A Change of Guard

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Wednesday 26 January 2011

[Thai] Military flexes its muscle

Abhisit approves army exercise near temple

Published: 26/01/2011
Bangkok Post

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.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Would go to war over the stone tablet. Very interesting indeed.

Anonymous said...

If Cambodia allowed itself to be bullied by its neighbors, they will always bully Cambodia. The area is Cambodian territory, therefore Cambodia can do whatever it wants. Thailand can't just go around and say the area is disputed wherever Thailand wants to claim the land as its territory. Go to check the 1908 map agreed by Siam (Thailand) and France- the Cambodian colonial master at that time. Cambodia should send a strong message to Thailand that any Thai military bully or attacks will be met with fierce and swift retaliation.

Anonymous said...

Thailand is fully aware of the violation, however, she could careless of another nation sovereingnty, especially of Cambodia. The PAD want the Thai government to mobilize the troops to attack Cambodia on every little unresolve issue. Obviously, PAD and Thailand are not interest in solving problem in a civilize peaceful diplomatic mean. Thailand wants to solve border issue with Cambodia by flexing her military muscles. This is predictable of Thailand. Thailand is drumming up for war. The hildish and irresponsible behavior by Thailand is creating regional instability. She feels that a lot problems will be solved with Cambodia if threaten with war. By provoking or attacking Cambodia, Thailand hope of please the PAD, unite Thai, and maybe Cambodia might give in. Cambodia has been bullied by Thailand long enough, Cambodia cannot afford to ingnore another threat from Thailand. So it would be the best interest for Cambodia to defend her torritorial sovereignty at any cost.

Anonymous said...

thailand have never feel how war was like. We Cambodian been there. Let the thai taste the war if she wanted it. I am not in favore of war, but I can see thai want war and we Khmer should prepare for it. Cambodian now equip with hi-tech weapon from China, SAM, Missiles...you name it. the first time thai invade the area was easy for them 'cause we never prepare and Cambodian don't want any more war so she kept all of her weapons. NOW WEAPON READY LOCK AND LOAD AND OUT AGAIN. flex muscle doesn't mean anything, full scale combat do meant something, like Khmer did after the first fighting Khmer took all the area back.

Anonymous said...

action speak louder then word so do what you think is right Siam

Anonymous said...

ខ្មែរខ្លាំងតែខ្សោយ។ ខ្លាំងថា ខ្លាំងអួត តែការអនុវត្តគ្មាន។

Anonymous said...

be strong to defense to our motherland,if thai's armies or its peoples wanted war, then we have to fight to defense our self...

Anonymous said...

Cambodia should stop negotiating with the dirty,greedy, and dishonest Thai government about the land around preh vihear temple. Enough is enogh! Please, Samdach Hun Sen, take the Thai government to the world court to resolve this so called disputed area 4.60 square kilometer. The greedy Thai government and Thai people never satisfy their hunger to stealing Khmer territories! I hate Thai government and Thai people. I appeal to all Khmer people to stop buying Thai products.

Singapore_Lion said...

Let Thailand attack first, they will get every civilized country against them and will have to retreat miserably. China will support Cambodia just as most of the ASEAN countries since Cambodia is acting peacefully and being bullied around by Thailand. France, the UK and most of the EU will also support us, just as Russia and the USA. Thailand will lose big and will appear as an agressor and an invader. Diplomatically, it's the worst move ever for them, especially since they managed to secure Western support in the past decades. China is the major power in the region nowadays. They are getting closer and closer to Cambodia and will not let Thailand go away with an invasion if such a thing happened. The Thais might believe they will easily win but that's forgetting they would get the whole world against them!

Anonymous said...

Thailand is in the state of decline gradually. The southerners want
to secede from the central
government and the poor northerners and folks of the northeast no longer tolerate and let the elite Thais treat them like buffaloes anymore.If war broke out with Cambodia those elements will try to break away from the elite Thais and the colonist military establishment as well. The future Thailand will be like former Yugoslavia.
Pad leaders did not realize
that they serve well the Vietnamese interest now by forcing Khmer to be closer with Vietnam and away from Thailand.What a shame !

Anonymous said...

I don't support the idea of war between Cambodia and Thailand, but I do see war will broke out soon or later. Appearently, Thailand wants war much sooner. Thailand need to understand that the whole nation is dividing. As soon as thing start exploding with Cambodia and Thailand, things also start exploding in southern Thailand, and maybe on the north as well. Can Thailand afford to face a civil war, at the same time, fighting with Cambodia? If this was the case, Cambodia might stand to have an advantage. I suggest Cambodia should just play it cool, lay low, but lock in and load the ammos, and be ready to fire when the time comes. Don't behave wildly like Thailand. If you're calm, you're more focus.

Your traditional friend, Laos