Wednesday 06 August 2008
(BangkokPost.com, with Agency reports)
The cabinet on Tuesday endorsed a Thai military withdrawal from the front lines at Preah Vihear temple, as Cambodia demanded that Thai forces also pull back from Ta Moan Thom temple in Surin province.
The cabinet meeting only rubber-stamped an agreement between Cambodia and Thailand to pull back from their confrontation at the disputed area around Preah Vihear. It did not mention specific numbers or dates for the withdrawal.
Cambodia has demanded Thailand "go first" in stepping back at Preah Vihear, where even an accident could trigger military action by about 1,000 troops on each side. On Tuesday, it also demanded that Thai forces get away from the second temple, Ta Moan Thom, where there has been no change in military deployment in several years.
But the two countries did manage to agree in diplomatic discussions not to dispatch new troops into the area in order to ease tensions along the border.
Official Thai News Agency reported the agreement was reached following a closed-door, 30-minute meeting between Maj-Gen Kanok Netrakawesana, commander of Suranaree Task Force, and San Wanna, deputy governor of Cambodia's Uddor Meanchey province, at the Task Force headquarters in Kap Choeng border district of Surin province.
Government spokesman Wichainchot Sukchotrat said the cabinet had backed the joint withdrawal at Preah Vihear, but added that details would be discussed later by Cambodian and Thai military officials.
"The adjustment will be made in appropriate numbers in order to lower tension. Enough troops will be left to protect our sovereignty and integrity," he told a press conference.
After military officials agree on the details, the foreign ministers will meet on Aug 18 and 19 at Hua Hin, an army officer said. It was not clear there would be such a meeting, however. Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said on Monday there would be new talks with Thailand until a new government takes office in Phnom Penh following elections last month.
The Preah Vihear feud got even hotter on Sunday as Cambodian politicians stoked the increasingly nasty anti-Thai feelings in the country. They alleged Thai troops were occupying the second temple, 130 kilometres west of Preah Vihear and not involved in the original dispute.
Army commander Anupong Paojindasaid insisted on Tuesday that the temple and Thai troops are within "Thai territory."
Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh, however, said the temple "is clearly under our sovereignty, and we have to demand it back."
"Our position is to try to talk to them (Thai troops) and get them to withdraw to where they came from," Cambodia's Tea Banh told reporters.
About 50 Cambodian soldiers have long been stationed near the Thai troops at Ta Moan Thom, with another 200 deployed about 300 metres from the temple site. The 13th century temple was built during the Khmer Empier as a rest stop for travellers between Angkor Wat and towns which today are in the Northeast region of Thailand.
Lt Gen Niphat Thonglek, chief of the Border Affairs Department, said Tuesday that Cambodian troops had long been allowed at Ta Moan Thom because they came in small groups and were unarmed.
"Over the weekend, about 40 to 50 of them came and they were armed, so the Thai troops did not allow them in," he said.
PREAH VIHEAR STANDOFF
Cambodia Date: Wednesday 06 August 2008
Tej: Let army negotiate redeployment
WASSANA NANUAM
Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag yesterday proposed the military be authorised to discuss with Cambodia the reduction in the number of soldiers deployed in the Preah Vihear standoff, said a source at Government House. However, the source said Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told the cabinet meeting yesterday he preferred the term ''redeployment'' to partial withdrawal of troops.
The source added that troop reduction was proposed to ease tensions between the countries.
In his one-page report to the cabinet, Mr Tej also suggested that the troop readjustment be made before the third week of August, when the foreign affairs ministers of the two countries are to meet again to discuss the border dispute.
He said the Thai military should maintain as many soldiers as necessary to protect Thai sovereignty and to ease tensions at Wat Keo Sikha Kiri Svara and the area around the Preah Vihear temple.
Mr Tej's report follows his meeting with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong last week in Siem Reap.
The source said Mr Samak told the cabinet that care was needed in the wording used by Thailand in suggesting the troop readjustment, so as not to further aggravate the border dispute.
He also insisted that any readjustment of troops should be carried out simultaneously by both sides.
Meanwhile, army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda maintained yesterday that the Ta Moan Thom temple is located on Thai soil and Thai soldiers have been guarding the area for years.
He said the army has urged Cambodian authorities not to send troops into the area, as it would create tensions unnecessarily and disrupt ongoing border demarcation activities.
Gen Anupong said the situation at Ta Moan Thom was under control.
He declined to comment on speculation that Cambodia tried to further complicate border conflicts with Thailand in the wake of the Preah Vihear row.
''It is a sensitive matter. I am a security officer and not in a position to criticise. But we have been trying to prevent any confrontations and to promote understanding,'' he said.
The Ta Moan Thom temple came into the spotlight after Thailand barred Cambodian troops from visiting the area last weekend.
Army deputy spokeswoman Col Sirichan Nga-thong said the presence of Thai soldiers at Ta Moan Thom is routine and operations are limited to within accepted Thai territory.
She also said army activities in the area are carried out to protect Thai sovereignty and to sustain bilateral relations between the two countries.
Cambodia demands Thai troops pull back
By KER MUNTHIT,Associated Press Writer AP
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodia demanded on Tuesday that Thailand pull its troops back from a second temple site along their border, the latest in a series of territorial claims and counterclaims that have prompted armed tensions between the Asian neighbors.
The dispute surrounding the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple started when Cambodian officials said some 70 Thai soldiers started occupying the temple site last week and prevented Cambodian troops from entering. Thai military officials countered that their troops had been in the area for years.
Thai army commander Gen. Anupong Paojindasaid said Tuesday the temple is within "Thai territory."
Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh, however, said the temple "is clearly under our sovereignty, and we have to demand it back."
"Our position is to try to talk to them (Thai troops) and get them to withdraw to where they came from," Cambodia's Tea Banh told reporters Tuesday.
Cambodian Maj. Ho Bunthy, an army commander in the area, said Tuesday about 50 Cambodian soldiers were stationed near the Thai troops and another 200 deployed about 330 yards (300 meters) from the temple site.
Thailand's Lt. Gen. Niphat Thonglek, chief of the Border Affairs Department, said Tuesday the Cambodian troops were normally allowed to enter the site because they usually came in small groups and they were unarmed.
"Over the weekend, about 40 to 50 of them came and they were armed, so the Thai troops did not allow them in," said Niphat.
Ta Moan Thom temple was built in the 13th century as a rest house along a road linking the ancient city of Angkor with what is currently northeastern Thailand, said Chuch Phoeun of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture.
It is located several hundred miles (kilometers) west of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, where Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been locked in a standoff for three weeks in a dispute over nearby land.
That dispute erupted last month near the Hindu-style Preah Vihear when UNESCO approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had backed the bid, sparking anti-government demonstrations by Thais near the temple. Thailand then sent troops to the border area.
Thai government critics say the temple's new status will jeopardize their country's claims to land adjacent to the site.
About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand remain at a pagoda near the temple complex, despite a tentative agreement reached by foreign ministers last week to redeploy them in an effort to ease tensions.
Anupong, the Thai army chief, said the Thai troops were waiting for orders from the government.
Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said new talks with Thailand will have to wait until after a new government takes office in Phnom Penh following elections last month.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear to Cambodia. The decision still rankles many Thais even though the temple is culturally Cambodian, sharing the Hindu-influenced style of the more famous Angkor complex.
Although it is not as well known as the Angkor or Preah Vihear temples, Ta Moan Thom is another of the architectural wonders of the ancient Khmer empire.
Tempers flare over Thai move on additional disputed sites
| Troops at two more temples |
| Written by Sambath Teth | |
| Tuesday, 05 August 2008 | |
 Heng Chivoan Khmer soldiers squat at roadside, 100 metres south of the Preah Vihear temple. The latest flare-up focuses on two small temples about 600 metres apart, perched on the ridge of the Dangrek Mountain. One, Ta Moan Thom, is located on the Cambodian side of the border and was - until the Thais moved in on July 27 - under Cambodian control. The other, Ta Moan Touch, has been under Thai control since 2001, although remains on Cambodian land, officials maintain. "The two temples are in Cambodian territory," Var Kimhong, chairman of Joint Border Committee (JBC), said on Monday. On Sunday, over 500 Cambodian soldiers from Brigade 42 were deployed to Ta Moan Thom. "Our armed forces were sent to the temple but Thai soldiers blocked access," said Pov Heng, deputy commander of Military Region 4. "We are negotiating with Thai side first before we advance on the temple because we do not want fire fights to erupt," Pov Heng added. "It is another invasion," Phay Siphan, Council of Ministers spokesperson, told the Post, referring to the Thai troops's July 27 occupation of Ta Moan Thom. High-level meetings between the neighboring countries' respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs will be convened again next week, he added. Ho Bunthy, deputy commander of Border Military Unit 42, told the Post Monday, "We are waiting for orders to go into the temple and reclaim it." Thailand renovated Ta Moan Touch and seized control of it in 2001, and was trying to renovate Ta Moan Thom. The JBC intervened to stop the work as the border demarcation process in the area was not complete, Var Kimhong said. Although he conceded that Thailand had governed Ta Moan Touch for years, he said the temple was still Cambodian and when the border demarcation was completed it would be returned to Cambodia. |
Dissident politicians risk losing their seats in parliament if they refuse to attend the NA’s swearing in ceremony next month, govt warns
| Tuesday, 05 August 2008 | |
| Written by Vong Sokheng and Cheang Sokha  Heng Chivoan Sam Rainsy protests the deletion of voters’ names from the election registration rolls. “A boycott will cause political deadlock regarding the formation of the new National Assembly,” said Monh Saphan, a parliamentarian with Funcinpec, the former coalition government partner of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). But others, including the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), headed by one-time Funcinpec president Prince Norodom Ranariddh, said a boycott was the most effective way to protest alleged vote-rigging in the July 27 general election. “We will use our one voice to boycott the ceremony,” said NRP spokesman Muth Chantha on Monday. “We are all sitting in one boat and will row it together.” Minister of Information and CPP spokesman Khieu Kanharith said any parliamentarian not at the September 24 swearing in would be stripped of his or her seat. The vacant seats would be divided among the parties that did attend, he said, adding that “the CPP stands to gain 15 more seats. The constitution requires that at least 120 of the Assembly’s 123 seats are filled for the first session. SRP lawmaker Yim Sovann said the opposition was collecting evidence of vote fraud to take to election officials. |
Ta Moan Thom temple new border flashpoint
BANGKOK POST AND AGENCIES
Boonsrang: Foreign troops turned back
The army has informed its Cambodian counterpart of the Thai position, Gen Boonsrang said, adding that if Cambodian soldiers come to the area, they will be pushed back.
Lt-Gen Niphat Thonglek, chief of the Border Affairs Department, said Cambodian troops would be barred from entering the area, as Thailand and Cambodia have not settled the dispute over land surrounding the Preah Vihear temple.
A plan to reduce the number of Thai soldiers in the overlapping zone between Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket and Cambodia's Preah Vihear province will be tabled during a cabinet meeting today.
The agreement was reached in the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting in Siem Reap on July 28 by Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong. The two countries also agreed to hold more talks to settle the dispute.
But Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said further talks between their foreign ministers will not take place until Cambodia forms a new government in late September.
"There will be no more meetings until the new government is formed," he said in Phnom Penh.
The Ta Moan Thom temple was thrust into the spotlight on Sunday when Cambodia accused Thai troops of staying in the area it claimed to be part of Cambodian soil.
It is part of a group of the Ta Moan temples in the same area. Two other temples in the group are located on Thai soil, outside the disputed area.
 |
The Cambodian complaint came after its soldiers were barred from visiting the temple on Saturday.
Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said Cambodian soldiers and civilians were usually allowed to enter the Ta Moan Thom ruins for religious ceremonies, but over the weekend Thai soldiers blocked their way.
"They did not allow our troops to enter. That's why the dispute arose," he said. "Now we want the troops to stay where they are for a while."
Gen Tea Banh, confirming the Cambodian troops were still stationed nearby, said the two sides were "working on this issue".
After the weekend more border rangers from the Suranaree Task Force were mobilised to guard the temple and nearby historical sites.
A border ranger said there was no tension between Thai and Cambodian troops near the area, and discussions were conducted in a friendly manner.
Task force commander Maj-Gen Kanok Netrakawesana said Thai soldiers have been stationed around the temple for years.
The temple is in another location which has not been demarcated. Officials of the two countries had already surveyed the area to gather evidence for the JBC to decide where the borderline should be.
Cambodian Senior Minister Var Kimhong, who is in charge of border issues, said there was no legal doubt Ta Moan Thom was Cambodian. But Thailand is equally confident it is in Phanom Dong Rak district in Surin, opposite Oddar Meanchey province in Cambodia.
Fine Arts Department chief Kriengkrai Sampatchalit insisted the department has long taken care of the temple as Thailand's national heritage, while Cambodia has never shown an interest in maintaining the site.
The department registered Ta Moan Thom as a national heritage site years ago. Phnom Penh has never opposed the registration, the official added.
Mr Kriengkrai said demarcation in the area by the Thai-Cambodian panel would settle the dispute.
Historian Thepmontri Limpapayom said Ta Moan Thom belonged to Thailand, and he believed the new dispute over the temple was a ploy by Phnom Penh to divert Thailand's attention from the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple.
Historian M.L. Walwipa Charoonroj of Thammasat University said academics had warned government agencies that the Ta Moan Thom temple could be the subject of a serious dispute.
Monday, August 4, 2008
New temple uproar
Phnom Penh - Reports that a second sacred temple on the Thai- Cambodian border has been occupied by Thai troops has drawn an angry reaction from the public, Cambodian media reported Sunday.
Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag said no troops have moved into the area.
Ta Muen Thom temple, at the border of Surin province and Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey, has been manned by Thai troops for more than five years, the chairman of the government's border committee, Var Kimhong, told locally broadcast Radio France Internationale (RFI).
However the nation's largest selling newspaper, Rasmei Kampuchea, as well as the French-funded RFI and US-funded Radio Free Asia began running reports of its alleged occupation Sunday.
Kimhong said there was no legal doubt Ta Muen Thom was Cambodian.
Public outrage has grown steadily since areas around Preah Vihear temple, which Cambodia says are sovereign and Thailand says are disputed, were occupied by Thai troops on July 15, days after it was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site against Thai wishes.
At a press conference held just before national elections last month, Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith declined to answer a question on whether troop build-ups had also occurred on the Thai border with Banteay Meanchey.
The Cambodian government has tried to dampen the nationalist sentiment sweeping the country and urged the public to allow bilateral diplomacy to work, or, failing that, UN mediation.
In 2003 an angry mob torched the Thai embassy and several businesses over a false story a Thai actress had claimed the nation's icon, Angkor Wat temple, was Thai - a serious setback for trade and diplomatic relations.
Claims published in the Thai media accusing Cambodia's First Lady Bun Rany, wife of Prime Minister Hun Sen, of leading a black magic ritual when she hosted a Buddhist ceremony attended by more than 1,000 people at Preah Vihear Friday have not helped.
To be accused of sorcery is regarded as a terrible insult by Cambodians, who regularly kill those accused of it. (dpa)
Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag said no troops have moved into the area.
Ta Muen Thom temple, at the border of Surin province and Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey, has been manned by Thai troops for more than five years, the chairman of the government's border committee, Var Kimhong, told locally broadcast Radio France Internationale (RFI).
However the nation's largest selling newspaper, Rasmei Kampuchea, as well as the French-funded RFI and US-funded Radio Free Asia began running reports of its alleged occupation Sunday.
Kimhong said there was no legal doubt Ta Muen Thom was Cambodian.
Public outrage has grown steadily since areas around Preah Vihear temple, which Cambodia says are sovereign and Thailand says are disputed, were occupied by Thai troops on July 15, days after it was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site against Thai wishes.
At a press conference held just before national elections last month, Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith declined to answer a question on whether troop build-ups had also occurred on the Thai border with Banteay Meanchey.
The Cambodian government has tried to dampen the nationalist sentiment sweeping the country and urged the public to allow bilateral diplomacy to work, or, failing that, UN mediation.
In 2003 an angry mob torched the Thai embassy and several businesses over a false story a Thai actress had claimed the nation's icon, Angkor Wat temple, was Thai - a serious setback for trade and diplomatic relations.
Claims published in the Thai media accusing Cambodia's First Lady Bun Rany, wife of Prime Minister Hun Sen, of leading a black magic ritual when she hosted a Buddhist ceremony attended by more than 1,000 people at Preah Vihear Friday have not helped.
To be accused of sorcery is regarded as a terrible insult by Cambodians, who regularly kill those accused of it. (dpa)
End of discussion
Phnom Penh - Talks between the foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand are over for now - at least until Cambodia forms a new government, expected in late September, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Monday. Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niumpradit suggested Cambodia pull back its troops from a second disputed temple area.
"There will be no more meetings. Wait until the new government is formed," Kanharith said at a press conference for the visit of Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
Instead, discussions would be left to the border committees on both sides for now, he said. The tensions on the northern border auger badly for pending negotiations over disputed sea borders which hold potentially rich oil fields in the balance.
Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said on Monday that Phnom Penh is committed to avoiding a shooting conflict. "The situation along the border has not yet reached emergency state," he told reporters.
In Bangkok, official Thai News Agency reported that Gen Boonsrang had asked his Border Affairs Department to pass a message to Cambodian Defence Minster Tea Banh:
"We ask Cambodia to move their soldiers, who are near the Ta Muen Thom temple," he said. "I have not received the response yet."
Reports on Sunday that a second temple on the Thai- Cambodian border has been occupied by Thai troops has drawn an angry reaction from the public. Click here for earlier Bangkok Post report.
Gen Boonsrang said a small group of Cambodian soldiers advanced on Sunday or Monday towards the temple.
Ta Muen Thom ruin sits in the Thai border district of Phanom Dong Rak in the northeastern province of Surin, but Cambodia claims that the ruin is in Cambodia's northern Banteay Meanchey. The demarcation between the two countries has not yet been settled by the Thailand-Cambodia General Border Committee (GBC).
Gen Boonsrang denied that Thailand had increased the number of troops stationed at Ta Muen Thom, and he declined to comment on ownership of the ruin.
"I don't want to answer other questions, otherwise it will escalate," he said.
Cambodia has said it will take the border dispute surrounding ancient temples the United Nations Security Council if bilateral talks fail.
Tensions flared on July 15 when Cambodia detained briefly three Thai protestors it said had strayed into Cambodian land after Preah Vihear temple was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site against Thai wishes. Thailand retaliated by sending in troops.
Sunday the dispute spread to Ta Muen Thom temple, hundreds of kilometres to the west, further straining relations.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti prime minister had some poignant words for Cambodia Monday during his 3-day official visit, Kanharith said.
"He told us once Kuwait was invaded by Iraq but now it has an embassy in Iraq," Kanharith said, referring to the 1991 Gulf War.
"Kuwait wants to solve problems by peaceful means ... not fighting." (dpa)
"There will be no more meetings. Wait until the new government is formed," Kanharith said at a press conference for the visit of Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
Instead, discussions would be left to the border committees on both sides for now, he said. The tensions on the northern border auger badly for pending negotiations over disputed sea borders which hold potentially rich oil fields in the balance.
Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said on Monday that Phnom Penh is committed to avoiding a shooting conflict. "The situation along the border has not yet reached emergency state," he told reporters.
In Bangkok, official Thai News Agency reported that Gen Boonsrang had asked his Border Affairs Department to pass a message to Cambodian Defence Minster Tea Banh:
"We ask Cambodia to move their soldiers, who are near the Ta Muen Thom temple," he said. "I have not received the response yet."
Reports on Sunday that a second temple on the Thai- Cambodian border has been occupied by Thai troops has drawn an angry reaction from the public. Click here for earlier Bangkok Post report.
Gen Boonsrang said a small group of Cambodian soldiers advanced on Sunday or Monday towards the temple.
Ta Muen Thom ruin sits in the Thai border district of Phanom Dong Rak in the northeastern province of Surin, but Cambodia claims that the ruin is in Cambodia's northern Banteay Meanchey. The demarcation between the two countries has not yet been settled by the Thailand-Cambodia General Border Committee (GBC).
Gen Boonsrang denied that Thailand had increased the number of troops stationed at Ta Muen Thom, and he declined to comment on ownership of the ruin.
"I don't want to answer other questions, otherwise it will escalate," he said.
Cambodia has said it will take the border dispute surrounding ancient temples the United Nations Security Council if bilateral talks fail.
Tensions flared on July 15 when Cambodia detained briefly three Thai protestors it said had strayed into Cambodian land after Preah Vihear temple was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site against Thai wishes. Thailand retaliated by sending in troops.
Sunday the dispute spread to Ta Muen Thom temple, hundreds of kilometres to the west, further straining relations.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti prime minister had some poignant words for Cambodia Monday during his 3-day official visit, Kanharith said.
"He told us once Kuwait was invaded by Iraq but now it has an embassy in Iraq," Kanharith said, referring to the 1991 Gulf War.
"Kuwait wants to solve problems by peaceful means ... not fighting." (dpa)
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Anti-Thai sentiment 'increases in Cambodia'
Ta Muen Thom temple, at the border of Surin province and Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey, has been manned by Thai troops for more than five years, the chairman of the government's border committee, Var Kimhong, told locally broadcast Radio France Internationale (RFI).
However the nation's largest selling newspaper, Rasmei Kampuchea, as well as the French-funded RFI and US-funded Radio Free Asia began running reports of its alleged occupation Sunday.
Kimhong said there was no legal doubt Ta Muen Thom was Cambodian.
Public outrage has grown steadily since areas around Preah Vihear temple, which Cambodia says are sovereign and Thailand says are disputed, were occupied by Thai troops on July 15, days after it was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site against Thai wishes.
At a press conference held just before national elections last month, Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith declined to answer a question on whether troop build-ups had also occurred on the Thai border with Banteay Meanchey.
The Cambodian government has tried to dampen the nationalist sentiment sweeping the country and urged the public to allow bilateral diplomacy to work, or, failing that, UN mediation.
In 2003 an angry mob torched the Thai embassy and several businesses over a false story a Thai actress had claimed the nation's icon, Angkor Wat temple, was Thai - a serious setback for trade and diplomatic relations.
Claims published in the Thai media accusing Cambodia's First Lady Bun Rany, wife of Prime Minister Hun Sen, of leading a black magic ritual when she hosted a Buddhist ceremony attended by more than 1,000 people at Preah Vihear Friday have not helped.
To be accused of sorcery is regarded as a terrible insult by Cambodians, who regularly kill those accused of it.
Source: Bangkok Post
However the nation's largest selling newspaper, Rasmei Kampuchea, as well as the French-funded RFI and US-funded Radio Free Asia began running reports of its alleged occupation Sunday.
Kimhong said there was no legal doubt Ta Muen Thom was Cambodian.
Public outrage has grown steadily since areas around Preah Vihear temple, which Cambodia says are sovereign and Thailand says are disputed, were occupied by Thai troops on July 15, days after it was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site against Thai wishes.
At a press conference held just before national elections last month, Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith declined to answer a question on whether troop build-ups had also occurred on the Thai border with Banteay Meanchey.
The Cambodian government has tried to dampen the nationalist sentiment sweeping the country and urged the public to allow bilateral diplomacy to work, or, failing that, UN mediation.
In 2003 an angry mob torched the Thai embassy and several businesses over a false story a Thai actress had claimed the nation's icon, Angkor Wat temple, was Thai - a serious setback for trade and diplomatic relations.
Claims published in the Thai media accusing Cambodia's First Lady Bun Rany, wife of Prime Minister Hun Sen, of leading a black magic ritual when she hosted a Buddhist ceremony attended by more than 1,000 people at Preah Vihear Friday have not helped.
To be accused of sorcery is regarded as a terrible insult by Cambodians, who regularly kill those accused of it.
Source: Bangkok Post
Cambodia starts squabble over second temple
Samak appoints five economic advisers
Anti-Thai sentiment 'increases in Cambodia'
Poll: Thais nationwide favour constitutional change
New UN rapporteur arrives in Burma
Cambodia starts squabble over second temple
Update: 145 die in India Hindu temple stampede
After killing, N Korea expels southern tourists
Academic urges time for new economic team
Philippines mulls Muslim homeland by plebiscite
Bird flu claims 112th Indonesian victim
(BangkokPost.com, Agencies) - Cambodia on Sunday escalated the border dispute over the Preah Vihear temple, accusing Thai troops of "occupying" a temple far to the west, long considered a totally different matter.
About 70 Thais have been at the 13th Century Ta Muen Thom temple complex in Surin province "since Thursday", a Cambodian spokesman in Phnom Penh claimed.
But Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag said no troops have moved into the area.
Cambodia and spokesman Sim Sokha appeared to be linking the Preah Vihear and Ta Muen Thom disputes. Although both are in border areas, they are not connected in either distant or recent history - until now.
On the ground, military commanders were more relaxed and there was no apparent tension at the site.
"We have a paramilitary post which has been there for several years," said Thai Army Maj Gen Sujit Sithiprabha, commander for the Cambodian border. "Ta Muen Thom belongs to us. We have to have soldiers to take care of the area which belongs to us."
Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodia Border Committee, told the AFP news agency that Thai soldiers were stationed in the ruin, but said this was "not a new thing".
"Ta Muen is in our territory, but since 1998 Thailand took a chance to occupy it by claiming that they came to conserve it."
Ta Muen Thom is a temple from the height of the Khmer empire, and part of the outlying Angkor Wat complex opposite Thailand's northeast, or Isan region.
An Associated Press report from Cambodia on Sunday quoted Chuch Phoeun of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture as saying it was built in the 13th century as a rest house along a road linking the ancient Angkor city with what is now northeastern Thailand.
Ta Muen Thom is in a so-called "white zone" under dispute by the neighbouring countries, where Surin abuts the border of Cambodia`s Oddar Meanchey
Cambodian authorities appear to be stepping up nationalist sentiment, despite earlier predictions they would try to cool the Preah Vihear and other border disputes following last week's general election, won handily by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Thai merchants and diplomats were forced to call off two planned exhibitions and sales of Thai fruit and other goods this week. Expo officials cited growing anti-Thai sentiment in Cambodia.
Last week Hun Sen's wife hosted a huge Preah Vihear temple ritual, seen by some as a major provocation, after Mr Tej and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong negotiated a troop pullback at the disputed temple grounds.
In Phnom Penh on Sunday, Maj Sim Sokha, a Cambodian border-protection officer, claimed that Thai soldiers have been deployed in an 80-yard radius around the Ta Muen Thom temple grounds and have prevented Cambodian troops from entering. About 40 Cambodian soldiers are in close proximity to the Thai troops, he said.
Mr Tej denied there had been any troop movements by either side at the Surin province border site.
Sim Sokha said Thai troops had been deployed in an 80-metre radius around the Ta Muen Thom temple grounds, and had prevented Cambodian troops from entering.
He said about 40 Cambodian soldiers were "in close proximity" to the Thai troops, but had been ordered to exercise restraint while the government tries to resolve the issue with Thailand.
Last Friday, the French and Japanese ambassadors discussed the border problem with Mr Tej at the foreign ministry. The Preah Vihear dispute originates in French colonial maps, and Japanese actions when it occupied Cambodia during World War Two.
Mr Tej, who assumed the ministerial post July 27, told Ambassador Laurent Bili that France could now act as a bridge in solving the temple row.
Japanese ambassador to Thailand Hideaki Kobayashi supported bilateral efforts to solve the temple problem, and would be willing to assist in clearing landmines around the disputed area, according to a report by official Thai News Agency.
In addition, US ambassador Eric John pledged American "support for bilateral talks between Thailand and Cambodia to peacefully resolve the situation in the border area adjacent to" Preah Vihear. The US is interested in how the dispute could affect the visit on Wednesday of President George W. Bush.
The "US stood ready to cooperate and work closely with Thailand to further strengthen the two countries' relations," the US diplomat said.
Source: Bangkok post
Anti-Thai sentiment 'increases in Cambodia'
Poll: Thais nationwide favour constitutional change
New UN rapporteur arrives in Burma
Cambodia starts squabble over second temple
Update: 145 die in India Hindu temple stampede
After killing, N Korea expels southern tourists
Academic urges time for new economic team
Philippines mulls Muslim homeland by plebiscite
Bird flu claims 112th Indonesian victim
(BangkokPost.com, Agencies) - Cambodia on Sunday escalated the border dispute over the Preah Vihear temple, accusing Thai troops of "occupying" a temple far to the west, long considered a totally different matter.
About 70 Thais have been at the 13th Century Ta Muen Thom temple complex in Surin province "since Thursday", a Cambodian spokesman in Phnom Penh claimed.
But Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag said no troops have moved into the area.
Cambodia and spokesman Sim Sokha appeared to be linking the Preah Vihear and Ta Muen Thom disputes. Although both are in border areas, they are not connected in either distant or recent history - until now.
On the ground, military commanders were more relaxed and there was no apparent tension at the site.
"We have a paramilitary post which has been there for several years," said Thai Army Maj Gen Sujit Sithiprabha, commander for the Cambodian border. "Ta Muen Thom belongs to us. We have to have soldiers to take care of the area which belongs to us."
Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodia Border Committee, told the AFP news agency that Thai soldiers were stationed in the ruin, but said this was "not a new thing".
"Ta Muen is in our territory, but since 1998 Thailand took a chance to occupy it by claiming that they came to conserve it."
Ta Muen Thom is a temple from the height of the Khmer empire, and part of the outlying Angkor Wat complex opposite Thailand's northeast, or Isan region.
An Associated Press report from Cambodia on Sunday quoted Chuch Phoeun of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture as saying it was built in the 13th century as a rest house along a road linking the ancient Angkor city with what is now northeastern Thailand.
Ta Muen Thom is in a so-called "white zone" under dispute by the neighbouring countries, where Surin abuts the border of Cambodia`s Oddar Meanchey
Cambodian authorities appear to be stepping up nationalist sentiment, despite earlier predictions they would try to cool the Preah Vihear and other border disputes following last week's general election, won handily by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Thai merchants and diplomats were forced to call off two planned exhibitions and sales of Thai fruit and other goods this week. Expo officials cited growing anti-Thai sentiment in Cambodia.
Last week Hun Sen's wife hosted a huge Preah Vihear temple ritual, seen by some as a major provocation, after Mr Tej and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong negotiated a troop pullback at the disputed temple grounds.
In Phnom Penh on Sunday, Maj Sim Sokha, a Cambodian border-protection officer, claimed that Thai soldiers have been deployed in an 80-yard radius around the Ta Muen Thom temple grounds and have prevented Cambodian troops from entering. About 40 Cambodian soldiers are in close proximity to the Thai troops, he said.
Mr Tej denied there had been any troop movements by either side at the Surin province border site.
Sim Sokha said Thai troops had been deployed in an 80-metre radius around the Ta Muen Thom temple grounds, and had prevented Cambodian troops from entering.
He said about 40 Cambodian soldiers were "in close proximity" to the Thai troops, but had been ordered to exercise restraint while the government tries to resolve the issue with Thailand.
Last Friday, the French and Japanese ambassadors discussed the border problem with Mr Tej at the foreign ministry. The Preah Vihear dispute originates in French colonial maps, and Japanese actions when it occupied Cambodia during World War Two.
Mr Tej, who assumed the ministerial post July 27, told Ambassador Laurent Bili that France could now act as a bridge in solving the temple row.
Japanese ambassador to Thailand Hideaki Kobayashi supported bilateral efforts to solve the temple problem, and would be willing to assist in clearing landmines around the disputed area, according to a report by official Thai News Agency.
In addition, US ambassador Eric John pledged American "support for bilateral talks between Thailand and Cambodia to peacefully resolve the situation in the border area adjacent to" Preah Vihear. The US is interested in how the dispute could affect the visit on Wednesday of President George W. Bush.
The "US stood ready to cooperate and work closely with Thailand to further strengthen the two countries' relations," the US diplomat said.
Source: Bangkok post
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Ties will outlast temple feud, say Thai officials
Written by George McLeod
Saturday, 02 August 2008
SATURDAY-(1)-Thai-business-ties.jpg
Vandy Rattana
Military police guard the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh. Authorities hope to avoid a repeat of the 2003 riots that saw the embassy burned.
F IRE trucks and armed police may be stationed outside their embassy, but Thai officials and business are putting a brave face on economic ties, which they say will weather the Preah Vihear temple feud.
The more than two-week long dispute has brought fears of a repeat of the 2003 anti-Thai riots, during which the Thai embassy and Thai businesses were looted and torched.
As talks between Thai and Cambodian officials on the most recent spat run on with no clear resolution, rumours have circulated that Thais are fleeing Cambodia or have frozen their investments.
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And while the Thai embassy has issued security warnings to citizens traveling to Cambodia, Poonsak Khunudom, the Economic Attache at the Thai embassy in Bangkok, said that he had heard of no Thai business pulling out.
“Our relations are good…We have to support each other,” said Poonsak Khunudom, the economic attache at the Thai embassy in Bangkok.
“A lot of Thai investors are interested in Cambodia,” he said.
Fears revisited
The temple dispute has dredged up memories of the aftermath of the 2003 riots, which saw relations – and business ties – nose-dive.
But according to Yong Yut, a spokesman for Siam Cement Group in Cambodia (SCG), the Preah Vihear dispute has had no effect on the company’s operations. “This month our orders fell, but that was because of the elections – not the temple dispute,” he said.
SCG is Thailand’s largest conglomerate and is a major global construction materials producer.
The company was hard hit by the 2003 riots when its Phnom Penh offices were destroyed by rioters.
SCG currently has operations in Phnom Penh, Kampot and Siem Reap and reported about US$50 million in annual local sales, and production of about one million tonnes of concrete earmarked for the local market.
The company expects 15-20 percent local sales growth this year, according to Yong Yut.
Thailand continues to aggressively promote trade and investment in Cambodia and the region through a number of initiatives such as Thailand’s Import-Export bank and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Strategy (ACMECS).
The programme targets Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, and saw 2.13 million baht in loans going to Thai businesses investing in Cambodia and regional trade growing to $10 billion last year.
Thailand is the third largest investor in Cambodia from the region and has about 100 SMEs in Cambodia, according to the Thai embassy.
Thai exports rose more than 70 percent this year – the highest rate in five-years, according to Thailand’s Commerce Ministry.
source: PP Post
Saturday, 02 August 2008
 |
Vandy Rattana
Military police guard the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh. Authorities hope to avoid a repeat of the 2003 riots that saw the embassy burned.
F IRE trucks and armed police may be stationed outside their embassy, but Thai officials and business are putting a brave face on economic ties, which they say will weather the Preah Vihear temple feud.
The more than two-week long dispute has brought fears of a repeat of the 2003 anti-Thai riots, during which the Thai embassy and Thai businesses were looted and torched.
As talks between Thai and Cambodian officials on the most recent spat run on with no clear resolution, rumours have circulated that Thais are fleeing Cambodia or have frozen their investments.
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
And while the Thai embassy has issued security warnings to citizens traveling to Cambodia, Poonsak Khunudom, the Economic Attache at the Thai embassy in Bangkok, said that he had heard of no Thai business pulling out.
“Our relations are good…We have to support each other,” said Poonsak Khunudom, the economic attache at the Thai embassy in Bangkok.
“A lot of Thai investors are interested in Cambodia,” he said.
Fears revisited
The temple dispute has dredged up memories of the aftermath of the 2003 riots, which saw relations – and business ties – nose-dive.
But according to Yong Yut, a spokesman for Siam Cement Group in Cambodia (SCG), the Preah Vihear dispute has had no effect on the company’s operations. “This month our orders fell, but that was because of the elections – not the temple dispute,” he said.
SCG is Thailand’s largest conglomerate and is a major global construction materials producer.
The company was hard hit by the 2003 riots when its Phnom Penh offices were destroyed by rioters.
SCG currently has operations in Phnom Penh, Kampot and Siem Reap and reported about US$50 million in annual local sales, and production of about one million tonnes of concrete earmarked for the local market.
The company expects 15-20 percent local sales growth this year, according to Yong Yut.
Thailand continues to aggressively promote trade and investment in Cambodia and the region through a number of initiatives such as Thailand’s Import-Export bank and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Strategy (ACMECS).
The programme targets Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, and saw 2.13 million baht in loans going to Thai businesses investing in Cambodia and regional trade growing to $10 billion last year.
Thailand is the third largest investor in Cambodia from the region and has about 100 SMEs in Cambodia, according to the Thai embassy.
Thai exports rose more than 70 percent this year – the highest rate in five-years, according to Thailand’s Commerce Ministry.
source: PP Post
Friday, August 1, 2008
Tourist arrivals top 1 million for first half of 2008
| Written by Hor Hab | |
| Saturday, 02 August 2008 | |
 Heng Chivoan Tourist sightsee along the main walkway at Angkor Wat. “The number of tourist arrivals in Cambodia is still growing despite border problems with Thailand,” said Kong Sopheareak, the ministry’s director of the Statistics and Tourism Information Department. “I think the temple tension does not affect the tourists’ arrivals,” said Suos Yara, deputy director general of Cambodia National Tourist Authority. He said he expects at least 2.3 million tourists by the end of 2008. “We don’t have any formula to calculate the benefits from tourism, but [the World Trade Organisation] estimates that a single tourist spends around US$600 to US$700 in Cambodia,” Suos Yara said. Ho Vandy, president of Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, said, “Tourist arrivals declined in June for three reasons: the high price of transportation, the election in Cambodia and the temple confrontation.” Tourist arrivals declined from about 150,000 in May to 130,000 in June, according to the latest Tourism Statistical Report. Ho Vandy partially blamed widespread media coverage of the temple dispute for scaring tourists away, warning that many may yet cancel their holidays or change their destinations. He recommended that the government host a press conference to talk about the situation at Preah Vihear temple and project an image of safety and stability to overseas tourism markets, perhaps enlisting the aid of Cambodian embassies. |
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Waiting game
| Written by Thet Sambath and Brendan Brady | |
| Tuesday, 22 July 2008 | |
 Vandy Rattana Cambodian soldiers walk past razor wire that has been laid near Preah Vihear temple as a military standoff with Thailand continues. Talks between Thai and Cambodian military leaders to end the standoff at Preah Vihear have deadlocked after the Thai side insisted on recognizing a different border between the two countries, Cambodian negotiators said. The failure to reach a solution has forced Cambodia to seek an intervention from its regional neighbors, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, a day after military leaders walked away empty-handed from the negotiating table. Thousands of troops and equipment, including heavy artillery, from both sides have been deployed to the border in the largest military build-up in years following last week's alleged incursion into Cambodia by Thai soldiers. An area of 4.8 square kilometers around the temple remains in dispute after the World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia. The issue escalated following Preah Vihear's July 7 listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government coming under fire for supporting Cambodia's World Heritage bid amid accusations that Thailand's leaders were ceding territory to Cambodia. Bangkok maintains that its troops are occupying Thai territory located a short distance from the 11th-century temple – a claim that has repeatedly been rejected by Cambodia. "At first, everything in the meeting was going very well. But at the end, it failed because the Thai side raised the issue of its right to use its own map," said Bun Seng, commander of Cambodian Military Region 5, who attended the eight-hour talks Monday in the Thai-Cambodian border town of Aranyaprathet. "We have different ideas on this point. We use the map drawn by France in 1904 and 1907, but the Thai side wants to use its own map. It's completely different," he told the Post on Tuesday. "That is why when they raised the issue of the map, everything failed. I am very disappointed," he added. Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith also confirmed that the talks had ended without resolution, but said that both sides agreed that the standoff would not escalate into armed conflict. Cambodia's government called Tuesday on its regional neighbors to intervene in the issue, asking Asean chair Singapore to form an "inter-ministerial group" to mediate a solution to end the standoff, according to a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Asean leader had earlier urged both sides to exercise restraint as they continued to deploy troops to the area. In Preah Vihear, the failure of the countries' military leader to resolve the crisis came as no surprise to many troops on the ground. "I'm not surprised there has not been an agreement since so much has happened already," Vou Vinak, a 26 year-old Cambodian soldier, told the Post Monday night along what has become a de facto frontline near the temple. Coils of razor wire have been laid in parts of the temple compound, while heavily armed Thai and Cambodian soldiers from who have gathered near a Buddhist pagoda that is claimed by both sides continued to eye each other warily. "I'm very frustrated. I've been made to leave my family. Thailand made this problem by invading, so they should fix it," said another soldier, Sim Nara. Bun Seng said talks are expected to continue, but nothing has yet been scheduled. "We have tried hard for success, but then the Thai side made it [the meeting] fail. We will have further negotiations, but we do not know when," he said. |
Tensions rise ahead of crisis talks
| Written by Thet Sambath and Brendan Brady | |
| Sunday, 20 July 2008 | |
 Vandy Rattana Cambodian and Thai soldiers rest on the road to Preah Vihear as a military standoff over territory surrounding the temple enters its sixth day More than 1,500 soldiers have now been deployed to Preah Vihear, where Cambodia maintains that Thai troops crossed into its territory last week and continue to occupy land near the temple. "Thai soldiers have violated Cambodian territory ... I am sorry that they will not leave," Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan told reporters over the weekend after making a trip to the area. "Preah Vihear is internationally recognized as Cambodia's. So when Thais protest about this, they are protesting against the international community." Cambodia has written a letter to the UN Security Council informing it of the standoff, officials said over the weekend. Military officials and diplomatic personnel from China, Vietnam, France and the United States have also traveled to Preah Vihear to review the situation. Bangkok insists that its soldiers are on Thai territory, and has refused to withdraw them despite Thai military commanders saying Friday that they would leave. Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart, Samak Sundaravej, have each written letters to other claiming the territory and urging the removal of troops ahead of talks to be held in Thailand on Monday. Hun Sen said last week that the worsening situation was "very bad for relations" between the two countries. "These [Thai] soldiers have encroached on our territory ... and have since increased in number rather than withdrawing," Hun Sen wrote, according to government spokesman Khieu Kanharith. An area of 4.8 square kilometers around the temple remains in dispute after the World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia. The temple was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 7 after years of resistance from Bangkok to the inscription, further inflaming Thai nationalism. Cambodian military police commander Sao Sokha, however, said it is unlikely the dispute will erupt in violence, despite the concentration of men and weapons. "Why would we shoot each other? Let our leaders solve this problem ... we are all Buddhists here," he said, urging the Thais to stop sending troops to the area. A senior Cambodian military commander who did not want to be named also said the Thais were massing troops across the border from Anlong Veng in northern Cambodia. "We have also sent our troops to Anlong Veng. We are matching them at all points along the border," he told the Post on Saturday. The crisis began last Tuesday when Cambodia says Thai soldiers crossed the border and took up positions in Cambodian territory following the arrest of three Thais who jumped an international checkpoint to try and protest Preah Vihear's ownership. The temple has been closed to Thais since last month, when a group of angry demonstrators massed on the Thai side of the border crossing to rally against Cambodia's claim to the temple. The dispute has caused political turmoil in Thailand, as opposition parties seized on the issue to put pressure on Samak's government. On July 10, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama stepped down after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had acted illegally in signing an agreement supporting Cambodia’s bid to have Preah Vihear temple listed as a World Heritage Site without the permission of parliament. |
Escalation
| Written by Thet Sambath and Brendan Brady | |
| Thursday, 17 July 2008 | |
 Heng Chivoan A soldier rests near Preah Vihear temple earlier this month. Chinese and Vietnamese military officers could be seen at the site, along with other officials identified by Cambodian military as French and US diplomatic personnel. It was unclear if they had any role in mediating the dispute, which began Tuesday when Cambodia says Thai soldiers crossed the border and took up positions in Cambodian territory following the arrest of three Thais who jumped an international checkpoint to try and protest Preah Vihear's ownership. The temple has been closed to Thais since last month, when a group of angry demonstrators massed on the Thai side of the international border crossing to rally against Cambodia's claim to the temple. Bangkok maintains that its soldiers are on Thai territory, a short distance from the temple. Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart, Samak Sundaravej, have each written letters to other claiming the territory and urging the removal of troops ahead of crisis talks to be held in Thailand on Monday. Hun Sen on Thursday said the worsening situation was "very bad for relations" between the two countries. "These [Thai] soldiers have encroached on our territory ... and have since increased in number rather than withdrawing," Hun Sen wrote, according to government spokesman Khieu Kanharith. An area of 4.8 square kilometers around the temple remains in dispute after the World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia. The temple was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 7 after years of resistance from Bangkok to the inscription, further inflaming Thai nationalism. On July 10, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama stepped down after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had acted illegally in signing an agreement supporting Cambodia’s bid to have Preah Vihear temple listed as a World Heritage Site without the permission of parliament. As more troops from both sides were deployed to the area, residents near the temple fled, saying they feared that clashes would break out. "People are leaving the area because they are scared," said Keo Vannak, a resident of Sa Em town near the base of the mountain on which the ruins sit. But the situation Saturday appeared stable, despite the near eruption of violence late Thursday when soldiers from both sides pointed their weapons at each other after Cambodian troops entered a Buddhist pagoda near Preah Vihear to protect the food supplies of monks staying there. Cambodian officials have called for calm this week as tensions along the border escalated with the Thais's refusal to withdraw, but military officers on the ground say that more troops could be deployed to counter Thai reinforcements. “We sent more soldiers to the temple ... to stop the Thai troops from moving even further into the temple complex," said Kem Oun, deputy commander of RCAF Brigade 43, which was brought in as the crisis grew. "Now, they are on our land, in our pagoda and violating our sovereignty, even after the threats of Cambodian soldiers," he told the Post on Thursday. "But our orders are to be patient and avoid fighting unless they start it first," he said. A senior Cambodian military official who did not want to be named told the Post Saturday that Thailand was also massing troops and equipment across the border from Anlong Veng in northern Cambodia. "The Thais want to pressure the Cambodian military by sending more Thai armed forces to Anlong Veng," said the official, who works closely with border issues. Another military official said "many thousands" of Cambodian troops were on standby near Preah Vihear. "We know the Thai strategy, so we have to be ready to defend ourselves," he said. Although generally good in recent years, Thai-Cambodian relations nose-dived in 2003 when a Thai pop star allegedly said Angkor Wat, one of the most important symbols for Cambodians, actually belonged to Thailand. In response, an mob looted and burned the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh and ransacked several other Thai-owned businesses. Fearing similar violence, a Thai company working on the road from Siem Reap to Anlong Veng has halted construction and withdrawn its personnel. |
Alleged invasion plotters sentenced PDF
| Written by Thet Sambath and Sebastian Strangio | |
| Wednesday, 16 July 2008 | |
 Sebastian Strangio Ny Kosal and Tul Mann (foreground), sit outside the Pursat Provincial Court on Tuesday after being acquitted of involvement in a plot to raise an army to attack Thailand and Vietnam. In a short hearing, presiding judge Pol Yorn found Thab The and Chan Dara, also known as Veasna, guilty of the illegal use of armed force, sentencing them to six and five years in jail, respectively, while two other alleged plotters, Ny Kosal and Tul Mann, were acquitted for lack of evidence. The verdicts arrived amidst accusations of secrecy and political meddling in the trial process, after Prime Minister Hun Sen remarked last month that the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) should be investigated for links to the plotters, according to information supplied by SRP defectors. “I think there is political involvement with this trial,” said Ouk Vandeth, Chan Dara’s defence counsel. “The court felt threatened so they accused my client of creating a movement against the government. He’s not involved with this movement.” Thab The’s son Chan Sothea said that he was “very disappointed with the court’s verdict” but that his father “was not involved with any armed forces or plots against the government.” Am Sam Ath, a human rights monitor for local rights group Licadho, said that the independence of the court’s verdict was suspect. “The court did not have enough evidence to find Chan Dara and Thab The guilty of the charges,” he said. “With [the case's] links to the ruling party, the suspect always receives an unfair trial and pressure was clearly placed on the court by powerful officials.” The case looks likely to resume after the July 27 polls, with Thab The and Chan Dara both planning to appeal and prosecutors promising further investigation into a figure known as Chan Muthara, said to be the ringleader of the shadowy movement and whose true identity and whereabouts remain unknown. Thab The’s wife Chan Ream rejected the verdicts and said her husband would fight his case to the end. “He is not guilty. He has no weapons, no military clothes and he has participated in no activities against the government,” she said. “The ruling party wants to make problems for my husband… I will appeal this verdict.” San Soudalen, a Licadho lawyer representing Ny Kosal and Tul Mann, applauded the decision to acquit them, claiming that they were unaware of any illegal activities. “I am happy today because my two clients were released. I think it has been a fair trial for my clients because they had no connections to the movement,” she said after the hearing. The original trial of the four alleged plotters was suspended in April after judges decided more investigation was necessary. Investigation recommenced in June following statements from SRP defector Lek Bunnhean, who implicated the opposition party in a number of anti-government plots, including the rocket attack on the prime minister in 1998 and the Angkor Empire Movement. SRP president Sam Rainsy called the accusations “unbelievable,” claiming the government was trying to stem his party’s popularity in the run-up to this month’s national election. The four suspects were arrested in May 2007 on suspicion of involvement with the Angkor Empire Movement which, authorities allege, planned to raise an army of 400 to seize the province of Surin from Thailand, as well as Kampuchea Krom and the old kingdom of Champa, both now in Vietnam. Authorities said no weapons were recovered from the conspirators. |
Crossing the line
| Written by Kay Kimsong | |
| Wednesday, 16 July 2008 | |
 Heng Chivoan Moeung Sonn, president the Khmer Civilization Foundation, holds up a map showing the Cambodian-Thai border around Preah Vihear temple. Officials on both sides of the line are calling for calm after an apparent incursion by Thai soldiers into Cambodia near the disputed 11th-century World Heritage Site. Nearly 600 Thai and Cambodian troops remain at a Buddhist pagoda on the Cambodian side of the border, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told reporters Wednesday, adding however, that tensions had lowered since the Thai troops first breached the border. "We've called for both sides to be calm. There are no tanks or guns pointed at each other," he said, adding that a joint committee had been formed to resolve how the Thai soldiers should be withdrawn. "We are not considering this a Thai military invasion because we want to solve the situation peacefully," Khieu Kanharith said, explaining that Prime Minister Hun Sen had ordered that no force be used against the Thais. The incident is the latest flare-up over Preah Vihear, which some Thais claim belongs to Thailand, despite a 1962 ruling by the World Court in favor of Cambodia's sovereignty. The border around the temple, however, remains disputed, and Khieu Kanharith said demarcation talks would be held after the Thai soldiers had left Cambodian soil. Thailand had repeatedly opposed Cambodia's efforts to have the temple listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site until this year, when Preah Vihear was successfully inscribed on July 7. The designation sparked jubilant celebrations across Phnom Penh, but in Thailand, bruised nationalism remains unappeased, and the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is suffering from the fallout. On July 10, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama stepped down after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had acted illegally in signing an agreement supporting Cambodia’s bid to have Preah Vihear temple listed as a World Heritage Site without the permission of parliament. Thai nationalists have vowed to continue protesting over the temple, with some groups saying they would storm Preah Vihear. Moeung Sonn, president of the Khmer Civilization Foundation, which was established as the most recent tensions over the temple rose, demanded that the Thai government compensate any villagers around the temple for damage caused by Thai soldiers to their property. He also called for the withdrawal of the Thai troops. |
Cyclo drivers in security guard smackdown
| Written by Mom Kunthear | |
| Wednesday, 16 July 2008 | |
 TRACEY SHELTON Cyclo drivers claim they are being bullied and denied a right to earn a living by security guards around Sorya Shopping Centre and Central Market. According to a center survey, there are now 1,282 cyclo drivers pedaling their ways through the streets of Phnom Penh. Many were giving up the job, however, because they could no longer endure conflicts with market security guards, Nouv Sarany said. “About half of all of cyclo drivers have faced problems with market security guards, usually asking them for money,” she said, adding that guards at Phsar Thmei (Central Market) and the Sorya Shopping Center were the leading cause of headaches. Ouk Rey, 42, came to the city from Prey Veng province in 1993 to work as a cyclo driver and said he has had problems with the market security guards numerous times. “I want to kill them, I get so angry when they try to make trouble for me,” Ouk Rey said. “They ask me for money, and when I don’t give it to them, they grab the seat cushion or kick my cyclo to try to damage it.” He said it was hard to argue with them because he was poor and powerless against them “I want to the government to help us from being looked down on and mistreated,” he said. “I have slept in front of other people’s houses since 1984 because I don’t have the money to rent a house,” said cyclo driver Sok Vanna, 47. “How can I afford to give money to market security guards everyday? I start to work at 7 a.m. and work until 10 p.m. around the Central Market, and I can earn about 7,000 or 8,000 riel [about $2] a day, and I have to buy food and send money to my family in Takeo province.” “I know the market security guards need cyclo drivers to give them money, and if they don’t they will not allow them to park and will start fights or try to damage the cyclos,” said Nouv Sarany. “But the drivers who give them money will be allowed to park and do business around the market with no problem. It’s not right for the market security guards to do that to the cyclo drivers, even though they have power.” |
Temple tensions
| Written by Post Staff | |
| Tuesday, 15 July 2008 | |
 Heng Chivoan A Cambodian soldier stands in front of Preah Vihear temple earlier in July. The armed Thai rangers had crossed into Cambodia following the arrest earlier in the day of three Thai protesters who jumped a border checkpoint and made their way to the temple, which has been closed off to Thais since June, when an angry crowd massed on Thailand's side of the line to claim ownership of Preah Vihear. The three protesters were released, but the soldiers will be held until the issue of their incursion is resolved, said Meas Saroeun, a military officer at Preah Vihear, adding that one of the Thai soldiers was airlifted back to Thailand after losing his leg to a landmine in Cambodian territory. "The mine had been underground since the war" in the 1980s, he told the Post. Some 60 Thai soldiers remained fanned out on the Thai side of the border, he said. Hun Saravuth, deputy military police commander for Preah Vihear province, said earlier in the day that the Thai soldiers had spread out in a forested area within the temple complex after occupying a Buddhist pagoda located on a mountainside underneath the temple. "We do not know why they are here," he said. Reinforcements from the Choam Kh'san district and border police have been rushed to the temple complex, said district governor Kao Long, but Cambodian officials have vowed to remain calm. "The Cambodian side is cool and patient," said Hang Soth, director of the National Preah Vihear Authority. "The top levels of government are trying to resolve the situation. We do not want to fight," he added. Preah Vihear temple was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 7 despite a lingering dispute over ownership of the land surrounding the temple. The designation sparked jubilant celebrations across Phnom Penh, culminating in an enormous fireworks display at Olympic Stadium Monday night that drew thousands of people. But in Thailand, bruised nationalism remains unappeased, and the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is suffering from the fallout. On July 10, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama stepped down after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had acted illegally in signing an agreement supporting Cambodia’s bid to have Preah Vihear temple listed as a World Heritage Site without the permission of parliament. His move had been approved by Samak’s cabinet, which the court also decided had violated the Thai Constitution in acting without parliamentary consent, a verdict that observers said could lead to a major cabinet reshuffle. Thai nationalists have vowed to continue protesting over the temple, with some groups saying they would storm Preah Vihear. "If Thai protesters continue to enter Cambodian territory, we will arrest them and send them back," said Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan. "We would like Cambodia and Thailand to solve this diplomatically through their embassies," he told the Post on Tuesday. But one villager at the temple said she was increasingly worried the dispute would turn ugly, especially after the landmine blast. "We are concerned that the Thais came here to create trouble," she said. While generally good in recent years, Cambodia's relations with Thailand nosedived in 2003 over another temple, the famed Angkor Wat, after false rumors spread that a Thai starlet had said the most important symbol of the Khmer empire's ancient power actually belonged to Thailand. An enraged mob burned and looted the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh before destroying a number of Thai-owned businesses around the capital. |
FBI could probe journalist's murder
Written by Cheang Sokha and Kay Kimsong
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
A mourner prays on Saturday before an alter for journalist Khim Sambo, who was gunned down Friday evening.
T he US Federal Bureau of Investigation is ready to help Cambodian authorities probing the assassination of opposition-aligned journalist Khim Sambo, the US embassy said late Monday, warning that the brazen killing could scare people away from general elections in two weeks.
Khim Sambo and his 21 year-old son, Khath Sarin Pheata, were gunned down Friday evening outside Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium in a drive-by shooting that has shaken the capital and raised fears for press freedoms ahead of the polls.
“Our family never had any enemies or disputes with neighbors. What happened to my father was unexpected,” Khat Sarinda, the victim’s 24 year-old daughter, told the Post on Monday.
Police have few leads, but the FBI "stands ready to provide assistance, if requested by the Cambodian government, in investigating the case," the embassy said in a statement in which it also urged Cambodian authorities "to take the necessary measures in order to bring the perpetrators to justice."
The 47 year-old, who submitted articles critical of the government written under pseudonyms to Moneaksekar Khmer, a newspaper affiliated with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, died at the scene.
His son died in the early Saturday at Ketomelea military hospital, and the two were cremated Sunday at Wat Tuol Tumpong in a ceremony attended by several hundred people.
Government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, who has condemned the killings and called for swift justice, welcomed the FBI’s offer on Tuesday.
“It would be good if we could cooperate with the FBI in investigating this case. We could trade experiences. Either way, we would not be blamed if we could not find the killers, or if we found them [critics] would not say [the suspects] are the fake killers.”
Various journalist organizations, including the Khmer Journalist Friendship Association, the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists, have expressed outrage over the killings.
Kek Galabru, president of Cambodian human rights group Licadho, also condemned the shootings as a bid to sow fear, saying “message is to scare the journalists from writing the truth” ahead of the July 27 elections.
She pointed out that Khim Sambo was the 12th journalist to be murdered since Cambodia’s first democratic election in 1993. None of the perpetrators has been convicted.
The US embassy, meanwhile, warned that the shootings, along with Sunday’s acid attack against Ngon Srun, a senior Cambodian People’s Party member, could keep people from the polls.
Ngon Srun was severely burned on the face and chest after being doused with acid by unknown assailants. Police say no criminal complaints have been filed.
“Violent, criminal acts such as this can have a chilling effect on the media, and ... risk undermining citizens’ confidence in their ability to fully participate in the electoral process in safety and security,” the embassy said.
According to Prampi Makara district police chief Yim Simony, Khim Sambo and his son were fired on five times by a man riding pillion on a motorbike as they drove away from the stadium on Monireath Boulevard.
Their motorbike kept upright for another 30 meters before crashing into a woman on a bicycle, according to several witnesses. Khim Sambo was struck twice, while Khath Sarin Pheata was hit by one bullet in the chest.
The attackers, who wore civilian clothing and made no effort to hide their faces behind sunglasses or helmets, circled back around to make sure they had hit their mark, said one witness who did not want to be named.
“After shooting, they turned around on their motorbike and looked down at his body to be sure he was dead,” the witness told the Post on Monday.
Others said they feared for their own security and refused to discuss the killings.
Khim Sambo’s murder was the first killing of a journalist since October 2003, when Chuor Chetharith, deputy editor for Funcinpec-aligned Ta Prum radio, was slain. That death was one in a slew of high-profile killings to occur in 2003 and 2004, all carried by two men on a motorbike in crowded areas.
At the time of his death Khim Sambo was also working with tycoon developer and government advisor Sok Kong, president of Sokimex, one of the largest Cambodian-owned companies.
He had extensive contacts among CPP-friendly officials in the judiciary and security forces, despite his regular contributions to the anti-ruling party Moneaksekar Khmer.
Friday’s shootings follow last month’s week-long detention of Dam Sith, Moneaksekar Khmer’s editor-in-chief and a Sam Rainsy Party candidate for the parliamentary elections.
Foreign Minister Hor Namhong pressed defamation and disinformation charges against Dam Sith for publishing comments by Sam Rainsy, who alleged Hor Namhong’s involvement in Khmer Rouge atrocities.
Prime Minister Hun Sen requested that Phnom Penh Municipal Court release Dam Sith on bail amid mounting international pressure, and Hor Namhong later dropped his suit.
But his arrest was condemned by the Sam Rainsy Party as another example of harassment of the opposition by the ruling party.
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