10 Thai troops injured in Surin after 'light weapons' clashes on border

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/

via CAAI

By The Nation on Sunday
Surin
Published on May 1, 2011

Flare-up triggered by delay in informing units of ceasefire

Ten more Thai soldiers were injured in the Thai-Cambodian border clashes in Surin's Phanom Dongrak district on Friday night until yesterday morning, bringing the cumulative Thai casualties to seven deaths and 95 injuries in the nine days of clashes.

Among the four injured soldiers from Friday night's clash, First-Lieutenant Kosit Songsaengkajorn suffered severe shrapnel wounds to his neck and back and was transferred to Phramongkutklao Hospital in Bangkok, while others were airlifted to the Surin Centre Hospital and Weerawat Yothin Army Camp Hospital the same night. Six other soldiers were injured on Saturday morning.

The border clash reoccurred despite the fact that a ceasefire was agreed by Thai and Cambodian field commanders.

Second Army spokesman Prawit Hookaew said that the Cambodian side explained that it was because "some units weren't yet informed [of the ceasefire]" and "there were some rogue soldiers".

He also declared a hint of a silver lining in that the reoccurring clashes so far utilised light weapons only.

This showed that field officers could still talk to each other and limit the fighting.

Since Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen declared that he wouldn't negotiate at all levels and would only table the issue at the Asean level - and announced that Cambodia was ready to go to war against Thailand - the Thai Army has remained cautious and was following the situation closely, he said.

Prawit also revealed that Cambodia had sent more backups to the clash area and reportedly recruited more fighters, especially former Khmer Rouge soldiers and their children.

"We haven't yet sent more back-up soldiers, [but] it wouldn't take a long time to send back-ups because most of the manpower are already in the Second Army area. We're using force only to defence our territory," he said adding that 36 out of the injured 95 soldiers already asked to be reinstated in the field.

Thai Army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd commented that the Cambodian side admitted that there might be some stress in the areas that the ceasefire order haven't reached yet - hence the fighting wasn't completely halted.

But gunfire erupted lightly on and off and Thai troops just counter-fired. He said they would try to get the ceasefire in place first before negotiations at other levels could take place.

Meanwhile, the Second Army Area bomb squad had cleared some 70 per cent of the grenades fired from Cambodia to Thai villages.

As several schools in Surin were currently functioning as shelters to villagers, the Education Ministry inspector Supakorn Wongprat said he would initially arrange a Bt500,000 budget allocation to help these schools with water, electricity and other expenses. He said he would also have non-formal education teachers teach students at the shelters so the students could later catch up with their lessons, as the school term will open in mid-May.

In Buri Ram, some male evacuees yesterday returned to their homes near the clash site in hopes that the border fighting would stop soon, bringing the number of evacuees in nine shelters of Ban Kruat and Prakhon Chai districts down from 9,000 to some 4,000.

Read More

Suwit said he is quitting, Suthep says he is not quitting, is there anybody in charge in Bangkok?

Suwit not quitting as negotiator : Suthep

Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Nation

Natural and Environment Minister Suwit Kunkitti has not yet officially informed the premier he wants to resign as the chief negotiator for Unesco's listing of the Preah Vihear temple dispute, Deputy Suthep Thaugsuban said Tuesday.

Suwit led a Thai negotiation team to Brazil last year to protest against Unesco's listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site. The protest resulted in Unesco postponing the decision.

The Unesco World Heritage Committee is scheduled to hold its annual meeting from June 19 to 29 in France. Suwit is scheduled to lead the Thai team.

"As long as he serves as minister, he has to remain as chief of the Thai negotiation team," Suthep said.

Suthep said he personally did not believe that Suwit would resign because he was a responsible man.

He said he had only learned about the issue through news reports and that Suwit had not yet officially informed the prime minister, himself or the cabinet.

However, if Suwit really wanted to resign, Suthep said he would talk with Suwit and try to convince him not to do so.

Suthep denied to comment on news reports about Suthep's conflicts, which implied that Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya may be the reason behind his resignation.

Read More

UN to meet on Feb 14 on Thai-Cambodian border disputes - reports

via CAAI

UN Security Council has agreed to meet on Feb 14 to solve the border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, Inter City Press reported.

The council reached the conclusion on late Tuesday, the Press; a non-governmental organization said.

To make clear that the UN is deferring to the regional group, Indonesia, as chair of this year's Asean, will be invited to the meeting. The country will be represented by Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

The meeting seemed to respond to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's request for the UN to intervene in the dispute while Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva insisted that the dispute should be solved on bilateral basis.

Meanwhile Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the Press on Tuesday that he had spoken with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia. Some wonder why Ban isn't mediating, or even asked to mediate, under UN Charter Article 99.

In Bangkok, Chavanond Indharakomalsut, secretary to the foreign minister that FM Kasit Piromya is scheduled to travel to the UN to explain the Thai positions to the UN chief next week.

One of the positions is that Thailand wanted the problems be solved bilaterally and did not want to see a third party step in.

Read More

[Thai] Protest to be lodged over flag

January 31, 2011
The Nation

Preah Vihear tense after influx of Cambodian troops

The government will flex its muscles for the protesting yellow shirts from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to show it will protect land in disputed border areas. It plans to issue a statement of protest against Cambodia.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has instructed the Foreign Ministry to issue a protest, because Phnom Penh has refused to remove its national flag from the disputed area adjacent to the Hindu temple at Preah Vihear, the ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said.

"Concerned officials are working on it and we could issue the statement soon," he said. Abhisit said last week that Cambodia had no right to fly its national flag at Wat Keo Sikkha Kiri Svara temple as Thailand also claimed territorial rights to the area.

Thailand managed to convince Cambodia to remove two stone tablets saying the area where Thai troops invaded in 2008 belonged to Cambodia.

However Phnom Penh refused to follow any further demand from Bangkok to remove its national flag there. It says the temple built by Cambodian people in 1998 is clearly situated in Cambodian territory.

"Therefore the national flag of Cambodia is legitimately able to fly over the pagoda," a statement by Cambodia's Foreign Ministry said last week.

The border area adjacent to Preah Vihear has been argued over ever since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in 1962 that the temple was situated in Cambodian territory.

Abhisit has argued that the ICJ ruled only the stone ruins belong to Cambodia while surrounding areas belong to Thailand.

The areas have not been demarcated yet but the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in 2000 to set up a joint mechanism to try to settle the dispute.

The PAD, which has staged a rally near the Prime Minister Office, wants Abhisit to use force to remove Cambodians from the disputed area and scrap the 2000 MOU on land boundary demarcation. They have pressured the government by vowing to stay until their demands are met.

Cambodia, meanwhile, is reported to have boosted troops in the area, notably near Preah Vihear. Thai news teams have said the border areas are tense while outlets in Phnom Penh have reported that the Cambodian military is ready for war with Thailand.

Abhisit insisted he would settle the border dispute with Cambodia by peaceful means. The 2000 MOU was an effective instrument for settling the border dispute, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who oversees security matters, said the Thai military was strong enough to protect the country but would not boost forces in the area near the historic temple.

The government would continue to negotiate with Cambodia over the border issue, he said.

"Please do not provoke any news to create tension with our neighbouring country. We have to live with them peacefully," Suthep said when asked about Cambodian troops along the border.

"We don't have any problem with Cambodia and our two governments have no problem," he said.

Asked if the government in Phnom Penh criticised Thailand every day, Suthep said, "don't look only at one side. If you are in Cambodia, you would see a group of Thai people scolding Cambodia every day."

Read More

Abishit to clarify the souring of ties with Cambodia during his visit to New York [-Is it another Thai-style clarification filled with innuendos?]

Abhisit to clarify Thai issues while he is in the US

September 21, 2010
The Nation

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will clarify and explain issues of economics, politics and foreign policy to audiences during his visit to the United States from Wednesday to Saturday.

He will be telling investors about the Map Ta Phut problems, the souring of ties with Cambodia and the auction of 3G licences at the US-Asean Business Council on Friday, a Government House official said yesterday.

Abhisit hopes the foreign business community and investors will understand his government’s policies and justice system, the official said.

The premier will also attend the second US-Asean summit on Friday to emphasise the importance of America’s role in building up security in Southeast Asia. Leaders from both sides will look for ways to prevent protectionism and help turn the US and Asean into strategic partners.

On Thursday Abhisit will attend the opening ceremony of the 65th UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York. The assembly this year will include a high-level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals in order to push member countries, notably developing countries, to achieve the goal by 2015.

The premier will also meet the media while he’s in the US, and is scheduled for interviews with CNN and CNBC. Foreign media, notably CNN, was accused of being prejudiced when reporting on Abhisit’s handling the red-shirt protest earlier this year.

Abhisit will also hold bilateral meetings with many foreign leaders, including Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and also attend a luncheon with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. A dinner reception hosted by US President Barack Obama, a speech at the Council of Foreign Relations and a meeting with Thais in New York is also on the PM’s itinerary.

He is scheduled to return to Thailand on Sunday morning.

Read More

Hun Sen ready to discuss Preah Vihear with Abhisit

August 21, 2010
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

The door to resolving the border conflict over the Preah Vihear Temple should be open on both sides as Hun Sen and Abhisit Vejjajiva look for opportunities to meet in October, while Bangkok continues telling Asean not to intervene.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said Asean chief Surin Pitsuwan met Hun Sen on Monday and encouraged him to meet his Thai counterpart on the sidelines of the AsiaEurope Meeting in Brussels in October.

"Samdech [Hun Sen] stressed that he would agree to this meeting if Abhisit did, though so far there has been no confirmation that the meeting between the two will be held," Koy Kuong was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying yesterday.

Cambodia raised the Preah Vihear issue with the United Nations and even called on the Asean grouping to lend a hand if all bilateral means failed.

Thailand, however, told Asean that it was quite capable of resolving the Preah Vihear dispute through bilateral discussions, and did not need help from a third party.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya wrote to his Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Gia Khiem, clarifying Thailand's position in response to Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong's recent letter seeking assistance from Asean. Vietnam is currently the chairman of the regional grouping.

"It is our goal to resolve this issue peacefully and in good faith, through bilateral channels in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and international law," Kasit said in his letter.

Despite perceptions of tension, communications between Thailand and Cambodia continue unabated through various channels and mechanisms. Both countries are still cooperating on a wide range of issues at all levels, be they bilateral, subregional or regional and people on both sides of the border continue with their normal crossborder activities.

Kasit said bilateral mechanisms to settle the problem were still working as his government has already resubmitted the minutes of three meetings of the joint boundary committee (JBC) for parliamentary consideration.

The documents have not yet been added to the Parliament agenda due to protests staged by the yellowshirt nationalists on Tuesday. The group is calling on Abhisit's government to scrap the landboundary settlement deal signed with Cambodia in 2000 because it entails territory loss.

However, this should not be seen as an intention to delay the consideration of JBC's work, because the Thai constitution guarantees and protects the rights of individuals to have different opinions, Kasit said in his letter.

Read More