Thai-Dk Din debat side

Oprettet af yindee d. 04-02-2011 14:55

lidt ballade på grænsen til Cambodia håber det ikke udvikler sig

Two or three Thai soldiers were wounded in an exchange of fire with Cambodian troops on Friday afternoon on the Thai-Cambodian border, and artillery rounds landed on Thai soil well inside the frontier, an informed military source said.

The clash started about 3.20pm near the disputed 4.6 square kilometre area around the Preah Vihear temple.

Fighting was continuing, the source said. Heavy weapon rounds had landed on the Thai side of the border.

Lt-Gen Tawatchai Samutsakhon, 2nd Army commander, said it was Cambodian troops who started the shooting.

Many artillery shells landed at Huay Thip village in tambon Rung of Si Sa Ket's Kanthararak district, north of the Preah Vihear temple and about 1km from Phu Makhua mountain, which is part of the disputed area.

Two or three Thai soldiers were reported wounded.

TNN TV news carried a live report from a villager in the area, who said at 50 year old man had been killed and others hurt by artillery shells which land in his village, well inside Thai territory.

Casualties on the Cambodian side were not known.

From Phnom Penh, AFP reported:
Thai and Cambodian soldiers have clashed near a disputed temple on the two countries' shared border, officials from both nations told AFP, amid increasing tensions between them.

"A clash is ongoing", said Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith without elaborating.

A Cambodian soldier stationed near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, which is claimed by both sides, told AFP by telephone fighting had broken out. Gunfire could be heard in the background.

Reports said artillery was being used, but it was not clear by which side, or whether both were doing so.

A Thai army official at the border also confirmed the skirmish, which follows reports of a military buildup on both sides of the border in recent days.

He said fighting broke out at 3.10pm local time (0810 GMT) at Phu Makuea, near the 11th-century temple.

"The fighting is still going on," the official said. "We don't have any details or casualties yet."

Residents in nine villages along the Thai side of the frontier have been asked to take shelter or leave the area, said a senior district official at Kantharalak in the border province of Si Sa Ket.

"I can still hear artillery shelling but don't know from which side," he said.

The border clash occurred not long after Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said in Siem Riep on Friday morning that Thailand and Cambodia have reached agreement not to blow up the dispute over the national flags put up in their disputed border area near Pheah Vihear temple.

The announcement followed talks between Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on the sidelines of Thai-Cambodia Joint Commission (JC) meeting on Friday.

Mr Kasit said afterwards they have agreed not to blow up the dispute over the flags and not to incite their people into hatred for each other.

In addition, the two countries would continue efforts to ease border tension by continuing demarcation negotiations through the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC).

Thailand earlier demanded that Cambodia remove both the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda and the Cambodian flag flying over the pagoda gate, while reasserting that the pagoda is on Thai territory. Thai troops also erected the Thai national flag in the disputed area in response.

Mr Kasit said he would visit the two yellow-shirt Thai activists, Veera Somkwankid and Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, who were sentenced by a Cambodian court to eight and six years in jail repectively for espionage, and discuss with them what further help can be provided by the government.

In a related development, the legal team of the Thai Patriots Network (TPN) will meet on Tuesday to discuss ways of helping Mr Veera and Ms Ratree then file an appeal on Feb 11 against the court verdict.

Chaiwat Sinsuwong, a TPN core member, said both Mr Veera and Ms Ratree were both insistent that they were not arrested on Cambodian soil, but the Foreign Ministry wanted them to accept the court's ruling that they were guilty as charged.

Karun Saingam, who is a member of the legal team, said the appeal would be submitted to the court on Feb 11 along with a bail request.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) should begin talks with the government to promote understanding, instead of only mounting attacks, concerning the Cambodian issues.

Mr Abhisit said if the government and the PAD could exchange opinions and help to each other, he believed it would be much easier to settle the ongoing disputes with Cambodia.

The prime minister said while the PAD was putting pressure on the government, Cambodia had sent a letter to the World Heritage Committee asking it not to allow Thailand host a World Heritage Committee meeting, because people in Thailand had called for the government to withdraw from the World Heritage Committee.

"If we join forces, it would be easier to for us to deal with Cambodia," Mr Abhisit said.

"Cambodia has taken the opportunity given by our internal discord to tell the World Heritage Committee that Thailand should not be allowed to host next year's meeting of the committee, reasoning that the Thai people want the government to withdraw from it.

"An abrupt withdrawal from the committee would not be good for our efforts to protect our interests," Mr Abhisit said.

The prime minister insisted it is necessary for the government to continue its membership of the World Heritage Committee. Thailand should not admit defeat or make an abrupt withdrawal from the committee, he added.

Mr Abhisit said the government's attempts to reach an understanding with the PAD were going in a favourable direction, but declined not to go in details.

On the PAD's planned rally on Saturday, the prime minister said everyone should bear in mind that if the situation developed in an unfavourable way it would not be good for the country.

He reaffirmed that the PAD protesters would not be allow to intrude into the Government House compound.

Pol Maj-Gen Wichai Sangprapai, commander of the Metropolian Police Division 1, said 17 companies of police will be assigned to control Saturday's planned mass rally by the PAD.

More checkpoints will be set up along routes leading to the protest site on Ratchadamnoen Nok avenue.

He had talked with PAD leaders, who said the protesters would not leave to site and move to somewhere else on Saturday.

http://www.bangko...-on-border

Oprettet af pirat d. 06-02-2011 04:59

Rystende våbenhvile efter nye kampe
Regeringen nåede en våbenhvile med Cambodja i går efter en genoptagelse af grænsen sammenstød i morgen dræbte en thailandsk soldat under den thailandske vejafgift til to.

Cambodja har sagt to af sine soldater og en civil blev dræbt, da kampene brød ud fredag, mens Thailand sagde en landsbyboer på sin side af grænsen også døde.

Genoptagelsen af kampene har sendt tusinder af mennesker, der bor tæt på grænsen på flugt i sikkerhed, og landsbyboerne på begge sider er blevet evakueret.

Som Cambodja i går udgivet fire thailandske rangers greb, når de sammenstød brød ud fredag, rapporter vist sig, at Preah Vihear tempel kan have været beskadiget.

Tv-optagelser viste røg faner stiger i nærheden af templet, der ifølge Cambodja lidt "alvorlig" skade under kampene.

Begge parter er nu ved at tage deres sag til internationale domstole, som yderligere kan skralde op spændinger langs grænsen.

Premierminister Abhisit Vejjajiva sagde i går at regeringen vil søge udsættelse af Preah Vihear tempel's notering som en UNESCO World Heritage site efter blusser op.

Regeringen vil også fremlægge et brev til FN's Sikkerhedsråd "præcisering" af grænsen sammenstød.

"Jeg beder thailændere til at støtte de væbnede styrker i at beskytte landets suverænitet," sagde han og tilføjer, at hæren aldrig ville invadere sin nabo.

I Bangkok, samledes et par tusinde tilhængere af People's Alliance for Demokrati tæt Government House opfordre regeringen til at træde tilbage for sin håndtering af Cambodja spørgsmålet.

Mr Abhisit sagde sammenstød vise grænsespørgsmålet er følsom og ethvert skridt, der kunne forværre spændingerne, bør undgås.

Unesco's World Heritage Committee er planlagt til at overveje templets verdens kulturarv liste planen, og en udviklingsplan for det omkringliggende område, på et møde i juni i Bahrain.

Statsministeren transporteres sin medfølelse med familierne til de sammenstød ofrene og sagde thailandske soldater blev simpelthen forsvare landets suverænitet efter cambodjanske soldater åbnede ild mod en thailandsk militærbase i Phu Ma Khua området Si Sa Ket på fredag.

Den fornyede skyderi i går morges dræbte en soldat og sårede fire andre. En udveksling af tunge artilleri beskydning fredag eftermiddag forlod en thailandsk landsbyboer døde og snesevis af sårede soldater.

Thailandske soldater sagde morgenen sammenstød fandt sted nær Huay Ta Maria landsby, da cambodjanske styrker rykkede frem mod byen og åbnede ild.

Thai tropper svarede igen og kampene brød ud på to nærliggende steder, Ban Don-AOW pass og en tidligere grænsepatrulje base nær Pha Mor E-Dang.

Hær talsmand Sansern Kaewkamnerd sagde de fornyede kampe dræbt Sgt Wutcharin Chartkhamdee og venstre fire andre soldater såret.

"Vi holdt fast vores holdninger. Når cambodjanske tropper avancerede til at besætte dem, kæmper var uundgåelig," sagde han.

Anden Army Commander Lt Thawatchai Samutsakhon førte en delegation til møde Cambodjas militære Region 4 kommandør Lt Gen Chea man

Efter tre timer samtaler, begge parter enige om at stoppe affyringen, ikke at øge deres styrker i det omstridte område, og forbedre koordineringen mellem enhed chefer.

Udenrigsminister Kasit Piromya orienterede udenlandske diplomater fra 16 lande, efter at hans ministerium på fredag sagde cambodjanske soldater åbnede ild fra Preah Vihear tempel område på den thailandske militær, og Phum Saron landsby.

Cambodjanske udenrigsminister Hor Namhong har skrevet til FN for at henlede sin opmærksomhed mod "eksplosive situation ved grænsen".

I et brev til FN's Sikkerhedsråd præsident Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, sagde han cambodjanske tropper havde intet andet valg end at gøre gengæld som reaktion på en "åbenlys aggression" af thailandske tropper.

Col Sansern i går indrømmede at hæren havde forstærket tropper og artilleri ved grænsen.

I mellemtiden udtrykt UNESCO's generaldirektør Irina Bokova hendes dybe bekymring over den pludselige optrapning af grænserne spændinger.

Hun opfordrede begge parter til at udvise tilbageholdenhed af hensyn til templet og til at tale på højeste niveau at afdramatisere spændingerne.

http://www.bangko...h-fighting

Oprettet af pirat d. 08-02-2011 07:51

#11

Thai-Cambodia Border Close as Conflicts Continue

The Army Region 2 announced last night that the Thai-Cambodian border in some areas will be shut down indefinitely.

The Thai Army Region 2 announced the closure of the Thai-Cambodian border in the areas of Sakaeo, Sisaket, Surin, Trad, and Chanthaburi provinces last night, specifically at the chong jom, prasat ta kway and prasat ta muan tom border points. Merchants there have been left in a state of uncertainty and are evacuating from the border trade area.

Currently, many stores in the Surin province and Siamrath province are closed, with many schools like the Ban Darn school in the Karb Cherng district shut down as well, with no reopening date set yet. Administrative officers are prepared to evacuate all citizens in the border areas.

Other border points remain open, but have stringent checkpoints in place.

At Poipet ยเปต border crossing, there has been a large decline in the number of traders and workers entering the popular Rong Kluea market, with roughly 200-300 people coming through per day.

One merchant said she feels uncertain about entering the Rong Kluea market in the early morning, and would want to assess the situation before ordering new products to sell in the area.

In Trad province, the border area is experiencing a large decline in the number of people crossing over to gamble at the famous casino there. Group tours are canceling their trips as well.

For the ports exporting to Cambodia and Vietnam, specifically the Chalalai, Krittawan, and the Kalapangha port, there has been a decline in buying and selling there as well.

Meanwhile, the border at Chanthaburi seems less effected where people are still crossing to buy instant foods and other commodities.

http://www.thaivi...-continue/

Oprettet af pirat d. 09-02-2011 04:09

#12

det går ud over de fattige hver gang

Some 16,000 residents have been left in total disarray after the cross-border fighting erupted near Preah Vihear Temple over the weekend.
Si Sa Ket Governor Somsak Suwanjarit said yesterday that teams of local officials were patrolling the nearly-deserted border villages, but many locals have complained that their homes were looted and some have lost possessions of great sentimental value.

"For more than 50 years, I have cherished a silver bowl that my husband gave me as part of my dowry. Now, someone took it away," Chaweewan Boonsaner, 70, said as she was sitting in an evacuation centre.

The silver bowl had meant the most to her because her husband had already passed away and the couple had no children.

She hoped police could recover her precious object of affection. She said her house was broken into and all valuable belongings like silk and kitchen utensils were gone.

"But what I want back most is the silver bowl," she said.

Chaweewan is one of more than 2,000 residents of Ban Phum Saron in Si Sa Ket's Kanthararak district who fled from their hometown out of fear for their lives as artillery shells rained down around them.

Sutien Mathong, 58, said the border clashes had put locals in a tight spot because they did not know what would happen next.

"Please help. We are suffering," said Sutien, who is from Ban Son Sawang of Kanthararak district.

So far 50 schools in the district have closed. Surveys show the flare-up has destroyed at least seven houses and damaged 10 others.

Surachai Khan-asa, director-general of the Community Development Department, said short vocational courses would be offered at the evacuation centres so people could pick up some job skills during their free time.

"For example, we may provide massage classes," he said.

At a temporary shelter in front of Kanthararak District Office, relief kits from HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn were handed out to the refugees.

Help from various authorities also flowed in.

In Surin, another border province, 5,543 people were relocated for safety reasons, while 76 foxholes and 68 bunkers have been prepared in the four border districts.

http://www.nation...48248.html