Adding insult to injury: Cambodia allows a Thai general to participate in the smashing of the sign in Wat Keo Sekha Kiri Svarak

Lt Gen Tawatchai Samutsakhon(right), the 2nd Army commander, joins in the demolition of the tablet reading ‘‘Here! is Cambodia’’. The sign was smashed into pieces after he negotiated with his Cambodian counterpart to destroy it yesterday.

Loudmouth and useless Chea Dara(Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

Srey Doek (L) (Photo: Reuters)

Tablet talks a smashing success [for Thailand]

Cambodia demolishes claim to border area

27/01/2011
Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

Growing border tensions have eased again now that Cambodia has demolished a stone tablet that claimed it owned a disputed area.

"It has now ended," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told the press yesterday after he received a report from the army that the tablet had been destroyed.

The prime minister said Thailand had protested against the stone sign being erected in the disputed area and Cambodia had shown it was prepared to cooperate, which was a positive step.

Cambodia's decision to demolish the controversial tablet came after a tense Tuesday night at the border.

Both countries reinforced troops near the Preah Vihear temple and put them on full alert after Cambodia replaced the original tablet which accused Thai soldiers of trespassing with a new one. The new tablet carried an even stronger message, declaring that the disputed area in which it had been erected belonged to Cambodia.

The 2nd Army, responsible for the border area, moved in troops and heavy war weapons and conducted military training near the area.

The tablet was placed in front of Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple which is near the Preah Vihear temple. The stone was replaced on the weekend on the orders of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen but the new message was more aggressive, reading "Here! is Cambodia".

After receiving an order to "do anything" to get Cambodia to remove the new tablet, at around 11am yesterday, Lt Gen Tawatchai Samutsakhon, the 2nd Army commander, led about 20 armed soldiers to Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple to demand the Cambodian troops remove the new tablet.

Four companies of soldiers were deployed at the foot of the hill and were ordered to be ready to act.

The 2nd Army chief asked Cambodian commanders why they had erected the tablet as both sides had promised not to build anything to claim territory in the disputed area. The Cambodian authorities replied that their foreign ministry had told them to put the tablet there.

Lt Gen Tawatchai asked them to destroy it to ease the discomfort of the Thai soldiers and people.

"If you don't remove such a negative tablet, I will erect a "Here! is Thailand" tablet nearby as well," Lt Gen Tawatchai told his Cambodian counterparts.

After an hour of negotiations, the Cambodians agreed to destroy the tablet.

"I don't know why they agreed. At about 12.15pm, Cambodia had its soldiers destroy the new tablet. I watched them do it. I smashed it too. I wanted to participate," Lt Gen Tawatchai said.

"I spoke to them nicely and stuck to the reason of what could happen if the tablet remained.

"We are neighbours and should coexist peacefully. No one would like a war and then they agreed," said the 2nd Army chief who previously received a medal for bravery after taking part in a battle at the Chon Bok border pass in Ubon Ratchathani following a territorial dispute involving Thailand, Cambodia and Laos in 1987.

"Before ascending to the temple, I told them beforehand that I would be there and Gen Chea Dara, their deputy supreme commander, and Lt Gen Sai Deuk, the commander of their 4th regional army, were waiting for me," Lt Gen Tawatchai said.

He said the 2nd Army is now deploying five paramilitary rangers to stay with Cambodian soldiers at their 795 border patrol base behind Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple to coordinate with them.

Lt Gen Tawatchai did not send any Thai troops to stay overnight at Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara but Thai soldiers can still reach the temple which is in the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area.

Mr Abhisit yesterday said the traning of Thai soldiers near the border was a routine military mission.

As for Thai Patriots Network coordinator Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon who have been accused of illegal entry into Cambodia and espionage, Mr Abhisit pledged that his government would continue to help them They are awaiting a court ruling on their case scheduled for Feb1.

Read More

US President Obama's State of the Union 2011

Dear all,

If you missed last night live 2011 State of the Union CLICK HERE to watch President Obama address on innovation, education, security and budget deficit.

President Obama framed his speech around the theme of “winning the future” a call to maintain American greatness through innovation in a rapidly changing world. He also focused on investment in education and infrastructure as essential for the US not just to remain competitive in the global marketplace, but also to win, to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.

R. V.

Read More

Kampuchea, Khloat Ban Ter Mang [Khlang Ban Ter Moat]

Top three rows: Cambodia's Strongmouth
Bottom photo: Minion Bigmouth Chea Dara

Op-Ed by Sopheak
Originally posted at http://sopheak.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/cambodia-strong/

Click on the article in Khmer to zoom in

Read More

Investigation Concluded in Release of Police Chief

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Tuesday, 25 January 2011

via CAAI

Photo: AP

Yoeung Baloung, the former police chief of Ratanakkiri province, who was supposed to be serving 13 years on charges related to illegal logging.

"No one else has been apprehended for the crash, but Yoeung Baloung is now back in prison."

The prison department of the Ministry of Interior has finished an investigation into the mysterious release of a former provincial police chief in Ratanakkiri province but has declined to release the findings, which are under review.

The investigation stems from a drunk driving accident that injured three people on a motorcycle.

Local rights group Adhoc says the driver in the accident was Yoeung Baloung, a former police chief who was supposed to be in jail serving 13 years for corruption crimes surrounding illegal logging. Police say a relative of the former chief was driving the car.

No one else has been apprehended for the crash, but Yoeung Baloung is now back in prison, officials said.

The prison department is trying to learn the circumstances of his release by the provincial prison, whose director has said Yoeung Baloung was temporarily let out for medical reasons.

Read More

Military flexes its muscle

via CAAI

Abhisit approves army exercise near temple

Published: 26/01/2011

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has given the army the green light to conduct a military exercise near Preah Vihear temple to display its strength as Cambodia continues to lay claim to the disputed area.

Thousands of People’s Alliance for Democracy supporters join the movement’s protest near Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue. The yellow shirts gathered yesterday for the first day of what is expected to be a protracted rally. APICHIT JINAKUL

The provocative move came after Thailand demanded Cambodia remove a stone tablet carrying a message in Khmer that accused Thai troops of invading Cambodia territory from that spot.

A senior army source who asked not to be named said yesterday the military exercise near the border was proposed by the army.

Thai gamblers would also be blocked from visiting Cambodian casinos close to Thai territory if Phnom Penh refused demands to remove the tablet.

Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha said Thailand would follow proper procedures in handling border disputes with Cambodia.

''There are three steps to solving border issues. They include negotiations, intensified measures and the use of force. We will not move directly from Step 1 to Step 3,'' Gen Prayuth said.

The tablet was installed in front of Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple, about 300 metres from the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

''We must show our strength,'' the source quoted the prime minister as saying in his recent meeting with Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and Gen Prayuth.

The source said Gen Prayuth planned to deploy infantrymen close to Preah Vihear in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket province.

The deployment will reinforce paramilitary rangers who are guarding a disputed area with no back-up.

''The army plans to conduct a drill that includes artillery fire close to the border,'' the source said.

The source revealed the military exercise was aimed at sending a message to Cambodia that Thailand is not only unhappy with the placement of the stone tablet in the disputed area but also Cambodia's continuing construction of a road to Preah Vihear.

The 3.6-kilometre road is being built on the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area next to Preah Vihear.

Cambodia has ignored Thailand's re peated protests against the roadworks. The source said Cambodia and China were accelerating the work on the road with the aim to facilitate visits to the Preah Vihear temple from the Cambodian side.

The source said Mr Abhisit also gave the nod to the army to prevent Thai gamblers from crossing the border to visit Cambodian casinos in Poi Pet, opposite Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo province.

The source said the prime minister did not mention the possibility of border closure which would seriously affect local people.

as well as two Thai people: Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipatanapaiboon who were prosecuted allegedly for trespassing and espionage on Cambodian soil. Mr Veera is still detained and verdicts on their cases are expected on Feb 1.

Mr Abhisit was also said to have agreed to allow the army to buy weapons it needed to handle the border situation.

The nationalist People's Alliance for Democracy yesterday urged the gov ernment to use the country's stronger military capacity to gain leverage over the Cambodian government in its negotiations with Phnom Penh on disputed border areas.

Maj Gen Chamlong Srimuang, a core PAD leader, said the Thai military did not have to wage a war with Cambodia to regain Thai sovereignty over disputed areas along the border.

But it could use the country's military might to gain a stronger bargaining position.

The government has not tried to gain such leverage through the demonstration of Thailand's military capacity, Maj Gen Chamlong said.

''Consequently, it has allowed the Cambodian government to have the upper hand,'' he said.

''Our fighter jets can reach Cambodian skies in five minutes.''

Asked if such a demonstration of Thailand's military might would hurt the country's bilateral relationship with its neighbour, Maj Gen Chamlong replied: ''What are you afraid of more? Hurting the ties or losing territory?''

PAD spokesman Panthep Phongphuaphan said Thailand's military capacity was certainly higher than that of Cambodia.

The government should use this advantage in its effort to protect the country's sovereignty and pressure the Cambodian government to move Cambodian communities out of the disputed areas along the border.

More importantly, Thailand should revoke the 2000 memorandum of understanding with Cambodia as the agreement gave Phnom Penh greater negotiating powers and enabled Cambodians to continue living on Thai soil, Mr Panthep said.

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

New tablet 'even worse'

Cambodian troops have removed a stone tablet placed near the Preah Vihear temple carrying a message accusing Thailand of invading the country.

But the tablet has been replaced with another that could ratchet up the tension even further between the two countries. It simply states the area is part of Cambodia.

The first tablet put in place last month at Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara, next to the Preah Vihear temple, read, according to the Phnom Penh Post: "Here! is the place where Thai troops invaded Cambodian territory on July 15, 2008."

This angered Thai troops, their commanders and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who claim the temple is located in a disputed area open to Thai troops.

A Cambodian armed forces officer who asked not to be named said the offending sign had been replaced, Phnom Penh Post reported.

Whether the new sign will be received any more favourably remains to be seen.

"Here! is Cambodia," reads the sign erected yesterday.

"I heard [the placement of the sign] was ordered by Prime Minister Hun Sen," the officer said

Read More

Tense between Cambodia and Thai Troops Eased

2011-01-26
Xinhua

A brief tense between Cambodia and Thai troops near Preah Vihear Temple was finally eased and returned to normal, military sources at the border said Wednesday.

The sources said over telephone that some 30 Thai soldiers in black uniform came close to Keo Sikhakiri Svarak Pagoda near Preah Vihear Temple on Wednesday morning at which they were asked to return to their previous position by Cambodian troops.

According to the sources, the Thai troops were demanding a stone sign that says "Here Is Cambodia" to be removed from a site near the Pagoda where 20 Thai soldiers used to stay during the tense border conflict after Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple was registered as a World Heritage Site in July 2008.

The stone sign, however, was removed and the Thai soldiers also returned to their previous line after lunch time on Wednesday.

Since 2008, Cambodia and Thai troops have exchanged several rounds of military clashes that resulted in several dead and injured.

Read More

Border tensions rise

Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Cheang Sokha and Thet Sambath
The Phnom Penh Post

Thousands of Yellow Shirt protesters in Bangkok have called for the Thai government to take a stronger stance against Cambodia, though military officials said today that a stand-off along the countries’ contentious border had been averted.

Some 3,000 police officers have been deployed in the Thai capital to control the estimated 5,000 activists who took to the streets of central Bangkok on Tuesday, threatening to occupy the prime minister’s office as they did for three months during unrest in 2008.

Cambodian officials near Preah Vihear temple said about 40 Thai troops had traveled to the nearby border area this morning, though they withdrew after talks between commanders of the respective forces.

Following the meeting, Cambodian troops agreed to remove a sign placed near the temple on Tuesday that declared the area Cambodian territory.

“Now we have no more confrontation and both sides have returned to their camps,” said Om Phirum, heritage police chief of the Preah Vihear National Authority.

“The withdrawal of the Thai troops came after Cambodia agreed to take away the sign.”

The offending sign, which read “Here! is Cambodia”, had replaced a similar sign placed last month that accused Thai troops of invading Cambodian territory.

Thai military commanders and Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva had publicly complained about the message.

Thai military deputy spokesman Veerachon Sukondhadhpatipak acknowledged that the protesters in Bangkok had increased the tension surrounding the border issue, though he said Thai and Cambodian troops “are in contact at all levels” and will not let the situation spill over into violence.

Recent military exercises conducted by Thai troops in the area, he added, were routine procedure and were unrelated to relations with Cambodia.

“We try not to do anything provocative, and we still believe everything can be settled with talks,” Veerachon said.

The oft-strained relations between Thailand and Cambodia were upgraded last year following the resignation of ousted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a bitter rival of the Abhisit administration, from his position as economics adviser to the Cambodian government.

Tensions returned last month, however, following the arrest of a Thai parliamentarian and six other Thai nationals for allegedly trespassing on Cambodian territory.

Five of the Thais, including ruling party MP Panich Vikitsreth, were released last week on suspended sentences, though two others are being held on espionage charges and are set to be tried next week.

Panthep Puapongpan, a spokesman for the Yellow Shirts, said those protesting in Bangkok were angered by the arrests and other alleged Cambodian provocations along the border.

“We don’t want [to] invade their territory, but we want to protect our land,” he said.

Read More

Hun Xen blinked after Siamese army threat?

Following the removal of the first sign displaying about Thai troops invasion of Cambodia, a second sign was later installed that read "Here! Is Cambodia". However, following more threats from the Thai army, Cambodia not only removed this second sign, but it also destroyed it as can be seen in the photo above (Photo: Sermpong Thongsamrit, Bangkok Post)

Read More

Shame on you Mr. Barking Hoon Xen!

A few days ago we read the news that Cambodian soldiers put up a tablet with a message in Khmer branding Thai troops “Invaders” at Wat Keo Sekha Khiri Svara, Preah Vihear.

This tablet angered Thailand. Then it demanded and threatened Cambodia to remove it unconditionally or Cambodia would be meet with Thai military measure. Cambodian leaders bowed to them and promised to install a nicer tablet with a message in Khmer again branding “Here is Cambodia“. But Thailand demanded and threatened it again and SEE BELOW HOW WE DESTROY OURSELVES!

Hoon Xen and his gangs like doing everything without practical strategy and analytic vision. So sad!

TIME TO STEP DOWN NOW HOON XEN!

Read More