AKP - The Agence Kampuchea Press

via CAAISamdech Heng Samrin Leaves for AIPA Meeting in IndonesiaAKP Phnom Penh, May 6, 2011 – A high-ranking delegation of the National Assembly led by its president Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei Heng Samrin departed here on Friday for Jakarta, Indonesia to participate in the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) with the ASEAN heads of state/government, taking place from May 6 to 8. The delegation was seen off at Phnom Penh International Airport by H.E. Nguon Nhel and H.E. Say Chhum, respectively First and Second NA Vice Presidents and other NA members. At the meeting, Samdech Heng Samrin will deliver a speech related to...

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ASEAN adrift in Thai-Cambodian conflict

http://www.atimes.com/via CAAIBy Ou Virak PHNOM PENH - Two series of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia over disputed temples and territories along their shared border have left 29 soldiers dead this year while as many as 85,000 civilians have been displaced on either side of the border since hostilities resumed on April 22. The shots and words exchanged over the border and the apparent reluctance of either side to resolve the situation have bankrupted both governments of any moral authority on the issue. Against this background, the meeting this weekend of the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) represents an opportunity for that organization to do as the Thai and Cambodian governments have failed and to put people before politics by pushing...

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Cambodia rejects Thai demands over temple troops

Both countries, Cambodia and Thailand, have accused each other of sparking the violence (AFP/File, Tang Chhin Sothy)Thailand and Cambodia both claim to own a 4.6 square kilometre (1.8 square mile) area around the Preah Vihear temple (AFP/File, Tang Chhin Sothy)via CAAIBy Arlina Arshad (AFP) JAKARTA — Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Friday rejected a Thai demand to withdraw troops from an 11th-century Khmer temple at the disputed border, saying Bangkok was not sincere about peace."We never can withdraw our troops from our own territory. That should be very clear," Hor Namhong told reporters after a meeting in Jakarta with...

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Indonesian observers on Thai-Cambodian border a "done deal"

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/via CAAIMay 6, 2011Jakarta - A proposal to station 30 Indonesian observers along the contentious Thai-Cambodian border in a bid to reduce fighting between the two neighbours is a 'done deal,' Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Friday. But he acknowledged that more work was needed to implement the deal. 'As far as the terms of reference are concerned (on the agreement), it's a done deal,' Natalegawa said after holding separate talks with his Cambodian and Thai counterparts in Jakarta. 'What remains now is how to operationalize the assignment of the Indonesian observer teams on the ground,' Natalegawa said. 'The big issue is to create conducive conditions.' Creating those conditions is expected to prove contentious, observers said....

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Cambodia FM reaffirms support for RI observers

http://www.thejakartapost.com/via CAAIAdianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, JakartaFri, 05/06/2011Friday arrival: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, talks with Indonesian Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring, right, upon arrival at Halim Perdanakusumah airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday. Hun Sen is in the country to attend the 18th ASEAN SUmmit that will be held on May 7-8. (AP/Irwin Fedriansyah)Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa held bilateral talks with Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Friday, with the latter reaffirming his country’s support for the presence of the Indonesian observer team.“What...

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Cambodia: Our troops will not leave

http://www.bangkokpost.com/via CAAIPublished: 6/05/2011 at 01:58 PM Online news: JAKARTA - Cambodia would not withdraw its troops from its own territory and was still waiting for Thailand's agreement on the Jakarta terms of reference (TOR) for the stationing of Indonesian observers near Preah Vihear, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong said on Friday.He was speaking after emerging from 30-minute talks with the Asean chairman, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, at the Jakarta Convention Centre.Mr Hor Nam Hong said the problem with the border conflict clearly remained on the willingness of Thailand to agree with the deployment of Indonesian observers under the terms of reference."Cambodia has already sent a letter of acceptance to Indonesia's proposed TOR on May...

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Effective mechanism needed for ASEAN to settle Cambodian, Thai border row: academics

http://english.people.com.cn/via CAAIMay 06, 2011 The credibility and prestige of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) may be downgraded if it has no effective mechanism to settle Cambodian and Thai border row, academics warned on Thursday.Pou Sothirak, Cambodian senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said Cambodian and Thai border row is not only damaging bilateral relations in a critical way, but also threatening regional peace and stability."If no effective mediation is pursued to contain it, it will undoubtedly affect the credibility and reputation of ASEAN," he said during a two-day conference on strengthening the ASEAN political-security community through preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution mechanism.The conference...

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Sourn Serey Ratha broadcasts his message on the Thai Yellow Shirt's ASTV channel. Why does he use a platform that holds hatred against Khmer?

Please find below a broadcast by Sourn Serey Ratha on the Yellow Shirt ASTV channel. In our opinion, while his message against the Hun Xen's regime sounds reasonable, his use of the Yellow Shirt's platform, a group that maintains hatred against Cambodians in general, is unreasonable and a poor decision. In the long and arduous road to democracy, the enemy of one's enemy is not necessarily one's friend.Nevertheless, we leave it up to you to judge Mr. Sourn Serey Ratha's decision.Thank you,KI-Media team ...

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Cambodia takes dispute with Thailand to U.N. court

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, troops of Cambodian Royal Armed Forces confer at a military camp in the border disputed area in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia. File photo http://www.thehindu.com/via CAAICambodia has asked the United Nations’ highest court to order Thailand to withdraw troops and halt military activity around a temple at the centre of a decades-old border dispute that has flared into deadly military clashes.Fighting in recent weeks along the disputed border region surrounding the Preah Vihear temple has left at least 16 people dead.In a request filed April 28 and made available Tuesday on...

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Time for ASEAN Peacekeeping Force

http://the-diplomat.com/via CAAIBy Fuadi PitsuwanMay 02, 2011The latest clash between Cambodia and Thailand has underscored the need for a regional peacekeeping force. Indonesia should push for one now.The latest clash between Thai and Cambodian troops over a disputed area surrounding the ancient Preah Vihear temple along the two countries’ border should be a wake-up call for ASEAN.Years of negotiations have proved ineffective in resolving the crisis as Thailand’s insistence that the issue is a bilateral one has been sharply rejected by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Hun Sen’s response has been to call for UN peacekeepers to...

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Thai PM set to dissolve parliament, poll date unclear

http://news.stv.tv/via CAAIBANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Monday he wanted to dissolve parliament this week, as planned, but he declined to be drawn on an election date despite a report the vote would probably be on June 26.The Constitutional Court threw some doubt on the timeframe for an election, that it is hoped will end years of polarized politics that has led to outbreaks of violence, by delaying a decision on the legality of new electoral laws.02 May 2011Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva talks with Thais evacuated from their villages at a makeshift camp in Surin province, 30...

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Cambodia denies leaving 2 dead soldiers in the field

Excerpt translated by KI-MediaIn response to an earlier report published by the Bangkok Post, the RCAF issued the following denial: The RCAF rejects poisonous information published by Thai public news media which falsely claimed that there are 2 remains abandoned in the battle field. These are information and pictures made up entirely for political gain. RCAF's soldiers who are injured or who sacrificed their lives are always immediately saved and [for those who died,] traditional religious ceremonies are organized for them - this is the utmost honor for the Cambodian people. Up to now, there are no Thai flags flying over Ta Moan temple...

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