Thai and Cambodian Military Commanders Agree on a Cease-Fire

This three year old Cambodian girl , Cha Sith, was injured during the shelling. (Photo: by Heng Reaksmey)

By SETH MYDANS
The New York Times
Published: April 28, 2011

BANGKOK — Thai and Cambodian military commanders agreed on a cease-fire Thursday after seven days of fighting that took at least 15 lives and displaced tens of thousands of civilians, the Cambodian government announced Thursday.

However, the Thai Army spokesman, Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, said no official deal had been reached. Some Thai officers were quoted as saying they would wait overnight to assess the situation.

The fighting over the past week focused on two ancient stone temples about 160 kilometers, or 100 miles, west of the Preah Vihear temple, where a dispute over territory has caused armed clashes since Unesco awarded it World Heritage status under Cambodian administration in 2008. The World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belonged to Cambodia. Both sides lay claim to a 4.6-square-kilometer, or 1.7-square-mile, area next to the temple.

The cause of the latest round of fighting was unclear, and each side has blamed the other for starting and prolonging it.

As part of the cease-fire, both sides agreed to reopen a border checkpoint near the two temples, Ta Moan and Ta Krabey, that have been the scene of the recent clashes, said Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Office of the Council of Ministers of Cambodia. He also said they agreed to allow displaced people to return to their homes.

“We will abide by the cease-fire from now on, and local commanders will meet regularly to avoid misunderstanding,” he said in Phnom Penh.

The Thai regional commander, Thawatchai Samutsakorn, was quoted by Reuters as saying, “The declaration on the Cambodian side is a good sign. Let’s try to enforce it.”

The prime ministers of both nations have said they are ready to negotiate a peace agreement, but they have differed over the venue and timing of a meeting. Cambodia has sought international help in brokering a truce, but Thailand insists that the conflict is a purely bilateral matter.

While each side has accused the other of starting the battles, the conflict has been connected from the start with the long-running political crisis in Thailand, with nationalists accusing the government of failing to protect Thai territory.

The latest engagement, some analysts say, reflects the agendas and ambitions of the politicized Thai military, seeking to assert its influence and leverage in advance of a parliamentary election expected in June or July.

“It’s a good way for the military to take a powerful position in politics,” said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an specialist on Thailand at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

The election is likely to bring renewed tensions to political conflicts that flared into violence a year ago, when the so-called red shirt protesters attempted to unseat the government. Their prolonged protests were crushed last May by the military in street battles in which about 90 people were killed.

The Thai military staged a coup in 2006 and has played a powerful role behind the scenes since civilian rule was restored in 2007. In the coming election, a military-backed government led by the Democrat Party is being challenged by parties broadly aligned with the red shirt opposition.

The Thai foreign minister, Kasit Piromya, headed to Jakarta on Thursday to discuss the clashes with Marty Natalegawa, the foreign minister of Indonesia, which holds the annual chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and has offered to mediate. The Thai military has rejected an offer by Indonesia to provide military observers to keep the peace along the border.

On Wednesday, the Thai defense minister, Prawit Wongsuwan, withdrew from planned cease-fire talks with his Cambodian counterpart, Tea Banh. The reason given by a Thai Army spokesman was that news reports in Cambodia had portrayed the talks as a sign that Thailand was surrendering.

“The military is going solo,” said Mr. Pavin, the Thailand specialist. “In many ways, it shows how useless the Foreign Ministry is. Basically it has been taken over by the military.”