KI Media: “Vietnam-cambodia Relations: From Truong Minh Giang To Nguyen Tan Dung” plus 24 more

Vietnam-cambodia Relations: From Truong Minh Giang To Nguyen Tan Dung

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 04:56 PM PDT

(Photo: Reuters)

April 22, 2011

VIETNAM-CAMBODIA RELATIONS

FROM TRUONG MINH GIANG TO NGUYEN TAN DUNG

To welcome Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung who is starting an official visit in Cambodia on April 23, opposition radio stations in Phnom Penh started today to broadcast an interview with Sam Rainsy in which the latter compares Nguyen Tan Dung to Truong Minh Giang.

Truong Minh Giang was an army general from Annam (precursor of Vietnam) in the first half of the 19th century who administered Cambodia as a colony of the imperial court of Hue (capital of Annam). At that time, Cambodia's King named Ang Chan was just a puppet, having been installed on the throne by a foreign occupation army led by Truong Minh Giang. Cambodia's territories were being seized by Annam which started to annex Cambodia's southern part known as Kampucha Krom where a massive and steady flow of Vietnamese immigrants were establishing an increasing number of foreign settlements.

French researcher Michel Blanchard (in "Vietnam-Cambodge: Une frontière contestée", L'Harmattan, 1999) wrote:

« Très affaibli, le royaume khmer [capitale à Oudong] maintint cependant une administration dans les provinces du Kampuchea Krom jusque dans les années 1840. Nous sommes alors encore dans le système de la "peau de léopard", l'unité du territoire khmer étant brisée par des enclaves vietnamiennes, mais la souveraineté étant partagée entre les cours de Hué et de Oudong sur leurs nationaux respectifs. La frontière entre les deux pays, de ce fait, est donc difficile à tracer et n'a, à ce moment, rien de linéaire (…).

L'expansion vietnamienne s'accéléra sous le règne de la reine cambodgienne Ang Mi, placée sur le trône par les Vietnamiens en 1834. Des fortins [vietnamiens] furent construits un peu partout, et les révoltes [cambodgiennes] réprimées dans le sang. Mais les Vietnamiens, conduits par Truong Minh Giang, allèrent trop loin en pratiquant une vietnamisation à outrance. En 1840, un soulèvement général des populations cambodgiennes se produisit tant au Cambodge lui-même que dans les provinces du delta du Mékong (Kampuchea Krom) en voie d'annexion ».

« Much weakened, the Khmer kingdom [Capital city at Oudong] nevertheless maintained an administration in the provinces of Kampuchea Krom until the years 1840s. We were then still in the system of "leopard skin", the Khmer territorial unity being broken par Vietnamese enclaves [represented by the dark spots on a leopard skin], with sovereignty being shared between the imperial/royal courts of Hue and Oudong on their respective nationals. Subsequently, the border between the two countries was difficult to trace and was, at that time, anything but a straight line (…).

Vietnamese expansion accelerated under the reign of Cambodian Queen Ang Mi, who was put on the throne by the Vietnamese in 1834. Vietnamese military forts were built all over the country and revolts by the Cambodian people repressed in blood. But the Vietnamese, led by Truong Minh Giang, went too far by implementing a systematic vietnamization of the country. In 1840, a general uprising of the Cambodian populations took place in Cambodia itself as well as in the Mekong delta provinces of Kampuchea Krom in the process of being annexed by Vietnam. »

The current puppet Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen, who was installed in power by another Vietnamese invasion army in 1979, is as harmful for Cambodia as the former puppet Cambodian monarchs Ang Chan and Ang Mi. Even though the current Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is more subtle politically than General Truong Minh Giang, their objective remains the same: To swallow Khmer lands until Cambodia's extinction.

In the 19th century, the "dark spots" on the "leopard skin" were Vietnamese settlements and military fortifications. At the beginning of this 21st century, they are the "economic concessions" and other huge "land concessions" granted in increasing number by Hun Sen to Vietnamese companies for the colonization of Cambodia. Nguyen Tan Dung is now in Cambodia to inspect the ongoing colonization process. Truong Minh Giang in his tomb can be proud of his successors.

Listen to Sam Rainsy's interview in Khmer at http://tinyurl.com/3l2avzl

Click the control below to listen to the Candle Light program on 22 April 2011

SRP Members of Parliament

Royal Barge of Angkor and Thai Royal Barge: who plagiarized whom?

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 04:54 PM PDT

Thank you Lok Bora Touch for sending over these photos.

Royal Barge of Angkor (Hansa headed barge) - Angkor Wat carving

Thai Royal Barge (Hansa headed barge)

Today is a great day

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 01:41 PM PDT

Today is a very special day. It has never happened before and it will never happen again. And we have no idea what will come next. As is every day. To experience just this moment, to pay attention to the colors, sounds, smells and sensations. To pay attention to your feelings, to other people's feelings, and to make this day, this week, this month, and this year, one of beauty and tenderness.

The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don't wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope. Best wishes to everyone and have a wonderful weekend.

KI-Media Team

Dung's inspection of Nambodia, the Vietnamese colony

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 11:04 AM PDT

PM Dung's visit will boost ties with Cambodia

22/04/2011

(VOV) - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's visit to Cambodia and his co-chairing the second Vietnam-Cambodia investment promotion conference on April 23 and 24 is expected to accelerate bilateral trade and investment ties.

The relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia has developed in various fields since the establishment of diplomatic ties on June 24, 1967.

Bilateral cooperation mechanisms including the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Commission for Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, the Conference on the development and cooperation of border provinces and the Joint Border Committee meet annually and have brought practical results. The regular exchange of the two countries' delegations, especially the recent visits by the two countries' leaders, have helped fasten the fine neighbouring relationship, traditional friendship and long-term sustainable comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Two-way trade has increased from US$1.33 billion in 2009 to US$1.8 billion in 2010. Vietnam has almost 90 investment projects with a combined capital of more than US$2 billion in Cambodia. These projects involve in rubber plantation, mining, oil and gas exploration, power supply development, telecom, finance and banking. The two countries have shown their keen interest in promoting bilateral ties in education and training, energy-power, healthcare and transport.

Both countries' leaders have affirmed their determination to complete land demarcation and landmark erection in 2012 in order to build a common border of peace, stability, cooperation and development in line with the two peoples' traditions and customs.

Vietnam and Cambodia have also accelerated bilateral cooperation between border provinces in education, healthcare, culture, science and technology. The two nations have successfully held the Conference on the development and cooperation of the Cambodia-Vietnam border provinces at the deputy prime minister level and the Vietnam-Cambodia border trade development conference at the level of industry and trade/trade minister.

Furthermore, the two nations have promoted cooperation within the framework of regional and international cooperation such as the Mekong River Commission (MRC), the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), the Ayeyawady-Chao Praya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV), and the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle (CLV).

PM Dung's upcoming visit to Cambodia aims to affirm Vietnam's consistent policy of attaching importance to enhancing its relations with Cambodia and the determination of the Vietnamese Government and people to join the Cambodian Government and people in bringing their bilateral ties to a new height for mutual interest.

Both sides are expected to review the investment cooperation results since the first Vietnam-Cambodia investment promotion conference, discuss solutions and policies to boost investment, trade and tourism cooperation and sign a number of cooperation documents.

Around 100 Vietnamese businesses are expected to be present at the second Vietnam-Cambodia investment promotion conference. PM Dung is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the Cambodia-Vietnam Securities Joint Stock Company (CVS) and the handover of overseas investment licenses to Vietnamese businesses.

6 soldiers killed in Thailand-Cambodia border clash

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 10:31 AM PDT

Thai soldiers and hospital workers evacuate an injured soldier after he was shot in an exchange of gunfire with Cambodian troops in Surin province near the Thai-Cambodian border. (AFP/Getty Images / April 22, 2011)

Thailand and Cambodia blame each other for the latest in a series of conflicts involving a contested temple. Officers of the two militaries meet to calm the situation after the deaths of three soldiers from each side.

April 22, 2011

By Simon Roughneen

Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Bangkok, Thailand— Six soldiers were killed Friday, three from each side, in a dawn shootout between Thai and Cambodian troops along their nations' tense border, officials from both sides said.

The clash was the latest in a series of conflicts involving a contested temple and centuries of distrust.

Officers from the two militaries sat down Friday evening in a bid to ensure that the return of calm late in the day would continue. "The situation is now under control," said Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn, adding that he didn't expect more fighting in the area.

Shelling began about 6 a.m. along the frontier where Thailand's Surin province faces Oddar Meanchey province in Cambodia.

Both countries blamed each other for starting the clash. Thai soldiers trespassed into a temple inside Cambodia, Cambodia's Ministry of Defense said in a statement after the shooting. Cambodian soldiers shot first, Thailand countered, which prompted its army to return fire.

"We did not engage in any unusual movements in the area," Panitan said.

Local residents fled after the shooting started. The welfare of civilians on both sides of the border should take precedence over the political agendas of the two nations, said Emma Leslie of the Phnom Penh-based Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, an activist group.

Friday's clash was the first since early February, when at least 10 people were killed near a centuries-old Hindu temple called Preah Vihear, in an area that has been tense for decades.

Thailand and Cambodia have fought several wars over the centuries for regional clout.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled that Preah Vihear was located inside Cambodia. The religious complex was built by the same Khmer Empire that constructed Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious structure, located in northwestern Cambodia.

Thai nationalists dispute that decision, however, and tensions worsened after the site was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 2008.

During the February fighting, Thailand was accused of using cluster bombs, which are banned by over 100 countries because of the risk they pose to civilians when the tiny bombs initially fail to explode.

Both countries are members of the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. The organization is currently headed by Indonesia, whose foreign minister, Marty Natelagawa, has tried to mediate between the two countries. Thailand has resisted Indonesia's offer to send monitors to the border region.

Natelagawa called on both sides Friday to resolve their differences through dialogue. "The use of force has no place in relations among ASEAN member countries," he said.

Roughneen is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Mark Magnier contributed to this report.

'Sorry, I'm busy!' King of Cambodia snubs Royal Wedding for 'something more important' [-The Brits are FUMING!]

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 10:25 AM PDT

No thank you: King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia has turned down his invitation to the Royal Wedding in favour of another 'important' engagement

Snubbed: Prince William and Kate Middleton have invited dozens of royals from around the world to their nuptials but the King of Cambodia will not be there

22nd April 2011
By Daily Mail Reporter (UK)

It may be one of history's most sought after invitations but the King of Cambodia will not attend the Royal Wedding because he has something more 'important' to do.

In an apparent snub to Prince William and his fiancée Kate Middleton, King Norodom Sihamoni turned down his invitation from the Palace for another engagement.

The Cambodian embassy was today unable to expand on the reason for the 57-year-old's refusal but sources said the King was 'sad' he could not attend the celebrations.

'The King can not come to the Royal Wedding because he has a very tight schedule,' a spokesman said.

'He has another important engagement.'

The shaven-headed former ballet dancer and instructor has been described in the past as 'very much an unknown quantity' but he is not the first Cambodian king to snub a British royal wedding.

His father Sihanouk refused to attend Princess Alexandra's wedding in 1963 after being told he would not get a guard of honour and could not stay at Windsor Castle.

King Sihamoni, who was best known for his work as a cultural ambassador in Europe before ascending the throne in 2004, was among dozens of royals worldwide to have been invited to the historic event.

He is understood to be spending April 29 in his home country.

The news came as it emerged Prince William's future bride would follow in the footsteps of Princess Diana by omitting the word 'obey' from her wedding vows.

She will instead promise to 'love, comfort, honour and keep' Prince William.

Diana pledged herself to Prince Charles in a similar way during their wedding ceremony in 1981.

The couple now have exactly one week left before their marriage.

Second-in-line to the throne William, 28, has already had his last shift as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot before the ceremony. He is expected to spend the latter part of next week in London, taking part in wedding rehearsals.

Meanwhile, Miss Middleton, 29, has been spotted doing some pre-wedding shopping in the capital, amid speculation that she has been stocking up on summer outfits for her honeymoon.

Though the official wedding guest list has been kept tightly under wraps, a palace spokesman today suggested it would release the list of invitees at some point this weekend.

The couple are said to have invited 388 close friends and associates to join them next Friday, while 254 relatives and friends of the Middleton family will also be present.

Clash Over Eviction Plan

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 02:01 AM PDT

Police in Cambodia's capital beat and detain residents seeking government intervention. (RFA)

2011-04-21
Radio Free Asia

Residents of Boeung Kak Lake scuffle with police in front of city hall in Phnom Penh, April 21, 2011.

Cambodian police on Thursday clashed with 100 people demonstrating in the capital against their eviction in a land deal, leaving four injured and detaining eight, according to a representative of the protesters.

The scuffle began when police armed with riot shields, wooden sticks and batons tried to disperse the demonstrators from city hall, where they had gathered to protest the planned eviction of 1,500 families from Phnom Penh's Boeung Kak Lake district.

The families had been told to make way for a luxury residential complex being constructed by Chinese development firm Shukaku Inc.

During the clash, three women were beaten unconscious and an elderly woman suffered a blow to her head that left her bleeding. Eight female protesters were detained and remain in police custody.

From detention, group representative Tep Vanny told RFA that one of the detainees is pregnant, while another is wounded and suffering from a broken finger.

"We are concerned about our safety, but we don't believe we will be put in prison because we've done nothing wrong," she said.

"We only came to see [the government] demanding a solution as we have been living a very difficult life. For four years, Shukaku has been investing in [the Boeung Kak Lake] area and has offered no [acceptable] solution for us."

Sothun, another resident from the Boeung Kak area said she was angered that the government had not listened to the requests of the residents.

"We have demanded nothing but a solution, but they will not solve the problem for us," she said.

"My house is flooded [from construction]. I am so unhappy … Why have they done this to the people? They beat us. They won't seek a solution for the people because they have no sympathy for us."

'Violation of rights'

Chit Sam Ath, a representative of Cambodian human rights watchdog LICADHO, called the use of force by police against the protesters "too extreme" and a "serious violation of human rights."

"Even though [the authorities] must maintain order, they should employ nonviolent means first," he said.

"We do not take sides. We know there was a brawl. But, the people only threw plastic bottles of water and pushed the police. The authorities should be patient and apply due process."

But Pol Pithey, Vice Commissioner of Phnom Penh, defended the police action.

"The people were cursing and [verbally] abusing the competent authorities."

Land deal

In February 2007, the Cambodian government sold 133 hectares of land around Boeung Kak Lake to Chinese firm Shukaku Inc. which, in a joint venture with a Cambodian tycoon, plans to build a luxury housing estate next to the lake.

A total of 2,752 families have already been driven from their homes around Boeung Kak Lake, and thousands more are under imminent threat of eviction as a result of the deal.

Residents have resisted evictions for years, maintaining that the government compensation packages are too low, but have been warned that they will face legal action if they do not leave the land.

Further complicating the issue, many Boeung Kak Lake residents do not have formal titles to their land although legal experts say that many are entitled to them.

Authorities say that the land has been illegally occupied, and that the residents live on state-owned land.

In March, the World Bank admitted that its land-titling program, which was shut down in 2009, did not adequately protect thousands of the lake's residents who had been evicted over the past two years.

Ongoing issue

Cambodia's land issue dates from the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime, which forced large-scale evacuations and relocations throughout the country. This was followed by mass confusion over land rights and the formation of squatter communities when the refugees returned in the 1990s after a decade of civil war.

Housing Cambodia's large, young, and overwhelmingly poor population has posed a major problem ever since.

During his visit to Cambodia in February, the U.N. Special Rapporteur to Cambodia discussed land rights issues with the director of human rights organization ADHOC, Thun Saray.

"We propose a swift and satisfactory solution for those who have been affected by the land conflict," Thun Saray said in an interview recounting their conversation.

U.K.-based Amnesty International said in a recent statement that as party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international human rights treaties which prohibit related human rights violations, Cambodia's government "has an obligation to stop forced evictions and to protect the population from forced evictions."

Reported by RFA's Khmer service. Translated by Sum Sok Ry. Written in English by Rachel Baker.

Lake protest turns bloody

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 01:50 AM PDT

An elderly Boeung Kak residents was savagely beaten up Hun Xen's cops (Photo: RFA Khmer Service)

FRIDAY, 22 APRIL 2011
KHOUTH SOPHAK CHAKRYA
The Phnom Penh Post

Police beat and arrested villagers including elderly women and children as young as 11 yesterday as they protested their impending eviction from land surrounding the capital's Boeung Kak lake, an incident observers called a "new low" in the lakeside debacle.

The violence came one day after a meeting with government officials in which donors flagged land rights and resettlement as among the Kingdom's biggest development challenges.

About 100 villagers gathered yesterday morning in front of City Hall, calling for a moratorium on the filling of the lake and new talks on resettlement and compensation plans. More than 100 local and military police subsequently surrounded the gathering as the villagers blocked Monivong Boulevard in Daun Penh district.

Municipal Cabinet chief Koet Chhe and Daun Penh district governor Sok Sambath later appeared, urging the villagers to return home and rejected their requests for talks.

When the crowd refused to disperse, police dragged several villagers into a police van while beating others with electric batons.

"Police with shields and electric batons attacked us weak and unarmed women," said Nhet Khun, 71, who was bleeding from the head following the protest.

"We do not know what to think, because the government does not help us and instead uses force to attack us."

Among the 11 people arrested yesterday were two boys – Lim Sothearith, 11, and Hong Virakyuth, 12 – who clung to their mothers as they were dragged into the police van.

Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Touch Naruth said the group remained in custody at the city police station in Russei Keo district yesterday evening.

"The villagers who were arrested were told to sign a contract promising to stop protests that cause public disorder, and to stop using violence and arguing with the police," he said, adding that the 11 would likely be released today. "We arrested them just to educate them. We will not bring them to court."

Touch Naruth claimed villagers had thrown water bottles and stones at police yesterday, though villagers said they had only thrown water.

Rights groups say over 4,000 families, or roughly 20,000 people, will ultimately be displaced by the 133-hectare real estate development at Boeung Kak, a joint venture project between a Chinese firm and a company owned by ruling party senator Lao Meng Khin. Over 2,000 families have already left, despite persistent complaints about the meagre compensation options presented by the city and the developer.

Residents have been offered on-site relocation, the plans for which have yet to materialise, housing in Dangkor district and two million riel (US$495), or cash payments of $8,500, far below the market value of many homes in the community.

At least 10 villagers were injured during yesterday's violence, including community representative Tep Vanny, who broke her thumb as she was being arrested when it was caught in the door of a police van.

Police later allowed an official from the United Nations human rights office to take her to receive medical treatment before returning her to custody.

Heng Mom, 54, said the police had been "cruel" and had treated the protesters "like criminals".

"About five police officers beat and kicked me and tried to push me into their car," she said, adding that she had been able to break free and avoid arrest.

At a meeting between donors and government officials in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, World Bank country manager Qimiao Fan cited the Boeung Kak dispute as an example of the weak land tenure security and unclear resettlement policies that plague the Kingdom.

"With rapid urbanisation, the resumption of fast economic growth and the increasing interest from investors in large-scale commercial farming, land issues will become only more challenging, as exemplified in the Boeung Kak Lake area," he said.

The World Bank acknowledged last month, following an internal investigation, that a land titling programme it conducted in cooperation with the government from 2002 to 2009 had failed to offer titles at the lakeside, despite the legitimate claims of residents.

Since the Boeung Kak development was approved in 2007, lakeside villagers have staged numerous rallies in the city and have clashed with police on many occasions. Cambodian Centre for Human Rights president Ou Virak said yesterday's violence, however, was "a new low" in the long-running saga.

"This is a shocking and entirely unjustifiable response to a peaceful protest by the disenfranchised lake residents," he said in a statement yesterday. "The actions of the authorities today illustrate that the rights to freedom of assembly and expression of ordinary Cambodians [are] secondary to the business operations of the wealthy and well-connected."

Housing Rights Task Force, meanwhile, called for an investigation of the violence and urged the government to "cease its intimidation campaign and begin an honest dialogue with the Boeung Kak lake residents".

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JAMES O'TOOLE

AusAid backs Laos dam decision

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 01:33 AM PDT

April 22, 2011
Ron Corben
AAP

Australia, a key donor to the four-nation Mekong River Commission (MRC), has backed a move to defer a decision on a controversial $US3.5 billion ($A3.28 billion) hydropower dam in northern Laos.

A meeting of officials from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam this week decided the issue would be sent for consideration at the ministerial level, in face of opposition from Laos' neighbouring countries including its closest ally, Vietnam.

Australia's development and overseas aid program, AusAid, said the decision was "in line with our calls for an extension to the decision-making process", and urged Mekong countries to "use this extension to further assess the trans-boundary impacts of the dam".

AusAid said key concerns were the impact on highly productive fisheries, food security, livelihoods and ecosystem health, which millions of people are dependent upon.

Laos is looking to develop the 1260 megawatt Xayaburi Dam, which is the first of 11 proposed hydropower developments on the lower Mekong River.

Environmental groups oppose the dam project and have warned it would adversly impact the Mekong River's ecology and water flow, cause the resettlement of more than 2100 people and directly affect a further 200,000 people.

Environmentalists - including Professor Phillip Hirsch from Sydney University, who is the director of the Mekong Resource Centre - say construction of the Xayaburi Dam would have a devastating impact on migratory fisheries and sediment capture and would make it extremely difficult to stop the juggernaut of the 10 other dams being built on the lower Mekong.

The Mekong River Commission, in a statement this week, said gaps remained in the technical knowledge and studies on the project.

It said more public consultations were required.

China has already constructed dams in the Mekong's upper regions but Vietnam fears dams in the lower river would directly affect water flows to the southern delta region, Vietnam's primary rice-growing area.

Cambodia has also raised concerns over the project, calling for comprehensive studies over the cumulative environmental impacts.

Birgit Vogel, a technical advisor with the commission, said these divisions highlighted differences in views on the outlook for economic development of lower Mekong River.

"This is exactly the reason why it was decided it would be wise to be take it forward to the ministerial level because of there were differences of opinion," Ms Vogel told AAP.

"So the advice from the ministerial meeting is really needed now to come to a conclusion after all," she said.

Jonathon Cornford, from Australian-based environmentalist group Manna Gum, said the commission's decision was better than he had expected just a year ago.

"At this stage last year I would have said it was a fait accompli they'll go ahead with (the dam)," Mr Cornford told AAP.

"So the position that we're in now is far better than I would have expected. So in one sense you could say I'm pleased with that. But I'm cautious about saying that because it's still very unclear," he said.

Thai Energy Minister, Wannarat Charnnukul, told local media the government would go ahead with signing of a power purchase agreement with the project's developer amid hopes the delays would be short term.

Laos already has a 2007 memorandum of understanding with Thailand to sell 95 per cent of the electricity generated by the dam to Thai power companies.

Ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, are due to meet in October when the Xayaburi Dam's future will again be raised.

Fundraising dinner set to help boy with severe heart defect

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 01:30 AM PDT

Bunkek Song holds her 3-year-old brother, heart patient Bunlak Song, in the Cambodian New Year Parade in Long Beach on Saturday. (Jeff Gritchen / Press-Telegram)

04/21/2011
By Greg Mellen, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram

Tickets for Saturday's banquet are $35, or $25 for students with valid identification. Tables for 10 are available at $300. For tickets and information, contact heartswb.org@gmail.com, or call Peter Chhun at 818-640-6191.

LONG BEACH - The story of Bunlak Song, a boy abandoned at birth by his homeless mother in Cambodia, has touched many hearts.

Now, a local nonprofit is seeking help to save the heart of the impoverished child who suffers from a severe heart defect.

Hearts Without Boundaries is holding a fundraising dinner Saturday at the Grand Paradise Restaurant, 1350 E. Anaheim St., to help raise funds to help the child.

The local charity has already helped three Cambodian children in poverty receive life-extending open-heart surgeries and is hoping Bunlak will be its fourth.

Bunlak has a large ventricular septal defect, or a hole in his heart. He is awaiting approval from one of the charity's partnering medical institutions. Miller Children's Hospital is planning further tests to decide whether to proceed. Failing that, the International Children's Heart Foundation is waiting in the wings.

The problem is that time is short for Bunlak, whose heart has been pumping blood into his lungs and causing irreparable damage.

If Miller Children's Hospital does not proceed, the fledgling nonprofit must transport the boy to the Dominican Republic for treatment.

Tickets for Saturday's banquet are $35, or $25 for students with valid identification. Tables for 10 are available at $300. For tickets and information, contact heartswb.org@gmail.com, or call Peter Chhun at 818-640-6191.

Thailand to protest Cambodia for triggering latest border clash

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 01:25 AM PDT

April 22, 2011
Xinhua

Thailand will protest Cambodia for starting the fresh round of clash in the Thai-Cambodia disputed border area on Friday.

Thani Thongpakdi, director-general of Thai Foriegn Ministry's Information Department, said that the ministry is now in the process of gathering information about the new round of clash along with the Thai Army.

The ministry will later submit a complaint to Phnom Penh via Cambodian Embassy to Thailand, he said.

The official also said that Thai Foriegn Minister Kasit Piromya has already talked with the Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this morning to inform him about the fact of the clash.

Thani added that the ASEAN acknowledged the clash and wanted to see the dispute being solved as soon as possible.

Earlier, Deputy Chief of Staff Region 2 Col. Prawit Hukaew said three Thai soldiers were killed in the latest clash and at least a house of Thai resident was damaged by the shelling.

Thai media reported that at least 13 thai military rangers were injured, seven of them seriously wounded.

The clash erupted at around 6 a.m. Friday local time in undemarcated border area near Pa Nom Dong Rak district of Thailand 's Surin province, followed by shelling across the border. Some artillery shells fell in Thai soil.

Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, Thai Army spokesman, said the clash ended at about 8 a.m. local time after high-ranking officers of Thai Army contacted Cambodia Army officers.

Sansern insisted that Cambodia started firing at Thai military after Thai military warned them not to enter the undemarcated area.

Both countries blamed each other for pulling the trigger first.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Thai and Cambodian armies have agreed to stay 100 meters away from the border line.

Thoudsands of Thai vilagers have evacuated to refugee camps set up by the government.

The last border clashes between the two countries took place from February 4 to 7 killing ten soldiers on both sides.

Trying times in Cambodia [-The sickening commercialization of Choeung Ek memmorial by the Khmer Rouge No. 2 regime]

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 01:20 AM PDT

April 21st, 2011
Asia Sentinel

Hints of a diplomatic tussle behind Cambodia's troubled tribunal find their way to the country's best-known Killing Field, which with better management would be a must-see for any visitor

Skulls of the dead inside the stupa at Cheoung Ek (Photo: Simon Roughneen)

CHEOUNG EK, Cambodia. It has been over three decades since the night-time convoys of trucks bringing the emaciated, the half-dead and the terrified from S-21 jail in Phnom Penh rolled into Choeung Ek, 17 kilometers from the centre of what was then a deserted city, after the Khmer Rouge forced all residents out to rural labour camps.

Whether or not the blindfolded and shackled men, women and children knew in advance of their fate is unclear. Some surely did, but all were murdered in this flood-prone former orchard, mostly by a blow to the back of the neck with an iron bar, followed by a knife ran across the throat. The dead or almost-dead were piled in the freshly dug pits, as a generator ran in the background to drown out any screams or moans or death-throes.

As they admit in S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine, some of the executioners soon became oblivious to the stench of death, which became ever more intense as the thousands of murdered filled the field full to bursting. After covering up the dead with a flimsy layer of topsoil, they made their way back to S-21 before light. There they began another day of interrogation, torture and some murder, before returning to Choeung Ek, often the following night, with another convoy of the brutalised and the doomed. So it went during the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge rule in Cambodia, not just at Choeung Ek, but at an estimated 20000 killing fields all over the country.

At the Killing Field

A Buddhist memorial high tower or stupa dominates the site, stacked with around 8,000 human skulls dug up from the ground around it, where around 17000 people were murdered. Most of the skulls are behind glass, but some, lower-down at human-eye level, can be touched. Many are damaged, probably due to the method of execution. In front of the tower, visitors light incense and candles and wait their turn to photograph or video this gruesome memento of Cambodia's greatest tragedy.

Elsewhere in the field, various different mini-memorials are arrayed, from "The Killing Tree" where comrades cracked open the heads of babies by swinging them by ankles against the trunk, or another mass grave where hundreds of women were killed alongside their children.

38 - 'Killing Tree' where babies and children were murdered at Cheoung Ek. To the bottom right are some human bone remains (Photo: Simon Roughneen)

On the ground, scattered here and there, sometimes alongside discarded cigarette butts and drink-can lids, lies a few bones of those dead who are left in the field. Elsewhere, edges of bones protrude though the earth, a sight that becomes more common after rain rinses off more topsoil. At the back of the field, a dyke has been built to stop floodwaters from deluging the site, doubling as a handy walkway for visitors who want to go full circle around Cheoung Ek, or rest awhile on a bench emblazoned with the logo of Angkor, one of Cambodia's better-known beers. Outside, as an intermittent breeze rustled the branches around the barrier, the sound of a child singing in a nearby farmhouse carries on the wind, a macabre real-life parody of the horror movie trope.

Royalties for who?

Earlier, at the gate on the way in, I met Cham, as he called himself, one-legged and bedraggled. "I have children, they go school", he implored. He said that he lost his right leg in Battambang province in 1988. He was there as a soldier, but refused to divulge who he fought for. His main source of income, he said, was begging visitors to Cheoung Ek for money, a dollar here and there to keep his family fed and housed and in school.

Youk Chhang, head of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DCCAM) said in an interview at his office in Phnom Penh, many of the 5 million Khmer Rouge survivors live in penury in the countryside, some without family and without anything like state support or social welfare. 80% of Cambodia's people live in the countryside, in a country where despite a decade of economic growth verging on 10% per annum, the average per capita income is US$2000 each year, but in reality is much lower for the majority of rural poor.

In a much-criticised deal signed in 2005, the Cambodian Government sold the rights to run Choeung Ek to a Japanese company, JC Royal, which pays US$15000 per year to the City Government in return for managing the site. The ticket on the gate says US$3, the actual fee I paid to get in was a dollar less. Does any of this go to help the surviving members of families killed by Khmer Rouge? Or those still living in Cambodia, whose relatives' remains are now the skulls peering out of the stupa? It seems not.

This bench on the walkway/flood dyke to the rear of the site carries an advertisement for one of Cambodia's well-known beer brands (Photo: Simon Roughneen)

On the ticket is the following reassurance: 'Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre, in collaboration with Sun Fund (affiliated to Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen), sponsors the poor and talented students. Your admission fee, a kind charity will ultimately contribute to development, conservation of the centre and sponsorship for education of the poor students'. Sic in places, maybe sick in other places. When I asked, staff at the centre could not give any more details about the poor and talented students referred to on the ticket, the presumed beneficiaries of the US$600-800 the centre makes per day on gate fees, based on what the gatekeeper said was a 300-400 average daily visitor number.

While most Cambodians are likely motivated firstly by day-to-day living and making ends meet, memories of the Khmer Rouge live on, with one-third of the current population having survived the brutal Communist regime's rule. For some, that hurt is perhaps compounded – if not so much by the commercialisation of a site that is such a profound and necessary reminder of man's worst side – but by the failure to at least ensure that the proceeds are used to help those who survived the brutality commemorated at Choeung Ek.

Asia's Auschwitz?

Angkor Wat, the Khmer-built temple in the northwest, and physically the world's biggest religious monument, is the country's single biggest tourist attraction, pulling in 3 million visitors in 2010 after numbers increased by 30% per year in the last decade. It is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site – as is Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. However local residents near the temple do not benefit materially from the millions of visitors and growing revenue, with most visitors staying in the nearby city of Siem Reap.

Cheoung Ek is a necessary and moving memorial, Asia's Auschwitz-Birkenau perhaps, and a compelling reminder of what man can do man when the madness of ideology takes hold. Why not add it to the UNESCO list, boost the visitors to Angkor Wat levels, but on condition that at least some of the revenues be used to help Khmer Rouge survivors?

After rain washes away topsoil, human bones and teeth often protrude through the ground at Cheoung Ek (Photo: Simon Roughneen)

Hearing trouble

At the end of March, Duch, the man who ran Choeung Ek and the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh, and sole person so far to be convicted for crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge, appealed the effective 18-19 year sentence handed down to him last year by the Khmer Rouge tribunal. Despite previously expressing contrition and remorse for his crimes, Kaing Guak Eav, to give him his full name, has inexplicably changed his tune, now saying that he cannot be held fully responsible as he was directed to kill by the Khmer Rouge leaders.

I attended part of the latest hearings, held March 28-30, at the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the tribunal's official title. There, Duch's defence team told the court that their client "tried to isolate himself from the crimes at S-21", and asked, "what would you or anyone have done in his shoes, it would be like trying to disobey orders from the SS?" Lead prosecution lawyer Andrew Cayley is seeking an increased sentence, and described Duch as "selective and opportunistic" in his cooperation with the court, adding that his case "did not meet the standards for mitigation".

Duch – who on occasion accompanied his subordinates out to Choeung Ek from S-21 to oversee a night's murder – will be the key witness in the upcoming Case 002, in which the four main surviving Khmer Rouge leaders and associates of the late Pol Pot will stand trial. Some say his credibility as a witness has been damaged by his u-turns and appeals, and in turn, the case against the 4 could be damaged as a result.

As a result, there are rumours doing the rounds that Case 002 is being undermined, and unthinkably perhaps, that Pol Pot's chief surviving lieutenants could escape justice. Even if that sounds overly-alarmist, there is a determination among Cambodia's rulers to ensure that no second-tier Khmer Rouge men or women other than Duch face trial. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen — himself a mid-level Khmer Rouge before turning against the group – says that additional trials could spark off another civil war. Late in 2011, Hun Sen told visiting United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that new cases would not be permitted.

Since Duch's appeal, Theary Seng, an outspoken US-schooled lawyer whose parents were killed by the Khmer Rouge, has lodged a civil suit naming the former commanders of the Khmer Rouge navy and airforce as among the defendants in Cases 004 and 004, which at the moment are not scheduled to go before the ECCC. Lars Olsen, a spokesman for the ECCC, described as Theary Seng's lawsuit as reckless. One of the men she named, Meas Muth, former Khmer Rouge navy commander, said he had no part in the regime's mass killings, Rob Hamill, a former New Zealand Olympic rower whose brother was killed by the Khmer Rouge after the regime's navy arrested him at sea off the Cambodian coast, has also filed a suit regarding Cases 003 and 004.

The issue touches on a sensitive topic: whether the Tribunal should be limited to those deemed most responsible, or whether second tier figures should be tried as well. Duch, overlord of S-21 and Choeung Ek, has used a similar argument, saying he is being made a scapegoat while hundreds or more of similar-level Khmer Rouge killers get off scot-free.

Tribunal geopolitics

While the role of Japanese private investment at Choeung Ek remains questionable, the Japanese Government has been the largest single donor to the local-international tribunal set up to try Comrade Duch, the man who ran Cheoung Ek, as well as the four main surviving Khmer Rouge leaders. According to the ECCC website, Japan has provided US$67million to date to the court, 49% of the total pledges and contributions. Tokyo's latest pledge of US$11.7 million was made in early 2011. Whether or not Japan can follow up on the pledges – made before the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis hit late in February – remains to be seen. It could be a crippling blow to the ECCC if Tokyo backtracks.

If there are difficulties with the ECCC going forward, China, and to a lesser extent the United States, could emerge as beneficiaries. The US bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War has been cited as facilitating the rise of the Khmer Rouge in the early 1970s, as the group fought its way across the Cambodian countryside to Phnom Penh. Case 002 could see the US embarrassed by whatever the aged Khmer Rouge leaders say about the impact of the bombings on their conquest of Cambodia.

These days China provides Hun Sen loans and grants that do not come with the conditions required by western donors, with whom Hun Sen has had a testy relationship. All told, Chinese investment in Cambodia exceeds that of any other country, with US$8billion in projects lined up -so far – for this year. Chinese development projects have sparked anger among some Cambodians. In one high-profile case, thousands of residents around Phnom Penh's Boeung Kak lake have protested at forced evictions, right in the heart of the capital, with a Chinese-funded project seeking to fill in the lake and build a residential and shopping complex.

Japan's backing for the court should be seen in the context of the still-touchy history and recent diplomatic wrangles between China and Japan, as well as China's growing economic and strategic weight in east and southeast Asia. For its part, China has stated that it wants nothing to do with the tribunal, describing it as a "domestic matter". However, Beijing supported the Khmer Rouge, financially, diplomatically and militarily, before, during and after the group's 1975-79 rule. Duch is said to have taken sanctuary in China after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, and the four senior surviving Khmer Rouge indictees may have more to say about the extent and nature of Chinese backing for their regime, if and when they face trial.

Stupa as viewed from entrance to Cheoung Ek (Photo: Simon Roughneen)

3 Thai soldiers dead, 13 others wounded in Thai-Cambodian clashes

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 01:01 AM PDT

BANGKOK, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Three Thai military rangers were killed and 13 others injured, seven seriously, in the latest border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia Friday, the Thai military said.

Chief of Staff Region 2 Col. Prawit Hukaew said that three Thai soldiers were killed in the fatal clashes and at least a house of Thai resident was damaged by the shelling.

The firing erupted Friday morning at around 6:00 a.m. at the border near Pa Nom Dong Rak district of Thailand's Surin province, followed by shelling across the border. Some artillery shells were found in Thai soil.

Both countries blamed each other for pulling the trigger first.

"Cambodia mobilized its soldier deployment along the border and Thai military had warned them before they started firing at us," Panithan Wattanayakorn, the government acting spokesman, told Xinhua over the phone.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Thai and Cambodian armies have agreement to stay 100 meters away from the border line. Bangkok claimed that Cambodian soldiers crossed the line, triggering firing.

Now, Thai government set up seven temporary camps to take care of about 10,000 evacuees. The last border clashes between the two countries took place from Feb. 4 to 7, claiming ten lives of soldiers on both sides.

S'pore expresses concern over Thai-Cambodia border clashes

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 12:57 AM PDT

22 April 2011
Channel News Asia (Singapore)

SINGAPORE: Singapore has expressed deep concern over fresh border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia on Friday and has urged both sides to exercise restraint.

A spokesman from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said Singapore is also urging both sides to resolve their differences through negotiations.

Reports said on Friday that troops from Thailand and Cambodia again exchanged fire over their disputed border.

Tensions have been high since a skirmish in February at the Preah Vihear temple, which is claimed by both countries. Reports said the latest exchange was about 100 kilometres south-west of the temple.

The MFA spokesman said Singapore supports the efforts by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who has been in touch with his Cambodian and Thai counterparts after the clashes on Friday.

Indonesia, as Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has been actively facilitating dialogue between the two countries to resolve their differences peacefully.

The MFA spokesman said this is important for the long-term relationship of Cambodia and Thailand, as well as in the broader interests of ASEAN.

UPDATE: 4 soldiers killed, 8 hurt

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 12:55 AM PDT

22/04/2011
Bangkok Post

Four Thai soldiers were killed and eight others wounded, one of them seriously, in a five-hour clash with Cambodian soldiers along the border in Phanom Dong Rak district of Surin province on Friday morning, deputy army spokeswoman Sirichan Ngathong said.

Col Sirichan said the fight began about 6.30am along the border between Ta Kwai and Ta Muen Thom temple ruins in Phanom Dong Rak district of Surin province.

Before the clash, a number of Cambodian soldiers were seen moving over a hill in violation of an earlier agreement that no armed troops either side would be allowed to trespass on the hill.

Cambodian soldiers moved on to the hill this morning in an attempt to take it, in violation of the agreement.

Thai soldiers asked them to pull back, but the Cambodian soldiers instead open fire at the Thai soldiers, Col Sirichan said.

This clash lasted until about 11am.

Four Thai soldiers were killed and eight others wounded, one of them seriously. The wounded were later admitted to Surin and Phanom Dong Rak hospitals.

About 7,500 people in tambons Bak Dai and Ta Miang were evacuated from their villages. Four temporary evacuation centres - one in Prasat district and three others in Phanom Dong Rak district - were set up to take them, Col Sirichan said.

Surin governor Serm Chainarong has been in Phanom Dong Rak district to oversee the evacuation. Food supplies and water were being rushed to the evacuation centres.

The 2nd Army has ordered the closure of the Chong Chom - O Samed border crossing on the Thai-Cambodian border in tambon Dan in Kap Choeng district of Surin province for an indefinite period.

A simple question to KR wHORe Nam Hong

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 12:04 AM PDT

KR wHORe?


Were you or were you not
a Khmer Rouge
running Boeung Trabek Security Center?

We can break down the question, if this is too complicated:

You = wHORe Nam Hong

Khmer Rouge = wHORe Nam Hong ?

Boeung Trabek = wHORe Nam Hong ?

KR Chief = wHORe Nam Hong ?

?????

Is there any part of this simple question you need us to repeat ?

Asean: End border hostilities

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 12:03 AM PDT

22/04/2011
Bangkok Post

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the current chair of Asean, called for the cessation of hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia following a fresh outbreak of skirmishes along the border of Surin province this morning.

Mr Natalegawa told the Bangkok Post that "Indonesia as chair of Asean strongly calls for the cessation of hostilities" which erupted on the border in Phanom Dong Rak district of Surin province.

"I call for both sides to resolve their differences through peaceful means. The use of force has no place in relations among Asean member countries," the Asean chairman said.

The latest clash between Thai and Cambodian forces began around 6am with artillery and machine-gun fire being heard in the area. Residents of local Thai villages have been evacuated.

Min of Defense press conference (live report)

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:57 PM PDT

22 April 2011
By Ban Chak
DAP-news
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media

General Chhum Socheat, the spokesman for the ministry of Defense (MoD), said that since 6AM on 22 April 2011, Thai troops crossed into Cambodian territories in Ta Krabei temple, and they continued on until Chub Koki. The Thai army also fired into Cambodia using 75(?), 81(2), 106 and 155 mm shells.

He indicated during the press conference at 01:20PM on 22 April that the Thai army shelled into Cambodia, and some of the shells fell 20 km inside Cambodia at populated areas.

Chhum Socheat said that, up to 01:27PM, the situation has not improved yet. He said that the clash took place because the Thai army sneaked and entered Cambodian territory in Ta Krabei temple, they also fired on Cambodian troops.

He added that the Cambodian troop still continues to defend Cambodia's territories under strict order from Hun Xen, and they will not back down.

Chhum Socheat added that, up to now, along the frontline in Ta Moan and Ta Krabei temples, there is no negotiation taking place as of now.

Border skirmish occurs in Surin [-Oddar Meanchey on Cambodian side]

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:55 PM PDT

Friday, April 22, 2011
The Nation

Residents of a village in Surin were evacuated Friday morning after it was hit by artillery shelling by Cambodian troops.

The skirmish near the disputed ancient temples of Tamuen and Takwai near the Thai Santisuk Village in Tambon Bakdai in Phanom Dongrak district happened at 6 am.

Some villager said they saw a few troops injured by the attack.

Morality Police, where art thou?

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:47 PM PDT

To:

Dr. Bun Rany, Ph.D-E (ethics)

Chief, Morality Police

Kingdom of Baffling Wonder

From:

Wonderers

Kingdom of Baffling Wonder

Re:

Raw pictures of police violence against protesting women from Boeung Kak Lake

Dear Morality Police Chief:

Any motherly condemnation of your husband's Khmer Rouge tactic?

Sincerely,

Poor Boeung Kak Residents

Eight Thai soldiers wounded in new border clash with Cambodian troops

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:33 PM PDT

SURIN, April 22 (MCOT online news) – Eight Thai soldiers were wounded in a renewed border clash with Cambodian troops near the Ta Kwai temple in Surin on Friday morning.

Three artillery shells fired by Cambodian troops fell on the Thai side of the border in Phanom Dong Rak district, causing wounds among eight Thai military personnel. The soldiers were directly evacuated to Phanomdongrak hospital.

Residents of 36 villages in Thailand's Bakdai and Kap Choeng districts, living about three kilometres from the clash site have evacuated to two temporary shelters.

The clash reportedly included at nearby Ta Muan Thom temple.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was informed of the incident and cooperation for negotiation has been done in an attempt to end fighting, said Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn.

The last fighting between the two sides occurred in February at the Si Sa Ket border. The four-day skirmish left at least 10 people dead.

A Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting was held earlier this month in Bogor, Indonesia. Both countries planned to send a joint team to survey border posts and discuss how to select a company to take aerial photos of the disputed border.

Ties between Thailand and Cambodia have been strained since Preah Vihear was granted UN World Heritage status in July 2008.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but a 4.6 square kilometre (1.8 square mile) surrounding area remains in dispute as both countries claim ownership of the tract.

Thailand and Cambodia in fresh border clash

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:30 PM PDT

22 April 2011
BBC News

Unconfirmed reports, quoting a Thai army spokesman, said that one Thai soldier had been killed and seven more were wounded.

Each side has accused the other of starting the latest exchange.

Tensions have been high since a skirmish in February at the Preah Vihear temple, which is claimed by both countries.

The latest exchange was about 100km (62 miles) south-west of the temple.

Thailand said its troops had been on routine patrol and Cambodia fired first.

Cambodia said Thai troops had "again mounted aggressive attacks on Cambodian soldiers".

Cambodian defence ministry spokesman Lt Gen Chhum Socheat said the fighting took place at another temple in Ta Krabey that is also claimed by both countries. He said both sides had used rocket launchers, machine guns and rifles.

Indonesia, which has been mediating on behalf of regional bloc the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and expressed "profound concern".

At least 10 people were killed in clashes between the two neighbours in February, but recently an informal truce had appeared to be holding.

The BBC's Rachel Harvey in Bangkok says the latest firefight shows just how fragile that ceasefire was.

The clashes that erupted in early February over the 11th Century temple of Preah Vihear stoked nationalist sentiment on both sides.

The temple - high in mountains along the border between the two nations - was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by an international court.

But both sides claim ownership of the surrounding area, and there have been several skirmishes there in recent years.

Clashes between Cambodian, Thai troops end: Cambodian military

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:27 PM PDT

PHNOM PENH, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops is over at the disputed border area near Ta Mon Thom temple and Ta Krabek temple in Oddar Meanchey province, said a Cambodian military commander on Friday.

The clashes began at 6:00 a.m. Friday and ended around 10:30 a. m., said Neak Vong, deputy commander of brigade 42 at Ta Mon Thom temple.

"The casualties in the clashes have not been tallied yet," he told Xinhua by phone.

Cambodian side accused Thai troops of opening fire first. " Cambodian troops just exercise self-defense rights and protect our territory," said Pich Sokhin, provincial governor of Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province.

The military clash reoccurred just more than two months after the deadly clash on Feb. 4-7 at the disputed area next to Preah Vihear temple, the World Heritage Site.

Indonesia, the current chair of ASEAN, has offered to send monitors to the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple, and the UN and ASEAN have called on both sides to resolve the conflict through a peaceful way.

Cambodia expressed its welcome. But the meetings held earlier this month in Indonesia failed to resolve the situation

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated and the issue of Preah Vihear temple has been an age-old dispute.

Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand have had border conflict due to Thai claim of the ownership of 4.6 sq km of scrub next to the temple, 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.

At least 5 Thai soliders wounded, some 10,000 evacuated in new clashes with Cambodia

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:24 PM PDT

BANGKOK, April 22 (Xinhua) -- At least five soldiers have been wounded in a new round of clashes at the disputed border with Cambodia on Friday morning, some 10,000 villagers have been evacuated.

The fighting broke out early Friday at the border near Pa Nom Dong Rak district of Thailand's Surin province, Bangkok Post online quoted Thai army spokesman Sansern Kaewkumnerd as saying.

The spokesman said he did not know the reason for the clash which is still going on.

Reports said that the clashes starting around 06:00 a.m. along the border between Ta Kwai and Ta Muen temple ruins.

The fighting left at least five Thai soldiers wounded, Thai News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, Wina Sukprasop, the chief of Tambon Bakdai, said nearly 10,000 residents of 20 villages were evacuated after the clashes.

In capital Bangkok, acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has been informed about the clashes from the ministry of defense.

He said that Thai army did not move into the area of Cambodia.

Situation at Preah Vihear ancient temple on the Thai-Cambodia border has been calm since the break out of the clashes.

Five dead in Thai-Cambodia border clash [in Ta Krabei temple]

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 11:22 PM PDT

Friday, April 22, 2011
By Anusak Konglang (AFP)

BANGKOK — Thai and Cambodian troops clashed with gunfire and artillery shells, leaving five dead and shattering a two-month lull in tensions along their disputed border.

It was the first serious outbreak of hostilities since fighting in February near the 900-year-old Hindu temple Preah Vihear left at least 10 dead and prompted a UN appeal for a lasting ceasefire.

Three Cambodian and two Thai soldiers were killed in Friday's fighting near a different group of temples. Indonesia, current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), called for an immediate end to the violence.

The two sides blamed each other for the clash which broke out in the early morning and lasted for several hours, while thousands of villagers were evacuated on the Thai side.

"Cambodian soldiers fired with assault rifles at Thailand first and now they started to shell us with artillery and we took appropriate retaliation," Thai Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon told AFP.

"I think Cambodia wanted to take over temples on the border," he said.

Cambodia accused Thai troops of entering 0.4 kilometres (0.25 miles) into its territory.

"The Thai troops marched directly towards Cambodian troop positions stationed at Cambodia's Ta Krabei temple and launched unprovoked attacks," said government spokesman Phay Siphan.

"This is yet another invasion by Thailand on Cambodia. We cannot accept this."

The Thai-Cambodia border has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

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

The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but both countries claim ownership of a 4.6 square kilometre (1.8 square mile) adjacent area.

Observers say the temple dispute has been used as a rallying point to stir nationalist sentiment in Thailand and Cambodia.

The two countries agreed in late February to allow Indonesian observers in the area near Preah Vihear, but the Thai military has since said they are not welcome.

In February, UN Security Council members called for "maximum restraint" by the two countries and a permanent ceasefire -- a demand echoed by the chair of the ASEAN regional bloc on Friday.

"Indonesia, as current chair of ASEAN, strongly calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities between Cambodia and Thailand," Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said in a statement.

He said he was in contact with his Thai and Cambodian counterparts, urging the two countries to "resolve their differences through peaceful means".

Cambodia has called for outside mediation to help end the standoff, but Thailand insists the dispute should be resolved through bilateral talks.

Thailand recently admitted using controversial Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions during the February fighting but insisted it did not classify them as cluster munitions.

The arms are defined as cluster munitions by the global campaign group Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), which condemned Thailand's use of the weapons.