Border clash kills four Thai troops

It is important to note that Thailand has bastardized the name of Khmer Prasat and Khmer places along the border. Ta Kabei becomes Ta Kwai, Ta Moan becomes Ta Muen, Dongrek becomes, Dang Rak, O Smach becomes O-Samet, etc...


It appears Thailand has displayed graphic pictures of Thai soldiers injured and killed in public to tell the world that Thailand is a victim of Cambodia's aggression. They blamed Cambodia for firing at Thai soldiers first.

Let's hope that Thailand won't use such excuses to invade Cambodia.
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Border clash kills four Thai troops


Bangkok Post
ANALYSIS: The Abhisit government is facing new pressure to allow third-party observers a say over conflict

Published: 23/04/2011 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

The fresh border clashes in Surin province have bolstered Phnom Penh's position that a solution to the border dispute with Cambodia will be impossible without the involvement of a third party.

The five-hour engagement, which took place yesterday at Ta Kwai and Ta Muen temples in Phanom Dong Rak district in the northeastern province were the first to erupt between Cambodia and Thailand in almost three months.

The fighting, which killed four Thai soldiers, comes as the two countries have failed to reach a deal on the role of Indonesian observers to be dispatched to the border near the disputed Preah Vihear temple, located near neighbouring Si Sa Ket province.

Bangkok, particularly the Defence Ministry and the army, is reluctant to welcome the group of observers who work on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

They were proposed in a bid to put an end to the border tension between the two countries after the bloody armed fighting in early February.

The Thai position is to resolve the problem solely with Cambodia.

It fears that bringing in outsiders will make the issue complicated and put the country at a disadvantage.

Thailand is worried that bringing in observers will be a first step for others to involve themselves in the border issue.

Phnom Penh, however, has called for the international community to step in. The Cambodian government is eagerly waiting for Jakarta to send observers to the disputed area near the temple.

After yesterday's clashes, the Thai government quickly tried to play down its consequences and insisted that it could be a one-off incident. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the close proximity of troops between the two countries was the cause of the fighting.

"Whenever you have troops stationed near one another, there is always a likelihood of a clash breaking out," the prime minister said.

But the Cambodian government thought otherwise and quickly exploited the clashes to call for the attention of the international community including the United Nations Security Council and Asean.

In a letter to Security Council president Nostor Osocir, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong linked the fighting to Thailand's reluctance to accept the role of the Indonesian observers to monitor the border situation.

The clashes worried Indonesia, which chairs the 10-member Asean until the end of this year, as it had already tried to broker talks between Thailand and Cambodia at a meeting in Jakarta on Feb 22.

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

Cambodia hopes the fighting will result in more pressure on Thailand to accelerate the approval of terms of reference for the dispatch of Indonesian observers to the border.

Although the government played down the fighting, the army believes the clash was intentionally designed to fulfil Cambodia's goal of having observers from Indonesia sent to the disputed area and for more involvement of Asean.

Nevertheless, the border clash this time was not in favour of Cambodia alone.

It underscored the Thai position that the dispute at Ta Kwai and Ta Muen is a long-term consequence of the 2008 listing of the Preah Vihear temple by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as a World Heritage site.

"The Thai side informed both Unesco and the World Heritage Committee that the inscription of Preah Vihear by Cambodia would lead to clashes and loss of life among people from both countries," Natural Resources Minister Suvit Khunkitti said.

"My warning has come true. I will inform Unesco and WHC [the World Heritage Committee] of the truth of the situation.

"The only way to settle the conflict is to demarcate the boundary.

"Once that is done, the misunderstanding and clashes will go away," he said.

Thailand and Cambodia are locked in a conflict over management of the area surrounding Preah Vihear, a condition set by the WHC after the temple was listed as a World Heritage site.

The two countries quarrelled about the issue at the WHC meeting last year in Brazil as Thailand insisted that the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area must be demarcated before talks on management can begin.

Cambodia, however, wanted to see the management plan approved as soon as possible.

Another casualty from yesterday's clash could be border trade, which will suffer if the clashes carry on.

Niyom Wairatpanich, of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said trade at Chong Chom in Surin's Kab Choeng district and O-Samet of Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, worth one billion baht a year, would be in jeopardy if tension continues in neighbouring Phanom Dong Rak, he said.

Other border trading posts along the border could be affected as well.

Border trade between Thailand and Cambodia through land and water transport amounts to 80 billion baht a year, with Thailand having a huge trade surplus of 76 billion baht.