Fighting on Cambodian border

[nookiebear]

Hi Guys,

My missus from Sai Ta Ku told me the army came into the village and told everyone to pack their belongings and be ready to evacuate if necessary. They can hear the fighting as it happens and most of the people are shit scared. My wife would like to leave but her family wants to stay for now so they´ll head to Prakon Chai as soon as it gets too close for comfort.

Let´s hope this is just a storm in a tea cup but I have to admit I´m quite worried!

Cheers,

Mike

Hi Esco,
How you keeping mate??

You cannot tell which way this is going to go I'm afraid

[nookiebear]

What is a (load loaders)  ?

Here is our prolific poster Jimbo..........Try contributing something constructive....If we were all like you we wouldn't have a forum 

nookie - you and Jimbo don't seem to be getting on very well at the moment.

That would appear to be the case

[Esco]

Hi Guys,

My missus from Sai Ta Ku told me the army came into the village and told everyone to pack their belongings and be ready to evacuate if necessary. They can hear the fighting as it happens and most of the people are shit scared. My wife would like to leave but her family wants to stay for now so they´ll head to Prakon Chai as soon as it gets too close for comfort.

Let´s hope this is just a storm in a tea cup but I have to admit I´m quite worried!

Cheers,

Mike

Hi Esco,
How you keeping mate??

You cannot tell which way this is going to go I'm afraid

Hi Nookie I´m well mate thanks.

Just on the phone with me missus now. She hasn´t heard any gunfire today so that´s good news I guess. Still worried sick though and her dad is being a stubborn cunt and wants to stay put. Wish they would have waited 6 weeks with this shit because she´s flying out to Holland on the 18th of March.

How are you keeping up there in the jungle?

[boloa]

Cambodian-Thai conflict in tweets,Twitpic's and related articles by Tharum Bun!!!

http://asiancorrespondent.com/48037/cambodian-thai-conflict-in-tweets/?utm_source=Asian+Correspondent&utm_campaign=002f73b3eb-DAILY_RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email

[redrover]

Just as I suspected a couple of days ago, though some whom have never experienced these ongoing border disputes in recent memory {Cambodia, Laos, Burma} make more of it than it usually needs to be. I'm saddened for the unnecessary and innocent that lost lives and loved ones. Mountain out of a mole hill. UN and ASEAN advisors have been sent in and both Bangkok and Phnom Pehn wish to keep hostilities to a minimum. The real intense bickering and saber rattling that has continued for a year + now, as hopefully the illusionist in Bangkok - who I might add are the truer antagonist and blinded regarding the monument/historical dispute - might go back to their ongoing work of domestic suppression and corruptive activities and allow the historic area to be amongst it's rightful Khmer place.

[nookiebear]

I read somewhere today where they say 10 more tanks have been sent,,,,,This afternoon a total of 26 empty tank transporters were heading back towards Korat

[nookiebear]

Hi Guys,

My missus from Sai Ta Ku told me the army came into the village and told everyone to pack their belongings and be ready to evacuate if necessary. They can hear the fighting as it happens and most of the people are shit scared. My wife would like to leave but her family wants to stay for now so they´ll head to Prakon Chai as soon as it gets too close for comfort.

Let´s hope this is just a storm in a tea cup but I have to admit I´m quite worried!

Cheers,

Mike

Hi Esco,
How you keeping mate??

You cannot tell which way this is going to go I'm afraid

Hi Nookie I´m well mate thanks.

Just on the phone with me missus now. She hasn´t heard any gunfire today so that´s good news I guess. Still worried sick though and her dad is being a stubborn cunt and wants to stay put. Wish they would have waited 6 weeks with this shit because she´s flying out to Holland on the 18th of March.

How are you keeping up there in the jungle?

Life is very good mate.....When are you next over??

[redrover]

I read somewhere today where they say 10 more tanks have been sent,,,,,This afternoon a total of 26 empty tank transporters were heading back towards Korat

Need to prop the image up. Looks good in the press.

[Admin]

[nookiebear]

I read somewhere today where they say 10 more tanks have been sent,,,,,This afternoon a total of 26 empty tank transporters were heading back towards Korat

Need to prop the image up. Looks good in the press.

Have you missed the point?
The Press have understated ......

[Admin]

Conflict goes international
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
2011-02-11


Security Council to 'complement' bilateral, Asean efforts to end Thai-Cambodian border clashes

Thai efforts to resolve the boundary conflict with Cambodia bilaterally have failed, with international bodies including the United Nations Security Council and Asean now involved in the matter.

The skirmishes from February 4-7 killed at least eight people, including a Thai civilian, and damaged properties including the World Heritage-listed Preah Vihear Temple.

Unlike in past clashes in 2008 and 2009, the UN Security Council has not been deterred from taking up the issue.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen consistently called for the UN body to convene an urgent meeting to stop "Thailand's aggression". At the same time, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva wrote to the UN reiterating Thailand's commitment to end the dispute using a bilateral framework.

Bangkok suggested the Joint Boundary Committee (JBC) should resume its work negotiating boundary demarcation by the end of this month, though the exact date has yet to be confirmed. The Cambodians are not likely in the mood to sit down and talk right now.

Hun Sen's strategy to internationalise the issue appears to have worked. The Security Council has requested that its secretariat provide a brief about the situation on Monday and invited Asean chairman Marty Natalegawa, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong to attend.

"The Asean chair's attendance at the UNSC meeting represents an evolution of Asean's efforts to resolve bilateral disputes among its members as provided for by the Asean Charter," the bloc's secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said in a statement yesterday.

"This is particularly important as it will set a precedent for future Asean dispute settlement mechanisms."

The Security Council wants its meeting on Monday to boost and complement regional and bilateral efforts, rather than signal that those efforts have failed in any way, according to a UNSC update report.

"The [UNSC] members expressed support for the mediation efforts undertaken by the chair of Asean, the foreign minister of Indonesia, but expressed willingness to hold a Council meeting pending an assessment of the ongoing regional mediation efforts," the report said.

It remains unclear what the results of the UN meeting will be. Security Council president Maria Luiza Viotti, a Brazilian ambassador, will consult with Kasit and Hor Namhong on the format of the meeting later, the report said.

Hun Sen has asked the UN to send peacekeeping forces to create a buffer zone at the disputed border area adjacent to Preah Vihear, which he claims was damaged by artillery shells from Thailand.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has proposed sending an urgent mission to inspect the temple, but Thailand opposes the visit.

"Concerning the current situation at the border, we believe the Unesco mission now is not appropriate and makes the issue more complicated," said Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi.

If the Unesco mission really wanted to visit the site, it would need permission from the Thai authorities, since it would have to access the temple via land under the sovereignty of Thailand, he said.

The Hindu temple of Preah Vihear, as ruled by the International Court of Justice in 1962, is situated on territory under sovereignty of Cambodia, though Thailand has argued that it possesses the surrounding areas.

The temple has been at the core of conflict between the two neighbours since last century. In 2008, tensions rose after Unesco listed the temple as a World Heritage site in the face of Thai disagreement.

Abhisit's government hoped the border skirmish would result in the suspension of the Preah Vihear World Heritage listing.

Thailand's JBC chief, Asda Jayanama, will meet with the director of Unesco in Paris today to explain the Thai position on the temple.

[Admin]

UN Council to hold closed meeting on Thai-Cambodia clashes
-AFP 2011-02-11

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council will hold a closed meeting Monday on border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia with the foreign ministers from the two nations, diplomats said.

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, Cambodia's Hor Namhong and Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who has been trying to mediate in the dispute, are expected to speak to the council, diplomats said.

A spokesman for the Brazilian mission, which holds the Security Council presidency for February, said Monday's meeting would be behind closed doors.

Thailand and Cambodia have blamed each other for the clashes around the ancient temple of Preah Vihear, which have left at least eight dead in the past week.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen sought an urgent Security Council meeting and called for a UN buffer force to be put in place. Thailand has said the dispute should sorted out between the two countries.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia on Tuesday again offered new UN help to negotiate a peace deal.

[Admin]

Thailand, Cambodia agree to accept observers: ASEAN
by Arlina Arshad
AFP 2011-02-22

JAKARTA, February 22, 2011 (AFP) - Thailand and Cambodia agreed Tuesday to accept Indonesian observers and avoid further clashes over a border dispute that has claimed at least 10 lives and displaced thousands, officials said.

The agreement came during a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Indonesia, which holds the current chair of the 10-member block.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, speaking on behalf of ASEAN, said it was a "unique arrangement" for a grouping that devotes most of its time to trade and avoids conflict resolution.

"Indonesia will observe on both sides of the border... This is an observer team, not a peacekeeping or peace enforcement team. The observer team will be unarmed," he told reporters after the talks.

He said Cambodia and Thailand had also requested Indonesia's "engagement" in subsequent bilateral negotiations, the first of which would be convened in Indonesia at a date to be specified.

"With hard work we can make things happen," the minister added, referring to weeks of behind-the-scenes activity by his office and the Jakarta-based ASEAN secretariat, headed by former Thai foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan.

Thailand and Cambodia have each accused the other of starting the clashes, which erupted around the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear earlier this month.
The temple belongs to Cambodia but the surrounding area is claimed by both sides.

Despite a UN appeal for restraint, there has been a series of skirmishes reported by both sides since a February 5 ceasefire agreement.

Thailand has resisted Cambodian calls for third-party mediation but now appears ready to allow Indonesia, as the chair of ASEAN, to play a formal role as observer of the ceasefire and future bilateral talks.

Speaking earlier in Phnom Penh, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said a third party was essential as Thailand "signs documents with hands, but cancels them by feet".

"Cambodia welcomes the Thai side's willingness to request Indonesia to send its observers to embed with their troops," he said.

"It is true that the final decision must be made between Cambodia and Thailand, but we need a third party to know."

In comments posted on Twitter, ASEAN Secretary-General Surin called the agreement a "historic day" and said both sides had pledged to "avoid further armed clashes".

ASEAN has a strict policy of non-interference in member states' internal affairs and has been criticised for doing too little to resolve conflicts and buttress regional security.

Natalegawa said the decision to send observers to a conflict zone was an important step for the grouping.

"This outcome is very important, not just on conflict resolution between Thailand and Cambodia but in capacity building by ASEAN," he said.

"This is the first time ASEAN has directly involved itself in the conflicts of member countries and come up with a solution."

No time frame has been set for the arrival of the observers, who will include soldiers and civilians, he said.

They would embed with both armies on either side of the disputed border and report to the respective governments in Bangkok and Phnom Penh on any violations of the terms of the ceasefire.

Ties between Cambodia and Thailand 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 both countries claim ownership of a 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square-mile) surrounding area.

---------------------------
ASEAN Resolves to Send Rep to Thailand-Cambodian Border
Tan Network 2011-02-22

A meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, has resolved to send a representative to the Thai-Cambodian border to inspect the area.

The representative will visit both the Thai and Cambodian sides.

The meeting also encouraged the two countries to resolve the border issue bilaterally.

[isanbirder]

To send observers without a prior ceasefire sounds rough on the observers!

[Admin]

Thailand stalls on temple visitors
By SUPALAK GANJANAKHUNDEE
THE NATION
2011-03-1

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) is prepared to send its experts to evaluate the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear as soon as Indonesian observers arrive at the disputed border area, but Thailand remains without a clear plan on when to allow the observers in.

Unesco special envoy Koichiro Matsuura was in Phnom Penh yesterday after his visit to Bangkok over the weekend for discussions with authorities in both countries on the world heritage-listed temple.
Cambodia reported to the UN cultural body that the 900-year-old sandstone temple was partly damaged during a border skirmish between Thai and Cambodian troops on February 4-7, which also claimed at least 10 lives including three civilians on both sides.

During a meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, Matsuura said that as soon as Indonesian observers arrived at the border-disputed area, Unesco would send experts to evaluate the |damage.

"Urgent restoration on the temple will be conducted after the evaluation of the damage and Unesco will send experts to restore the temple," Matsuura was quoted as saying by Xinhua, adding that "Unesco will not be involved in the border issue, but [only] the temple".

Sok An reportedly informed the Unesco special envoy about serious damage to the temple caused by 414 mortar and artillery shells falling on the site. "Cambodia has to publicise this information to the international communities," he said.

Thailand previously told Unesco it did not want the UN body to inspect the temple now since the situation at the border was still tense.

The Hindu temple was ruled by the International Court of Justice in 1962 as standing on territory under Cambodian sovereignty. Thailand, however, has claimed the surrounding area of 4.6 square kilometres to be under its sovereignty.

The Preah Vihear Temple was listed a world heritage site in July 2008, but Thailand has blocked the world heritage committee's consideration of its management plan because of the boundary conflict.

Bangkok wanted Unesco to suspend the management plan until the dispute with Cambodia was settled.

Although Jakarta wants to dispatch observers to the disputed area early, it is still unclear when they will arrive at the border as the role of the mission has not yet been fully agreed to by the two conflicting parties.

Thailand will not allow Indonesian observers to have full access to the disputed border areas near Preah Vihear, Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said yesterday.

"I personally think there should be a classification of areas for access," Prayut told reporters. "We would allow them to see only the outside of the disputed area."

Thailand and Cambodia, during an informal meeting of Asean foreign ministers in Jakarta last week, agreed to allow observers from Indonesia to monitor a permanent cease-fire between them.

The Thai foreign and defence ministries so far have not reached common ground on the observers' roles.

Prayut said procedure for their visit should be discussed by the military-run Thailand-Cambodia General Border Committee (GBC), but the date for a GBC meeting was unknown.