Cheeseman: Thailand ‘muddying the waters’
Published: 9/04/2011
Bangkok Post
The international anti-cluster munitions group insists Thailand is only "muddying the waters" by attempting to refute the allegation that it used cluster bombs during border clashes with Cambodia in late February.
Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) director Laura Cheeseman yesterday said the Thai army admitted to using Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) in fighting with Cambodia. The DPICM, she said, is a "classic example of a cluster munition".
Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi yesterday released a statement rebutting the CMC's claim. He said the group "misinterpreted" a statement made by Thai Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva Sihasak Phuangketkeow.
Mr Thani said the Permanent Representative had told the CMC that Thailand had used DPICM, not cluster munitions.
"How Thailand could come to such a conclusion is baffling," Ms Cheeseman stated. "The DPICM is the classic example of a cluster munition, which is essentially a large canister that opens up after deployment to disperse many submunitions over a wide area."
Defence Ministry spokesman Thanathip Sawangsaeng echoed an earlier denial made by Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon that the army has no cluster bombs in its arsenal.
"We may have some weapons with similar features to cluster bombs but they do not work like cluster bombs. They are not cluster bombs," Col Thanathip said.
A source in the army said the weapon in question could be the Caesar self-propelled howitzer, whose artillery burst into bomblets.
The army suspended its use after the border clashes in February.
Ms Cheeseman also countered an argument made by acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn that armies of different countries can categorise weapons differently. No country besides Thailand has ever questioned if the DPICM is a cluster munition, she said in an email to the Bangkok Post.
In the Foreign Ministry's statement, Mr Thani said Thailand's use of DPICM was in response to Cambodia's attacks with BM-21 rocket launcher systems, which struck at targets indiscriminately.
"Such attacks had impacted Thai civilians. It was therefore necessary for Thai troops to act in self-defence against such military targets."
Ms Cheeseman said instead of trying to muddy the waters with the question of definition, the Thai government should take steps to ban all cluster munitions by joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer and stockpiling of cluster bombs.
5 comments:
Press it on make sure any further usages of this kinds of weapons won't happen again if thailand can use illegal weapons and get away with it cambodia also can use landmines or something else more deadly in next clash .
if thailand really care about international community.
Duck shoot needs to make ah siam pays for the damages. Don't be fooled by ah siam!
"Mr Thani said the Permanent Representative had told the CMC that Thailand had used DPICM, not cluster munitions."
Thailand can't lie any more because DPICMs are cluster bombs, so if the Thai ambassador admitted that Thai troops had used DPICMs it means he had admitted to using cluster bombs because DPICMs and cluster bombs are the same things.
Siemland(Thailand)is such a evasive SOB. This is the result of centuries of lies. Siemland is constantly denying, evading, and very indirective. It's like saying," Well, we didn't used cluster bombs, however; we had attempted to used an artillery shell that contained little bombs inside, and it's not DPICMs either." Whatever you want to nicely put it, the world knows.
This goes to show that Siem military had desperately attempted to take over Preah Vihear during that clash. Khmer troops was able to defend their turfs bravely. Siem knew it couldn't fight face to face, so shooting those big rounds DCICMs would help soften the Khmer positions. It didn't work, did it? This is why it is screaming for round 2 and start mobolizing more troops and tanks, hoping that the second fight will be better than the first. Whatever you want to do Siem, you make the move. Don't think Cambodia is going to bow down to you motherf*^kers. The harder you push, the harder Cambodia will kill more of you dogs.
Feel sorry that Thailand is doing such as a cheap thing.
Now, it seems Thailand play an important role in unrest the ASEAN communities.
It's really concerned that even there is the international law out there, Thailand gives a shit to it. So, Be careful to Lao, Vietnam, or Malaysia, and his long-lasting friend in fighting like Myanma. If Thailand can make a nuclear weapon, may be all you guys might go under buttock of this threatening country.
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