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Cambodian
soldiers stand guard near the Thai-Cambodia border in Samrong in Oddar
Meanchey province. Fighting appears to have subsided on the
Thai-Cambodian border, according to officials, allowing some evacuees to
return home after more than a week of heavy clashes which left 17
people dead.
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Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is preparing to establish a legal team to deal with Cambodia's move to seek International Court of Justice (ICJ) clarification over its 1962 ruling on the Preah Vihear Temple.
The premier will raise the issue with his Cabinet at its meeting tomorrow.
A military source, meanwhile, disclosed that in the face of the
military build-up near the Prasat Ta Kwai and Prasat Ta Muan Thom on
Cambodian soil, Thai Army chief General Prayut Chan-ocha ordered that
reinforcements be readied to boost the Thai military strength in the
border areas. It added that the rapid-deployment force from the First
Army Region was among the chosen reinforcement units.
The border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has spiralled into
clashes from time to time in recent years after Cambodia unilaterally
sought to get the Preah Vihear Temple inscribed as a world-heritage site
on its soil.
Now, Cambodia has also asked the ICJ to clarify its 1962 ruling over the ancient Hindu temple.
Speaking at the "Confidence in Thailand with PM Abhisit" programme
yesterday, the premier said the ICJ had already officially received a
petition from Cambodia. "But Thailand has not yet received any official
document regarding the matter," he added.
In 1962, the ICJ ruled that "the temple of Preah Vihear is situated
on territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia", after which Bangkok has
argued that the court ruled only that the sandstone ruins belong to
Cambodia while the areas surrounding the Hindu temple belong to
Thailand.
DEALING WITH P PENH'S PETITION
During an interview with media later yesterday, Abhisit said Thailand
would now have to form a legal team to deal with Cambodia's petition to
the ICJ.
Asked whether he would have a discussion with Cambodian Prime
Minister Hun Sen, Abhisit said he would wait to hear what the legal team
has to say first.
The Asean summit will take place in Indonesia between May 6 and May
8. The Thai and Cambodian prime ministers are scheduled to attend the
event.
The border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand has been heating up
in recent weeks with clashes reported every now and then. The latest
flare-up began at around 11pm on Saturday, first with gunshots and then
hand-grenades and rocket-propelled grenades.
SPORADIC CLASHES
Between 1am and 2am yesterday, M-79 grenades were fired into Prasat
Ta Kwai. Both sides then used grenades against each other for about 20
minutes, after which only small-arms fire was traded sporadically until
7am.
The clashes stretched to Prasat Ta Muan Thom, injuring two Thai
soldiers. Both were sent to the Phanom Dong Rak Hospital for treatment.
The Forward Operations Centre of the Second Army Region yesterday
disclosed that since the fresh border fighting started last month, seven
Thai soldiers and one Thai civilian were killed. The clashes also left
120 Thai soldiers and seven Thai civilians injured. Up to 11 houses were
damaged.
To date, 42,804 people in border villages in Surin and Buri Ram have been evacuated.
At an evacuation centre in Surin's Prasat district, two women died
after developing life-threatening symptoms yesterday. Rayya Saengtawan,
42, was feverish and had difficulty breathing before she passed away at
the centre. The other, 76-year-old Tong Khantiwong, was rushed to the
hospital but finally succumbed there.
An informed source said Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan was now
trying to arrange ceasefire talks via his Cambodian counterpart Tea Banh
and also to push for the General Border Committee (GBC) meeting because
he wanted the fighting to stop.
"He wants it to end because prolonged clashes have hurt people of both countries," the source said.
Because of the fighting, Chong Chom and Chong Sangam border crossings
have been closed for more than 10 days. Border trade there has come to a
complete halt.
"This is too bad. To some people, border trade means their
livelihood," Nitit Buajan said. He is a tyre seller in the border
province of Surin.
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