Sam Rainsy Party Plans Screening of Chea Vichea Film

A scene from the documentary “Who Killed Chea Vichea?” Chea Vichea, a popular Cambodian union leader, was assassinated on January 22, 2004 in Phnom Penh. (Photo: Courtesy of the Producers of “Who Killed Chea Vichea?”)

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Friday, 29 April 2011

“And we must remember his bravery in struggling and demanding the rights of workers.”

The Sam Rainsy Party has scheduled a screening of a controversial film about slain labor leader Chea Vichea at its party headquarters for International Labor Day, May 1.

“Who Killed Chea Vichea?” is sharply critical of a police investigation that followed the 2004 murder of the activist and the subsequent jailing of two men widely considered innocent.

Authorities have banned a public screening of the film, calling it illegal.

However, SRP lawmaker Mu Sochua said Friday the screening was an important opportunity for workers to understand the death of Chea Vichea.

Party president Sam Rainsy will also speak to workers via video conference, she said.

“We must find justice for the late Chea Vichea,” she said. “And we must remember his bravery in struggling and demanding the rights of workers.

Chea Vichea was the charismatic leader of the powerful Free Trade Union of Workers before he was gunned down outside a newspaper kiosk in Phnom Penh in 2004. His brother, Chea Mony, assumed his mantel.

“This film screening is a message to workers that we must struggle,” Chea Mony said Friday. “We must sacrifice, and then we will get our legal rights.”

Sam Rainsy Party headquarters are not a public place, but Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said the party “should not make trouble” while Cambodia is engaged in a border conflict with Thailand.

Cambodia seeks World Court clarification

Life in a temporary camp for Cambodian villagers from the border area (Photo: AFP)

April 30, 2011
The Sydney Morning Herald

Cambodia said yesterday it has asked the World Court to clarify a 1962 ruling about an ancient temple on its disputed border with Thailand as clashes between the neighbours entered an eighth day.

The request ‘‘for the interpretation of the court’s judgment … concerning the temple of Preah Vihear’‘ was prompted by ”Thailand’s repeated armed aggression to exert its claims to Cambodian territory”, the Foreign Ministry said.

A clarification by the court was of ”the utmost necessity … in order to peacefully and definitely settle the boundary problem between the two countries in the area”, it said.

Advertisement: Story continues below Hopes for an end to the bloodiest fighting between the neighbours in decades appeared to have been dashed after fresh clashes broke out hours after a ceasefire deal was struck on Thursday.

One Thai soldier was killed in fresh fighting on the border that shattered the truce, Thailand’s army said yesterday. Sporadic fighting erupted just hours after a deal was announced and continued early yesterday, the north-eastern army region spokesman, Colonel Prawit Hookaew, said.

The clashes are centred on two temple complexes about 150 kilometres west of Preah Vihear.

Both countries have blamed each other for sparking the violence.

The International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled more than four decades ago that the 11th-century Preah Vihear belonged to Cambodia, but both countries claim ownership of a 4.6-square-kilometre surrounding area.

The temple – the most celebrated example of Khmer architecture outside Cambodia’s Angkor – has been the focus of strained relations between the neighbours since it was granted UN World Heritage status in 2008.

History points to negotiation as the only answer

30/04/2011
Kamol Hengkietisak
Bangkok Post

The continuing fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops along the porous and ill-defined border causes trouble and inconvenience for ordinary folks on both sides, not counting the deaths and injuries inflicted on soldiers, noted a Thai Rath editorial.

Thai Rath said folks on both sides had been living in peace with each other for a very long time. An example is Nong Chan village, Khok Sung district, Sa Kaeo province where villagers grow rice and raise animals peacefully on a common field with Cambodian farmers even though a definite border demarcation has yet to be settled. Village chiefs on both sides have pledged that once a definite border demarcation is established, any farm land that may extrude through the border line will be cut off from the original plot and taken possession of by the other side willingly without any protest.

It is true that the border disputes occur because both sides rely on different maps and thus claim ownership of disputed areas. When both sides allow politics to dictate their actions, it is inevitable that peaceful settlement is hard to reach. As long as definite demarcation is not implemented, border disputes can always occur, but they should not necessarily lead to skirmishes. Diplomatic means are still the best choice, advocated Thai Rath.

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Statement from Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Preah Vihear temple issue

Cambodia seeks ICJ clarification on Preah Vihear

April 30, 2011
By SUPALAK GANJANAKHUNDEE
THE NATION

Cambodia has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to clarify its 1962 ruling over the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear as its military clashes with Thailand continued after a truce.

“The submission of this request has been prompted by Thailand’s repeated armed aggression to exert its claims to Cambodian territory, on the basis of its own unilateral map that has no legal basis,” said a Cambodian Foreign Ministry statement issued yesterday.

The ICJ ruled in 1962 that “the temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under sovereignty of Cambodia”, but Bangkok argues that the court ruled only that the sandstone ruin belongs to Cambodia while the areas surrounding the Hindu temple belong to Thailand.

The court based its judgement on a French-made 1:200,000-scale map that indicated the boundary line between Siam, as Thailand was then known, and French Indochina.

Thailand argued that the boundary line should follow the watershed of the Phnom Dangrek Mountains in accordance with the 1904 and 1907 Franco-Siamese treaties. The disputed territory is a 4.6-square-kilometre area surrounding Preah Vihear.

Phnom Penh exercised its rights in accordance with Article 60 of the ICJ Statute, which says: “The judgement is final and without appeal. In the event of dispute as to the meaning or scope of the judgement, the Court shall construe it upon the request of any party.”

There have been many armed skirmishes in the border area since Cambodia managed to get Preah Vihear listed as a World Heritage Site in 2008, against Thailand’s wishes. Bangkok feared Cambodia would turn the disputed areas adjacent to the temple into a buffer zone for management of the property.

Phnom Penh considers the request for ICJ clarification a preventive measure to avoid further armed conflict between the two countries, to stop loss of lives and to preserve the Hindu temple from serious damage.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said his government had anticipated that Cambodia would request an ICJ clarification and that Thailand had organised a legal team to fight in court.

“We don’t have a disadvantage in fighting in the world court. We are well prepared in terms of legal aspects and facts,” Abhisit said.

The border conflict between the two countries has extended to other areas including near Ta Muan Thom and Ta Kwai temples in Surin province, about 150 kilometres west of Preah Vihear, since last week. The fighting has continued despite military commanders in the area reaching a ceasefire deal on Thursday.

The fresh clash after the truce killed a Thai military ranger and injured five others. Both sides blamed each other for firing first.

Thai Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said the clash took place because Cambodian soldiers threw grenades at the Thai side and Thai troops fired small arms to retaliate.

However, Prayuth said he remained hopeful of achieving peace with Cambodia, saying the latest clash might be caused simply by undisciplined soldiers who did not obey their commanders’ instructions to cease fire.

A Cambodian commander accused Thai soldiers of firing first. “They began firing artillery shells at our troops at Ta Krabei [Ta Kwai] temple at 4.50am,” Suos Sothea, deputy commander of the artillery unit, told Xinhua news agency by telephone from the battlefield yesterday.

“Thai troops may not respect their superiors because on Thursday, their military commander met with our commander and reached a ceasefire, but this morning they still shell us.

“However, we did not fight back, as we are complying with the ceasefire,” he said.

Broken ceasefire leaves trust in tatters

Hun Sen’s sincerity is doubted by [Thai] military

30/04/2011
Bangkok Post and AFP

The government has voiced disappointment over the clashes at the Thai-Cambodian border which broke out only 10 hours after a ceasefire agreement was reached.

The fighting prompted a joint press conference between the army, the government and the Foreign Ministry.

“Thailand is very disappointed about the clashes that show Cambodia’s insincerity despite the fact that the field troops of both sides had agreed to a ceasefire,” said acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn.

“The government insists on its stance that the ceasefire must be strictly observed before further talks are pursued. The prime minister has made it clear he is happy to hold a dialogue. But if the situation doesn’t improve, a dialogue will not be as useful as it is supposed to,” he said. Both sides agreed to a truce as of 12pm on Thursday after talks between the 2nd Army’s Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon and Lt Gen Chea Mon, chief of the Cambodian 4th Region Army, at a casino at the Chong Jom-O Samet checkpoint in Surin’s Kap Choeng district.

However around 9.30pm the same day, fighting with rifles and hand-grenades erupted and lasted for an hour. A second round of fighting reportedly took place at 2am yesterday and ended at 6am.

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Cambodian, Thai battlefield commanders agree ceasefire again

PHNOM PENH, April 29 (Xinhua) — Cambodian and Thai battlefield commanders on Friday agreed to a ceasefire again after the earlier ceasefire was broken, according to the statement of Cambodian Ministry of Defense. The statement said that Neak Vong, deputy commander of Cambodian brigade 42 at Ta Moan temple, and Dul Yadeth, field commander of Thai border regiment, held talks at O’smach border checkpoint at Friday noon after the eighth day of armed clashes at early Friday morning.

“Both sides agreed again to three points: ceasefire, no troop mobility and talk every two days by phone or face-to-face,” it said. “This is the eighth time that both sides agreed to the ceasefire, but always failed to comply with it.”

Cambodian and Thai troops had exchanged gunfire for eight straight days from April 22 to 29 over disputed border areas at the 13th century Ta Moan and Ta Krabei temples, which lie 150 kilometers west of Preah Vihear Temple.

The fighting had killed eight Cambodian soldiers, seven Thai soldiers and one Thai civilian, and caused several dozens injured.

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated.

Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. But Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers (1.8 square miles) of scrub next to the temple. Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand had a border conflict, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.

Cambodia Submits Request To ICJ For Interpretation On Preah Vihear Temple Issue

PHNOM PENH, April 29 (Bernama) — Cambodia on Thursday submitted a request to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the interpretation of the Court’s judgment of 1962 on the case of Preah Vihear temple, according to the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on Friday.

“The submission of this request has been prompted by Thailand’s repeated armed aggression to exert its claims to Cambodian territory, on the basis of its own unilateral map that has no legal basis,” Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

It added that Cambodia also submitted a request to the ICJ to take conservatory measures, in light of the repeated acts of aggression against Cambodian territory by Thailand’s armed forces.

“Cambodia considers conservatory measures as unavoidable for engendering a permanent ceasefire between the two countries, thus stopping the loss of lives and preserving the temple of Preah Vihear from serious damages, until the interpretation of the ICJ’ s 1962 judgment is finalized,” said the statement.

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated.

The International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962.

The temple was enlisted as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. But Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers (1.8 square miles) of scrub next to the temple.

Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand had a border conflict, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in deaths of troops on both sides.

Thailand-Cambodia conflict to be discussed at ASEAN summit

April 29, 2011
Source: Xinhua

Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Thursday that the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia would be discussed at the upcoming ASEAN Summit slated on May 7-8 in Jakarta.

“The conflict would be discussed at the ASEAN Summit on bilateral or trilateral basis,” Natalegawa said after meeting with his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya at his office.

As the rotating chair of ASEAN this year, Indonesia has proposed dialogue to end the the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Both countries have agreed to settle the border dispute through diplomatic means involving ASEAN role.

Indonesia will deploy its observers on the disputed border to supervise the implementation of ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

Thai-Cambodian border dispute heads to Hague as commanders meet again

Deadly skirmishes overnight on the Thai-Cambodian border broke a tentative cease-fire, but army commanders are holding talks again today as Cambodia simultaneously took the case to The Hague.

April 29, 2011
By Simon Montlake, Correspondent
The Christian Science Monitor
Bangkok, Thailand

As army commanders held talks today on the Thai-Cambodian border after six days of clashes that have left 16 dead in the worst fighting in nearly three years, Cambodian officials simultaneously opened a new diplomatic front in the battle for an 11th century Khmer temple.

Cambodia’s government said Friday it has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to clarify its 1962 ruling that awarded the temple to Cambodia, a request prompted by Thailand’s “repeated armed aggression to exert its claim to Cambodia’s territory.”

Hundreds of troops from both nations have been camped out around the temple for years. After repeated deadly skirmishes and with United Nations and regional mediators repeatedly stifled in their attempts to negotiate a permanent cease-fire, Cambodia’s bid to take the case back to The Hague after 50 years injects a new note of uncertainty into the border crisis.

Deadly gunfights early Friday broke a tentative truce agreed on late Thursday, with each side blaming the other for firing first. Thai military spokesman Col. Samsern Kaewkamnerd said the overnight exchanges of artillery and small arms fire killed one Thai soldier and injured four others, but he downplayed it as “sporadic clashes.”

Thani Thongpakdee, a spokesman for Thailand’s Foreign Ministry, said Cambodia had instigated the latest fighting in order to “lay the ground for their decision to submit their request [to the ICJ].” He told a press conference Friday that Thailand had already anticipated this strategy and was preparing its legal defense.

Perched on a tall cliff, Preah Vihear is a contemporary of Angkor Wat, the renowned Cambodian temple that appears on the Cambodian national flag and has become a major tourist attraction.

Fighting also erupted this week around two other ancient temples, though analysts say the border dispute seems driven as much by domestic politics as strategic interests.

In recent days, politicians in both countries have toned down nationalist rhetoric, allowing local military commanders to pursue a cease-fire. The US and other allies have urged an end to the fighting and a resumption of negotiations. Thailand’s Army chief is in Beijing and is expected to brief his Chinese counterparts on the situation during the prearranged visit, say Thai officials.

Thai officials said the two countries’ foreign ministers would meet next week on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit held in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.

Indonesia, as the current ASEAN chair, has tried to facilitate talks between the warring parties and to send military observers to the border. But Thailand has dragged its feet on allowing Indonesian observers into the disputed area, to the frustration of Cambodia, which has appealed to the UN to intervene in the conflict.

Thai government officials argue that bilateral talks are the best way to end the fighting. “We hope that Cambodia will return to the negotiating table,” said government spokesman Panitan Wattanyagorn.

Opposition politicians have accused Thailand’s powerful military of stirring trouble on the border as a pretext to crack down on dissent at home. Military chiefs have denied rumors of a coup to derail elections due by July.

Mr. Panitan insisted that civilian officials were in charge of border affairs. “The government has set guidelines for the military to follow,” he said.

Thai-Cambodia Ceasefire Fails to Hold

2011-04-29
NTD TV

Armed volunteers patrol a Thai village close to the border with Cambodia.

After a week of fighting that's claimed at least 16 lives, they're taking no chances.

The two sides agreed a ceasefire on Thursday.

Before the next day was out, one Thai soldier was killed and four others wounded in further fighting.

[Saran Samerpark, Head of Baan Noan Bang Kud Village]:
"It was about 11pm last night. It was raining. We heard the gunshots at the same time as thunder. Yes, there was fighting going on from time to time. We were a bit surprised as there was supposed to be a ceasefire but fighting was still going on."

Cambodia's defense ministry said the two sides had agreed to leave their long-festering territorial disputes to a joint demarcation commission.

It said they'd also agreed to re-open border checkpoints near two disputed ancient Hindu temples at the heart of the fighting.

But villagers forced to flee their homes because of the conflict are none the wiser about when they will be safe to return.

Can Thailand and Cambodia Step Back from the Brink?

Thai army tanks travel on a road near the Thai-Cambodia border in Surin province April 28, 2011. (Sukree Sukplang/Courtesy Reuters)

Friday, April 29, 2011
By Joshua Kurlantzick
Council on Foreign Relations

A temporary ceasefire in the fighting over the disputed Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border appears to be over. According to multiple news reports, new skirmishes broke out in the past day on the border, where fighting has over the past week already killed sixteen people. After failed meetings between senior ministers, and minimal intervention by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the two countries apparently now are going to go to The Hague for a ruling from the International Court of Justice.

Will that help? It’s doubtful. International authorities already have ruled on the case in the past –the ICJ found four decades ago that the temple was under Cambodian sovereignty — but that has not stopped fighting. What is needed now is some level of rationality, not from the senior civilian leadership in both countries, but from the armed forces themselves, which, at least in Thailand, operate largely independent of the prime minister’s office, and have utilized the dispute to entrench the army’s central role in political life. Thus far, in fact, the civilian leadership of Thailand, which may well want the dispute to end, seems powerless to do anything about it.

Will the two countries’ militaries intervene to stop the senseless fighting? Going to the ICJ is at least a positive step, but unless the civilian governments can gain better control of the armed forces, it is unlikely to produce a true resolution.

One Thai soldier killed, 4 injured overnight

29/04/2011
Bangkok Post

One soldier was killed and four others wounded in fresh clashes along border in Surin on Thursday night, Army Region 2 commander Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakorn said on Friday morning.

Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the fighting started with an exchange of machinegun fire about 9pm and continued until about 5am Friday.

Surin governor Serm Chainarong said on Friday morning that the two sides exchanged fire using small arms at Ta Meun Tom and Ta Kwai temples about 11pm on Thursday and stopped about 5am on Friday.

More than 41,000 local people in risk districts of Phanom Dong Rak, Kap Choeng and Sangka have been relocated to 34 evacuation centres in Surin province, he added.

The overnight clash shattered the truce agreement announced yesterday by the army chief.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban indicated there might be a chance to salvage the truce.

“It’s not considered a breach of ceasefire because they have used personal firearms. But if the clash expands with heavy weapons, that means the agreement is no longer valid,” he told reporters.

Both sides had reacted cautiously to Thursday’s peace deal, struck after talks among local commanders.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday that the agreement was a “good sign”, but added that “we have to wait and see whether real peace has been achieved”.

Thai and Cambodian commanders had agreed at the talks to reopen a border gate and “create a climate to allow civilians to return home”, according to the Cambodian defence ministry.

Seven Thai troops and eight Cambodian soldiers have died since the clashes began last Friday. Bangkok has said a Thai civilian has also been killed.

Heavy weapons fire has also strayed towards villages around the frontier, causing over 41,000 people in Thailand and 30,000 in Cambodia to flee their homes.

The two countries have each accused the other of sparking the violence.

Second attempt at Thai-Cambodian ceasefire

April 29, 2011
ABC Radio Australia

Thai and Cambodian commanders have reached a new ceasefire agreement, just hours after an earlier truce was shattered.

After clashes erupted on the disputed jungle border for an eighth day, commanders from both sides agreed on a new truce.

Thailand and Cambodia have accused each other of breaking Thursday’s ceasefire, aimed at stopping clashes around two ancient temple complexes, which claimed 16 lives and caused tens of thousands to flee their homes, on both sides of the border.

Presenter: Sen Lam
Speaker: Jean-Pascal Moret, spokesman, International Committee of the Red Cross, Bangkok

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

MORET: The latest estimated figures we have, together with the Thai Red Cross, it’s 42-thousand people on the Thai side, and 36-thousand on Cambodia’s side, which is almost 80-thousand civilians directly affected by the conflict, displaced in camps.

LAM: And do you think people might start returning their homes soon?

MORET: You know, the population there, there are abit cautious because it’s not the first time that clashes have broken out in this region, so I guess they will wait a few days before going back, and I am almost sure that the authorities would not let them go, before the ceasefire is really enforced.

LAM: And what is the Red Cross doing for the people who are displaced and who are living in evacuation centres at the moment?

MORET: Ja, actually, there are on the Thai side, 28 camps, eight more are being prepared, we don’t know now, if they’re still going on with the eight more camps. We can see that on the Thai side at least, the camps are very well prepared. They have contingency plans to deal with each kind of situation. The local authorities and the national societies are present on both sides. Also on the Cambodian side, they provided very quickly, the emergency assistance needed, such as shelter, food and non food items, water, medical services and so on. The Thai Red Cross society, for example, they had mobile kitchens providing fresh meals to those people. They are in schools, they are in pagodas, so they are, in structures, they have shelter. The main problem we should say, is the psychological problem, because they have to leave their house, they fear their homes might be looted, they are scared about what might happen to their cattle, or to their field. So, it’s more a psychological problem. Much of the situation is more less under control, I would say.

LAM: And what about the situation on the Cambodian side of the border. Do you have any news about how those displaced people are doing?

MORET: Yes, of course. We have a team also on the other side. By the way, the ICRC is probably the only international organisation present in both countries, on both sides of the border. So we can have a global picture of the situation. So on the other side, it’s more or less the same. I mean, they have also these evacuation centres where people are housed in schools and pagodas and these facilities. And the Cambodian Red Cross society is also helping the authorities to provide what the people may need during this difficult time. Whatever happens, we will be present in both countries. We are just assessing the situation. Both national societies are really handling the situation very properly. They have the resources to do that, so the ICRC is just complimenting the help the people may need, like mosquito nets, plastic sheetings or jerrycans for water.

The ICRC has a very specific role in case of international conflict. We are supporting the national societies, to visit also the prisoners of war, in case there are…

LAM: And as far as you know, has anyone been held prisoner by either side?

MORET: Non, non, we have absolutely no such thing. Nothing could give us the idea that there are prisoners of war on both sides, there are no prisoners. Also, the ICRC has met with all local and national authorities in the capital and on the spot, with the military people on both sides, reminding them of their obligations under the Geneva Convention. And also to remind them, what the ICRC can offer, for example, to act as a neutral intermediary, to help solving any humanitarian issues, if they need the ICRC A neutral intermediary.

Thai-Cambodia border tense as Phnom Penh claims truce

29/04/2011
AFP

Heavy weapons fire pounded the Thai-Cambodian border for an eighth day on Friday as Bangkok denied claims from Phnom Penh of a truce to end the countries’ bloodiest conflict in decades.

The Cambodian defence ministry announced a peace deal on Friday, after clashes on the disputed jungle frontier shattered a previous short-lived ceasefire.

But Colonel Preeda Butraj, a spokesman for the Thai army in the country’s northeast, dismissed suggestions of an agreement.

“I have to say that Cambodia is unreliable and untrustworthy. I don’t know what their statement said but I suggest that we shouldn’t trust it. We have to wait and see what the situation is like day by day,” he said.

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Thai Team will fight border case in ICJ

29/04/2011
Bangkok Post

A Thai legal team has been set up to fight the border case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in response to Cambodia’s petition that the court interpret its judgement of 1962 on Preah Vihear temple to clarify the territorial boundary between Thailand and Cambodia, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Friday.

The Cambodian Foreign Ministry announced today that it has sought the ICJ’s interpretation of its judgement on Preah Vihear temple, accusing Thailand of repeated aggression in attempts to claim Cambodian territory.

Mr Abhisit said Cambodia’s move is not beyond expectations and a legal team has been set up to fight the case.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said Thailand is waiting for the ICJ to officially notify it of the Cambodian petition.

He said the application made by Cambodia to the ICJ is not unexpected, judging by Cambodia’s acts of agression against Thailand during the past week.

Cambodia wanted to use the border clashes as a reason to bring the territorial issue to the ICJ, Mr Thani said.

“Thailand has been prepared for this. We have studied the issue and hired a team of lawyers to handle it.

“Thailand is of the opinion that resolving the conflict through bilateral talks is the best option, but Cambodia has turned to the ICJ.”

This indicated that Cambodia does not attach much importance to talks under the Asean framework, Mr Thani said.

The spokesman said he expected the ICJ to officially notify Thailand of the Cambodian petition in one or two days.

After receiving the official notification from the ICJ, Thailand will thoroughly study Cambodia’s request.

Mr Thani said that under normal procedure he would expected the ICJ to take about three weeks to decide whether to accept the petition for further proceedings.

If the case were accepted for consideration, the court may take one or two years to go through the related documents, Mr Thani said.

Thailand voices disappointment over latest clash with Cambodia

BANGKOK, April 29 (Xinhua) — Thai government was disappointed with the latest round of clash although both sides have earlier reached an agreement to a ceasefire, government spokesman said on Friday.

Panitan Wattanayagorn, Thai government spokesman, said the Thai government also felt sorry for the lost of lives of soldiers and civilian, Matichon online reported.

From eight days of clash, Thailand has lost seven soldiers and one civilian with more than 70 people injured.

Thailand strongly urged Cambodia to resume negotiation, Panitan said at a press briefing at the Foreign Ministry.

The fighting, which is in the eight straight day since April 22, has forced more than 48,000 Thais villagers in Thailand’s Surin and Buri Ram provinces to evacuate.

Cambodia Seeks Court Ruling on Dispute With Thailand

Ron Corben, VOA
Bangkok April 29, 2011

Cambodia has called on the International Court of Justice to review a 1962 judgment over a disputed ancient Hindu temple along the Thai border. The move follows renewed fighting that broke an hours-old ceasefire.

In a submission to the International Court of Justice, Cambodia calls for an interpretation a 50-year-old ruling that gave the 11th century temple to Cambodia.

Cambodian Foreign Affairs Spokesman Koy Kuong announced the move Friday in Phnom Penh.

The spokesman says his government wants the court to interpret the 1962 decision that gave Preah Vihear to Cambodia. He says that ruling was based on a map that is recognized by the international community.

The border around the temple, known as Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Phra Viharn in Thailand, has remained in dispute despite the 1962 decision. The temple is most easily accessed from Thai territory, and Bangkok claims ownership of the land near it.

Cambodia announced its appeal to the international court hours after new fighting along the border broke a ceasefire agreement. Both sides blamed the other for the clash

The ceasefire agreement reached on Thursday aimed to end a week of fighting, which has claimed at least 16 lives and forced tens of thousands of villagers from both countries to flee homes near the border.

The Thai government thinks the latest clashes are linked to Cambodia’s move to petition the International Court of Justice. Thani Thongphakdi is a Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman:

“From our perspective I think this puts all the jigsaw pieces in place,” said Thani Thongphakdi. “What the Cambodian side has been doing since it had been initiating these conflicts along the border. It was laying the path, laying the ground work for their decision to submit a request to the International Court of Justice.”

The countries have fought sporadically along the border since 2008, when Cambodia obtained World Heritage status for the Hindu temple. That angered many Thai nationalists, and both sides increased military patrols along the border.

It is not clear what started the latest fighting. Regional political analysts, however, say that domestic politics on both sides makes it hard to resolve the dispute. In Cambodia, they say, it appears Prime Minister Hun Sen benefits by appearing tough against a larger neighbor, and it is possible he hopes that elections expected in Thailand later this year will allow his friend, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, to return to power.

On the other side, the analysts say, Thailand’s powerful military commanders may hope a crisis along the border will provide an excuse to call off elections, and keep a new government from shaking up the senior ranks.

The border issue is set to be raised at a summit of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to be held in Jakarta next month. Thailand says the summit may lead to talks between Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Cambodia’s Hun Sen “if conditions are right”.

In Brief Thai and Cambodian evacuees wait and see

Friday, April 29, 2011
IRIN

One day after a ceasefire was reached between Thailand and Cambodia, more than 50,000 displaced civilians on both sides of the disputed border remain in temporary shelters, afraid to go home, aid workers say.

“Families will not return home before tomorrow. They need to be sure they will be safe,” Leena Kamarainen, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Cambodian country office, told IRIN.

More than 26,000 people in four camps in Cambodia’s northern Oddor Meanchey Province, and 31,500 in Thailand’s 27 camps in northeastern Surin and Buriram provinces, will continue to receive relief kits and food from the Red Cross.

“The ceasefire is no grounds for return yet,” said Patrick Fox, head of regional disaster management of the IFRC in Bangkok. The fighting, which began on 22 April, is the second time this year that the two neighbours have clashed over the Preah Vihear temple, resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands on both sides.

Thai House panel warns about risk of war

28/04/2011
Bangkok Post

The House committee on foreign affairs yesterday warned the government against escalating the Thai-Cambodian border conflict to the point where it could become a state of war.

The chance of war breaking out was discussed in parliament.

Committee chairman and Pheu Thai MP for Udon Thani Tophong Chaiyasan said he did not understand why the lower House raised the issue of a “war announcement” for discussion.

The committee was worried the current confrontation would escalate and prompt one of the two countries to declare war.

It called on Bangkok and Phnom Penh to return to the negotiating table to solve the long-running dispute.

The request is part of the committee’s eight-point announcement unveiled after it met Foreign Ministry officials and representatives from the army.

All of its points called on all parties, including soldiers and reporters, not to further expand the conflict, which has already resulted in heavy fighting since last Friday.

The committee accepted international calls for a ceasefire between the two countries after the Thai army said it needed to strike back against Cambodian troops who allegedly first opened fire at Thai soldiers at the Ta Kwai temple near the border in Surin province.

Phnom Penh was using every possible means to bring peace talks to a multi-lateral level, especially in the United Nations Security Council, Mr Tophong said.

He warned the move could benefit Cambodia because France, which has a good relationship with Cambodia, will assume the presidency of the Security Council next month.”The president can guide the result of the talks, so Thailand too should seek an ally, especially China,” Mr Tophong suggested.

He did not think China would want to see an armed conflict in the region.

The following article by the Pattaya Daily News is RACIST and PREJUDICED against Cambodia!

Human Shield, An Animal Tactic Of Cambodia Army

April 29, 2011
Pattaya Daily News (Thailand)

LG-Media note: Thailand’s accusation of Cambodia using human shield could be wrong as Cambodian soldiers’ families usually follow them to the front.

Cambodian soldiers have brought women and children to the border, using them as a human shield against Thai forces, according to a report by the 2nd Army’s Suranaree Task Force.

The task force report said that about a week before the latest series of border clashes began in Surin on Friday, Cambodian soldiers started to move civilian families – mostly women and children – into seven spots:

1. 5 families to Sam Tae area;
2. 15 families to Ta Thao pass and Hill 400, where a military base is located;
3. 7 families to a community at the foot of the staircase to the Preah Vihear temple;
4. 8 families to a military base at Phu Makhua;
5. One family to the Phra Phalai pass;
6. 985 families to the Sa-ngam pass; and
7. 20 families to the Tamaria stream.

A source at the Suranaree Task Force said Cambodia is using the human shields to prevent Thai attacks. If casualties are inflicted on these civilians, Cambodia could protest or condemn Thailand internationally, to raise the Thai-Cambodian conflict to the world forum.

The source claimed as many as 22 Cambodian soldiers were killed and 80 wounded in heavy fighting on Sunday. One of the dead was a colonel and son of a former Khmer Rouge leader.

About 30 Cambodian soldiers were killed in the clashes on Friday and 10 on Saturday, according to the source.

Thai soldiers suffered five killed – three on Friday, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, the source said.

Credit by: www.khaosod.co.th

Did Thais Use Chemical Weapons?

April 29, 2011
By J. Berkshire Miller
The Diplomat

Tensions between the Thailand and Cambodia continue to escalate with both countries recently trading barbs on their seemingly intractable conflict over territorial jurisdiction of the Preah Vihear temple on their border. The Cambodian military brass launched the first public salvo last week claiming that Bangkok recklessly used chemical weapons against its troops, noting that Thai artillery shells were ‘filled with poisonous gas.’

The accusation is a further sign that attempts to resolve the dispute through diplomatic channels are sputtering. We shouldn’t confuse the recent ceasefire, agreed to by militaries on both sides, as a move towards a greater political settlement.

Thailand and Cambodia are both state parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) that prohibits the development, production or use of chemical weapons. Bangkok quickly disputed Phnom Penh’s statement, with Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya declaring that ‘the accusations from Cambodia hold no truth at all.’

Thailand was previously suspected of having a chemical weapons programme as late as 2001 and some Thai companies were sanctioned by the US government for chemical weapons proliferation during the Clinton administration. However, the Thais ratified the CWC in 2003 and there’s no open source intelligence since to suggest they’ve breached their treaty obligations.

While there may indeed be merit in Cambodia’s accusation of aerial espionage and the use of cluster munitions within its territory, it’s likely that the chemical weapons statement is a futile attempt to wrest key international partners away from Thailand.

Thai-Cambodia clashes resume despite truce

29 April 2011
BBC News

One Thai soldier has died in a fresh border clash between Thailand and Cambodia, Thai officials say, despite a truce struck hours before.

Thai military spokesmen said four Thai soldiers were also wounded in the skirmishes.

Fighting began a week ago and has been mainly around two ancient temples in jungle areas claimed by both countries.

The clashes have displaced tens of thousands of people, and at least 15 troops have been killed.

Thailand says that one Thai civilian has also died.

Thai officials suggested that Friday’s clash was less serious than before and there might yet be a chance to salvage the truce.

As before, both sides accused the other of starting the violence.

In blaming Cambodia for the latest fighting, another Thai army spokesman, Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd, said that “local units might not agree to the talks as easily as their commanders did”.

Cambodian Col Suos Sothea said the clashes had begun after the Thais fired shells into Cambodia early on Friday.

“We cannot trust the Thais,” he was quoted as saying. “Yesterday they said they’d stop fighting and now they are attacking us again.”

The violence erupted on 22 April, mainly around the temples of Ta Krabey and Ta Moan. It spread briefly to a third location – the hill-top temple of Preah Vihear – on Tuesday.

Parts of the Thai-Cambodian border have never been formally demarcated, spurring nationalist sentiment in both countries and sparking sporadic clashes.

Fighting took place three years ago in the run-up to a general election in Cambodia, and this latest outbreak comes with the Thai government due to call an election in the coming weeks.

Thai military: Deadly fighting resumes at Thai-Cambodian border

April 29, 2011
By the CNN Wire Staff

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• A Thai military spokesman says another soldier died from the clashes
• Military source: Unit-level commanders agreed to a cease fire Thursday
• Ancient temples are at the core of the dispute
• Indonesia offers to help resolve the crisis

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — Fighting raged on along the turbulent Thai-Cambodian border Friday, one day after a military source said local commanders from both sides had agreed to a cease-fire.

Thai military spokesman Col. Sansern Kawekumnerd said Friday that another Thai soldier died and four soldiers were injured in the fighting.

At least six Thai soldiers and one civilian have been killed in the clashes that started last week. Cambodia has said three of its troops have been killed in the fighting.

The cease-fire agreed upon Thursday was forged at the unit commander level but not at the higher levels of the militaries, a Thai military source said.

The source, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak publicly, had said if peace persisted, higher-ranking commanders might meet on Friday. The commanders would be Thailand’s 2nd Region commander, Lt. Gen Tawatchai Samutsakorn, and Lt. Gen. Chea Mon, Cambodia’s 5th Army Region commander.

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Cambodia denies breaking ceasefire with Thailand

April 29, 2011
DPA

Phnom Penh/Bangkok – Cambodia on Friday denied having anything to do with the death of a Thai soldier allegedly killed on the border overnight, hours after a ceasefire agreement.

General Prayuth Chan-ocha, chief of the Thai army, said earlier that Cambodia renewed their shelling of Thai positions after Thursday’s agreement, killing one soldier.

A spokesman for the Cambodian government denied the accusation, saying that the Thai forces broke the ceasefire.

‘Yesterday night, we did not fire a single shot back to Thailand,‘ Phay Siphan said Friday. He said he felt Thailand had agreed to the truce only to ‘prepare another offensive.’

He said the Thai military had fired six mortar shells into Cambodian territory overnight in a ‘provocative act.’ ‘But we restrain ourselves and we don’t return fire,’ he said.

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Kompingpuoy Dam--អាង​កំពីងពួយ​សមិទ្ធិផល​ខ្មែរក្រហម

Unions Threaten May Day March Despite Ban

A Cambodian garment worker speaks on a loud speaker as she leads a strike in front of a factory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Sept. 13, 2010.(Photo: AP)

Chun Sakada,
VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
Thursday, 28 April 2011

“This is a worry and a threat by the government to the freedom of assembly and expression of the Cambodian people.”

Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a circular on Thursday banning workers from assembling on International Labor Day, May 1, but a coalition of unions says it will go ahead with plans.

The missive comes after the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union announced plans to gather some 3,000 laborers in Phnom Penh to mark the day.

Ath Thon, president of the coalition, said he plans to gather the workers in a march nevertheless.

“This circular shows a tightening on the rights to assembly and march, but up to now, our working group will follow the plan without changing,” he said. “Our assembly will not affect security and public order. The authorities have the ability to protect security and public order. I think the government should not worry about this.”

The march is scheduled to start in front of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, near Wat Phnom, and pass by the Royal Palace and National Assembly, where workers will bring a petition for better working rights and conditions.

In the circular, Hun Sen calls for the Ministry of Interior, the national police, military police, city and provincial authorities and other government institutions to “take action” in order to maintain public order.

Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teacher’s Association, which is under the coalition, called the order a threat to constitutional freedoms.

His union will not hold an assembly due to budget concerns, he added.

“This is a worry and a threat by the government to the freedom of assembly and expression of the Cambodian people,” he said.

The proposed March comes as workers face increasing pressure from food and fuel prices, while salaries remain low.

“We see the rising price of goods in the markets, particularly gasoline, making difficulty in people’s lives,” he said. “So we’re requesting the government provide a resolution for the salary of workers, teachers, government staff, police and soldiers, on balance with the market prices for them.”

Call for Government to ‘Step Down’ Over Border

Sok Khemara,
VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
Thursday, 28 April 2011

“...this government must step down to allow Cambodia to avoid wars and losing land to the west and to the east.”

Exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy issued on open letter Wednesday demanding that the administration of Prime Minister Hun Sen step down over his handling of the border conflict with Thailand.

If the government cannot peacefully resolve the border issue, he wrote, “this government must step down to allow Cambodia to avoid wars and losing land to the west and to the east.”

His letter came amid continued fighting on Wednesday and ahead of a reported ceasefire between Thai and Cambodian generals on the border Thursday.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan called the letter a “desire for attention” that ignored positive surveys that say many believe the country is moving in the right direction.

“Even though he does not have the support of the public, who are the Cambodian people, he still confronts [the prime minister],” Phay Siphan said.

The government is pursuing strategies to solve the border conflict with Thailand, he said, and the government is working with Vietnam to shore up border areas peacefully.

Sam Rainsy claims the government is ignoring the Paris peace agreement, which ensures Cambodia’s territorial sovereignty.

Sam Rainsy said his uprooting of markers along the Vietnamese border in 2009 was a victory. He is facing 12 years in prison sentences of a variety of charges stemming from his accusations that Cambodia has ceded land to Vietnam.

Both Vietnam and Thailand claim they have not encroached on Cambodian land.

Political Sinatoons: "The Master’s NO"

Cartoon by V. Sina (at www.ki-media.blogspot.com)

Vietnamese and Cambodia provinces join efforts to control

29/04/2011
VOV News/VNA

Leaders of southeastern Tay Ninh province and its sister Cambodian province Kam Pong Cham have signed an action plan on controlling the trading of wild fauna and flora species between the two provinces.

The signing took place at a two-day seminar on the issue that wrapped up in Tay Ninh on April 28.

Under the plan, both sides will set up an information exchange system and conduct joint patrols along the common border to control illegal wildlife hunting, transport and trading.

They will provide mutual assistance and jointly conduct investigations into violations of international laws on wildlife protection.

Both sides agreed to mobilise the necessary sources to prevent forest fires, preserve biodiversity and control illegal wildlife hunting, transport and trading.

The two sides will jointly disseminate their countries’ policies on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, in order to raise the awareness of people living along the border of the negative impacts of illegal wildlife hunting and smuggling.

At the seminar, participants shared their concerns over complex cross-border illegal wildlife trading, saying that the Tay Ninh-Kam Pong Cham route is the hot site of the issue.

Illegal wildlife traders have formed into a transnational crime syndicate using modern facilities to prevent the two countries’ joining efforts to control wildlife trading.

Thai army spokesman: 'We did not fire first' [-The Thai army didn't use cluster bomb either, remember that?]

April 29, 2011
Source: Xinhua

The Thai army did not fire first during the latest round of clashes, an army spokesman told Xinhua on Friday.

“During the latest fighting over night which left one Thai soldier dead and another three to four injured, we did not fire first,” Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, Thai Army spokesman said in an telephone interview with Xinhua on Friday morning.

“The fighting continued from 09:00 p.m. on Thursday until 06:00 a.m. on Friday, during which the Cambodians fired small artillery and threw bombs at us and we have to fire back at them,” the spokesman said.

The clashes happened less than 12 hours after ceasefire talks between Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakorn, commander of Thai Army Region 2 and Major General Chea Mon, commander of Military Region 4, during which both sides agreed to halt fighting.

“Lt Gen Thawatchai is responsible for the area of fighting while Chea Mon is not, instead, the deputy Army chief of Cambodia is the man who is responsible for the area, ” Col. Sansern said.

The Thai army will continue watching the situation, the spokesman added.

The last seven days of clashes have left seven Thai soldiers, one civilian dead, several dozens injured, and forced 60,000 civilians of both countries to flee home.

Thai war games intended to intimidate Cambodia? Thai supreme commander considers Cambodia as Thailand's ENEMY

Navy forces fire an Exocet missile from the HTMS Ratcharit, a fast-attack boat, during regularly scheduled military exercises in the Gulf of Thailand near Sattahip. Whilst watching the exercises, Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara said that Thai forces were “resolute” in protecting the country’s sovereignty.

Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara returns salutes as he boards the HTMS Chakri Naruebet to watch naval exercises off Sattahip.

Thai Supreme Commander rules out negotiations with Cambodia at Sattahip war games

Friday, 29 April 2011
By Patcharapol Panrak
From Issue Vol. XIX No. 17
Pattaya Mail (Thailand)

Presiding over the Royal Thai Navy’s annual training exercises in Sattahip, Thailand’s top military commander ruled out negotiations with Cambodia until that country’s forces cease hostilities in the latest rounds of deadly border clashes.

Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara said during an April 22 speech at Sattahip Naval Base that Thai forces were “resolute” in protecting the country’s sovereignty and will not hesitate to attack Cambodia forces if necessary. “Negotiations are not in the plans if our enemies choose to disrupt peace in our country,” he said.

Navy forces fire an Exocet missile from the HTMS Ratcharit, a fast-attack boat, during regularly scheduled military exercises in the Gulf of Thailand near Sattahip. Whilst watching the exercises, Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara said that Thai forces were “resolute” in protecting the country’s sovereignty.

Ten people were killed in the first three days of heavy artillery exchanges near Ta Kwai temple in Surin. Thailand accuses Cambodia of trying to seize both Ta Kwai and nearby Ta Muen temple in a move similar to its occupation of the disputed Preah Vilhear temple about 160 km from the latest fighting.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged both sides to agree to an immediate cease fire, but Thai leaders say their Khmer counterparts are trying to escalate the situation in order to force international involvement in border disputes Thailand wants solved bilaterally. Hoping to provoke international outrage, Cambodians have claimed Thais are using air strikes and chemical weapons on their military, which is about 25 times smaller than Thailand’s. Thai leaders denied both.

Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara returns salutes as he boards the HTMS Chakri Naruebet to watch naval exercises off Sattahip.

In Sattahip, Songkitti said 15,000 villagers have been evacuated from the battle zone. He said he hoped hostilities would cease soon, but also has been asked to approve the dispatch of five more battalions to the area to protect the two temples.

At his Sattahip war games appearance, the supreme commander certainly did his best to show of the might of Thai forces.

Part of Thailand’s naval fleet underway in formation during naval exercises in the Gulf of Thailand last week.

From a perch on the helicopter deck of the HTMS Chakri Naruebet, Songkitti watched as Navy forces fired an Exocet missile from the HTMS Ratcharit, a fast-attack boat. Other exercises included anti-aircraft firing, artillery practice with live rounds and joint sorties by Royal Thai Navy and Air Force F-16s.

Navy commander Adm. Kamthon Pumhiran said the war games were a previously scheduled, annual exercise put on to better integrate the operations of various naval units.

Cambodia appeals to World Court over border temple [-About time!!!]

PHNOM PENH, April 29, 2011 (AFP) – Cambodia said Friday it had asked the World Court to clarify a 1962 ruling about an ancient temple on its disputed border with Thailand as clashes between the neighbours entered an eight day.

The request “for the interpretation of the Court’s judgment… concerning the temple of Preah Vihear” was prompted by “Thailand’s repeated armed aggression to exert its claims to Cambodian territory”, the foreign ministry said.

A clarification by the court was of “the utmost necessity… in order to peacefully and definitely settle the boundary problem between the two countries in the area”, it added.

Hopes for an end to the bloodiest fighting between the neighbours in decades appeared to have been dashed after fresh clashes broke out hours after a ceasefire deal was struck on Thursday.

The current clashes are centred around two temple complexes around 150 kilometres (90 miles) west of Preah Vihear, although there were some skirmishes at the ancient site on Tuesday.

Both countries have blamed each other for sparking the violence.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled more than four decades ago that the 11th-century Preah Vihear belonged to Cambodia, but both countries claim ownership of a 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square-mile) surrounding area.

“We especially want clarification about the vicinity around the temple,” foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong told AFP. “Thailand is using unilateral maps to claim our territory.”

The structure — the most celebrated example of Khmer architecture outside Cambodia’s Angkor — has been the focus of strained relations between the neighbours since it was granted UN World Heritage status in 2008, sparking a series of deadly clashes.

Thai soldier is killed as Cambodia ceasefire is breached

04/29/2011
REUTERS

BANGKOK – One Thai soldier died and four were wounded in further clashes overnight on a disputed stretch of border between Thailand and Cambodia, a Thai military spokesman said on Friday, as a ceasefire agreed the previous day failed to hold.

At least 16 people have died in the fighting over the past week, centered on ancient temples at two points on the border.

Thai regional army commander Thawatchat Samutsakorn told Reuters four Thai soldiers were also wounded during two clashes involving guns and grenades, which he said had been started by the Cambodian side.

Thai soldier killed in border clash despite ceasefire

Apr 29, 2011
DPA

Bangkok/Phnom Penh – The Thai military said Friday one of its soldiers was killed overnight on the Cambodian border, testing a tentative day-old ceasefire agreement with Cambodia after a week of border skirmishes.

The area remained too dangerous for civilians to return, said General Prayuth Chan-ocha, chief of the Thai army. Thailand claims Cambodia started the renewed shelling after Thursday’s agreement.

Cambodia said Friday that Thailand had broken the deal by firing mortar shells overnight. ‘It is a provocative act, but we restrain ourselves and we don’t return fire,’ government spokesman Phay Siphan said, adding that Cambodia was respecting the ceasefire.

The fighting, which broke out on April 22 around disputed temples on the border between the neighbouring countries, has resulted in the deaths of seven Thai and eight Cambodian soldiers, as well as one Thai civilian dead, and more than 60 people wounded on both sides.

Cambodia expresses regret over Thai troops’ renewed attacks

April 29, 2011
Source: Xinhua

Thai troops again renewed attacks at Cambodian troops based at Ta Krabey Temple late Thursday night through early morning on Friday, a government spokesman said.

Phay Siphan, spokesman of the Office of the Council of Ministers said he had received the information of the new attacks fired on Cambodian troops at Trabey Temple.

“We are very sorry to hear of new attacks from Thai side. As already experienced, Thailand is not honest,” he said.

“On one hand, while negotiation for ceasefire is on process, Thai troops on the other hands attacks us,” he added.

On Thursday, two sides agreed to a ceasefire and encouraged displaced villagers to return to their hometowns.

New fighting resumed at around 8:50 p.m. on Thursday and continued until 5:30 am on Friday, military sources said.

As of today, fighting at Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temple in Oddar Meanchy Province between the two armed forces has lasted for 8th day since last Friday.

And at least 15 soldiers from both sides were killed since then.

Fresh Thai-Cambodia clash shatters ceasefire: Thai Army

Apr 29, 2011
AFP

BANGKOK – ONE Thai soldier was killed in fresh fighting on the border with Cambodia, Thailand’s army said on Friday, shattering a truce aimed at ending the bloodiest clashes between the neighbours in decades.

Sporadic fighting erupted just hours after a ceasefire deal was agreed on Thursday and continued overnight, Colonel Prawit Hookaew, north-eastern army region spokesman, said.

‘The situation is now calming but still tense,’ he added.

Fighting around two temples at the jungle frontier between the countries, now in its eighth day, has claimed 16 lives including one civilian and caused tens of thousands of people to flee from their homes.

Weaver Ants… on the Menu (Ang-krang)

Political Sacravatoons: "Coup d’Etat Inc."

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at www.sacrava.blogspot.com)

Abhisit: No plans to meet Hun Sen

April 29, 2011
The Nation

Local military commanders reach a ceasefire deal; Kasit will seek Cabinet approval for the terms of reference to station Indonesian observers on border

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he had not yet arranged a meeting with Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen for peace talks, although local commanders on the ground reached an agreement yesterday to cease fire at the border areas around Ta Muan temple.

Thai Second Army Region Commander Tawatchai Samutsakorn agreed with his Cambodian counterpart Chea Mon to cease hostilities and resume the border crossing arrangement at Surin province’s Chong Chom checkpoint, government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said.

“But we have to closely monitor the situation until we are sure the deal will really be honoured,” he said.

Military commanders have reportedly agreed ceasefires many times since skirmishes erupted last Friday at Ta Muan temple, but fighting has not stopped.

The clash has killed six Thai soldiers and two civilians and injured many others.

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Soldier and civilian killed in fresh fighting

April 29, 2011
The Nation

One Thai soldier and one civilian were killed and 11 troops wounded in a new round of border fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces throughout Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, three Thai villagers based in Surin’s Phanom Dong Rak district have been arrested for allegedly providing target coordinates for Cambodia’s rocket attacks as well as food and supplies to Cambodian soldiers.

Sanat Phimkao, a former village head, has been released due to insufficient evidence but as of last night, Khamphan Wongsa and Sermsuk Phochaile were still being detained by police for further questioning.

The arrests came after the military received information allegedly indicating they had shopped for supplies and food and delivered them to Cambodian soldiers.

The military was also suspicious because rockets from BM21 multiple launchers were landing frequently in Nong Khan Na village. Police found in their mobile phones a large number of numbers with area codes in Cambodia.

As of 8pm last night, Khamphan and Sermsuk were being detained in Prasat district police station after being handed over by Phanom Dong Rak police. They must be released in the next 48 hours if no charges are pressed against them.

After the latest fighting, which ended around 8.20am yesterday, six Thai soldiers and two Thai civilians had been killed while 58 soldiers sustained injuries.

The Thai military cited a large number of Cambodian casualties, but the figures could not be independently verified.

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No justice in the killing fields

29 April 2011
James A Goldston (Issues)
The Khaleej Times

More than 30 years after the murderous Khmer Rouge were driven from power in Cambodia, the UN-backed effort to bring justice to the victims of the killing fields stands on the brink of ignominious failure due to political interference from the Cambodian government and the indifference of the international community.

A hybrid court, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, has spent over $200 million since it was set up in 2003 with both international and local judges and prosecutors. It has tried only one person: Kang Kech Eav, or Duch, the head of the notorious Tuol Sleng prison complex, who is appealing his conviction for crimes against humanity, murder and torture.

Now Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen has taken an axe to further proceedings. In power for over 25 years, Hun Sen has repeatedly and publicly declared that the court should try only one more case (case “002” in court parlance), against four detained senior ex-Khmer Rouge leaders, all of whom are in their late 70s or 80s.

As for five additional unnamed suspects, whom the court’s pre-trial chamber approved for investigation, Hun Sen bluntly informed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon late last year that they would not be “allowed” to go forward.

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Victorian school teacher deported after night in Khmer cells

April 29, 2011
Herald Sun (Australia)

A VICTORIAN school teacher cleared of molesting children in Cambodia was quietly deported home to freedom after paying Khmer officials.

The man is still permitted to work as a teacher in Victoria.

Education Minister Martin Dixon had nothing to say about the case.

The man told the Herald Sun he had paid police in Cambodia’s Sihanoukville province about $100 before they released him from his cell last June.

He had been detained overnight accused of inappropriately touching local children as he played with them on the beach.

He denied the allegations and insisted the cash was not a bribe, but a fee for the food he consumed.

“They’re just trying to tap a foreigner, saying it’s to keep up the place – it wasn’t buying my way out of the charge,” he said.

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