Thai soldiers transport an injured comrade during fighting with Cambodian troops at the Thai-Cambodia border in Surin province, April 24, 2011.
REUTERS/Stringer
By Martin Petty
PHANOM DONG RAK, Thailand (Reuters) – Thai and Cambodia troops briefly clashed Tuesday near Preah Vihear temple, about 150 km (93 miles) away from where they have fought for the past four days, raising concern the conflict could spread to other poorly demarcated border areas.
Thai army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the two sides battled with short-range rockets and guns for about 30 minutes near the 11th-century Hindu temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment claimed by both Southeast Asian neighbors.
"We are keeping it contained to a small area," he said, describing the confrontation as a "misunderstanding."
Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said Thai fighter jets fired into Cambodian territory near the temple. "A fighter jet flew over and just started shelling," he said.
The neighbors had been exchanging sporadic fire in another area of the border near the 12th-century Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples, where at least 13 people have been killed since Friday and more than 50,000 evacuated.
Preah Vihear, scene of intense fighting on February 4-7 that killed 11 soldiers and wounded scores, has been a source of tension for generations and the two countries have been locked in a standoff since July 2008, when Preah Vihear was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.
Thailand opposed the listing on grounds that the land around the temple had never been demarcated.
An international court awarded Preah Vihear to Cambodia 49 years ago, but both countries lay claim to a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) patch of land around it.
Thailand has pressed for a bilateral solution to the conflict but Cambodia Tuesday ruled out talks until a May 7-8 leaders' summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, insisting on third party mediation.
"We will wait until then and we will meet and talk," Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith told reporters. "The meeting can be bilateral and if the talks are about border clashes, a third party must be involved."
POLITICAL INTERESTS
Although on the surface, the conflict appears to be a dispute over sovereignty and territory, many experts believe the fighting is fueled by political interests on both sides.
The two governments have been locked in diplomatic rows for two years and could be seeking to discredit each other and appeal to nationalists at home, especially as Thailand prepares for a general election expected by July.
A change in government could be in Cambodia's interests.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban played down speculation that the conflict would delay an election and said a two-way dialogue was the only way out. "We are preparing for elections as planned," he told reporters.
Analysts said the Thai military could also be flexing its muscles to preserve its sizeable stake in Thailand's political apparatus and to satisfy conservative elites at odds with the country's powerful opposition forces.
"The army has nothing to lose in a border clash. They show their relevance and show who is wielding the power," said Karn Yuenyong, head of the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank.
The conflict has also been a setback for ASEAN, a 10-member bloc modeled on the European Union with ambitions to become a regional community by 2015, illustrating the limits to regional diplomacy after the Thai army rebuffed international monitors proposed by ASEAN foreign ministers in February.
The renewed fighting followed the cancellation of a visit to both countries by a top ASEAN envoy and Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natelegawa, who had brokered the U.N.-backed ceasefire deal in February that included the deployment of 30 unarmed military observers to seven border locations.
The plan has not been put in place.
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan called for immediate dialogue and said the reputation of the grouping was at stake.
Thailand has evacuated more than 30,000 villagers in two border provinces, while Cambodia said 22,000 people had been moved to safety, accusing Thailand of attacking villages 20 km (12 miles) into its territory.
(Additional reporting by Ambika Ahuja in Bangkok and Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh; Editing by Jason Szep and Yoko Nishikawa)
REUTERS/Stringer
By Martin Petty
PHANOM DONG RAK, Thailand (Reuters) – Thai and Cambodia troops briefly clashed Tuesday near Preah Vihear temple, about 150 km (93 miles) away from where they have fought for the past four days, raising concern the conflict could spread to other poorly demarcated border areas.
Thai army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the two sides battled with short-range rockets and guns for about 30 minutes near the 11th-century Hindu temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment claimed by both Southeast Asian neighbors.
"We are keeping it contained to a small area," he said, describing the confrontation as a "misunderstanding."
Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said Thai fighter jets fired into Cambodian territory near the temple. "A fighter jet flew over and just started shelling," he said.
The neighbors had been exchanging sporadic fire in another area of the border near the 12th-century Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples, where at least 13 people have been killed since Friday and more than 50,000 evacuated.
Preah Vihear, scene of intense fighting on February 4-7 that killed 11 soldiers and wounded scores, has been a source of tension for generations and the two countries have been locked in a standoff since July 2008, when Preah Vihear was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.
Thailand opposed the listing on grounds that the land around the temple had never been demarcated.
An international court awarded Preah Vihear to Cambodia 49 years ago, but both countries lay claim to a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) patch of land around it.
Thailand has pressed for a bilateral solution to the conflict but Cambodia Tuesday ruled out talks until a May 7-8 leaders' summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, insisting on third party mediation.
"We will wait until then and we will meet and talk," Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith told reporters. "The meeting can be bilateral and if the talks are about border clashes, a third party must be involved."
POLITICAL INTERESTS
Although on the surface, the conflict appears to be a dispute over sovereignty and territory, many experts believe the fighting is fueled by political interests on both sides.
The two governments have been locked in diplomatic rows for two years and could be seeking to discredit each other and appeal to nationalists at home, especially as Thailand prepares for a general election expected by July.
A change in government could be in Cambodia's interests.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban played down speculation that the conflict would delay an election and said a two-way dialogue was the only way out. "We are preparing for elections as planned," he told reporters.
Analysts said the Thai military could also be flexing its muscles to preserve its sizeable stake in Thailand's political apparatus and to satisfy conservative elites at odds with the country's powerful opposition forces.
"The army has nothing to lose in a border clash. They show their relevance and show who is wielding the power," said Karn Yuenyong, head of the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank.
The conflict has also been a setback for ASEAN, a 10-member bloc modeled on the European Union with ambitions to become a regional community by 2015, illustrating the limits to regional diplomacy after the Thai army rebuffed international monitors proposed by ASEAN foreign ministers in February.
The renewed fighting followed the cancellation of a visit to both countries by a top ASEAN envoy and Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natelegawa, who had brokered the U.N.-backed ceasefire deal in February that included the deployment of 30 unarmed military observers to seven border locations.
The plan has not been put in place.
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan called for immediate dialogue and said the reputation of the grouping was at stake.
Thailand has evacuated more than 30,000 villagers in two border provinces, while Cambodia said 22,000 people had been moved to safety, accusing Thailand of attacking villages 20 km (12 miles) into its territory.
(Additional reporting by Ambika Ahuja in Bangkok and Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh; Editing by Jason Szep and Yoko Nishikawa)
1 comment:
Surin Pitsuwan your race started you should stop your people tell the them don't have too much ambition of swallow another neighbor land
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