Preah Vihear landmine kills officer
Tep Nimol,
Phnompenh post, January 9, 2012
A landmine killed a deputy police chief who was patrolling in a forest
at the Cambodia-Thailand border in Preah Vihear province on Friday, an
official said yesterday.
Leang Bunkheang, 48, deputy police chief
for the protection of border 793, stationed near Daun Tom temple, died
instantly when he triggered a “coconut-sized” mine with his hand while
sitting down while on patrol with soldiers in Choam Ksan district, Chea
Lay, police chief of the protection of border 793, said.
“The working group who went with him could not save him . . . He was dead at the scene.”
Saem
Pornreay, a Cambodian Mine Action Centre spokesman, said many mines in
Preah Vihear had been there more than 30 years and he urged police,
soldiers and residents along the border to be careful. Since 1979,
64,000 people have been either killed or maimed by unexploded ordnance
in Cambodia, he said.
Showing posts with label Preah Vihear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preah Vihear. Show all posts
Monday, January 9, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Preah Vihear villagers take case to Cambodian PM
Preah Vihear villagers take case to Cambodian PM
Phak Seangly , Phnompenh post, January 6, 2012
Nearly 70 villagers from Preah Vihear’s Choam Ksan district gathered in the capital yesterday and submitted a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen urging his intervention in a land dispute with provincial authorities.
Last Friday, the National Authority of Preah Vihear began dismantling the homes of residents in Kantuot commune’s Svay Chrum village to make way for a government office. The residents have been forced to relocate to a nearby village they claim lacks infrastructure.
Representative Phan Poeun said the villagers made stealth trips to the capital, careful not to draw the attention of provincial authorities. “We came secretly because if the authority found out, they would stop us and arrest us,” he said.
The villagers gathered at Butom Votey pagoda yesterday and displayed 10 banners with photos of the authorities in question and the plea, “[we] ask Samdech Hun Sen and Bun Rany to grant us the right to live in Svay Chrum village forever”.
Kong Chamroeun, a member of Hun Sen’s cabinet, accepted the letter and said that while he “forwarded it to the group who works on these cases,” he did not “know whether the letter has been read by them”.
Preah Vihear provincial governor Om Mara, meanwhile, denied that the villagers were residents of Svay Chrum.
Phak Seangly , Phnompenh post, January 6, 2012
Nearly 70 villagers from Preah Vihear’s Choam Ksan district gathered in the capital yesterday and submitted a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen urging his intervention in a land dispute with provincial authorities.
Last Friday, the National Authority of Preah Vihear began dismantling the homes of residents in Kantuot commune’s Svay Chrum village to make way for a government office. The residents have been forced to relocate to a nearby village they claim lacks infrastructure.
Representative Phan Poeun said the villagers made stealth trips to the capital, careful not to draw the attention of provincial authorities. “We came secretly because if the authority found out, they would stop us and arrest us,” he said.
The villagers gathered at Butom Votey pagoda yesterday and displayed 10 banners with photos of the authorities in question and the plea, “[we] ask Samdech Hun Sen and Bun Rany to grant us the right to live in Svay Chrum village forever”.
Kong Chamroeun, a member of Hun Sen’s cabinet, accepted the letter and said that while he “forwarded it to the group who works on these cases,” he did not “know whether the letter has been read by them”.
Preah Vihear provincial governor Om Mara, meanwhile, denied that the villagers were residents of Svay Chrum.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Cambodia, Thailand reach Preah Vihear deal , troops to be withdrawn
Cambodia, Thailand reach Preah Vihear deal , troops to be withdrawn
Bangkok Post, December 22, 2011
Thai and Cambodian military authorities have agreed to withdraw their troops from a provisional demilitarised zone near the Preah Vihear temple and let Indonesian observers supervise the area.
Bangkok Post, December 22, 2011
Thai and Cambodian military authorities have agreed to withdraw their troops from a provisional demilitarised zone near the Preah Vihear temple and let Indonesian observers supervise the area.
The agreement was made at the 8th meeting of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) in Phnom Penh yesterday.
"Both sides will withdraw all troops from existing positions [in the demilitarised zone] simultaneously under the observation of Indonesian observers," they said in a joint statement after the meeting.
A military source said the Cambodian side asked its Thai counterpart to withdraw troops by Jan 20, but the Thai side refused to accept it.
Instead the Thai side proposed the setting up of a joint working group to discuss details of the troop withdrawal, and Cambodia agreed with it.
The source said border patrol police of the two countries will be deployed to replace troops in the 17.3 square kilometre demilitarised zone in accordance with the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) provisional order.
The source said each country would deploy more than 1,000 border patrol police to replace the troops despite the fact they claimed earlier they would send about 400 border patrol police each.
Cambodia proposed that both countries immediately follow the provisional demilitarised zone order of the ICJ, welcome Indonesian observers and withdraw soldiers from the zone, of which 8.5 sq km is in Thailand and 8.8 sq km is in Cambodia, under the supervision of the observers.
The Thai side agreed with the proposal.
The agreement is just one crucial resolution bearing fruit at the GBC meeting, co-chaired by Thai Defence Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Banh.
Gen Yutthasak said he will propose the result of the meeting to the cabinet for consideration next week.
He said the joint working group would meet in Bangkok next month to discuss details of the troop withdrawal, the deployment of observers and the relocation of Cambodian markets and communities from the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda.
"We are not delaying the ICJ's order, in fact we are abiding by it," Gen Yutthasak said.
He insisted Thailand will not lose sovereignty and territory from any decision made at the GBC meeting.
He said Gen Tea Banh had also apologised to Thailand after Cambodian troops last week fired on an unarmed Thai helicopter along the Thai-Cambodian border near Trat province.
The ICJ made the provisional demilitarised zone order in response to Cambodia's request on April 28 for it to order Thailand to withdraw soldiers and stop all military activities around the Preah Vihear temple.
Among other resolutions, Thailand and Cambodia also agreed to promote peace and safety along their border and acknowledge that peace and safety are the key to their economic and social development.
They also agreed to support the work of their Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) and use the GBC to promote marine security and suppress illicit businesses along their border.
They will join forces to suppress drug trafficking, the trade of ancient artifacts, vehicle theft, illegal logging and illegal immigration, to dispose of mines and promote public health along their shared border.
Another resolution is that Thailand will host the next GBC meeting with the schedule yet to be set.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Preah Vihear exit talks on agenda
Preah Vihear exit talks on agenda
HIGH-RANKING military officials from Cambodia and Thailand will discuss an International Court of Justice verdict ordering the withdrawal of troops from a demilitarised zone around Preah Vihear temple at a long-awaited meeting of the General Border Committee in the capital on Wednesday, officials said yesterday.
Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Chhum Socheat said officials would discuss bilateral cooperation on border security to fight terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking, as well as the ICJ verdict, at the GBC meeting.
A firm agenda would be set at the GBC’s secretariat meeting in Phnom Penh today, he said.
“The [GBC] meeting is to review the previous year’s cooperation between the two defence ministries,” Chhum Socheat said. “The troop withdrawal will also be discussed in order to comply with the ICJ order.”
The ICJ ruled on July 18 that troops from both countries stationed along the border near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple must withdraw from a newly established demilitarised zone around the temple and allow Indonesian observers to monitor a ceasefire.
Deadly border clashes in Preah Vihear province in February and Oddar Meanchey province in April left at least 28 people dead and thousands of families displaced.
The meeting of the GBC – which discusses issues related to the Thai-Cambodian border – was postponed after Thailand requested a delay in order to form its cabinet following national elections in July, and then because of flooding.
Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry yesterday denied allegations that Cambodian military officials deliberately shot a Thai military helicopter on Thursday, saying it was “a warning” after the helicopter tried to land in a prohibited zone in Koh Kong province.
“We strictly told them not to land, but they did not listen to us,” Chhum Socheat said.
“We deny information that we were shooting on purpose, as it would be a provocation to damage the good relationship between the two defence ministries.”
On Thursday, Cambodian soldiers along the border in Koh Kong province’s Mondul Seima district fired more than 100 bullets at the helicopter after it reportedly violated Cambodian airspace, forcing the helicopter to land near the border in Thailand.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi could not be reached for comment.
The Bangkok Post reported yesterday that the Thai opposition Democrat Party lashed out at Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul for failing to lodge a protest with Cambodia after the shooting.
The Royal Thai Marine Corps protested against the shooting in a letter to the Cambodian 3rd military region chief, the Bangkok Post reported.
The newspaper also stated that, following the shooting, Thailand had closed Ban Tha Sen border crossing in Trat province adjoining Cambodia’s Pursat province.
Cambodian military commander at Koh Kong province, Yun Min, said the international gate remained open.
Phnompenh post, Cheang Sokh, December19, 2011
HIGH-RANKING military officials from Cambodia and Thailand will discuss an International Court of Justice verdict ordering the withdrawal of troops from a demilitarised zone around Preah Vihear temple at a long-awaited meeting of the General Border Committee in the capital on Wednesday, officials said yesterday.
Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Chhum Socheat said officials would discuss bilateral cooperation on border security to fight terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking, as well as the ICJ verdict, at the GBC meeting.
A firm agenda would be set at the GBC’s secretariat meeting in Phnom Penh today, he said.
“The [GBC] meeting is to review the previous year’s cooperation between the two defence ministries,” Chhum Socheat said. “The troop withdrawal will also be discussed in order to comply with the ICJ order.”
The ICJ ruled on July 18 that troops from both countries stationed along the border near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple must withdraw from a newly established demilitarised zone around the temple and allow Indonesian observers to monitor a ceasefire.
Deadly border clashes in Preah Vihear province in February and Oddar Meanchey province in April left at least 28 people dead and thousands of families displaced.
The meeting of the GBC – which discusses issues related to the Thai-Cambodian border – was postponed after Thailand requested a delay in order to form its cabinet following national elections in July, and then because of flooding.
Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry yesterday denied allegations that Cambodian military officials deliberately shot a Thai military helicopter on Thursday, saying it was “a warning” after the helicopter tried to land in a prohibited zone in Koh Kong province.
“We strictly told them not to land, but they did not listen to us,” Chhum Socheat said.
“We deny information that we were shooting on purpose, as it would be a provocation to damage the good relationship between the two defence ministries.”
On Thursday, Cambodian soldiers along the border in Koh Kong province’s Mondul Seima district fired more than 100 bullets at the helicopter after it reportedly violated Cambodian airspace, forcing the helicopter to land near the border in Thailand.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi could not be reached for comment.
The Bangkok Post reported yesterday that the Thai opposition Democrat Party lashed out at Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul for failing to lodge a protest with Cambodia after the shooting.
The Royal Thai Marine Corps protested against the shooting in a letter to the Cambodian 3rd military region chief, the Bangkok Post reported.
The newspaper also stated that, following the shooting, Thailand had closed Ban Tha Sen border crossing in Trat province adjoining Cambodia’s Pursat province.
Cambodian military commander at Koh Kong province, Yun Min, said the international gate remained open.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
UNESCO team views Preah Vihear damage
UNESCO team views Preah Vihear damage
Chhay Channyda with additional reporting by David Boyle, 15 December 2011
More than a dozen UNESCO volunteers visited the Preah Vihear temple yesterday to determine the extent of damages that resulted from armed battle near the temple in February, officials said.
Council of Ministers undersecretary of state Sous Yara, who accompanied the UNESCO delegation to the World Heritage site yesterday, said the visit was “very important” because it was UNESCO’s first since fighting broke out between Cambodia and Thailand in February.
“They came to see about the damage we reported to them from the fighting,” he said. “Thailand reported no damage, but now they see that there is damage.”
Lying near the Thai border, the temple has been the source of ongoing battles between Cambodia and its neighbour, who both lay claim to it.
In July, the International Court of Justice established a provisional demilitarised zone around the temple and ordered the two countries to immediately withdraw troops so Indonesian observers could enter and monitor a cease-fire.
Thai goverment spokesman Titima Chaisang confirmed yesterday that Thai Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha had accepted his Cambodian counterpart’s recent invitation to attend a meeting of the General Border Committee on December 21 to discuss the disputed territory.
UNESCO team views Preah Vihear damage
Chhay Channyda with additional reporting by David Boyle, 15 December 2011
More than a dozen UNESCO volunteers visited the Preah Vihear temple yesterday to determine the extent of damages that resulted from armed battle near the temple in February, officials said.
Council of Ministers undersecretary of state Sous Yara, who accompanied the UNESCO delegation to the World Heritage site yesterday, said the visit was “very important” because it was UNESCO’s first since fighting broke out between Cambodia and Thailand in February.
“They came to see about the damage we reported to them from the fighting,” he said. “Thailand reported no damage, but now they see that there is damage.”
Lying near the Thai border, the temple has been the source of ongoing battles between Cambodia and its neighbour, who both lay claim to it.
In July, the International Court of Justice established a provisional demilitarised zone around the temple and ordered the two countries to immediately withdraw troops so Indonesian observers could enter and monitor a cease-fire.
Thai goverment spokesman Titima Chaisang confirmed yesterday that Thai Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha had accepted his Cambodian counterpart’s recent invitation to attend a meeting of the General Border Committee on December 21 to discuss the disputed territory.
UNESCO team views Preah Vihear damage
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