Shots and artillery fire on Cambodia border

[cookmanchef]

So what you seem to be saying is that Cambodia has the strongest claim because it belonged to an empire based in that region that ceased to be 700 years ago! Britain better claim back America, Canada, Australia etc etc based on that argument.
The Thais conquered the Khmers in the 14th century, that's good enough for me.

[kendo]

Our house is only 20 km's from the border we here artillery on a regular basis when staying there.
January 2010 there was a fire fight for an hour and a half at Kap Choeng 4 km's from our house this made the Bangkok Post and other media.

Two weeks ago i went for a little look around on my moped with some other family members, within ten km's this is what we ran into.......

Tank 1.zip

(34.05 KiB) Downloaded 49 times

Tank 2.zip

(67.2 KiB) Downloaded 46 times

We also discovered a five legged cow that seemed to be a pet of the border patrol and well looked after, i have pictures of this freak of nature if anyone is interested.

Kendo.

[kendo]

Ok different machine lets try posting those pictures again

Tanks 1.jpg (43.3 KiB) Viewed 993 times

Tanks 2.jpg (43.64 KiB) Viewed 993 times

Kendo.

[cozza]

So what you seem to be saying is that Cambodia has the strongest claim because it belonged to an empire based in that region that ceased to be 700 years ago! Britain better claim back America, Canada, Australia etc etc based on that argument.
The Thais conquered the Khmers in the 14th century, that's good enough for me.

Thats a pretty good point. But, are they on Thai land?

Most of the fighting has been cross-border artillery fire and gun fire.

So I kind of see your argument being a little bit Nationalistic instead of "its bad people are killing each other" which I disagree with completely, especially because this is not about grabbing land back from the Khmer.

Good opinion piece...worth a read on the topic

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... fanaticism

[sandman67]

well it seems that the totally manufactured Stupidity War idiocy has finally reached critical mass..truly Generals Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber are having their day in the sun.

not only has this idiotic childish playground spat now killed innocent civilians and resulted in shelled villages (schools included) and a road full o refugees, but its also now resulted in damage to Preah Vehar Temple itself, a WHO listed site.

All clap hands....applause applause.

In other news the rest of the world has applied to have LOS officially changed from Land of Smiles to Land of Stupidity.

[kendo]

Wife just phoned home two people shot dead in Kap Choeng yesterday one was a soldier.

Some people are starting to leave town.

Kendo

[STEVE G]

This nonsense is making the international news now so they really should sort things out before it starts to cause economic damage to both sides as well as the suffering of the local people.

[richard]

Sad thing is in my village they don't give a shit cos it don't affect their buffalo's, rice and cane

Too far away for most peasant Thais to care about

Some may say 'how come as your village is the heart of the red shirts?' The answer is quite simple. MONEY. Youths join the RS's for a good days pay to become a hooligan. Better than planting/cutting cane and rice and more exciting

[STEVE G]

This article from Asia Times goes someway towards explaining the connections between this clash and Thai domestic politics.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_ ... 8Ae01.html

[Lung Per]

This article from Asia Times goes someway towards explaining the connections between this clash and Thai domestic politics.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_ ... 8Ae01.html

Indeed a highly qualified analysis. Spot-on!

[charlesh]

Thank God there is NO oil there apart from that spewed out by poorly maintained vehicles tanks included!

[Spitfire]

Looks like the Cambodians are calling for a UN buffer zone, not much common ground between these two sides.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12381052

This nonsense is making the international news now so they really should sort things out before it starts to cause economic damage to both sides...............

Probably find the baht goes up along with the stock market , even if tourist numbers go down they probably won't do so too much as it's not an area many go to, that is far away from the tourist Thailand everyone knows.

Teflon Thailand remember.

[hhfarang]

Thai-Cambodian Border Clashes Kill Six




PM says Thai troops reacted to Cambodian firing in worst flare-up over a decade; Phnom Penh vows to take the issue to UN Security Council today

Artillery exchanges between Thailand and Cambodia yesterday in the disputed area near the Hindu Preah Vihear Temple killed at least six soldiers and civilians on both sides as well as damaged property in one of the worst border flare-ups in a decade.

Phnom Penh plans to complain today to the United Nations over what it terms a "Thai invasion", Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said yesterday.

"We will lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council on Saturday [today]," he was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying.

However, Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan played down the significance of the incident. "We are negotiating now and I am sure that everything will be fine," he said.

Army chief Prayut Chan-o-cha said the situation calmed down after 6pm and some Thai soldiers were slightly injured but a soldier on the ground contacted by The Nation via telephone said they were still engaged in the battle late last night. "So far we have lost two, and I was injured. We cannot go down the Phu Ma Khua hill," the injured soldier said in a short conversation before the line was cut.

After the fighting ended, Second Army Area commander Lt-General Thawatchai Samutsakhon and Si Sa Ket Governor Somsak Suwansujarit held talks with a Cambodian army commander at the Phra Viharn National Park about the clash.

Charoen Thahom, a 50-year-old resident of Si Sa Ket's Phum Srol village, was killed by an artillery shell that landed in his village while he was leading his family to seek shelter after the border skirmish broke out.

At least seven buildings, including one owned by Phum Srol School, were hit by artillery shells fired from the Cambodian side.

Three houses were set ablaze.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said last night that the Thai side fired warning shots and then responded to the Cambodian fire when the warnings were ignored. He added that the fighting now was over. However, he declined to confirm a report that Thai soldiers had been captured during the clash.

The clash occurred at a disputed border area near Phu Ma Khua hill at 3.15pm and the sound of gunfire was heard at Si Sa Ket province's Ban Phum Srol about 5 kilometres from the hill, villagers said.

"We were at a sports event when the sound of many weapons, including small arms and heavy weapons, was heard from the battlefield," a resident told The Nation via telephone.

Besides the civilian and soldiers fatality, five Thai soldiers were injured in the clash, according to Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit.

Authorities told villagers to seek shelter and later evacuated them to safe areas deeper into Thai territory. Some of them moved to a downtown area of Kantharalak district, about 30km from the Preah Vihear Temple.

Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over the border area adjacent to Preah Vihear for a long time.

Both sides boosted troop numbers in the area recently after the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) staged a protest near the Prime Minister's Office demanding the government use force to kick Cambodians out of the area.

PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang said he was not happy with the border clash, since it damaged both sides. "It happened because Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva showed weakness to Cambodia," he said.

Troops clashed in 2008 and 2009 in the same area, resulting in the deaths of more than 10 soldiers on both sides.

The clash this time was fiercer as it saw the use of artillery that hit civilians and their homes. Residents saw many shells land near their villages in tambon Sao Thong Chai.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Cambodian troops opened fire first, triggering the exchange of fire.

However, Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said Thai soldiers had crossed 500 metres into Cambodian territory and opened fire first despite efforts of Cambodian troops to avoid violence.



"Although Cambodian soldiers tried to negotiate to stop the Thai soldiers from invading Cambodia, the Thai Army kept moving deeper into Cambodian territory and opened fire without provocation by Cambodian forces. We have the right to self-defence to protect our land against Thai invasion," he said.

Cambodian media reported that least two Cambodian civilians and one soldier died after Thai shells landed on the Cambodian side.

Cambodia reportedly held four Thai soldiers at Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda, which is in the disputed border area near Preah Vihear.

The clash broke out shortly after Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya finished a Joint Commission meeting with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong in Siem Reap. They told reporters there that they were happy with the improving relations and agreed to use peaceful means to settle the boundary conflict.

[Khundon1975]

My wife visited the temple when she was 11 years old with her family. Her comment to me on the temple design was that it was unlike any Thai temple she had seen.


Maybe the Thai generals see this place, once they have got their mitts on it, as a good source of (private) tourist income. The way they are going at it, there will be sweet FA left for anyone to see.

[STEVE G]

On CCTV the other day they were interviewing local people in the area and one old rickshaw driver said,(on sub-titles) "They should be talking about this, we are all brothers here and people cross the border everyday".
People are suffering for a staged political event engineered to get support for the PAD demonstrations in Bangkok.