Cambodian PM to offer government posts to Funcinpec members

Radio Australia – August 06, 2008

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen says he will offer some post in his new government to the Funcinpec Party.

The Times reports he told the Party’s President five top posts will be available and some lower level positions.

Hun Sen didn’t indicate whether any Funcinpec members will be appointed to the post of Deputy Prime Minister or if their will have ministerial positions.

The Times quotes him as saying the new partnership will be more effective thatn in the past.

However, Hun Sen says Funcinpec can’t make demands and he will make the decisions.

According to preliminary results by political parties and election monitors the CPP has won the national election with up to 90 of the 123 seats.

Tensions over second temple ease in Cambodia

Radio Australia – August 06, 2008

Cambodia and Thailand say tensions over a second disputed Khmer ruin on their joint border has been resolved and troops have returned to their stations.

The Ta Muen Thom ruins are about 130 kilometres west of the better known Preah Vihear temple and are currently under Thai control.

On Sunday Cambodian officials said Thai soldiers had prevented their troops from entering the temple compound for religious worship, while Thailand’s military chief demanded that Cambodia withdraw its forces from near the area.

Tensions between the neighbours flared last month when the Preah Vihear temple was listed as a UN heritage site, angering nationalists in Thailand.

Thailand’s cabinet has agreed in principle to pull back some troops from near the Preah Vihear temple, although no timescale has been set.

Cambodia stresses peaceful solution with Thailand

August 06, 2008 – by By KER MUNTHIT

Thai soldiers camp out outside a Cambodian Buddhist temple which Thai have occupied close to a famed Preah Vihear temple complex in Preah Vihear Province near Cambodia-Thai border, Cambodia , Friday, Aug. 1, 2008. Cambodia said Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008 Thai soldiers are occupying a second temple site along on their border, a new twist in an ongoing armed standoff that nearly led to clashes between the neighbors last month. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s prime minister reiterated his call for a peaceful solution to a border dispute with Thailand, warning Wednesday that both countries’s economies would suffer if the conflict erupts into a full-scale war.

In his first public speech since winning national elections last month, Prime Minister Hun Sen said both countries must “narrow the conflict and expand friendship and cooperation.”

Thai and Cambodian troops have been facing off along their shared border for three weeks over disputed territory — first near Preah Vihear temple and then at Ta Moan Thom temple.

Hun Sen’s comments came as the confrontation at Ta Moan Thom appeared to be easing, with both sides pulling back their soldiers.

“We cannot just carve out Thailand to put in the sky or move our land away,” Hun Sen said in a two-hour speech Wednesday. “We will coexist for tens of thousands of years to come.”

He also criticized leaflets calling for a Cambodian boycott of Thai goods in response to Thailand’s alleged encroachment onto Cambodian territory near Preah Vihear.

“A border dispute should not turn the two countries into enemies in all domains,” he said. “That is very dangerous.”

He said he was not being “soft,” but warned that if war broke out “the two countries will only stand to lose” in terms of trade and economic cooperation.

The dispute surrounding the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple started when Cambodian officials said some 70 Thai soldiers occupied 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.

Agreement for a troop withdrawal from the grounds of the temple was reached late Tuesday during a meeting between officials from the two countries, said Maj. Ho Bunthy, a Cambodian army commander in the area.

The sanctuary is located several hundred miles west of Preah Vihear temple, where Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been locked in a standoff for three weeks in a dispute over nearby territory.

About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand remain in the Preah Vihear area despite a tentative agreement reached by foreign ministers last week to redeploy them in an effort to ease tensions.

Hun Sen said another meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers would take place August 18 in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin, where delegates would discuss plans to redeploy troops and conduct mine clearing operations.

In Thailand, Lt. Gen. Nipat Thonglek, the chief of military border affairs, said Wednesday that his government would set up a committee to consider redeploying its troops from the border area near Preah Vihear temple.

He said the decision was made at a Thai Cabinet meeting Tuesday. He stressed redeployment of troops must be conducted in a manner appropriate with the military’s “duty to protect the sovereignty” of Thailand.

Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith welcomed the announcement as “good news.”

“The sooner the redeployment takes place, the better,” he said.

Thailand and Cambodia sent troops to the border area after UNESCO approved Cambodia’s application to have the Preah Vihear temple complex named a World Heritage Site. Some Thai activists say the temple’s new status will jeopardize their country’s claims to land next to the site.

Associated Press writer Sutin Wannabovorn in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Cambodia’s request to UN not yet withdrawn

BangkokPost.com -  August 6, 2008

The Thai ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Don Pramudwinai, said Cambodia has yet withdrawn its request for the UN to intervene in the dispute over the border area around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple. 

According to Mr Don, Thailand’s neighbouring country has only postponed its request for the time being. He said Cambodia can raise this issue again since it is still on the meeting agenda of the UN. 

At the same time, Cambodia’s Defence Minister Tea Banh reiterated to the local media that Ta Moan Thom temple, another ancient site on the disputed border of both countries, is in the Cambodian territory. He also demanded Thai troops to pull out from the area.

Troops step back at second Thai-Cambodia border temple:officials

August 06, 2008

A Thai soldier (right) cleans his weapon as a Cambodian soldier carrying a B40 rocket talks to him

 PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Officials from Cambodia and Thailand said Wednesday that tensions over a second disputed Khmer ruin on their joint border had been resolved and troops had returned to their stations.

Thailand and Cambodia began trading barbs on Sunday over the Ta Muen Thom ruins, which are about 130 kilometres (80 miles) west of the better known Preah Vihear temple and are currently under Thai control.

Officials from Cambodia said Thai soldiers had prevented their troops from entering the temple compound for religious worship, while Thailand’s military chief demanded that Cambodia withdraw its forces from near the area.

“In recent days, Thai troops moved to the temple and banned our troops from entering there,” said Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh.

“But we have already resolved the problem with each other. It is okay now. All (Cambodian and Thai) troops withdrew to their original bases.”

Tea Banh, however, maintained that Ta Muen Thom belonged to Cambodia.

Major General Kanon Netrakavaesana, the commander of Thailand’s border task force, said the atmosphere at the temple had eased.

“All soldiers from Thailand and Cambodia, who met at the border next to the temple, have both stepped back since late Tuesday afternoon, he told AFP.

Military and border officials from Thailand have denied they increased their troop presence at Ta Muen Thom, saying there had been a paramilitary presence there for almost a decade.

Tensions between the neighbours flared last month when Preah Vihear temple, which the World Court has ruled belongs to Cambodia, was listed as a UN heritage site, angering nationalists in Thailand who still regard it as Thai.

On July 15, three Thais were arrested in the area by Cambodian forces, sparking the deployment of about 1,000 Thai and Cambodian troops on a small patch of disputed land near the temple.

Thailand’s cabinet agreed in principle Tuesday to pull back some troops from near the Preah Vihear temple, although no timescale was laid out.

“We have not received an order from our superiors. We’ll move when we have that order,” Kanon said.

Note on the Preah Vihear issues – A document in Khmer

Click here to download the PDF document

Cambodian, Thai troops pull back from 2nd temple

August 06, 2008

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) – Tension at a second border temple that is claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia has eased after troops of the two countries pulled back from the site, Cambodian officials said Wednesday.

Agreement for a troop withdrawal from the grounds of the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple was reached during a meeting between officials from the two countries late Tuesday, said Maj. Ho Bunthy, a Cambodian army commander in the area.

The sanctuary is located several hundred miles (kilometers) west of Preah Vihear temple, where Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been locked in a standoff for three weeks in a dispute over nearby territory.

Thailand sent troops to the border area after UNESCO approved Cambodia’s application to have the temple complex named a World Heritage Site. Some Thai officials 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 in the Preah Vihear area despite a tentative agreement reached by foreign ministers last week to redeploy them in an effort to ease tensions.

Officials met to mediate the latest dispute in the Cambodian border town of O’Smach in Oddar Meanchey province, about 290 miles northwest of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, Ho Bunthy said.

«Now the situation has eased at the temple. There is no more armed confrontation» between the two sides’ soldiers, said Cambodian Maj. Sim Sokha, a deputy commander of an army border unit in the area.

He said the 70 Thai and 50 Cambodian soldiers, who faced off at the temple, are now back in their respective camps about 330 yards (300 meters) from the temple.

He said the temple is now opened to tourists from both countries.

The dispute surrounding Ta Moan Thom 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.

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.

Thailand, Cambodia cool temple dispute

CCTV International – August 06, 2008

Thailand has agreed to pull back some of its soldiers from the Preah Vihear temple on the disputed border with Cambodia. The two countries have also agreed not to dispatch troops to a second disputed ruin on their border.

The Thai government will withdraw some of its troops from the ancient Preah Vihear temple, but no timetable or troop numbers have been released.

In July, Cambodia and Thailand began a military standoff over the temple. Historically, both countries have laid claim to the 11th century temple.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice decided the temple was in Cambodia. This has rankled Thailand ever since. The dispute flared up last month when UNESCO approved Cambodia’s application to make the complex a World Heritage Site.

Last week, the two countries agreed to redeploy their troops at the temple to reduce tensions, but neither side made the first move until Tuesday.

About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand remain in the area surrounding the temple.

Now, the two countries have exchanged claims over the 13th century Ta Muen Thom ruins, a second disputed temple on their border.

Cambodia accuses Thailand of sending soldiers to the site last week. The Thai military says their troops have been in the area for years.

The Ta Muen Thom temple is about 100 kilometers west of Preah Vihear.

Not as well known, Ta Moan Thom is another example of the architectural wonders of the ancient Khmer empire.

 

Editor:Gao Jia

PHOTOS: Ancient Temple Torn by Border Fight in Asia

National Geographic

August 5, 2008-Buddhist monks stroll the grounds of Preah Vihear temple-a sacred site at the center of a potentially violent political standoff.

The complex dates from the ninth to eleventh centuries A.D., when the Khmer Empire controlled both sides of the modern Thailand/Cambodia border.

The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but wrangling continues over 1.8 square miles (4.6 square kilometers) of land that provides access to the site.

The standoff, which began July 15 after UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage Site, has soldiers from both sides positioned near Preah Vihear-and many Thais and Cambodians praying for peace.

-Brian Handwerk

Cambodian military police keep an eye on Buddhist monks at Preah Vihear on August 1, 2008.

“We want to preserve the status quo, of before July 15, [which means] there are no soldiers in the disputed area,” said a Cambodian embassy official in Washington, D.C.

He added that Cambodia was waiting for the Thai government to begin withdrawal of troops, as agreed in bilateral meetings last week.

“How long we can wait I don’t know.”

Bun Rany, wife of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, joins a ceremony in hopes of ending the military standoff near Preah Vihear temple on August 1, 2008.

Longtime ruler Hun Sen won a general election last week, boosted by his tough tactics in the temple dispute.

Meanwhile Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who supported Cambodia’s UNESCO bid for the site, faces the ire of Thai nationalists who consider the temple part of their own nation.

Thai troops guard a Buddhist pagoda near Preah Vihear temple on July 20, 2008.

Preah Vihear is a remote, cliff top temple perched on the edge of a high plateau that offers staggering views over the verdant Cambodian plains.

The complex’s Hindu characteristics (it is dedicated to Shiva) are more akin to Cambodian cultural sites like the legendary Angkor complex—but the most accessible entrance to the site is through Thailand.

A Thai student hustles through a pipe as part of an evacuation drill in Baan Phum Salon on July 23, 2008.

International politics have local relevance for people living in communities surrounding the Preah Vihear temple.

During Cambodia’s civil war Preah Vihear was used as a base by the Khmer Rouge.

Landmines are still common in the area, though a Thai official said the two nations pledged last week to work together to remove them.

Passions erupt as a villager hurls a stick at nationalist protestors in the Thai community of Kantharalak.

On July 17 villagers and police prevented nationalists from gathering at the Preah Vihear temple.

Damrong Kraikruan, Charge d’Affaires at the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C., said hope for peace sprang from a meeting of Thai and Cambodian officials last week.

“We agreed to redeploy troops from the area, on both sides, and decrease tensions,” he said.

Thai (in black) and Cambodian soldiers swap coffee and smiles near the Preah Vihear temple on July 25, 2008.

Tensions have eased, and the Thai cabinet approved a troop pullback on August 5. But soldiers remain on site and the longstanding land dispute appears far from finalized.

In fact, a similar standoff may be taking shape on another temple ground, Ta Moan Thom, located 80 miles (130 kilometers) away along the nations’ shared border. 

Thailand, Cambodia continue border temple disputes

Radio Australia – August 06, 2008

Thailand’s supreme military commander, General Boonsrang Niempradit, has told Cambodia to stay away from Ta Moan Thom after the 13th-century temple became the latest hot spot between the two countries.

The Bangkok Post quotes the general saying the army has informed its Cambodian counterparts of the Thai position, adding that if Cambodian soldiers enter the area, they will be pushed back.

The newspaper says 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.

The development came after weeks of tension over land surrounding the Preah Vihear temple.

There have been high level talks between the two governments in a effort to settle that dispute, but a Cambodian government spokesman says further talks won’t take place until Cambodia forms a new government in late September.

Cambodia’s Defence Minister Tea Banh says Cambodian soldiers and civilians are usually allowed to enter the Ta Moan Thom ruins for religious ceremonies, but over the weekend Thai soldiers blocked their way.