Cambodia says 4 Thai troops killed in border clash

Friday, April 03, 2009
By SOPHENG CHEANG

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Thai and Cambodian soldiers traded fire with machine guns and rocket launchers along a disputed border, killing as many as four people Friday in an escalation of tensions in a long-standing feud over an 11th century temple.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said four Thai soldiers were killed and 10 captured during the two clashes. Thailand's Foreign Ministry insisted only one Thai soldier was killed, seven were injured and none was taken prisoner, while two Thai army officers, who refused to be named, said two soldiers were killed and 10 injured.
The clashes occurred several hours apart near the same border location.

"The fighting has stopped. Commanders from both sides are talking," Maj. Nou Sarath, a Cambodian soldier at the border, told The Associated Press.

The fighting is the latest flare-up near the cliff-top Preah Vihear temple, which is on the Cambodian side of an ill-defined border that has been a source of conflict for decades. Two clashes last year sparked brief concerns of war.

In the first round of fighting Friday, Cambodia fired on some 60 Thai soldiers after they entered Cambodian territory, sparking a battle that lasted about 10 minutes, said Yim Kheang, a Cambodian soldier at the border. Officials from both sides said there were no injuries.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said the clash started when Thai soldiers arrived to investigate the site where one of their colleagues had his leg blown off by a land mine on Thursday. As they approached the area, Cambodian soldiers opened fire, he said.

Thailand and Cambodia have long had competing claims to land surrounding the temple, which the World Court awarded to Cambodia in 1962. Tensions flared last July after UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have the temple named a World Heritage Site. Both sides deployed troops.

Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan downplayed Friday morning's clash.

"It was an accident, a misunderstanding among officials on the ground, which is common when you are closely positioned," he told reporters in Bangkok.

In the second clash, Cambodians insisted that Thai soldiers shot rocket-propelled grenades into their territory. Tharit denied the allegation. A Cambodian market near the border was set fire by a Thai rocket but the market was empty so there were no casualties, Cambodian soldiers said.

"The Cambodians started firing rocket-propelled grenades and rifles at us," Tharit said. "That led to several casualties on our side."

On Thursday, a Thai soldier in the area lost his leg after stepping on a land mine, but Thai and Cambodian military officials disagreed over which side of the border he was on at the time.

Cambodia and Thailand share a 500-mile (800-kilometer) land border, much of which has never been clearly demarcated because the countries refer to different maps.

Tharit called on both sides to "exercise utmost restraint and not use any force."

"We ask them to go back to the negotiating table," he said, referring to border negotiations that are to resume at the end of the month.

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Cambodia says 4 Thai troops killed in border clash

Friday, April 03, 2009
By SOPHENG CHEANG

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Thai and Cambodian soldiers traded fire with machine guns and rocket launchers along a disputed border, killing as many as four people Friday in an escalation of tensions in a long-standing feud over an 11th century temple.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said four Thai soldiers were killed and 10 captured during the two clashes. Thailand's Foreign Ministry insisted only one Thai soldier was killed, seven were injured and none was taken prisoner, while two Thai army officers, who refused to be named, said two soldiers were killed and 10 injured.
The clashes occurred several hours apart near the same border location.

"The fighting has stopped. Commanders from both sides are talking," Maj. Nou Sarath, a Cambodian soldier at the border, told The Associated Press.

The fighting is the latest flare-up near the cliff-top Preah Vihear temple, which is on the Cambodian side of an ill-defined border that has been a source of conflict for decades. Two clashes last year sparked brief concerns of war.

In the first round of fighting Friday, Cambodia fired on some 60 Thai soldiers after they entered Cambodian territory, sparking a battle that lasted about 10 minutes, said Yim Kheang, a Cambodian soldier at the border. Officials from both sides said there were no injuries.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said the clash started when Thai soldiers arrived to investigate the site where one of their colleagues had his leg blown off by a land mine on Thursday. As they approached the area, Cambodian soldiers opened fire, he said.

Thailand and Cambodia have long had competing claims to land surrounding the temple, which the World Court awarded to Cambodia in 1962. Tensions flared last July after UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have the temple named a World Heritage Site. Both sides deployed troops.

Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan downplayed Friday morning's clash.

"It was an accident, a misunderstanding among officials on the ground, which is common when you are closely positioned," he told reporters in Bangkok.

In the second clash, Cambodians insisted that Thai soldiers shot rocket-propelled grenades into their territory. Tharit denied the allegation. A Cambodian market near the border was set fire by a Thai rocket but the market was empty so there were no casualties, Cambodian soldiers said.

"The Cambodians started firing rocket-propelled grenades and rifles at us," Tharit said. "That led to several casualties on our side."

On Thursday, a Thai soldier in the area lost his leg after stepping on a land mine, but Thai and Cambodian military officials disagreed over which side of the border he was on at the time.

Cambodia and Thailand share a 500-mile (800-kilometer) land border, much of which has never been clearly demarcated because the countries refer to different maps.

Tharit called on both sides to "exercise utmost restraint and not use any force."

"We ask them to go back to the negotiating table," he said, referring to border negotiations that are to resume at the end of the month.

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Thai, Cambodian military seek to defuse border tensions

BANGKOK, April 3 (TNA) - Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Friday said Thai and Cambodian military officers discussed defusing tensions, after the two countries border guard troops exchanged gunfire in an early morning border incident in disputed territory near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

A Thai soldier lost a leg in a land mine explosion on Thursday but Thai and Cambodian officers disagreed over which country he was in at the time.

Gen. Prawit said the incident was the result of a misunderstanding between operations officers of both sides along the border.

His remarks came two days after the Cambodian premier Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed the disputed border.

Maj-Gen. Thawatchai Samutsakorn, deputy chief of Thailand’s second army, said the exchange of gunfire took place about 7am on Friday, three kilometres west of Preah Vihear temple or Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand. There were no reports of any casualties from either side.

The clash broke off in the yet-to-be-demarcated disputed area of 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq miles) where Sgt-Maj. Suwat Chanaboon lost his left leg after stepping on a landmine while patrolling the border, the senior military officer said.

Cambodian forces said the Thai soldier was on their soil when the mine exploded.

Cambodia accused Thai troops of crossing the border, a charge Thailand has publicly denied.

Gen. Thawatchai rushed to the clash site to discuss the situation with Cambodian military officers.

It was the latest incident in a long-standing conflict over contesting claims to land surrounding the historic Preah Vihear temple, awarded World Heritage Site status by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) last year.

The incident marked the first deadly cross-border shooting since last October's border clash which left four troops dead.

The two countries have not yet resolved their border dispute in recent border talks.

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Thai, Cambodian military seek to defuse border tensions

BANGKOK, April 3 (TNA) - Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Friday said Thai and Cambodian military officers discussed defusing tensions, after the two countries border guard troops exchanged gunfire in an early morning border incident in disputed territory near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

A Thai soldier lost a leg in a land mine explosion on Thursday but Thai and Cambodian officers disagreed over which country he was in at the time.

Gen. Prawit said the incident was the result of a misunderstanding between operations officers of both sides along the border.

His remarks came two days after the Cambodian premier Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed the disputed border.

Maj-Gen. Thawatchai Samutsakorn, deputy chief of Thailand’s second army, said the exchange of gunfire took place about 7am on Friday, three kilometres west of Preah Vihear temple or Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand. There were no reports of any casualties from either side.

The clash broke off in the yet-to-be-demarcated disputed area of 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq miles) where Sgt-Maj. Suwat Chanaboon lost his left leg after stepping on a landmine while patrolling the border, the senior military officer said.

Cambodian forces said the Thai soldier was on their soil when the mine exploded.

Cambodia accused Thai troops of crossing the border, a charge Thailand has publicly denied.

Gen. Thawatchai rushed to the clash site to discuss the situation with Cambodian military officers.

It was the latest incident in a long-standing conflict over contesting claims to land surrounding the historic Preah Vihear temple, awarded World Heritage Site status by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) last year.

The incident marked the first deadly cross-border shooting since last October's border clash which left four troops dead.

The two countries have not yet resolved their border dispute in recent border talks.

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Thai, Cambodian army officers hold talks after border gunfire [-Thai troops deliberately provoking Cambodian soldiers?]

BANGKOK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Local-level Thai army officers were in the process to hold talk with those of Cambodian army officers after the two sides exchanged gunfire briefly early Friday morning on a disputed border area, Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern Khaewkamnerd said.
The exchange of gunfire occurred after Thai soldiers went to tell around 20 Cambodian soldiers, who were at Tramareu area that Tramareu [Veal Entry in Khmer] belongs to Thailand, so they should not have entered, the Thai army spokesman told Xinhua during a telephone interview.

After the two sides separated from their meeting at Tramareu area, it was the Cambodian side that started opening fire, said the Thai army spokesman.

After the Thai soldiers did hear the shooting from the Cambodian side, they did fire back, said Colonel Sansern.

Meanhwile, Phay Siphan, Cambodian spokesman of the Council of Ministers, said the crossfire occurred around 07:15 local time (0015GMT), after a number of Thai soldiers trespassed on the Eagle Field, a piece of Cambodian soil.

According to a report by the website of Thai-language newspaper Thai Rath, the Cambodian soldiers claimed the shooting from their side was the accident.

By mid-Friday there was no report of casualty from the two sides.

On Thursday a Thai soldier during his patrol task stepped on a landmine and lost a leg at Tramareu area, and it was suspected that the landmine was planted by the Cambodian soldiers, Colonel Sansern said.

Tramareu area, which is around one kilometer from Preah Vihear temple, is in Kantalak district of Thailand's northeastern province of Sisaket, according to the Thai army spokesman.

In July last year, the tension over the long-disputed territory of the two countries started after the 11th century Preah Vihear temple at the border was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

The two countries' troops clashed in the area in October and four soldiers died. The border dispute has not been resolved during subsequent talks by the two countries.

The two neighboring countries have never fully demarcated their disputed border, due partly to landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

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Thai, Cambodian army officers hold talks after border gunfire [-Thai troops deliberately provoking Cambodian soldiers?]

BANGKOK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Local-level Thai army officers were in the process to hold talk with those of Cambodian army officers after the two sides exchanged gunfire briefly early Friday morning on a disputed border area, Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern Khaewkamnerd said.
The exchange of gunfire occurred after Thai soldiers went to tell around 20 Cambodian soldiers, who were at Tramareu area that Tramareu [Veal Entry in Khmer] belongs to Thailand, so they should not have entered, the Thai army spokesman told Xinhua during a telephone interview.

After the two sides separated from their meeting at Tramareu area, it was the Cambodian side that started opening fire, said the Thai army spokesman.

After the Thai soldiers did hear the shooting from the Cambodian side, they did fire back, said Colonel Sansern.

Meanhwile, Phay Siphan, Cambodian spokesman of the Council of Ministers, said the crossfire occurred around 07:15 local time (0015GMT), after a number of Thai soldiers trespassed on the Eagle Field, a piece of Cambodian soil.

According to a report by the website of Thai-language newspaper Thai Rath, the Cambodian soldiers claimed the shooting from their side was the accident.

By mid-Friday there was no report of casualty from the two sides.

On Thursday a Thai soldier during his patrol task stepped on a landmine and lost a leg at Tramareu area, and it was suspected that the landmine was planted by the Cambodian soldiers, Colonel Sansern said.

Tramareu area, which is around one kilometer from Preah Vihear temple, is in Kantalak district of Thailand's northeastern province of Sisaket, according to the Thai army spokesman.

In July last year, the tension over the long-disputed territory of the two countries started after the 11th century Preah Vihear temple at the border was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

The two countries' troops clashed in the area in October and four soldiers died. The border dispute has not been resolved during subsequent talks by the two countries.

The two neighboring countries have never fully demarcated their disputed border, due partly to landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

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Khieu Samphan's appeal against pre-trial detention

So Socheath, wife of a former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan, walks into the court room for a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. The U.N.-backed genocide tribunal on Friday opens a hearing of the pre-trial detention of Khieu Samphan who was charged of war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)
Former Khmer Rouge President Khieu Samphan sits in the dock before Cambodia's genocide tribunal rules on an appeal against his third pre-trial detention, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Khieu Samphan is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
REUTERS/Heng Sinith/Pool
Khieu Samphan, a former Khmer Rouge head of state, looks on during a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. Khieu Samphan is charged with war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)
Khieu Samphan, a former Khmer Rouge head of state, touches microphone as he sits in a dock during a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. The U.N.-backed genocide tribunal on Friday opens a hearing of the pre-trial detention of Khieu Samphan who was charged of war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)
French lawyer, Jacques Verges, lawyer to Khieu Samphan, a former Khmer Rouge head of state, looks on during a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. The U.N.-backed genocide tribunal on Friday opens a hearing of the pre-trial detention of Khieu Samphan who was charged of war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)

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Khieu Samphan's appeal against pre-trial detention

So Socheath, wife of a former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan, walks into the court room for a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. The U.N.-backed genocide tribunal on Friday opens a hearing of the pre-trial detention of Khieu Samphan who was charged of war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)
Former Khmer Rouge President Khieu Samphan sits in the dock before Cambodia's genocide tribunal rules on an appeal against his third pre-trial detention, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Khieu Samphan is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
REUTERS/Heng Sinith/Pool
Khieu Samphan, a former Khmer Rouge head of state, looks on during a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. Khieu Samphan is charged with war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)
Khieu Samphan, a former Khmer Rouge head of state, touches microphone as he sits in a dock during a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. The U.N.-backed genocide tribunal on Friday opens a hearing of the pre-trial detention of Khieu Samphan who was charged of war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)
French lawyer, Jacques Verges, lawyer to Khieu Samphan, a former Khmer Rouge head of state, looks on during a hearing at the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, April 3, 2009. The U.N.-backed genocide tribunal on Friday opens a hearing of the pre-trial detention of Khieu Samphan who was charged of war crime and crime against humanity. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, Pool)

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