Cambodian troops leaving Preah Vihear surrounding areas.
Channel News Asia
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia
and Thailand pulled hundreds of soldiers out of a disputed border area
on Wednesday, a year after a ruling by the UN's highest court, replacing
them with police and security guards.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 18 last year ordered the neighbours to demilitarise a strip of land adjacent to the Preah Vihear temple which was the scene of deadly clashes in 2011.
"It's an appropriate time to implement the ICJ's verdict," Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said during the exit ceremony on the Cambodian side, shown live on television, though he warned that "full peace has not been ensured".
Nearly 500 Cambodian troops will be redeployed from the zone around the temple but will be replaced by some 250 policemen and 100 guards supposedly employed to preserve the 11th century site.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 18 last year ordered the neighbours to demilitarise a strip of land adjacent to the Preah Vihear temple which was the scene of deadly clashes in 2011.
"It's an appropriate time to implement the ICJ's verdict," Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said during the exit ceremony on the Cambodian side, shown live on television, though he warned that "full peace has not been ensured".
Nearly 500 Cambodian troops will be redeployed from the zone around the temple but will be replaced by some 250 policemen and 100 guards supposedly employed to preserve the 11th century site.
Yutthasak Sasiprapa, a Thai deputy prime minister responsible for national security, said Bangkok had also pulled back its soldiers and instead deployed border patrol police, also believed to number in their hundreds.
"Thailand and Cambodia are setting up a joint team to work on the terms of reference for Indonesian observers," he added, referring to a team to be sent by Jakarta to monitor the situation in the 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square-mile) area of disputed land.
In February last year, 10 people were killed in fighting at the Preah Vihear temple site and fresh clashes broke out further west in April 2011, leaving 18 dead.
The ICJ subsequently ruled that both countries should withdraw forces around the 900-year-old Khmer temple.
But the order was held up as neither country appeared ready to make the first move.
The ICJ decision came after Cambodia launched a bitter legal battle before the court in late April 2011 in which it asked for an interpretation of a 1962 ruling on Preah Vihear.
Thailand does not dispute Cambodia's ownership of the temple, but both sides claim an adjacent patch of land.
A Thai government spokesman said the withdrawal did not signal a climbdown over the contested land, but was instead a diplomatic compromise to help smooth relations ahead of the 2015 establishment of a Southeast Asian trading bloc.
"The troop pull-out is to pave the way for Indonesian observers to enter the area and also to prepare for the ASEAN Economic Community," said Anusorn Eiemsaard, deputy government spokesman.
- AFP/wm
20 comments:
Happy to see our troops in proper uniforms and better equipped today...I used to see our soldier wore sandle and flip flop uniforms, Carring rusted rifle, skinny looking....Now they seem to look in better shape, my god! Its about time........
Cambodia also need the best high tech anti-air defend inorder to protect airspace today, cuz we don't have fighting jets to compete, can't afford that, but we need very very High Tech weapons.......Yes!
one of the soldier have a under-barrel grenade launcher attachment. First I seen this setup, and proud that the military is getting the upgrade they need, and this unit is not from PMBU but regular army.
DCPP GUY
*YOU CAN SEE THE AK GRENADE LAUNCHER SECOND SOLDIER.
dcpp guy
You think these toy soldiers can defend Cambodia? It's your youns military supporting them.
3:45 AM
You sound to have full of Youn Virus in your mind and body body.
Stop insult my Khmer brother. These soldiers might not well educated like you, but they sacrificed their time and life to protect our country Cambodia and they are not youn.
Youn has no interest to protect our country Cambodia and our Khmer heritage "Prasat Preah Vihear."
good one 4:09AM! People should appreciate that these men in uniforms, putting his life in the front line protecting our country and give us freedom from foregin invaders...If people don't know the fact, don't just open their mouth and saying stuff.......man!
Praviharn was build for Thais people only, Khmen has no right to be there period..!!
Por prammuk,
Stupid soldiers. As If they don`t know Vietnam is already encroaching us.
ignorant heart, mind, n soul Down with tha siam and yeak- namese.. May God bless Kampuchea!..time for the eastern border when china run thru hait noi.. khmer kings built preah vihear for khmer empire..learn it u siamese !
U must be out of your mind foe!!! Preah Vihea was build by khmers for khmers god king in 11th century using Siamese slaves as laborers.khmers rules Siamese back then.
Who's stupid!?who didn't know that Yuon encroaches our land!? Only Cpp didn't know or pretent not knowing,because they were Yuon themselves.9:28AM Do you know!!??
Yes! Change Cpp to YPP =Yuons people party,pretent that Yuon never encroaches our land...
Agreed with you. Fighter or interceptor aircrafts and it's supporting facilities and personels can be very costly. The best strategies for a developing country like ours is to armed ourselves with defensive weapons rather than offensive weapons. Modern Russian, Chinese, and French SAM missle systems at border areas with our neighbors especially Siam, Viets. Our ground troops need more MANPADs such as FN-6, Stingers, Redeye, shapier is sufficient to shoot down Siam's attack helicopters, low flying fighters, bombers.
We need to strengthen our ground forces with better longer rang artillery system such French Czars 155mm howitzers, don't tell me a country like us can't afford it . It's only 1 million dollars per system. For us individual is out of reach, but for a whole country we cancertainly afford it. We also need to armed our ground forces with better modern anti-tank missiles and these are not that expensive.
We need also to ask PRC to give us a favorable loan to buy a frigate warships to protect our sea areas integrity. Example like if build a beautiful big house but we gave no fences, thieves like Siam and Viets will steal stuffs in our backyard. You get my points. I am glad to see our troops now are better trained and improve weapons.
t
Yea these toy soldiers were able to defend against a bigger more powerful army for 4 years. Last three fights we killed a lot of your coward Thai troops around Prasat Preah Vihear areas, Prasat Ta Krabey, Prasat Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Teuch areas. We left hundreds your mighty Thai troops bodies rotten in those forest. Khmers the grandsons and grand daughters of Khmer Angkors will not bowed down to these Thai lady boys. This is 21th century not 14th century. This is not Loveke era. Khmer children do not like to take lives but if you Thai lady boys push us we will bite back. Victory to Cambodia.
Agreed. This animal who look down on our troops is either Siam or Laos. He just a sour loser that our boys who the world gave no chance to able to fight the mighty Thai army were able to defend our border and killed many of these Thai lady boys. Thank you my Khmer brothers for your scarified. From Khmer in
U. S.A
You idiot Siam got no pride at all. You make a fool out of yourself and your country by saying this. Your country stole almost everything from Khmer's cultures, alphabets writing, our land. You did built Thailand good but by claiming this you put your country as the land of thieves and whores. Oh ! yea like our Khmer's kings who built this temple for Thai peoples, LOL. Your country ONLY exist about 400 to 500 years from the late 13th century. This temple idiot was built in the 9th century. JUST LOOK DON'T TOUCH LADIES THAI.
I agree Hun Sen should consider buying Modern Anti-air defend to protect our airspace all around the entire border..I don't thing those couple SA-3 we have are good anymore..? Pretty old crap!!
Praviharn belonged to( Sangkranhchamttannahpitd loi)Thai people only, the Great King has built this temple for Thai people to pray, khmen must relize that and must get out of that area.!!
Pramuk,
Post a Comment