Thread: Thai and Cambodian troops clash

Originally Posted by DroversDog

Originally Posted by Thaihome

If Noppadon’s deal was so good, why did he and Samak not take it to Parliament and get approval as constitutionally required?

It was a MOU which when read did not impact Thai Sovereignty and should not require Parliament approval. The idea that you need Parliament approval are for agreements that are legally binding between the 2 countries and require an 'Act' to go through parliament.

The corrupt constitutional court somehow decided (or were told to rule) that it did impact Sovereignty. The fallout from this incorrect decision has pretty much stopped Thailand making any bilateral agreements.

We are not discussing the 2000 or 2002 MOU’s that addressed the border issues without actually delineating it. Please get your facts straight before participating.

2Bangkok.com - Preah Vihear Joint Communique

So an agreement that inlcudes a map showing a disputed border and a "buffer zone" does not impact Sovereignty?

Why did they not take it to the Parliment they controlled?

TH

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Thai Cambodian Conflict (H): Thai newspaper reports Thai government gives 1,000 shot-guns to Thai civilians at border town

At first glance this sounds insane... but, if the PAD are coming to town any time soon then the shotguns might be very useful. If true (unlikely I know) then the irony of shooting a few manager holding fukwits with the new shotguns will be a pleasant kind of irony, imho...

Originally Posted by Thaihome

Originally Posted by DroversDog

Originally Posted by Thaihome

If Noppadon’s deal was so good, why did he and Samak not take it to Parliament and get approval as constitutionally required?

It was a MOU which when read did not impact Thai Sovereignty and should not require Parliament approval. The idea that you need Parliament approval are for agreements that are legally binding between the 2 countries and require an 'Act' to go through parliament.

The corrupt constitutional court somehow decided (or were told to rule) that it did impact Sovereignty. The fallout from this incorrect decision has pretty much stopped Thailand making any bilateral agreements.

We are not discussing the 2000 or 2002 MOU’s that addressed the border issues without actually delineating it. Please get your facts straight before participating.

2Bangkok.com - Preah Vihear Joint Communique

So an agreement that inlcudes a map showing a disputed border and a "buffer zone" does not impact Sovereignty?

Why did they not take it to the Parliment they controlled?

TH

Ok, Joint Communique which should never need Parliament approval. So TH look at the map and tell us which bit of land was labeled Cambodian territory which Thailand think is theirs. Also please exclude your PAD maps from the discussion.

go to this link Thai Intelligence News Study Center

scroll down, you may want to re-rate this a a credible news source . . . the eight frontal nude shots could be a hint!

genghis61 , the source was the manager and they are routinely quoted both here and in Thai mainstream press .

the blog simply repeated the story as we do .

Originally Posted by genghis61

go to this link Thai Intelligence News Study Center

scroll down, you may want to re-rate this a a credible news source . . . the eight frontal nude shots could be a hint!

Quite an unusual site that one...

The big heading on the main page states: Critical Thinking and intelligence analysis (not sure why they are analysing folks intelligence levels, but...).

This is followed by many large nudes - closer to porno style than art on my book.

Then headlines of Cambo/Thai news in Thai and English.

It says the editor is a Thai American, but his grammar skills are firmly Thai... I like the COPY RIGHT NOTE (it's always good to do it right...): "This blog is a study center-academic & non commercial-thus blog cut & paste for research. Sources please inform the center if violates your copy-right."

It does come across as complete shite...

^^ hi, no problem, I am very surprised that this issuing of firearms, by an un-named man to an un-named village, forming village militia, has not become big headlines, if this were to be the case . . . can the Thai army not protect the border?

Seems at odds with reports of rocket launchers etc - 1000 shotguns handed out by an un-named Thai Interior Ministry official?

We're further south of Aranyaprathet - if it gets to the point I get given a shotgun I'll be gassing up the scooter an heading west.

^ bb - I got 'caught' on that page; sitting outside with laptop, casually reading news sites, of course within a second of me seeing the nudes gf has to look across 'what are you doing?'. Telling her I was reading Critical Thinking and intelligence analysis got me nowhere!

So the blog is crap but Mid points out its source The Manager is OK.
See what happen next few days.

Border dispute displaces up to 30,000

The Preah Vihear Temple
Photo: Gary Arndt/Flickr

BANGKOK, 9 February 2011 (IRIN) - NGOs working along the Thai-Cambodian border are monitoring clashes between the two countries near a disputed temple and are extremely concerned about the reported displacement of up to 30,000 people.

"We have evacuated our staff and are preparing to assist those who have fled the area," Agneta Dau Valler, country representative of Church World Service Cambodia, which has field staff living in villages in Choam Khsant District, where the disputed Preah Vihear temple is located, told IRIN.

An estimated 15,000 people on the Thai side of the border have "fled to makeshift shelters and other villages away from the range of fire," said Amnat Barlee, director of the Thai Red Cross's Relief and Community Health Bureau, while Cambodian Red Cross officials estimate the displacement of a similar number on their side of the border.

Renewed border clashes on 4 February over ownership of the 11th century Hindu temple, a 2008-registered UN World Heritage Site, were continuing on 8 February.

As of 9 February, no civilians on the Cambodia side had been reported dead or injured. However, Thai media said one civilian and two soldiers had been killed.

One day earlier, Thailand's official news agency, MCOT, reported 25 people injured in fighting, prompting thousands to flee their homes.

Many of the displaced are unable to find adequate shelter or tents, aid officials say.


Photo: ReliefWeb

"People staying in temples and schools do not have adequate access to water, and children cannot attend school," Ross Soeann, deputy secretary-general of the Cambodian government's National Committee for Disaster Management, said.

"We are concerned because everything depends on the military and up to now we have no news of any ceasefire agreement. We have to ensure the safety and health of the displaced people but we do not have adequate shelters - only plastic sheeting," Soeann said.

"If the situation prolongs, we must prepare camps to manage the situation," he added.

"World Vision is monitoring the situation continuously. The safety of staff is non-negotiable," Renate Janse van Vuuren, a spokeswoman for World Vision Foundation Thailand, said.

UN ready to help

Earlier this week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged both countries to "exercise maximum restraint" to end the fighting and engage in peaceful dialogue.

The UN has reiterated its readiness to assist in peaceful efforts to resolve the dispute, which first gained international attention in July 2008, following a build-up of military forces near the temple.

Phnom Post has repeatedly called on the UN to intervene, while Bangkok insists the issue be handled bilaterally.

According to Thai media reports on 9 February, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya had spoken to his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong and they have agreed to hold talks in a third country.

irinnews.org

Cambodian soldiers gather near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, 09 February 2011. Cambodia said its northern border with Thailand was quiet but tense after calls for calm from Beijing and Washington following four days of clashes there that left at least seven dead and dozens injured. Thousands of civilians on both sides of the border near the 11th-century Preah Vihear Hindu temple have fled the fighting. Each side has blamed the other for instigating the violence, which was sparked by the countries competing claims to land near the temple.
EPA/STR


A Cambodian soldier carries his gun as troops gather near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, 09 February 2011. Cambodia said its northern border with Thailand was quiet but tense after calls for calm from Beijing and Washington following four days of clashes there that left at least seven dead and dozens injured. Thousands of civilians on both sides of the border near the 11th-century Preah Vihear Hindu temple have fled the fighting. Each side has blamed the other for instigating the violence, which was sparked by the countries competing claims to land near the temple.
EPA/STR


Cambodian soldiers man their guns near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, 08 February 2011. Cambodia said its northern border with Thailand was quiet but tense after calls for calm from Beijing and Washington following four days of clashes there that left at least seven dead and dozens injured. Thousands of civilians on both sides of the border near the 11th-century Preah Vihear Hindu temple have fled the fighting. Each side has blamed the other for instigating the violence, which was sparked by the countries‘ competing claims to land near the temple. EPA/STRepa Cambodian soldiers man their guns near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, 08 February 2011. Cambodia said its northern border with Thailand was quiet but tense after calls for calm from Beijing and Washington following four days of clashes there that left at least seven dead and dozens injured. Thousands of civilians on both sides of the border near the 11th-century Preah Vihear Hindu temple have fled the fighting. Each side has blamed the other for instigating the violence, which was sparked by the countries‘ competing claims to land near the temple.
EPA/STR


Cambodian soldiers guard at Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, 08 February 2011. The Cambodian government earlier returned arrested Thai soldier Song Gan Tong Chompoo to the Thai government. Song Gan Tong Chompoo was arrested on 05 February 2011 during fighting between Cambodian and Thai soldiers in the disputed area on the Thai-Cambodian border near Preah Vihear temple.
EPA/STR


A Cambodian Buddhist monk walks next to his damaged house at Keo Sekha Kirisvara pagoda near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, 08 February 2011. The Cambodian government earlier returned arrested Thai soldier Song Gan Tong Chompoo to the Thai government. Song Gan Tong Chompoo was arrested on 05 February 2011 during fighting between Cambodian and Thai soldiers in the disputed area on the Thai-Cambodian border near Preah Vihear temple.
EPA/STR


Cambodian soldiers stand on a military truck as they travel near the Preah Vhear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, 08 February 2011. The Cambodian government earlier returned arrested Thai soldier Song Gan Tong Chompoo to the Thai government. Song Gan Tong Chompoo was arrested on 05 February 2011 during fighting between Cambodian and Thai soldiers in the disputed area on the Thai-Cambodian border near Preah Vihear temple.
EPA/STR

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5376/clearh.gif

Thailand, Cambodia to explain border conflict to UN
Wednesday 9th February, 2011

The foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand are to present their versions of events in their border conflict to a UN Security Council meeting scheduled for Monday.

Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong confirmed Wednesday that Hor Namhong would attend.

'We are looking for a solution,' he said. 'But we cannot say more because right now the issue is in the hands of the Security Council, so we must wait and see.'

The spokesman said he did not know whether Hor Namhong would meet with his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya while in New York.

Earlier Wednesday, Thailand confirmed Kasit would present Bangkok's position on the fighting around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, which erupted Friday and has left three Thais and five Cambodians dead.

'We're taking it as a good opportunity to inform the Security Council what transpired,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said.

The situation at the border late Wednesday remained quiet but tense after fighting ceased Monday.

Sources said the Indonesian foreign minister was also expected to attend the meeting, which has been called by Security Council president Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti.

Marty Natalegawa - the foreign minister of Indonesia, which now holds the rotating chairmanship of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) - has stepped in to facilitate a bilateral solution.

'In the final analysis, the issue between Thailand and Cambodia must be addressed and can only be addressed bilaterally because this is a border issue that needs to be negotiated,' Natalegawa said Tuesday after visiting Bangkok and Phnom Penh.

Cambodia has sought Security Council involvement to speed up a solution to the dispute over the area around the Hindu temple, which is perched on a cliff in the Dangrek mountain range that vaguely defines the border and has been a bone of contention for more than five decades.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice decided the temple belonged to Cambodia but failed to rule on a 4.6-square-kilometre plot of land nearby that both countries claim.

Bangkok faulted UNESCO for exacerbating the sovereignty spat when it declared the temple a world heritage site in July 2008 despite Thai objections.

The decision prompted both sides to beef up their military presence in the disputed area, about 450 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, leading to several skirmishes since.

Thailand insisted the dispute should be handled by the Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary, a Thai-Cambodian body set up a decade ago to resolve border-demarcation issues.

Late Tuesday, Phnom Penh rejected as 'slanderous' statements by the Thai military that Cambodian troops had used the world heritage site as a 'heavy arms base' to fire at Thai positions.

Koy Kuong said the only people present carrying arms were 'a small number of policemen with only light weapons to provide safety' at the temple.

Although some soldiers had gone to the temple to assess the damage caused by the fighting, he insisted their presence was temporary.

Cambodia has blamed the Thai military for shelling the temple and has requested that UNESCO send a team to assess the damage.

'I intend to send a mission to the area as soon as possible to assess the state of the temple,' UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said Tuesday in Paris, where the organisation maintains its world headquarters.

story.malaysiasun.com

Another tank arrives on an army transporter near the border in Si Sa Ket province on Wednesday, as Foreign Minister Kasit prepares to meet his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong and the Asean chairman in New York on Monday. Then they will all explain the border conflict to the UN Security Council.
(Photo by Jetjaras Na Ranong)

Bangkok Post : Explanations all round

THAI-CAMBODIA BORDER CLASHES

It's a real war : Cambodia PM
By Xinhua



Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Wednesday that the recent clashes with Thailand in the disputed border areas was "a real war", adding that there would be no more bilateral talks.

"This is the real war, not the military clash," he said while closing the annual conference of the Ministry of Commerce. "

Thailand created this war and (Thai Prime Minister) Abhisit must be responsible for the war and should be brought before international courts of war crimes," Hun Sen said.

Hun Sen accused Thai troops of firing cluster bomb at Cambodian troops. "Our war with Thailand will be taking long time," he said.

The premier also called for international mediation in bilateral negotiations. "There will be no more bilateral talks, and all negotiations will be participated by the third party."

"Now bilateral mechanism is worthless, so it needs international mechanism. Cambodia will use international mechanisms as much as possible such as asking UN to convene urgent meeting, and sending UN peacekeepers or UN observers to Cambodia."

"Thai government should not be afraid of international mechanism," Hun Sen said.

While rejecting bilateral talks and vowing that Cambodia will not compromise on border issue, the premier stressed that " peaceful negotiations will continue, but the negotiations must have the participation of the third party."

Hun Sen said that Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong will report the UN Security Council on this issue.

He also rejected the Thai media's reports that his eldest son was wounded in the latest exchange of fire with Thailand on Monday.

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated and the issue of Preah Vihear temple has been a long-standing dispute. Although the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple itself belonged to Cambodia, the row over the 4.6 square kilometers territory around the temple has never been resolved.

The latest four-day clashes on Feb. 4-7 between the two countries have already left some soldiers dead or wounded on both sides, and inflicted damage on the Preah Vihear temple which was awarded World Heritage site in 2008. At the same time, tens of thousands of the two countries' villagers nearby the disputed areas fled home for safe shelters.

nationmultimedia.com

Looking at the photos it looks as though even the Americans could beat these Asian armies. However, people said about Vietnam and look at the fuk up they made of that.

Hun Sen bully boy: Kasit

Kasit labels Cambodian PM as bully boy, expresses suspicion Russia, India, China behind Cambodia's aggressiveness

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya Wednesday called Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen a bully boy who launched attacks against Thailand with hope to seize control of the disputed plot near Preah Vihear Temple.

Kasit was speaking at a seminar on Thai-Cambodian relationship at Parliament held by the Senate committee on foreign affairs.

Kasit told the seminar that the conflicts between the two countries happened because the Cambodian government incited hatred among its people towards Thailand.

Kasit said the Cambodian government told its people that Thailand had been bullying Cambodia during the past 600 and 700 years.

"Cambodian people were told that Thailand has been hitting Cambodians' head throughout 600 or 700 years," Kasit said.

Kasit said Thailand should have learnt a lesson from Cambodia winning the world court's ruling related to the Preah Vihear temple.

He added that although Cambodia may seek another ruling of the world court over the disputed 4.5 kilometre plot near the temple, the problem would not end "because Cambodia is using Thailand as a political tool".

Kasit said Cambodin now aimed only at completing the world heritage registration process of the ancient Hindu temple and seeking ownership of the 4.6 square km plot.

"But he may think that the Thai government is too slow to act on the dispute because the Thai government must first win approval from Parliament before carrying out any action. He may think that the prime minister is collaborating with Parliament to drag feet on the issue," Kasit said.

"So a way to push for what he wants fast is to start a severe battle like what happened on 4 February. And he did it successfully probably with help from other countries like Russia, India and China. Then, Cambodia filed a complaint with the UN Security Council," Kasit said, adding that he will travel to explain the issue to the council on February 14.

"I am ready to defend Thailand in all venues. We should not forget that we have the US a true friend.

"Although Cambodia created perception that it was harassed by Thailand and tried to win sympathy from the International Community, Thailand would not allow Hun Sen, a bully boy, to bully Thailand," Kasit said.

"Now, we have a bully boy harassing us near out house but we are a kind-hearted adult and allow Cambodians to enter our country without the need to get visa first."

nationmultimedia.com

Originally Posted by Mid

And he did it successfully probably with help from other countries like Russia, India and China. Kasit said

how to make friends and influence people

You do have to wonder if this is all about Hun sen making a man out of his two star general son..... So he have a little bit off credibility when he becomes the commandeer of the Cambodian armed forces?

Not sure what kasit meant when he said china et al were behind Cambodia, unless he meant as arms dealers

^Shades of North Korea ? About sums up the situation.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia...-for-ny-monday

Kasit off to the UN on Monday

• Published: 9/02/2011 at 05:11 PM
• Online news: Asia

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya will fly to New York on Monday for a meeting with Cambodian foreign minister Hor Namhong and Indonesian foreign minister and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) chairman Marty Natalegawa.


Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya (left) and Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong

Mr Kasit's secretary Chavanont Intarakomalyasut said the three foreign ministers would then explain the Thai-Cambodian border conflict to the chairman of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

It was expected the meeting would lead to a solution to the problem through bilateral mechanisms, Mr Chavanont said.

The Asean chairman called on Mr Kasit in Bangkok on Tuesday after meeting Hor Namhong in Cambodia on Monday.

Mr Natalegawa said Asean would support the two countries in holding talks to solve their problems through bilateral talks.

Mr Chavanont said former ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Assada Chaiyanam will go to France to meet Unesco representatives on Friday. He would explain to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation why Thailand objects to it Inspecting Preah Vihear temple.

The 11th century Khmer-Hindu temple was damaged during the border clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops that began last Friday.

Foreign Minister Kasit said today he border clashes had demonstrated the strengths of the Thai army.

"In the fighting the Thai army fired at Cambodia's military zones, while Cambodian soldiers fired at our villages.

"Moreover, there were Cambodian soldiers at Preah Vihear temple, when the two countries had already agreed that they will not deploy their troops to the temple," Mr Kasit said.

Cambodia must explain these two issues to the global community, he said.

He said the government would be ready to clarify the situation if the Cambodian foreign minister still wants the UN to intervene in the border row.



At least 10 more tanks were deployed from bases in Bangkok and Saraburi to the border area in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district this morning.

Army spokesman Chinnakaj Rattanajitti said the tanks would take part in a pre-planned annual military exercise.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon accompanied by army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha and other top brass visited residents affected by the border clashes in Kantharalak today.

They also attended the bathing rites of Sgt Thanakorn Poolperm and Capt Rucharin Chartkamdee, who were killed in the border clashes.

Gen Prawit said he will do everything he can to bring peace back to the border area.

He admitted he was concerned about the People’s Alliance for Democracy’s plan to lead the yellow-shirts to visit local villagers and Thai soldiers in the border area near Cambodia, saying it could worsen the situation.

Deputy Prime Minister for security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban said it was not necessary to reduce the level of ties between Thailand and Cambodia at this time.

Any such a move would hurt people living along the border, particularly those involved in border trade. The border conflict was not caused by the residents in the border area.

He said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will not make a direct call to Cambodian premier Hun Sen at this time. He will allow the appropriate state offices to do their job.


Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon

"It would be a loss of dignity for the country if the prime minister contacts Hun Sen first," Mr Suthep said.

"Also, Cambodia might use it to claim that Thailand has surrendered," said Mr Suthep.

Asked about Cambodia’s claim that the Preah Vihear has been damaged by the border fighting and Unesco would send its team to inspect the ancient temple, Mr Suthep said it would be good if the international agency helps establish the facts.

The deputy premier confirmed he had received a report that Cambodian troops had used the ancient temple as a base to attack Thailand.

He was not concerned about the yellow-shirt PAD’s plan to go to Kantharalak, because the border district is now under the martial law.

Deputy Finance Minister Pradit Phataraprasit said the Finance Ministry has ordered the Customs Department to try to keep its checkpoints along the Thai-Cambodian border open to trade.

"I have ordered customs officials to do their best not to close the border checkpoints, despite the recent clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops, because it could hurt border trade," said Mr Pradit.

Customs Department director-general Prasong Poontaneat said his department was ready to close the border if ordered by security units.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011...-30148351.html

Thailand, Cambodia set to face off at UN

By The Nation, Agencies
Published on February 10, 2011


Kasit: Cambodia wants sympathy; we won't allow Hun Sen to bully Thailand; Hun Sen: Thailand created this war; Abhisit must take responsibility

Thailand will finally face off with Cambodia over the recent military clashes, at the United Nations Security Council next week, after earlier insisting that the border conflict be settled only at the bilateral level.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, who will represent Thailand in addressing the UN body on Monday, yesterday launched a scathing attack on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, calling him a "bully boy".

"Cambodia has only a single objective - to have the Preah Vihear [World Heritage designation] and claim the 4.6 square kilometres of disputed area," Kasit said at a seminar held by the Senate's committee yesterday.
"Russia, India and China might have backed Cambodia's aggression against Thailand on February 4, and now Cambodia is taking the issue to the UN Security Council.

"Although Cambodia is creating the perception that it is being harassed by Thailand and trying to win sympathy from the international community, Thailand will not allow Hun Sen, a bully boy, to bully Thailand," Kasit said.

The minister said he would explain the situation and the Thai stance at the meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, as the chairman of Asean, will be at the same meeting, he said.

Marty has already met with his Cambodian and Thai counterparts separately on Monday and Tuesday. He said in Bangkok that Asean supported the two neighbours settling the conflict bilaterally.

Border skirmishes between Thailand and Cambodia from February 4-7 killed at least eight people, including a Thai civilian.

Hun Sen rejected Thai media reports that his eldest son Hun Manet was wounded in the latest exchange of fire with Thailand on Monday.

Both sides accused each other of violating each other's territorial sovereignty and each complained to the UN against the other.

Cambodia is keen for the UN to intervene but Thailand wants to settle the conflict face to face.

Hun Sen said the border skirmish over the past days at Preah Vihear was "a real war" and the existing bilateral mechanisms would not work to end the conflict.

"This is the real war, not a military clash," he said, while closing the annual conference of the Ministry of Commerce. "Thailand created this war. [Thai Prime Minister] Abhisit must be responsible for the war."

Hun Sen pressed the UN Security Council to convene an urgent meeting on the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict. "There will be no more bilateral talks, and all negotiations will be with the participation of a third party", he was quoted by China's Xinhua news agency as saying.

"Now bilateral mechanism is worthless, so it needs an international mechanism. Cambodia will use international mechanisms as much as possible, such as asking the UN to convene urgent meetings, and sending UN peacekeepers or UN observers to Cambodia."

The meeting procedure at the UN Security Council remained unclear. Agence France-Presse quoted diplomats in New York as saying that the UN body had held back from formal talks on the clashes to give time for a mediation bid by Indonesia as chair of Asean.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman, Thani Thongpakdi, said Kasit needed to address the Security Council because Thailand wanted to explain its stance and situation to the UN body. "It is a useful forum for us to explain our point of view," he said. "The UN Security Council would neither intervene in the issue nor mediate the conflict between the two countries."

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he has explained everything to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon when he talked to him on the phone on Tuesday and the UN supported Thailand's efforts to settle the conflict with Cambodia bilaterally.

Ban also talked to Hun Sen and offered UN help to negotiate a deal to end the conflict.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011...-30148353.html

Locals divided over border clashes

By Pravit Rojanaphruk
The Nation
Kantharalak, Si Sa Ket
Published on February 10, 2011


Residents at Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district who have been affected by the latest exchange of deadly gunfire hold diverse opinions on how the problem should be resolved. While some want swift and decisive force to be used, others believe that negotiation and even joint custody of the disputed areas would offer a lasting solution.

"Both sides should step back, otherwise people would just suffer more," said Sathit Suwankooti, 41, owner of the Kwan Yuen 2 Hotel, a few minutes away from the main evacuees camp in Kantharalak district.

Sathit's view could not be more different from that of people like Ratri Pinpar, a noodle-shop owner in the same town. "I want [the authorities] to take swift action so things do not drag on. If negotiations fail, the battle should go all the way," she told The Nation yesterday.

At the border village of Phum Saron, where one civilian has been killed and seven houses as well as a school destroyed, some want peaceful negotiation, while others want Cambodia to be hit by F-16 fighter jets.

"We must negotiate. That's the best way," said Samai Poonsuk, 45, sitting in his home, which is next to his brother-in-law's house that was destroyed in the fighting.

Not far away, another male villager who joined the chat but asked not to be named, said the only solution was sending off F-16 fighter jets. "If you want things to be over quickly, just dispatch the F-16s," he said. "If we use heavy weapons, then it will be over in no time."

Others like Kittipong Srirattana, a male nurse at Sri Rattana Hospital, say a joint custody of the disputed areas would be the best solution. "Force won't solve the conflict," he advised.

Closer to the border, at the Preah Vihear National Park where civilians have been shut out for nearly a week, the rangers say they don't know when or how the clashes will end.

An old sign posted at the gate might offer a clue, though. The rusting metal sign states that the park is closed to tourists due to the on-going Thai-Cambodian conflicts - except the notice is dated April 3, 2009.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011...-30148362.html

Guarding their homes from thieves an added expense for evacuees

By The Nation
Kantharalak, Si Sa Ket
Published on February 10, 2011

Residents of the Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket, who have been displaced by the confrontation between Thai and Cambodian troops, are now shouldering the cost of travelling back and forth from their village so they can guard their belongings left at home.

Civil defence volunteers providing security for more than 10,000 residents are also being given a higher fuel allowance and need to keep their vehicles always full in case there's shortage - a move that is burdening local authorities, who already have to pay their daily allowance and cover their meals.

The evacuees also say that they need to get their own food, because rations always run out if they are late in returning to the shelter. They too have to keep their vehicles full of petrol in case of a shortage.

Banyong Tangsuk, a village chief, said residents were also complaining about poor accommodation, in addition to the extra costs of fuel and food.

Suwat Mathong said he had to spend Bt300 for his daily 50km drive to his home and back. He has been doing this for six days now. "I'll be in trouble if this conflict continues," he said.

Attendants at a PTT petrol station said fuel was in great demand, though they had to close down at 8pm everyday at the order of the military.

In Ubon Ratchathani, the military is providing drinking water and food to the 8,000 or so residents evacuated from the Nam Khun district. The evacuees are also being given survival kits and winter clothing so they can cope with the cold weather at night.

Meanwhile, the Army has posthumously promoted Sergeant Thanakorn Pholsalabsai to the rank of major. Thanakorn, so far, is the only casualty in the six-day conflict, apart from the 26 soldiers and paramilitary rangers who have sustained injuries. The soldier's funeral is being held at Wat None Lai in Si Sa Ket's Benjaluk and he will be cremated on Saturday at 4pm.

Of the 26 injured, who are being treated at an Army hospital in Warin Chamrap district, one soldier has lost his eyesight to an explosion, while another has sustained severe wounds to his head.

Originally Posted by Troy

No doubt this MoU has already been posted but a link for those who may want to review it anyway. khmerbird.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/.../mou-2000-eng-1.pdf

Troy - seems to be a problem with that link?