KI Media: “Thailand Going Rogue” plus 24 more

Fighting over the disputed territory surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple along the Thai-Cambodia border resumed last Friday, with both sides trading artillery fire and accusations of targeting civilian villages throughout the weekend. The Associated Press reports 12 soldiers confirmed dead.

The world may never know which side started the latest clash, since Thailand continues to resist allowing international observers to monitor the area. And both countries deserve some blame for stirring the pot at various times. Nevertheless, it has become increasingly clear that the Thai military is doing nothing to ease the tension.

That much we know from the way that the military, and then Bangkok, vetoed initiatives to get the two sides talking. After the last major bout of fighting in February, Cambodia succeeded in bringing the matter to the United Nations Security Council, which promptly kicked it back to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Indonesia, the chair of Asean this year, has played shuttle diplomacy trying to bring the two sides together, but Bangkok continues to balk. That has allowed Cambodia to play the aggrieved and more reasonable party.

Thailand's unwillingness to even contemplate compromise may be due to the broader impasse in its domestic politics. In 2008, the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy, more commonly known as the yellow shirts, took up the temple issue as a cudgel against the government of Samak Sundaravej. The same group has now turned on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and is castigating him for not taking more aggressive action to recover the temple.

Meanwhile, the military is positioning itself as the main defender of the monarchy and Thai sovereignty. Tension between the military and the civilian government has been mounting since Mr. Abhisit announced elections would be held within the next few months. Bangkok is rife with rumors that a coup is imminent.

The military, palace and business elite all fear that supporters of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will win their fourth straight general election. The last three results were annulled by a coup and court rulings, and the red shirt supporters of Mr. Thaksin have become increasingly restive as a result of their disenfranchisement. Even if their Puea Thai Party wins, there is a strong chance they will not be allowed to form a government. So further unrest later this year seems likely.

In this context, a fight with Cambodia might seem an appealing way out of the deadlock. A limited war with a much smaller neighbor could unify Thais, as the red shirts would feel pressure to get behind the military in a time of national crisis. Mr. Abhisit, who has never won an election and is widely regarded as a figurehead within Thailand, could be dispensed with, and elections pushed off until the glow of victory and massive public spending restore the Bangkok elite's popularity.

Perhaps the Thai military understands how much could go wrong with such a scenario and is only engaging in brinksmanship. But even this runs the risk of accidental escalation. And once a conflict starts, Asean nations would be put in the impossible position of having to choose sides, which might tear the organization apart.

Thailand's friends have a responsibility to dissuade the military from military adventures. It's also time they addressed the root cause of the problem. This conflict is a sign that the nation's internal political crisis is beginning to generate external costs, showing once again that Asean's credo of noninterference in domestic politics needs to be tempered with an awareness that promotion of democracy is part and parcel of regional stability.

Thailand and Cambodia are amassing armor and heavy artillery along their common border raising fears that a long-running territorial dispute could escalate into a full-scale war, local media reported on Monday.

A fragile cease-fire between the two Southeast Asian states was broken on Friday when the sides exchanged artillery, rocket and rifle fire. By Monday at least 12 soldiers on both sides were reported to have been killed and dozens more wounded.

"A high concentration of troops and weaponry on the border threatens to turn the conflict into a large-scale war," the Bangkok Post said.

Thai television reported on Monday tanks and armored personnel carriers with troops facing each other on opposite sides of the border in full combat readiness.

Despite UN efforts to find a diplomatic solution for the flare-up, the prospects of a new cease-fire appear to be shaky as the Thai government refuses to accept foreign mediation.

Border conflicts between the two states over the ownership of several 11th century temples that began a century ago resumed in 2010-2011. The two neighbors fought a four-day war near one of the temples in February, and a ceasefire has been in place since March.

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been demarcated in detail.

Thailand Phnom Penh (Bangkok), Apr 25 (Kyodo) Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natelegawa has postponed visits today to Cambodia and Thailand, where he was to have overseen the signing of a document that would have paved the way for deployment of Indonesian observers at the disputed border areas between the two countries. Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong suggested the postponement stems from Thailand's unwillingness to approve the proposed terms of reference for dispatch of the Indonesian observers to the disputed area near the ancient temple of Preah Vihear. A Thai Foreign Ministry official said Marty's scheduled trip to the two countries, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, was postponed because they have yet to conclude negotiations on the details of the document. Marty was to have met with Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in Phnom Penh to get his signature and then fly to Bangkok later today to get that of Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. Thailand earlier signed an agreement relating to the observers at February 22 at a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in Jakarta, but it has repeatedly objected to the terms of reference proposed by Indonesia as ASEAN chair. By contrast, Cambodia has accepted all drafts of the ASEAN chair's terms of reference and has urged Indonesia to dispatch the observers at the earliest possible opportunity, even allowing their unilateral stationing on Cambodian soil while Thailand refuses them. Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the border disputes since 2008 and a number of clashes between their armies have taken place since then. The latest round of clashes began Friday and continued over the weekend, leaving at least 11 soldiers dead and dozens injured on both sides.

SAMRAONG, 25 April 2011 (IRIN) - At least 36,000 people were displaced on 23-24 April amid fresh fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border, officials say.

The two countries are at loggerheads over ownership of an 11th century Hindu temple, registered as a UN World Heritage Site in 2008.

Each side accused the other of firing rockets and mortars over disputed territory along their 798km border, forcing civilians to flee the area.

Cambodia's Defence Ministry alleges that Thailand fired heavy weapons more than 21km into Cambodian territory.

In a shelter in the town of Samraong, Dee Savi, 46, said she fled with her family after mortar fire near her village, Sambor Meah.

"I couldn't continue farming. It became too dangerous for me and my children. We had to escape," she said.

Kim Bonatha, 59, a doctor from Phnom Penh's Calmette Hospital, who has been treating displaced civilians sheltered in a pagoda in Samraong, said diarrhoea and fever were already becoming a source of concern.

Stephane de Geef, with Jesuit Relief Services, an international Catholic NGO with an office in Cambodia, said there could have been dozens of civilians casualties if not for the evacuation.

Nearly 10,000 Cambodians were relocated to temporary shelters away from the fighting, according to the government's National Disaster Management Committee.

Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said Cambodian fire fell "more than several kilometres" inside Thailand.

At least 26,000 Thai civilians were evacuated from border communities in Buriram and Surin provinces and are now being housed in temporary shelters, he said.

Each side blamed the other for initiating the violence, in which 12 soldiers have reportedly died and dozens been injured since fighting erupted again on 22 April.

In statements, Cambodia's Foreign Ministry said Thai troops launched a "fierce armed offensive", and Thailand's Foreign Ministry alleged Cambodian troops prompted the flare-up with an "unprovoked attack".

Cambodia accused Thailand of firing toxic gas into Cambodian territory, though independent reports from civic groups suggest the smoke plumes came from exploding mortars.

However, claims that the Thai military used cluster munitions during fighting in early February have been corroborated by several NGOs, including the UK-based Cluster Munition Coalition.

Civic groups urged Thailand as well as Cambodia to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an accord supported by 108 countries to outlaw the weapons, which are especially dangerous to civilians because they scatter over a vast area.

Each side has accused the other of exploiting the conflict for political gain.

In his weekly televised address, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Cambodia wished to attract international intervention by intensifying "the conflict so violently that the dispute can no longer be solved at the bilateral level".

In a letter to the UN Security Council, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Thailand's argument that bilateral negotiations were more productive was "a pretext for using its larger and materially more sophisticated armed forces against Cambodia".

Emma Leslie, director of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, a Phnom Penh-based NGO, said political gamesmanship needed to be put aside in the interests of affected civilians.

"This is the moment for Thai and Cambodian leaders to rise above politics, and bring together two nations with shared history, culture and religious traditions," she told IRIN by email.

"The welfare of the Thai and Khmer people along the border is paramount, and the peace and prosperity for border communities should be the primary concern of decision-makers in Bangkok and Phnom Penh."

On 23 April, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on both sides to exercise maximum restraint and an effective and verifiable ceasefire.

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.

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.

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.

BANGKOK, April 25 (MCOT online news) - Thai army commander-in-chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha on Monday reaffirmed the army is ready to engage in battle with Cambodia if the government orders so, standing firm that the Indonesian observers will be allowed to observe the border only if Cambodia withdraws its troops from the conflict zone and returns to dialogue.

The army chief made his remarks following criticism over the operations of the Thai military in the latest border clashes with Cambodia.

The renewed border clash occurred near the Ta Kwai and Ta Muan Thom temples in Surin on Friday. Sporadic clashes have been reported since then as border demarcation remains disputed by the two neighbouring countries despite attempts to resolve the problem through meetings of bilateral commissions at several levels.

Five Thai soldiers were killed while 35 were wounded during the four days of clashes. About 25,000 border area residents in Surin and about 4,500 others in Buri Ram have been evacuated from their homes to temporary shelters.

Gen Prayuth stated troops have been deployed in every conflict zone to protect Thailand's sovereignty and have never retreated even a single step from the border.

Now the soldiers are staying fixed at the Thai border and we are ready to fight if ordered by the government, but [whether] the government can do it or not depends on the bilateral agreements that we have made with [our] neighbour," the army chief said.

Gen Prayuth noted that whether the battle will occur or not depends on the governments of the two countries, adding that war has not been declared and that the latest incidents are only normal clashes along the border.

"There must be no Cambodian soldiers at Preah Vihear temple, or in local communities and temples, otherwise no observers will be allowed to do their work," Gen Prayuth asserted.

The army chief said that concerned agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters and the three armed forces disagreed with having third country observers, but if necessary, the army has already made its stance clear to the Abhisit government that all troops must leave the disputed Preah Vihear area.

Meanwhile, Cambodia accused Thailand of damaging the two ancient temples during three days of border clashes that killed 12 people on both sides.

Agence-France Presse (AFP) news agency reported Cambodia's defence ministry as saying 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," AFP quoted ministry of defence spokesman Chhum Socheat as saying.

BANGKOK, April 25 (MCOT online news) – The Thai-Cambodian border clashes during the past four days have caused approximately Bt300-500 million (US$10-17 million) in losses in border trade and tourism, Thanawat Palavichai, director of the Economic and Business Forecast Centre at the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), said on Monday.

The fighting, which erupted in Surin province on April 22, has mainly affected trade and tourism along the borders of Si Sa Ket and Surin with Cambodia. The effects, expected to be short-lived, have caused an estimated Bt50-100 million ($1.7-3.3 million) in daily losses. However, the continued border skirmishes have not hurt the Thai economy overall, Mr Thanawat explained.

Thai-Cambodian border trade is valued at some Bt60 billion (about $2 billion) annually. Most border trade is conducted across the borders of Sa Kaeo and Trat, where about Bt40 billion (over $1.3 billion) changes hands annually, while trade and tourism in Surin and Si Sa Ket earned much less, at an estimated Bt2.4 billion ($80 million) in annual revenue.

Although economic activities along the border in Trat and Sa Kaeo continue as usual, Mr Thanawat ventured that the fresh border clashes may cause a psychological impact on people of the two countries due to worries about the situation.

Meanwhile, Thai and international tourists are likely to postpone or redirect their trips to Angkor Wat in Siem Riep, Cambodia's main tourist attraction.

If the border tension escalates and the border crossings in Surin, Sa Si Ket, Sa Kaeo and Trat are closed, around Bt100-200 million ($3.3-6.6 million) will be lost daily, with overall losses of Bt1 billion ($33 million), the UTCC academic predicted.

Cambodia imports commodities from Thailand worth Bt50 billion ($1.7 billion) annually, while Thai imports from Cambodia are valued at Bt5 billion (around $167 million)

Meanwhile, the Surin Chamber of Commerce said that the border clashes resulted in closure of the Chong Jom border crossing which caused a Bt15-20 million ($500,000- 670,000) daily loss and called for the governments of the two countries to end the violence soon.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Thai and Cambodian forces battled for a fourth straight day along their disputed border Monday, as Cambodia accused its neighbour of damaging two ancient temples in weekend clashes.

Southeast Asian diplomats are struggling to end the repeated deadly flare-ups, but Thailand's prime minister appeared to reject outside help Monday, saying the two countries have to resolve the dispute alone.

The fighting on land around temples and several other crumbling stone monuments is rooted in a long-running dispute over where the border should be drawn and has fueled profound nationalistic fervour in both countries for decades.

Field commanders on both sides reported heavy exchanges of fire after nightfall Monday around Ta Krabey temple. Cambodian Col. Suos Sothea said from the front that both sides had fired artillery, mortars and rifles.

Thai army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd confirmed that account, saying "we could not stay still and allow them to attack. We had to counter responsively."

Both sides have accused each other of starting the latest battles, which by Sunday had killed at least 12 soldiers on both sides and forced 30,000 people in Thailand and another 17,000 in Cambodia to flee.

While a wider war seems unlikely, several cease-fires have failed to prevent new border bloodshed. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a cease-fire, but the prospects for peace appear shaky.

Most of the recent fighting has taken place around the 1,000-year-old Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples, which are on territory claimed by both countries. The temples date back to the Khmer empire that once ruled over much of both Cambodia and Thailand.

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said the two temple complexes, caught in crossfire over the weekend, had been hit by bullets and shells, but there was no word on how bad the damage was. Thai authorities had no immediate comment on the allegation.

This month's renewed fighting comes as Thailand prepares for general elections expected by early July. The Thai army, which staged a coup in 2006 and continues to hold influence in domestic politics, has effectively vetoed a plan to station Indonesian observers to monitor the border situation.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa was in "intense" talks with both sides to secure an end to the conflict in his role as current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Foreign Ministry official Hamzah Thayeb said.

Natalegawa postponed a scheduled trip Monday to Cambodia, Thayeb said, as Indonesia continued to push to send military observers to the region — a move that Thailand has so far vehemently rejected. The trip's cancellation cast doubt on hopes the simmering dispute might be resolved quickly.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the border issue must be solved by Thailand and Cambodia themselves, saying third-party involvement might make it "more complicated"

"There is no need for a third country to intervene," said Abhisit. "Eventually there has to be a talk between Thailand and Cambodia."

Abhisit said he would meet Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during a two-day ASEAN summit due in Indonesia on May 7.

The conflict involves small swaths of land along the border that have been disputed for more than half a century. Fierce clashes have broken out several times since 2008, when Cambodia's 11th-century Preah Vihear temple was given U.N. World Heritage status over Thailand's objections.

In recent years, political groups on both sides have accused their opponents of using the skirmishes to stir nationalistic fever and further their own domestic political agendas.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has harnessed the dispute in the past to build political support. And during the last round of fighting in February, Thai nationalists launched a sit-in outside government buildings in part to demand the country take a tough stand against Cambodia. The group is widely seen as playing the patriotism card in a bid to exercise more influence over politics at home.

The current round of clashes are the first since February, when eight soldiers and civilians were killed near the more well known Preah Vihear, which suffered minor damage from exploding artillery and mortar shells that knocked small chunks out of a few of its walls.

The latest fighting over the last several days broke out about 100 miles (160 kilometres) west of Preah Vihear. After easing earlier Sunday, fighting resumed later that night, both sides said, raising the toll from 10 to 12.

PHNOM PENH, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Gunfire exchanges between Cambodian and Thai troops over the border area at the Ta Moan temple and Ta Krabei temple in Oddar Meanchey province broke out again late Monday, said a field military commander on Monday.

"The fighting started again this evening at 6:15 p.m. at the two temples," Suos Sothea, deputy commander of the artillery unit, told Xinhua by telephone from the battle fields.

"Thai forces have fired both small guns and heavy artilleries on our troops over the areas," he said.

"We have also exchanged some gunfires to defend our territory integrity from invasion," he said.

The fighting marks the fourth straight days of armed clashes between the two countries' troops.

The last three days of clashes resulted in six deaths and 16 injuries of Cambodian soldiers and five deaths and 17 injuries of Thai troops, and tens of thousands of the two countries' people have fled home for safe shelters.

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.

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 forcereport 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.

The death toll from three days of heavy fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops over a disputed border area has climbed to 12.

Officials on Monday said one soldier had been killed on each side following an exchange of fire in the jungle frontier late on Sunday.

Cambodia also accused Thailand of damaging two ancient temples during the latest clashes, while Thailand accused the Cambodian army of firing artillery shells that did not make it across the border.

Fighting appeared to have resumed on Monday afternoon with several shells fired, following a brief lull in the violence after days of cross-border shelling.

Thailand's foreign minister called for one-on-one talks with Cambodia, a renewed push that came after the cancellation of talks with a top regional envoy.

Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa had been scheduled to hold talks in Thailand and Cambodia on Monday but his trip was cancelled, government officials from both countries said.

Natalegawa had brokered a UN-backed peace deal in February that would have posted unarmed military observers from Indonesia along the border, but the Thai military has said they are not welcome and the deal has yet to be put in place.

Cambodia has asked for outside mediation to help end the standoff, but Thailand has resisted third-party intervention. However, Kasit Piromya, the Thai foreign minister, declined on Monday to rule them out when

speaking to reporters at an evacuation camp.

"It's not something we are opposed to. This is a sensitive issue," he said in a briefing about 30km from the scene of recent fighting.

Both countries have blamed each other for sparking the violence, which is the first serious outbreak of fighting since February, when 10 people were killed in clashes near the 900-year-old Hindu temple Preah Vihear.

Seven Cambodian and five Thai troops have been killed and thousands of civilians have fled the area since the latest clashes began on Friday.

About 20,000 civilians have sought refuge in 16 camps on the Thai side of the border while about 17,000 have been evacuated from Cambodian villages.

Some, like 47-year-old Suwech Yodsri, stayed behind to guard their properties, despite the danger of violence.

"I'm scared to be here but I have to be here to protect our village from looting," he told the AFP news agency from the Thai village of Nong Kanna in Surin Province, about five kilometres from the border.

"I believe political conflicts are to blame. Innocent people are just being used as a political tool," he added.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, has called on the neighbours to "exercise maximum restraint" and has urged them to resolve the issue through "serious dialogue" rather than military means.

He also urged the two neighbours to take immediate measures for an effective and verifiable ceasefire.

Indonesia, which holds the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc, has called for an immediate end to the violence. Vietnam urged "maximum restraint".

Ties between the neighbours have been strained since Preah Vihear -- the most celebrated example of ancient Khmer architecture outside Cambodia's Angkor -- was granted UN World Heritage status in July 2008.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but both countries claim ownership of a 4.6 square km surrounding area.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court handed opposition leader Sam Rainsy two more years of jail time Monday, after Cambodia's foreign minister sued him for defamation.

Sam Rainsy, who lives in exile abroad, is now facing 14 years in jail sentences from a series of criminal suits, rendering him ineligible to partake in national elections in 2013.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong sued him for defamation and incitement for remarks in a public speech linking the minister to the Khmer Rouge.

Sam Rainsy accused Hor Namhong of being "a former Boeung Trabek prison chief under the Khmer Rouge," during a remembrance ceremony at the Choeung Ek execution site in 2008.

Hor Namhong has said repeatedly he was a prisoner, not a cohort, of the Khmer Rouge.

The court sentenced Sam Rainsy to two years in prison and a fine of $2,000.

Kar Savuth, a lawyer for Hor Namhong, said the decision was just.

Sam Rainsy told VOA Khmer from France on Monday the decision was political.

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights ("CCHR"), a non-political, independent, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect democracy and respect for human rights throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia, condemns the ongoing fighting in the area surrounding the Preah Vihear on the Cambodian-Thai border and calls for an internationally brokered and monitored peace deal between the countries.

The fighting at the border, which today entered its fourth day, is the second period of fighting this year. In May 2009 after a Thai attack resulted in the destruction of a village near the temple and damage to the temple itself, CCHR called upon the United Nations ("UN") and the Association of South East Asian Nations ("ASEAN") to intervene and meditate between the two sides. Two years on, the stand-off between the two nations is worse than ever and the human toll is rising, with as many as eleven soldiers killed and thousands of civilians displaced on either side of the border. As it is beyond any doubt that this issue cannot be resolved bilaterally, CCHR repeats our call for an international interlocutor to broker and monitor peace between the two countries.

Please find this media comment attached in English. A Khmer version will follow shortly.

Thank you and kind regards,

PHANOM DONG RAK, Thailand (Reuters) - Thailand's foreign minister called on Monday for one-on-one talks with Cambodia after three days of jungle clashes that killed at least 12 people and sent thousands into evacuation centers in the bloodiest border conflict in nearly two decades.

Thailand's renewed push for bilateral talks followed the cancellation of a visit to both countries by a top Southeast Asian envoy who brokered a U.N.-backed peace deal on February 22 to send Indonesian military observers to the border.

Thailand has resisted international observers, but Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya declined to rule them out when speaking to reporters at an evacuation camp.

"It's not something we are opposed to. This is a sensitive issue," he said in a briefing about 30 km (19 miles) from the scene of recent fighting.

The fighting near two disputed 12th-century Hindu temples followed a four-day clash in February that claimed 11 lives near Preah Vihear, a temple about 150 km (90 miles) to the east.

Guns were mostly silent on Monday but Thai fighter jets roared over the area.

At the center of the latest dispute are the Ta Moan and Ta Krabey Hindu temples in a heavily mined jungle area claimed by both sides. Thailand says the ancient ruins are in its Surin province but Cambodia insists they fall in its territory.

Fighting has been heaviest around Ta Moan, a complex that contains three temples nestled into a mountain pass. Both sides are also positioned around Ta Krabey, where fighting first erupted on Friday and where Cambodia has been accused of building military bases.

A clash late on Sunday killed a Thai soldier, bringing the death toll since Friday to five killed and 31 wounded. Cambodian authorities said a Thai sniper shot dead a Cambodian soldier early on Monday, bring its death toll to seven with 17 wounded.

The Cambodian Defense Ministry said Thai shelling had "damaged the temples", without elaborating, and that civilian villages had been shelled about 20 km (12 miles) inside Cambodian territory. About 17,000 people had been evacuated, it said, and a school and 10 houses destroyed.

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said "some Thai nationals" were taken into custody for "spying". He did not provide details.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Thailand and Cambodia are members, had been expected to visit Thailand and Cambodia separately on Monday.

Although his trip was canceled, Natalegawa told reporters in Jakarta a trilateral meeting could still take place.

"The possibility is not closed for a direct meeting among the three of us, but the date has not been decided. The important thing is that communication continues," he said.

The conflict and fierce rhetoric from both sides has been a setback for ASEAN, a 10-member bloc modeled on the European Union that plans to become a regional community by 2015.

"Thailand and Cambodia have to show that they really want to promote diplomacy and not violence," said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yuhoyono.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged "serious dialogue" to produce an "effective and verifiable" ceasefire.

Although on the surface the renewed fighting appears to be a dispute over sovereignty, many experts are skeptical and suggest either government may have started the clashes to discredit the other or to appeal to nationalists at home.

The conflict could boost support for Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government ahead of an election due by July. Cambodia's government, which has had a series of bitter quarrels with Abhisit's administration, could stand to gain if his ruling Democrat Party is voted out of office.

The two sides battled for more than three hours from late Sunday morning and pounded each other with mortars and artillery, sending hundreds of villagers fleeing or into hiding in makeshift bomb shelters.

Ban Nongkana, a village 7 km (4 miles) from Ta Moan, was almost deserted on Monday after three days of shelling. Dogs roamed dirt tracks and rustic wooden houses were abandoned after troops urged people to leave, fearing another escalation.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said 30,000 Thais were evacuated from border areas.

The dispute over jurisdiction has persisted since the 1950s, when colonial power France pulled out of Cambodia.

"Without a third-party observer, we will just point fingers at each other about who fired first," Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said.

An international court ruling awarded Preah Vihear to Cambodia in 1962, but Thailand has tried to thwart its attempt to list the temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it still lays claim to the 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq miles) of scrub around it.

(Additional reporting by Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh, Ambika Ahuja in Bangkok and Telly Nathalia in Jakarta; Editing by Jason Szep and Alex Richardson)

Cambodia accused Thailand of damaging two ancient temples during three days of border clashes that killed 12 people, as Southeast Asian diplomats struggled Monday to find a way to end the repeated deadly flare-ups.

A precarious calm held Monday in the disputed border region where Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples lie. The nearly 1,000-year-old stone temples date back to the Khmer empire that once ruled over much of both Cambodia and Thailand.

The land around the temples and several other crumbling stone monuments has fueled profound nationalistic fervor in both countries for decades. While a wider war seems unlikely, several cease-fires have failed to prevent new border violence.

The latest fighting comes as Thailand prepares for general elections expected by early July. The Thai army, which staged a coup in 2006 and continues to hold influence in domestic politics, has effectively vetoed a plan to station Indonesian observers to monitor the border situation.

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan alleged Sunday that Bangkok was stirring up fighting "for their (own) political issues." He did not elaborate.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa was in "intense" talks with both sides to secure an end to the conflict in his role as current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to foreign ministry official Hamzah Thayeb.

Natalegawa postponed a scheduled trip to Cambodia, Thayeb said, as Indonesia continued to push to send military observers to the region — a move that Thailand has so far vehemently rejected. The trip's cancellation cast doubt on hopes the simmering dispute might be resolved quickly.

The conflict involves small swaths of land along the border that have been disputed for more than half a century. Fierce clashes have broken out several times since 2008, when Cambodia's 11th-century Preah Vihear temple was given U.N. World Heritage status over Thailand's objections.

In recent years, political groups on both sides have accused their opponents of using the skirmishes to stir nationalistic fever and further their own domestic political agendas.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has harnessed the dispute in the past to build political support. And during the last round of fighting in February around the more well-known Preah Vihear temple, Thai nationalists launched a sit-in outside government buildings in part to demand the country take a tough stand against Cambodia. The group is widely seen as playing the patriotism card in a bid to exercise more influence over politics at home.

The current round of clashes are the first since February, when eight soldiers and civilians were killed near Preah Vihear, which suffered minor damage from exploding artillery and mortar shells that knocked small chunks out of a few of its walls.

The latest fighting over the last several days broke out about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Preah Vihear. After easing earlier Sunday, fighting resumed later that night, both sides said, raising the toll from 10 to 12.

Thai Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Cambodian troops opened fire, killing a Thai soldier. Chea Samrach, a Cambodian soldier on the front line, said Thai snipers killed one Cambodian soldier and wounded two others. Ten soldiers died in the first two days of the clashes.

Cambodia's Defense Ministry said Thai forces fired 1,000 artillery and mortar shells Sunday. Some shells landed about 12 miles (20 kilometers) inside Cambodian territory, forcing 17,000 people to flee and destroying one school and a dozen homes and setting ablaze some farming fields, the ministry said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a cease-fire, but the prospects for peace appear shaky.

Indonesia's efforts to mediate have been stymied for weeks by Thailand's refusal to allow Indonesian military observers in the area of dispute. Thailand insists the problem should be solved through bilateral talks with Cambodia, but Cambodia wants third-party mediation.

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Associated Press writers Thanyarat Doksone in Bangkok and Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

Trade worth 15 to 20 million baht a day is being lost due to the closure of the Chong Chom border checkpoint in Kab Choeng district of Surin because of the renewed fighting on the border with Cambodia, a local business leader said on Monday.

A large quantity of good, particularly fuel, was held up on the Thai side of the border unable to cross to its usual destination in O-Samet in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, said Nanthawat Kijsakulpaisarn, secretary-general of Surin Chamber of Commerce.

Cross-border trade at this checkpoint was worth some 800 million baht annually. The closure was costing between 15 and 20 million baht a day in lost revenues, he said.

He called on the Thai and Cambodian governments to urgently hold talks to end the conflict.

The border crossing has been closed since Friday.

PHNOM PENH, April 25, 2011 (AFP) - A Cambodian court on Monday slapped exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy with yet another two-year jail term, this time for accusing the foreign minister of being a former Khmer Rouge member.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court found the outspoken politician guilty in absentia of defamation and inciting discrimination for claiming in a 2008 speech that Hor Namhong once belonged to the blood-soaked communist movement.

Sam Rainsy, who lives in France, now faces a total of 14 years in prison if he returns to Cambodia following a string of convictions that opponents say are politically motivated.

"The verdict is unjust," Sam Rainsy's lawyer Choung Chou Ngy told AFP, adding that he will now discuss with his client whether to appeal the ruling.

Sam Rainsy was also ordered to pay eight million riel ($2,000) in compensation to Hor Namhong.

In September 2010, the leader of the eponymous Sam Rainsy party was handed a 10-year sentence in absentia for publishing a false map of the border with Vietnam.

It followed a two-year sentence in January 2010 for inciting racial discrimination and uprooting border markings with neighbouring Vietnam in an incident the previous year.

After exhausting his appeals against that punishment, Sam Rainsy was last month stripped of his parliamentary seat.

The opposition party and rights groups have said the convictions are an attempt to keep Sam Rainsy, 62, from taking part in Cambodia's national election in 2013.

He is seen as the main rival to Prime Minister Hun Sen, 60, who was a Khmer Rouge cadre before he turned against the regime. Hun Sen has vowed to stay in power until he is 90 years old.

Up to two million people died of overwork and starvation or were executed under the Khmer Rouge, which outlawed religion, property rights, currency and schools during its 1975-1979 rule.

Hor Namhong has long said that he and his family were prisoners at a Khmer Rouge camp, and has successfully sued people in the past for claiming that he had links to the regime.

Last May, a French appeals court upheld a guilty verdict against Sam Rainsy for remarks made in his autobiography about the foreign minister's alleged role in the hardline communist movement.

BANGKOK (Xinhua) -- Five Thai troops have been killed and about 30,000 residents have withdrawn from the Thai border area since the latest round of border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia happened recently, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department's general-director said Monday.

About 25,942 Thai residents living in 36 villages of northeastern Surin province along the border have suffered from border-cross firing and shelling while some 4,500 in Buriram province are affected. All together about 30,000 evacuees are currently staying at over 20 makeshift camps in two provinces, according to the department.

Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said six hospitals in Surin province have been closed temporarily and all of their staff have been deployed to work at 35 field hospitals in Surin and Buriram provinces to take care of the evacuees around the clock.

Medical staffs have been instructed to watch closely for signs of contagious diseases, particularly malaria, Jurin said.

The latest three-day clashes from April 22 to 24 took place at the 13th century Ta Muen temple and Ta Kwai temple, known in Cambodian as Ta Moan and Ta Krabei respectively.

The fighting resulted in six deaths and 16 injuries of Cambodian soldiers as reported recently by Phnom Penh.

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Violent clashes over a disputed area along the Thai-Cambodian border erupted for a fourth consecutive day Monday, resulting in the death of a Thai soldier, a military official said.

Four other Thai soldiers have been killed since the fighting started on Friday, according to Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd.

Authorities have evacuated thousands of people from nearby villages.

Each side blames the other for the violence, which first broke out last week near two temples in the Phanom Dong Rak district of Thailand's Surin province.

Cambodia's government has said three of its troops have been killed.

On Monday, Sansern accused Cambodians of trying to seize two ancient temples, Ta Kwai and Ta Muen Thom.

The fighting on the ground has been coupled by a war of words in recent days.

On Sunday, Sansern accused Cambodian troops of opening fire first and said Thai troops responded to protect their country's sovereignty.

Cambodian officials could not be immediately reached for comment. A statement from the country's defense ministry Saturday described the clashes as an "assault by Thai infantry units," accusing Thailand of flying spy planes into Cambodia and attacking with heavy weapons.

Thailand's foreign ministry issued statements Saturday accusing Cambodia of "firing heavy weapons at innocent Thai civilians."

In February, at least 10 people were killed when fighting flared up in another disputed border area between the two nations, prompting the United Nations Security Council to issue a statement calling on both sides to implement a cease-fire.

Those clashes, which lasted four days, stemmed from a longstanding conflict related to the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple. Both Cambodia and Thailand lay claim to the temple, which sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side.

At the time, each nation accused the other of firing first.

Oddar Meanchey – At 1:45PM on 25 April, Thailand started to fire rockets (missiles?) from planes into Cambodian troops. Two missiles were fired from planes that flew into Cambodia at Phnom Kamprea, due west of Ta Moan temple.

Following the two missiles fired from Thai planes, Thailand continued to shell intensely into Cambodia. At 09AM today, Thai spy planes circled over this region as well.

However, some sources indicated that it was not the firing of missiles, but it was only sounds from the air. CEN reporters are following this case in Oddar Meanchey province and we will report additional information as they are available.

Bangkok/Phnom Penh - Indonesia's effort to help resolve a border clash between Thailand and Cambodia appeared to have stalled Monday, when the country's top diplomat postponed a planned visit toPhnom Penh and Bangkok.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa postponed his planned visit, Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said.

Natalegawa had been expected to sign an agreement to deploy Indonesian monitors along the Thai-Cambodian border as a step towards ending a border conflict has flared on and off for three years.

'I think that maybe Thailand does not agree to sign the terms of reference for the monitors,' Koy Kuong said.

But Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi insisted over the weekend that Bangkok has no objection to the monitors.

Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia are members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations which is attempting to play a mediating role in the border row.

The monitors would serve as neutral observers. It has been difficult to clarify in the past which side initiated the fighting.

Both sides have blamed each other for the fighting that broke out Friday near the ancient temples of Ta Kwai and Ta Muen claimed by both sides.

Five Thai soldiers were killed and 24 injured. Some 30,000 civilians have been evacuated from their villages along the border, army spokesman Colonel Sansern Keowkamnerd said.

'The border is quiet today, but both sides are on high alert,' Sansern said.

In Phnom Penh, a senior intelligence officer told the German Press Agency dpa that one soldier had been killed Sunday night by a Thai sniper, and two others injured, bringing the total of Cambodian casualties to six dead and less than 20 injured since Friday.

Over the weekend UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia. Ban said he was troubled by the recent flare-up after two months of calm, adding that the dispute could not be solved militarily.

Thai and Cambodian troops clashed in February near Preah Vihear temple, about 200 kilometres east of the location of the latest skirmish, leaving five dead.

Thailand has blamed UNESCO for escalating the tensions with its decision to list the 11th-century temple as a World Heritage Site in July 2008 despite Thai claims that a 4.6-square-kilometre area near Preah Vihear is still the subject of a border demarcation dispute.

The Hindu temple has been a bone of contention for five decades.

Constitution of Cambodia (Sept. 1993)

The Judicial power shall be an independent power. [In the Kingdom of Wonder , for not upholding judicial independence - GUILTY!]


The Judiciary shall cover all lawsuits including administrative ones.

The authority of the Judiciary shall be granted to the Supreme Court and to lower courts of all sectors and levels.

PHANOM DONG RAK, Thailand (Reuters) - Guns were silent along the Thai-Cambodia border Monday after three days of jungle clashes between rival troops, but hopes for a diplomatic solution faded after the abrupt cancellation of talks with a top regional envoy.

Indonesian Foreign Minister and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) chair Marty Natalegawa had been due in Thailand and Cambodia for talks Monday, but his trip was cancelled, Thai and Cambodian government officials said.

Natalegawa had brokered a U.N.-backed peace deal on February 22 that would have posted unarmed military observers from Indonesia along the border. That deal was never put in place. Thailand says international observers are not required, insisting the dispute can be resolved bilaterally.

Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the visit was cancelled because Thailand and Cambodia had not yet settled on terms for the Indonesian observers.

At the centre of the latest dispute are two 12th-Century stone-walled Hindu temples, Ta Moan and Ta Krabey, in a heavily mined jungle area claimed by both sides. Thailand says the two temples are in its Surin province but Cambodia insists the ancient ruins fall in its territory.

Fighting late Sunday killed a Thai soldier, bringing the official death since Friday to five Thai soldiers and 25 wounded, and six Cambodians killed and 17 wounded.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged "serious dialogue" to produce an "effective and verifiable" cease-fire and halt the grenade and artillery bombardments.

Although on the surface the renewed fighting appears to be a dispute over sovereignty, many experts are sceptical and suggest either government may have started the clashes to discredit the other or to appeal to nationalists at home.

The conflict could boost support for Thailand's government ahead of an election due by July or coversely, it could scuttle the poll, which would benefit politically connected nationalists who have been campaigning for a boycott.

The two sides battled for more than three hours from late Sunday morning and pounded each other with mortars and artillery, sending hundreds of villagers fleeing or into hiding in makeshift bomb shelters.

In Ban Nongkana, 7 km (4 miles) from Ta Moan, villagers scurried for cover, bundling belongings into pickup trucks. Soldiers carried the elderly to safety.

The dispute over jurisdiction has persisted since the 1950s, when colonial power France pulled out of Cambodia.

Thailand's Foreign Ministry issued a statement late on Sunday accusing Cambodia of firing heavy weapons to pave the way for an attempted invasion by ground troops into Thai territory to "seize and take control" of Ta Moan.

It said Thailand responded "proportionally" after its troops and nearby villages came under attack, a similar claim made by Cambodia, which accused Thailand of trying to force it into bilateral talks.

Cambodia wants third-party mediation from ASEAN to end the hostilities and says Thailand should honour the February agreement to deploy unarmed military observers from Indonesia.

"This is something we clearly want to see. Without a third-party observer, we will just point fingers at each other about who fired first," Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said.

The fighting broke a fragile peace deal agreed after 11 troops and scores of civilians were wounded in February 4-7 clashes 150 km (90 miles) away, near Preah Vihear, another temple both sides have long fought for on the battlefield and in the courts.

An international court ruling awarded Preah Vihear to Cambodia in 1962, but Thailand has tried to thwart its attempt to list the temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it still lays claim to the 4.6-sq-km of scrub around it.