Soldier killed, 5 hurt in border clash

[Flashermac]

 

Cambodian officers gave their word, not Hun Sen

 

 

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his son, an army commander, have broken a gentleman's agreement for a truce, leading to the latest border clash and damage to both Thailand and Cambodia.

 

Cambodian soldiers opened fire at Thai troops who were warning them not to build a base and bunkers in a disputed area 400m west of the Ta Kwai temple on Friday morning as they were violating the Thai-Cambodian 2000 memorandum of understanding that prohibits any modification or building, especially of military facilities, in disputed areas pending demarcation.

 

Thai soldiers expected their Cambodian counterparts to honour the gentleman's agreement for a truce, so they trusted their counterparts and sustained many deaths and injuries from the unexpected opening of fire.

 

The Thai-Cambodian border seemed peaceful over the past two months, after the truce had been agreed by Thai soldiers led by army chief-of-staff Dapong Rattanasuwan and Cambodian soldiers led by Cambodian army deputy commander Hun Manet in Cambodian territory next to Chong Sa-ngam border pass in Phu Sing district of Thailand's Si Sa Ket province.

 

Thai and Cambodian soldiers coexisted in a friendly manner in the 4.6 square kilometre disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple.

 

They met, shared meals, played sports and enjoyed the Songkran water festival together. That together with the supposed credibility of the son of Hun Sen convinced Thai soldiers that Cambodia was honouring the truce.

 

However, a local source said there were signs leading to the latest clash. During the Songkran festival Lt Gen Hun Manet, in his capacity as the combat commander in the vicinity of the Preah Vihear temple, came to Preah Vihear province and Gen Kun Kim, deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, travelled to areas near Ta Kwai and Ta Muen temples to inspect and promote local soldiers.

 

Cambodian soldiers conducted military exercises from late March to last week. They also made reinforcements but claimed the movements were only parts of such drills.

 

Cambodia used unmanned aerial vehicles to photograph Thai military locations and Thailand also used similar aircraft to do the same on Cambodian soil.

 

[color:red]"It is surely the order of Hun Sen because he is upset with the Thai armed forces' refusal to welcome military observers from Indonesia and determination on bilateral approaches. [He] wants to escalate the issue internationally so he had to trigger fire to attract the UN and other countries to handle the issue," said Gen Tawatchai Samutsakhon, commander of Thailand's 2nd Army, who supervises defence affairs in the Northeast.

 

"I did not think Cambodian soldiers would break the promise. Although the truce was not signed, it was a gentleman's agreement."[/color]

 

He said Cambodian soldiers always opened fire first. He contacted a local Cambodian commander who said it was an order. Lt Gen Tawatchai said the order was known to have come from Hun Sen.

 

"The order of Hun Sen led to the deaths and injury of Cambodian soldiers and heavy damage of their weaponry as Thai soldiers responded equally. We are more precise and even ready to use Caesar [self-propelled] artillery," Lt Gen Tawatchai said.

 

He has also put his soldiers near the Preah Vihear temple in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket on standby as Cambodian soldiers removed the covers of their artillery and multi-barrel rocket launchers there.

 

"Regarding the situation at Preah Vihear, it depends on Hun Sen as to whether he wants it to expand to the area. It is up to him because we are only defensive and are fully ready," Lt Gen Tawatchai said.

 

"Don't worry. If [you] shoot at us, [we] will fire back with similar weapons. The Army chief has given a green light. Thai soldiers do not want a fight or a war but Cambodian soldiers started it. So, we must fight and react to protect Thai soldiers, sovereignty and Thai people.

 

"From now on, we will not believe in any promise or gentleman's agreement from Cambodian soldiers. Even on the first day of the clash, they told us by phone to stop firing our artillery but when we stopped, Cambodia resumed firing their artillery shells at us."

 

He also denied reports that Thai soldiers were captured by Cambodian troops.

 

 

 

BP

[Flashermac]

 

Border clashes continue for 4th day

 

 

 

A fresh clash between Thai and Cambodian soldiers was reported on Monday morning, the fourth day running, but no casualties were reported.

 

Field reports said there was a clash about 10am around Ta Muen Thom temple near Ban Nong Khan Na in tambon Ta Miang of Surin's Phanom Dong Rak district.

 

The sounds of rifle, machinegun and mortar fire could be heard continually from the area. No more artillery shells landed on Thai soil.

 

The public relations centre of the 2nd Army's forward headquarters on Monday reported that five soldiers had been killed and 35 wounded since the fighting began on Friday. There were 25,000 civilian evacuees in Surin and 4,500 in Buri Ram.

 

[color:red]2nd Army commander Tawatchai Samutsakhon said the Thai military's response to Cambodian attacks has been limited to military targets, unlike the Cambodian soldiers who fired 10 artillery rounds into Ban Nong Khan Na village in Phanom Dong Rak on Sunday.[/color]

 

A sporadic firefight involving small arms and mortars also occurred between Ta Kwai and Ta Muen Thom temples on Sunday night. lasting until about 11pm, he said.

 

National army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said the government will decide whether or not to go to war with Cambodia over the disputed border, not the military.

 

The army was ready to follow the orders of the government. However, he believed there should be bilateral meetings, not a war, because people from both sides were being hurt by the conflict.

 

"If Cambodia doesn't want to negotiate, then it will not be necessary for us to negotiate either," the army chief said.

 

Thai troops sent to the border area had not retreated and had retaliated in kind, Gen Prayuth said.

 

"The Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry and the Thai armed forces don't agree with having third-party observers in the disputed border area, but if it is required then there must be regulations to cover it and all troops from the two countries must move out of the area.

 

"I don't think there is any country that wants foreign troops to invade its territory, and it is not necessary to have third-party observers at this time," Gen Prayuth added.

 

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya urged Surin residents fleeing border clashes to be patient, saying the government and his ministry are trying to end the fighting through negotiations.

 

Mr Kasit said the evacuees could expect to return home and resume their normal lives soon. The minister later handed over 50 sacks of rice to evacuees in Surin's Ban Khok Klang district and listened to their stories of problems and hardship.

 

Grandma Lae Suksawaeng, 75, of tambon Tamiang in Phanom Dong Rak district, said she wanted the fighting to end soon because she, like everyone else, wanted to return home.

 

Though they were fully fed at the shelter, it was not as comfortable as being at home, she said

 

Mrs Nongnut Kraiphet, 65, from the same tambon, asked the minister why Cambodian troops had to fire into Thai territory and just why the two countries had to be engaged in conflict at all.

 

The fighting has seriously affected local residents, she said.

 

Mr Kasit denied speculation that the Asean chairman, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, might postpone his planned official visit to Thailand indefinitely due to the latest border clashes.

 

The Indonesian foreign minister had not cancelled his visit, just postponed it and is now studying details of the bilateral framework and the diplomatic immunity of his delegation during their border observation trip, he said.

 

Mr Kasit said he would meet Mr Natalegawa and Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong at a meeting on April 28.

 

Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn announced in Bangkok this morning that the Asean chairman had postponed today's meeting with Thai and Cambodian officials to seek ways to end the continuing border conflict around Preah Vihear temple.

 

Mr Panitan said the Asean chairman wanted to further examine the details of the different treaties between the two countries.

 

Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban said he regularly discussed the situation along the Thai-Cambodian border with Gen Prayuth and Lt Gen Tawatchai.

 

"The army has the responsibility to protect Thailand's sovereignty.

 

"If Cambodian troops use heavy weapons, the Thai side will respond in kind.

 

"Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will not intervene in the army's strategic planning and I would like to assure the global community that Thailand is not using poison gas or warplanes to strike back at Cambodia," Mr Suthep said.

 

Meanwhile, the Cambodian government accused Thailand of damaging ancient jungle temples.

 

The Cambodian defence ministry said in a statement that the Thai attacks had caused damage to the ruins, without giving further details.

 

"We do not know the extent of the damage to the temples yet," said ministry of defence spokesman Chhum Socheat in Phnom Penh.

 

Cambodia has also accused Thailand of using aircraft and poisonous gas in the recent fighting -- claims that Bangkok has strongly denied.

 

It also accused Thailand of firing more than 300 artillery shells on civilian villages.

 

Thailand recently admitted using controversial munitions designed to burst into bomblets during the February fighting.

 

 

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Wife just returned from our village. She said there are evacuees in the village now, all the schools around the area, and wats etc. are filled with Thais evacuated from the border areas. She also said you can hear the shelling as well. Said the sound of the cannons was almost constant. Fuck Hun Sen. Family was notified to call if they needed to come to the city and we'll go pick the clan up and they can stay with us. Yipeee! Seems the fighting and shelling is getting worse the past two days.

[Bangkoktraveler]

Being this is a land nobody really cares about, this battle could last indefinetely.

[Flashermac]

The land is irrelevant. Hun Sen uses it to stir up Cambodian nationalism. He hardly cares about some rocky jungle with almost no economic value.

 

News in the Thai papers the last two days about Kim Hun Sen ordering hundreds of women and children sent to the strategic areas where fighting has happened or is likely to. Today's papers have photos on the front page of women and small children mingling with the Cambodian soldiers on the border. Thailand evacuates its civilians for their safety; Cambodia's Big Brother sends his civilians to become human shields. A Thai general has issued orders to be extra careful, since if Cambo women and children are killed in the fighting, Kim Hun Sen will use their deaths to portray the Thais as heartless murders who slaughter his innocent people.

 

Gee, you'd never guess Hun Sen used to be Khmer Rouge.

 

 

 

[Coss]

And who's funding all of this?

 

We are. (Countries who provide Aid)

 

I read that Cambo survives on our Aid.

[unit731]

I still have the uniform I wore the day I was disharged.

 

I'm ready.

 

But which side should I fight on?

[Flashermac]

I've got my greens hanging in the closet at home. Got a set of jungle fatigues too. I'm ready to go ... or would be if I could still fit into them.

 

 

p.s. I see the pay has gone way up.

 

 

[Flashermac]

@Cent

 

<< During the past four days after the clashes erupted last Friday, the exchange was restricted to Surin's Phanom Dong Rak district of Surin. [color:red]Nearly 30,000 people have been evacuated.[/color]

 

The Thai troops local commander said Cambodia opened fire at the Thai border after they heard the sonic boom from an F-16 fighter of Thai airforce which did a flight exercise near the border.

 

At about 6.30pm yesterday, Cambodian soldiers fired artillery deeper into tambon Naengmud, tambon Kok, tambon Kian and tambon Prasart Beng in Kap Choeng district of Surin, east of Phanom Dong Rak district.

 

[color:red]Sa-ard Veeracharoen, chief of Surin's public health office, said two villagers had reportedly died during yesterday's clashes which continued from about 1pm until late at night.

 

"The fight was very heavy today. We received an unconfirmed report that two villagers have been killed - one in Kab Cheong and the other in Dong Rak district," Dr Sa-ard said. At least 22 people were injured, including 18 soldiers and four civilians, two seriously, he said.[/color]

 

Kab Cheong Hospital has been temporary closed due to the heavy attacks. All patients had been evacuated to Surin Hospital, he said. >>

 

 

Bangkok Post

 

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

I heard Cap Choeng hospital was hit by arty fire. Anyone know if true? Heard it was closed now. Many refugees/evacusees showing up at my wife's village, and she said the village down the road now has moved people just 2 klics from our village to some schools.

 

She also was driving yesterday to see our sis in law in Nongrai. She said there were many people on the roads heading to the local wats and schools for a place to stay during the fighting.