"tvoeur sre neung toeuk, tvoeur seuk neung bai"...
[You] wonder why Thai military leaders controls Thailand. Just look at their attitude toward Cambodia. With the $5,000,000,000 budget for the military, they can afford to thumb their nose at the UN, Cambodia and Indonesia.
One lesson that Cambodia should learn from Thailand, however, is that it takes great care of its military personnel as well as their family members. The awesome condominiums in the background were built for families of Thai soldiers.
Meanwhile, families of Cambodian soldiers still live hand-to-mouth with some donation. They need more support from the government. Cutting down on corruption may help find the money to feed Cambodian soldiers and their family members better. Feed our heroes.
Our forefathers said, "tvoeur sre neung toeuk, tvoeur seuk neung bai"...
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Prawit rejects GBC meeting in Indonesia
Defence minister wants bilateral talks
- Published: 23/03/2011 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha will not attend the 8th General Border Committee meeting with Cambodia.
Homesfor the boys
Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha greets a boy as he presides over the opening ceremony of two 20-floor condominiums in the background built for families of soldiers. The 2.1-billionbaht residence is located in the compound of an old military prison at the 11th Military Circle in Bangkok’s Kiakkai area.
WASSANANANUAM
A military source said Gen Prawit had also decided not to attend an earlier GBC meeting in Indonesia proposed by Cambodia and the Asean chair.
Gen Prawit cited the same reason then, saying relations between the Cambodian and Thai armies were good enough for the border dispute to be resolved through bilateral mechanisms, said the source.
According to the source, Gen Prawit said he would seek to have talks with his Cambodian counterpart, Gen Tea Banh, but was concerned the latter would not agree, since Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had made it clear he would not allow any new bilateral discussions with Thailand.
Gen Prayuth also said Cambodia's proposal to set up 15 joint border checkpoints in the disputed 4.6-square-kilometre area near Preah Vihear temple was unnecessary, as he believed the dispute could be solved through military talks.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that Unesco would push for Thailand and Cambodia to attend a meeting on border issues in May.
He was speaking after a meeting with Unesco director-general Irina Bokova. The May talks are aimed at improving the understanding between the two countries before Unesco holds its World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting in Paris a month later.
There, the WHC will discuss Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear. The meeting was scheduled for Bahrain but switched to Paris when political unrest erupted there.
Mr Abhisit also said bilateral talks through the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) remained crucial to deter attempts to turn the border issue into a multilateral matter.
To allow the JBC mechanism to move forward, the parliament's endorsement on the three JBC memos under the 2000 MoU regarding border issues was needed, he said.
Meanwhile, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) said it would petition the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate Mr Abhisit and the other concerned people over allegations they had violated Sections 157, 119 and 120 of the Constitution by not revoking the MoU.
PAD spokesman Parnthep Pourpongpan said the alliance would also petition the Constitution Court to interpret if the MoU was in breach of the charter.
The health of Thai Patriots Network coordinator Veera Somkhwamkid, jailed for eight years in Cambodia after being found guilty of espionage and illegal entry to the country on Dec 29, is said to have vastly improved.
His younger brother, Preecha Somkhwamkid, visited Veera at Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh on Monday and reported that his condition was much better after a recent bout of ill health.
Army chief: Indonesian observer will make situation more difficult
วันพุธ ที่ 23 มี.ค. 2554
BANGKOK, March 23 - Thai army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday said resolving the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia will be more difficult if Indonesia sends observers into the disputed areas claimed by both neighbours.
The Thai army commander-in-chief expressed his disagreement following reports that Indonesian observers will enter the contested zone to observe the situation.
Tension along the Thai-Cambodian border was renewed with several clashes between soldiers of the two countries near the ancient Preah Vihear temple in early February, leading to casualties among the troops and civilians on both sides, as well as forcing the evacuation of villagers in the areas.
Indonesia, as the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said it will send a team to observe the borders of Thailand and Cambodia, but not as a peacekeeping or peace enforcement team.
Gen Prayuth commented that he disagreed with the observer team, no matter from which country, but it depends on the decision of the government and the foreign ministry.
The army chief reasoned that the border conflict should be resolved at the bilateral level, adding he has no objection if the observer team will stay at the border but their location must be fixed first.
"I earlier said the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) meeting should be held first so that the defence ministers of two countries will talk and find a solution as to whether the ASEAN observers should enter the area or not," Gen Prayuth said.
"If the observers will really enter at the borders, I don't want them to enter the disputed area as it's dangerous zone and will make it more difficult to solve the conflict."
Gen Prayuth reiterated that the Defence Ministry, the Royal Thai Army and the commanders of Thailand three branches of the armed forces also disagreed with the move regarding ASEAN observers.
Regarding the possible GBC meeting, the army chief said Thailand has proposed to its neighbour to hold the meeting as soon as possible and that Thailand is ready to host the event if Cambodia is not ready.
Gen Prayuth added any agreement regarding the border dispute cannot be achieved by either country alone but with mutual agreement by the two countries.
In a related development, Thai foreign ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said on Wednesday the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh has already submitted letters seeking royal pardons from the Cambodian monarch for the two convicted Thai activists of Thai Patriots Network on Mar 14.
Mr Thani said he has been informed that Cambodia is considering letters of Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, while reaffirming that any political change in Thailand will not affect the royal pardon request of the two Thai nationals.
The spokesman added he cannot tell when the royal pardon request process will be completed as it depends on the consideration of Cambodian authorities case by case.
A Cambodian court on Feb 1 ruled that the two were guilty of espionage, illegal entry, and trespassing in a military zone. Mr Veera was sentenced to an eight-year jail term while Ms Ratree was handed a six-year jail term. Mr Veera's health is reportedly deteriorating as he has congenital diseases and has not been given appropriate medical treatment and nutrition while serving his jail term there. (MCOT online news)
The Thai army commander-in-chief expressed his disagreement following reports that Indonesian observers will enter the contested zone to observe the situation.
Tension along the Thai-Cambodian border was renewed with several clashes between soldiers of the two countries near the ancient Preah Vihear temple in early February, leading to casualties among the troops and civilians on both sides, as well as forcing the evacuation of villagers in the areas.
Indonesia, as the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said it will send a team to observe the borders of Thailand and Cambodia, but not as a peacekeeping or peace enforcement team.
Gen Prayuth commented that he disagreed with the observer team, no matter from which country, but it depends on the decision of the government and the foreign ministry.
The army chief reasoned that the border conflict should be resolved at the bilateral level, adding he has no objection if the observer team will stay at the border but their location must be fixed first.
"I earlier said the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) meeting should be held first so that the defence ministers of two countries will talk and find a solution as to whether the ASEAN observers should enter the area or not," Gen Prayuth said.
"If the observers will really enter at the borders, I don't want them to enter the disputed area as it's dangerous zone and will make it more difficult to solve the conflict."
Gen Prayuth reiterated that the Defence Ministry, the Royal Thai Army and the commanders of Thailand three branches of the armed forces also disagreed with the move regarding ASEAN observers.
Regarding the possible GBC meeting, the army chief said Thailand has proposed to its neighbour to hold the meeting as soon as possible and that Thailand is ready to host the event if Cambodia is not ready.
Gen Prayuth added any agreement regarding the border dispute cannot be achieved by either country alone but with mutual agreement by the two countries.
In a related development, Thai foreign ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said on Wednesday the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh has already submitted letters seeking royal pardons from the Cambodian monarch for the two convicted Thai activists of Thai Patriots Network on Mar 14.
Mr Thani said he has been informed that Cambodia is considering letters of Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, while reaffirming that any political change in Thailand will not affect the royal pardon request of the two Thai nationals.
The spokesman added he cannot tell when the royal pardon request process will be completed as it depends on the consideration of Cambodian authorities case by case.
A Cambodian court on Feb 1 ruled that the two were guilty of espionage, illegal entry, and trespassing in a military zone. Mr Veera was sentenced to an eight-year jail term while Ms Ratree was handed a six-year jail term. Mr Veera's health is reportedly deteriorating as he has congenital diseases and has not been given appropriate medical treatment and nutrition while serving his jail term there. (MCOT online news)
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