Thai Troops Enter Disputed Territory On Thai-cambodian Border

[Gary A]

I have a Thai friend who takes this situation VERY seriously. He is an educated Thai who speaks English complete with slang expressions. I mention that to dispel the idea that maybe there was any misunderstanding. He says the situation is very tense and that fighting could easily break out. He also says that Thailand DOES have a legitimate claim on part of that temple land. He reinforces his point by telling me to just look at the map and to think in logical terms. He also says that Thaksin has a financial interest in the area and most of that interest lays in Cambodia itself.

[gorshar]

A report from the other side.

My Thai wife and I live in Siem Reap. There are a couple of hundred Thais living here and a much larger Thai expat community exists in Phnom Penh. For what it's worth not a single Cambodian has said, done, or in any way brought this Preah Vihear nonsense to my wife's attention. No one has harassed her, bothered her, annoyed her, or made unflattering comments - which she would understand, her Khmer is pretty good these days...

While she does feel there is a border issue to work out, her opinion of the temple is that is Khmer, belongs to Cambodia, and Thailand and the Thai people should have been congratulating Cambodia for its World Heritage listing, not launching protests. She said something along the lines of "Are our people so stupid of their own culture they can't tell the difference between a Khmer temple and a Thai temple? Let Cambodia have it, it belongs to them."

It seems every time we are back in Bangkok and my wife tells another Thai she lives/works in Cambodia the reaction is almost always the same... "Are you afraid?" "Why don't you do business in a nice country like Laos?" "Is there still a war?" "How often do you get robbed?" "Do they do black magic on you?" The ignorance goes on and on.

Four years over here and even my wife now is disgusted with the ignorance of Thai people about Cambodia. And she's not a convert. She doesn't want to live here and complains about it every week. But at least she understands it. If only the 60,000,000 Thais who don't have experience in Cambodia might start to do the same. But that would require changes to the educational system and admitting things like Thai culture is derivative of Khmer culture and who knows if ever when the Thai government will allow that truth to be told...

But if anyone's wondering, here today, Cambodia remains perfectly safe for Thais.

[HAL9000]

France is not in the way anymore so why not want it back.

Thai concessions to France on Khmer border

maps below.

This is the kind of thinking that causes wars. How many lives have been lost throughout history because of territory disputes?

We might all have peace if everyone would be content with the land they have and the borders as they are.

What difference does it make whether the temple is in Cambodia or Thailand? As long as there is peace, tourists come and go from both sides and everyone is happy. Maybe the Cambodians who live there would prefer the prosperity of belonging to Thailand. Thailand certainly won't be any richer collecting taxes from the tourist booths which probably don't have enough income to pay taxes anyway.

[animatic]

It's like Northern Ireland

Somewhat. Missing is the well defined religious split,

but it does have the 1,000 years of battles lost and occasionally won.

Though Ireland also has 'honor' issues,

the huge intractable issue here is asian 'FACE'.

These guys are often MORE interested in saving face,

both vs the neighbor and as part of their power base / local world,

and dam_n the torpedos to all else.

Power is face here.

Money helps keep power,

but this place runs on the leaders addiction to power.

This is an over-riding issue on the Mallay south regions too.

Bangkok 'leaders' can't be perceived to lose face, not matter

HOW MUCH they, or their people, could benefit from some flexibility.

As mentioned many times thisis a distraction from high crimes and mis-demenors.

Sure PAD used the blatantly illegal signing of that letter of agreement / mini treaty

as another pretext to get Thaksin's minions away from the wheel of the ship of state

before they sink it. Of course they would it's a good charge.

The cabinet hasn't even read the constitution enough to know

what the foreign ministers powers actually are...

hello, who's fault is that, not PAD's.

And VERY inidicative of the current guys running the show.

All their available Foreign ministery lawyers, and no one noticed he couldn't do that.

All the Cabinets lawyers and no one there noticed...

No one cared about reading the rule book.

Lets just change it not read it first...

The people voted it IS the rule book for the moment.

So finally the press has been used to foment a nationalist 'crisis,

without much thought to Cambodia's coming election, so rather than

a mini internal powerplay and social distraction, we are getting a

gotta save face saber rattling duel between two neighbors,

over essentially one good sniper outpost and an ancient Wat tourist site.

Army likes it because they gain some power back.

Maybe better financing for the August budget decisions

Samak likes it because he looks tough, always good face.

He'd rather look tough than right.

PAD likes it because it actually backs up their position to impeach

since it MUST be true about the idiotic joint message's illegality.

Samak likes it again because a war brings people together

around the CURRENT government... for awhile,

and makes those trying to remove them look less patriotic. He hopes.

And it is a distraction from the press totting up his lists of malfeasances...

And his bosses...

Problem is it can easily spin out if control.

Samak is NOT by any means a savy, controlled, diplomatic, negociator.

He is a brash, arm twisting, old school, Bangkok, political street brawler,

prone to slap first, as a pre-emptive strike to even the mildest affront to his desires...

Not exactly the man you want with the finger on the button in a situation like this, n'est pas?

Hun Sen was crafty enough to survive Pol Pot.... two old devils faced off with high

political stakes in both arena's and honor and power at stake,

NOT good to look weak in ANY WAY for their nationalistic power bases.

I am glad I live on the OTHER side of this country....

An old RPG can take out a bunch of guys and a jeep no problem,

and that only takes one fool with a itchy finger aimed at a platoon;

OOPS! and it all spirals down the drain for months or worse.

Already had one land mine incident,

a little too much Lao Kao and were in the poop...

And those special troops don't look like your typical doing national service kid either..

pretty hard bunch, can't say how bright... but if they didn't make regulsar army... hmmm

Where are my worry beads...

Of course the nationalism can get turned on farangs in general.

But this is more an asian vs asian face saving,

and local power-base massaging excersize... so far.

[HAL9000]

I thought the Victory Monument in BKK was reference to the Thais who died in WW1. Apparently Thailand was a combatant? Could be wrong..

In checking the historical validity of the Thai movie, First Flight, I found this article on Thailand's participation in WWI:

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/thailand.htm

It confirms a monument in Bangkok lists the names of Thai dead in WWI. Perhaps it is a different monument?

[sriracha john]

Standoff 'could last years'

Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niempradit and Cambodian Defence Minister Teah Banh are heading to Aranyaprathet for talks, aware that they will not bring an immediate end to the Preah Vihear temple row. The meeting, coordinated by the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC), will for now focus on easing military tensions on the border. The GBC is chaired by the defence ministers of both nations, but PM and Defence Minister Samak has assigned Boonsrang to lead Thai negotiators. "The government wanted people who are on the same page to attend the meeting," a government source said of Samak's decision. *funny phrasing that infers Samak doesn't know the name of the book, let alone what page everyone else is on* One issue complicating today's much anticipated meeting is the Cambodian general election due on Sunday. PM Hun Sen looks set to lead his Cambodian People's Party to another victory. But he could lose credibility during the last lap of the campaign if the Cambodian military withdraws from the overlapping zone, the source said. Boonsrang indicated that the focus of the talks will be on ensuring the military stand-off at the border does not escalate into a full-blown conflict. Samak acknowledged in his weekly televised address that resolving ownership of the "no man's land" would take time.

Suranaree Task Force commander Kanok Nettarakawaysana said he did not expect any definite answers to come out of today's meeting and said the army is prepared for a long stand-off until a solution is reached.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/tops...s.php?id=128969

[stumonster]

I thought the Victory Monument in BKK was reference to the Thais who died in WW1. Apparently Thailand was a combatant? Could be wrong..

In checking the historical validity of the Thai movie, First Flight, I found this article on Thailand's participation in WWI:

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/thailand.htm

It confirms a monument in Bangkok lists the names of Thai dead in WWI. Perhaps it is a different monument?

thanks for that link - It is very good for this board when someone is helpful with information such as this

A war memorial was erected in honour of the troops and stands in Sanam Luang park in Bangkok. Inscribed are the names of the 19 soldiers killed in action on the Western Front.

[AGareth2]

Another hand of cards in an attempt to destabilise the govt

[Plus]

The stand off is focused on the disputed territory that up until now Cambodians were allowed to use freely - they reportedly set up villages and even a temple there.

Looks like from their point of view that land is theirs, especially after the World Heritage Listing.

Thais think that since they lost the temple, Cambodians have no rights over anything else in that area.

This status quo worked for decades, but what changed now is the skewed listing that tipped the balance and brought up fresh confrontation about adjacent areas, as expected.

Wait until they form a seven country comittee where they can easily outvote Thailand on any issue regarding the management of the site - it's like an invitation to test Thai nationalism limits.

Maybe you can send your thanks on postcards to Thaksin (so he can forward them to Noppadon, his laywer).

[sriracha john]

Cambodia: Little Hope for Thai Talks

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia — Cambodia and Thailand will begin talks Monday aimed at resolving a lingering dispute over territory near an World Heritage Site temple, where more than 4,000 troops from the two sides have been deployed.

Cambodia's mission at the United Nations has submitted a letter to the Chairman of the Security Council and the Chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border," Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said Sunday.

"Cambodia is not asking for U.N. intervention. We still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides," the minister said.

Based on estimates by commanders and AP reporters on both sides of the border, more than 4,000 troops have been deployed around the temple and in the immediate border region since last Tuesday.

In his letter Friday to the Security Council, Cambodian U.N. Ambassador Sea Kosal said the action by Thai troops was aimed at creating "a de facto overlapping area that legally does not exist on Cambodian soil." A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday.

Opposing commanders and their troops have tried to defuse tensions, sometimes even sharing meals, snapping photographs and sleeping within easy sight of each other.

"Some of these soldiers (the Cambodians and the Thais) have known one another a long time and they have good relationships. The soldiers on both sides understand each other," Thai field commander Col. Chayan Huaysoongnern told reporters.

A Cambodian general, however, said he had little hope that the talks Monday between his government and Thailand would resolve the matter.

Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said Thai troops have deployed artillery about half a mile northeast of Preah Vihear temple.

"Regarding the talks tomorrow, we have little hope about the outcome," Chea Keo said, citing Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's insistence that the area around the Buddhist temple belongs to Thailand.

While urging both sides to exercise restraint, Samak wrote in a letter to Hun Sen that a settlement of Cambodians in the area constituted "a continued violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

- Associated Press

Edited July 21, 2008 by sriracha john

[seri thai]

I thought the Victory Monument in BKK was reference to the Thais who died in WW1. Apparently Thailand was a combatant? Could be wrong..

In checking the historical validity of the Thai movie, First Flight, I found this article on Thailand's participation in WWI:

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/thailand.htm

It confirms a monument in Bangkok lists the names of Thai dead in WWI. Perhaps it is a different monument?

thanks for that link - It is very good for this board when someone is helpful with information such as this

A war memorial was erected in honour of the troops and stands in Sanam Luang park in Bangkok. Inscribed are the names of the 19 soldiers killed in action on the Western Front.

Here's another useful link: http://www.wikipedia.org/

dial in "victory" monument or "democracy" monument (my italics) to discover more about the perils of nationalism

even better is googlepedia if you ignore Bill Gates and use a firefox browser: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2517

This opens wiki encyclopedia in a side bar whenever you gogle a subject.

I would guide Thai Visa users to these useful resources so they can make more educated contributions to some forum subjects before getting flamed!

[thaiwalker]

"This is the kind of thinking that causes wars. How many lives have been lost throughout history because of territory disputes?

We might all have peace if everyone would be content with the land they have and the borders as they are.

What difference does it make whether the temple is in Cambodia or Thailand? As long as there is peace, tourists come and go from both sides and everyone is happy. Maybe the Cambodians who live there would prefer the prosperity of belonging to Thailand. Thailand certainly won't be any richer collecting taxes from the tourist booths which probably don't have enough income to pay taxes anyway."

true enough but here's one word why it is... money

Edited July 21, 2008 by thaiwalker

[sabaijai]

I have a Thai friend who takes this situation VERY seriously. He is an educated Thai who speaks English complete with slang expressions. I mention that to dispel the idea that maybe there was any misunderstanding. He says the situation is very tense and that fighting could easily break out. He also says that Thailand DOES have a legitimate claim on part of that temple land. He reinforces his point by telling me to just look at the map and to think in logical terms. He also says that Thaksin has a financial interest in the area and most of that interest lays in Cambodia itself.

Your friend is correct on all three counts.

[Scott]

Somebody asked "What does it matter?" Well, it matters, just let your neighbor decide to move his fence or wall onto your property. Believe me, it starts to matter.

This certainly doesn't matter to me, but it sure seems to matter to Thai people and Cambodians.

[Richie1971]

There are Thai troops in my G/F's village which is about 30km from the site - they are preparing for something - (They were never there before)

[sriracha john]

Chalerm Incorporated

Interior Minister instructs Sisaket Governor to explain Preah Vihear matter to local people

Interior Minister Chalerm Yubamrung instructed the Governor of Sisaket province to explain the Preah Vihear issue to local people and expressed his confidence that the relations between Thailand and Cambodia remain strong.

The Minister said further that he has asked the Governor to keep a close watch on local people to prevent confrontations with Cambodians in the province. He has also instructed district chiefs and community leaders to make people understand that democracy allows divergence of opinions and the Preah Vihear matter is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Chalerm said he believed that violence in unlikely to take place. However, the Minister refused to express an opinion concerning the speculation that clashes over the Preah Vihear issue were staged to create violence in the area.

- ThaiNews / 21-07-08

[Goshawk]

tv report a few of hours ago..

[sriracha john]

the build-up continues even as talks begin...

Thailand, Cambodia border dispute talks underway as reinforcements grow

BANGKOK, July 21 (TNA) - Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit left the Thai capital early Monday to meet with Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh for talks beginning at 10am on the Thai-Cambodian border in an attempt to find a peaceful solution to the two countries' border conflict over the disputed Preah Vihear temple.

The Thai supreme commander declined to give comments to reporters prior to his departure for the talks.

Despite commitment to a peaceful resolution of the standoff, Thailand now has some 1,500 military personnel and border patrol police officers reinforcing security on roads in Soi Dao and Pong Nam Ron districts, bordering Cambodia.

Police checkpoints were also set up to conduct search on vehicles passing through the area, while more troops were in place at border passes around the clock.

Gen. Boonsang was assigned by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to lead the Thai delegation to Monday's session of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) at Sa Kaeo on the Thai-Cambodian border to discuss issues concerning the Preah Vihear temple situation with Cambodia.

The talks will be held as troop movements from both countries are raising the level of armed readiness on both sides of the border in the vicinity of the 11th century temple which was awarded World Heritage site status by UNESCO earlier this month.

The Thai supreme commander declined to give comments to reporters prior to his departure.

Gen. Boonsang said earlier he could not yet say whether the Thai troops stationed near Preah Vihear will be withdrawn as requested by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last week in a diplomatic note sent to his Thai counterpart.

"It is better to wait for the outcome of the meeting first," Gen. Boonsang said, noting that "the Thai military will not employ violence to solve this problem." Instead, the military would use peaceful means in solving the border crisis. Both countries have claimed sovereignty over a 4.6 square kilometre area adjacent to the temple.

In Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia have stolen the limelight from ASEAN's foreign ministers as the regional organisation opened its annual working session on Sunday. "Both sides affirmed that they would abide by their ASEAN and international obligations," Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said in a statement. The two Association of South East Asian Nations neighbours pledged "to exert their utmost efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue."

Mr. Yeo said that Thailand and Cambodia would expend every possibility to resolve the border conflict at the disputed ancient Hindu temple.

The opening of the ASEAN meet was meant to be a time of celebration of accomplishment and possibility as Thailand moves into the chairmanship of the organisation later this week. *which will be interesting given their rather isolated anti-Aung San Su Kyi position*

[poonsin]

There are Thai troops in my G/F's village which is about 30km from the site - they are preparing for something - (They were never there before)

I think they prepare to check everthing is all right there.

[sriracha john]

Tight Security along Thai-Cambodian Border as 2 Neighbors Discuss Land Dispute

Thailand and Cambodia have increased their security forces along the border in preparations for possible outbreak of violence as the meeting of both countries' border committees over Preah Vihear ends.

Today Thailand sent 12 trucks carrying military officers and three cannons to Khao Preah Vihear National Park, where the protest against the Preah Vihear listing has been going on.

Cambodia also launched a similar move, with more heavy artillery reportedly mobilized along the Thai-Cambodian border, surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple.

Security enforcements were made ahead of the two countries' border committee meeting in Sa Kaew province.

Sao Thong Chai Sub-District Administrative Organization Chairman Boonmee Bua-ton warned residents to stay away from the Thai-Cambodian border, especially as the land demarcation dispute is not yet settled, for fears of possible fallout from military clashes if today's talk fails to achieve any constructive solution.

Boonmee said that there is also an evacuation plan for Thai residents if the situation along the border worsens.

- Thailand Outlook

[Insight]

Ever thought that maybe conflict from the Thai side is the real intention right now? There's many divisions in Thailand now, and conflict can be used as an excuse to unite against a common cause (even considering the divided opinions on how this started)?

Wacky, I know, but that's never a reason to doubt it out here.

[Old Man River]

I thought the Victory Monument in BKK was reference to the Thais who died in WW1. Apparently Thailand was a combatant? Could be wrong..

In checking the historical validity of the Thai movie, First Flight, I found this article on Thailand's participation in WWI:

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/thailand.htm

It confirms a monument in Bangkok lists the names of Thai dead in WWI. Perhaps it is a different monument?

thanks for that link - It is very good for this board when someone is helpful with information such as this

A war memorial was erected in honour of the troops and stands in Sanam Luang park in Bangkok. Inscribed are the names of the 19 soldiers killed in action on the Western Front.

Here's another useful link: http://www.wikipedia.org/

dial in "victory" monument or "democracy" monument (my italics) to discover more about the perils of nationalism

even better is googlepedia if you ignore Bill Gates and use a firefox browser: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2517

This opens wiki encyclopedia in a side bar whenever you gogle a subject.

I would guide Thai Visa users to these useful resources so they can make more educated contributions to some forum subjects before getting flamed!

Thanks for the link. Admittedly, I should have included a link when I first mentioned the Victory Monument (which was alluded to in the BBC article I did give a link to). I never thought people would get so confused over what this monument was honoring since it is pretty well known (or I thought it was).

[Old Man River]

I have a Thai friend who takes this situation VERY seriously. He is an educated Thai who speaks English complete with slang expressions. I mention that to dispel the idea that maybe there was any misunderstanding. He says the situation is very tense and that fighting could easily break out. He also says that Thailand DOES have a legitimate claim on part of that temple land. He reinforces his point by telling me to just look at the map and to think in logical terms. He also says that Thaksin has a financial interest in the area and most of that interest lays in Cambodia itself.

Your friend is correct on all three counts.

This was brought up by the Democrats during the censure debate.

[samran]

Somebody asked "What does it matter?" Well, it matters, just let your neighbor decide to move his fence or wall onto your property. Believe me, it starts to matter.

This certainly doesn't matter to me, but it sure seems to matter to Thai people and Cambodians.

In and of itself, it probably doesn't matter much beyond bruised national pride. Although it could be argued the french drew a dodgy border line which goes against most principals where you draw a border along the watershed lines, what is done, is done. Eqaully, Thailand should have had the foresight to contest the validity of the map years ago, but it didn't.

So what you have left is Praeh Vihaer in the hands of the cambos (likey for good) and some disputed lands surrounding the temple which are still disputed. Again, these lands don't matter much, but for Thailand to foregoe their claims on this land takes away a bargaining chip Thailand may have in future when maritime borders are decided upon in the future.

A one degree agreed change from the shoreline in the angle of the seabed border brings with it thousands of new exclusive Thai maritime economic zone, with the right to explore and exploit any new oil, gas and fishing bounties that can be found. My understanding is that the sea boundry between Thailand and Cambodia are not entirely settled, and that gas and oil deposits may straddle the borders of both countries. So when it comes down to negotiating how to share the riches in the sea, having Praeh Vihear as one of your bargaining chips is alway good.

[sabaijai]

the build-up continues even as talks begin...

Thailand, Cambodia border dispute talks underway as reinforcements grow

BANGKOK, July 21 (TNA) - Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit left the Thai capital early Monday to meet with Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh for talks beginning at 10am on the Thai-Cambodian border in an attempt to find a peaceful solution to the two countries' border conflict over the disputed Preah Vihear temple.

The Thai supreme commander declined to give comments to reporters prior to his departure for the talks.

Despite commitment to a peaceful resolution of the standoff, Thailand now has some 1,500 military personnel and border patrol police officers reinforcing security on roads in Soi Dao and Pong Nam Ron districts, bordering Cambodia.

Police checkpoints were also set up to conduct search on vehicles passing through the area, while more troops were in place at border passes around the clock.

Gen. Boonsang was assigned by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to lead the Thai delegation to Monday's session of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) at Sa Kaeo on the Thai-Cambodian border to discuss issues concerning the Preah Vihear temple situation with Cambodia.

The talks will be held as troop movements from both countries are raising the level of armed readiness on both sides of the border in the vicinity of the 11th century temple which was awarded World Heritage site status by UNESCO earlier this month.

The Thai supreme commander declined to give comments to reporters prior to his departure.

Gen. Boonsang said earlier he could not yet say whether the Thai troops stationed near Preah Vihear will be withdrawn as requested by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last week in a diplomatic note sent to his Thai counterpart.

"It is better to wait for the outcome of the meeting first," Gen. Boonsang said, noting that "the Thai military will not employ violence to solve this problem." Instead, the military would use peaceful means in solving the border crisis. Both countries have claimed sovereignty over a 4.6 square kilometre area adjacent to the temple.

In Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia have stolen the limelight from ASEAN's foreign ministers as the regional organisation opened its annual working session on Sunday. "Both sides affirmed that they would abide by their ASEAN and international obligations," Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said in a statement. The two Association of South East Asian Nations neighbours pledged "to exert their utmost efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue."

Mr. Yeo said that Thailand and Cambodia would expend every possibility to resolve the border conflict at the disputed ancient Hindu temple.

The opening of the ASEAN meet was meant to be a time of celebration of accomplishment and possibility as Thailand moves into the chairmanship of the organisation later this week. *which will be interesting given their rather isolated anti-Aung San Su Kyi position*

I think it's a leap to say the government position is 'anti-Aung San Suu Kyi'. It's more like not wanting to get involved in their neighbour's domestic political affairs. As far as I know no one in the Thai government has publicly criticised or condemned ASSK.

[Nampeung]

Let's keep this on the issue chaps, Burma is another story

[Nampeung]

Check out this Al Jazeera video of the civilians on the border - pretty scary

[xenophon]

Lets not forget the old adage that foreign policy is simply domestic policy abroad. Irrespective of the right and wrong in this issue, it derives its energy clearly from Thai domestic politics.

Many nations have found that an outside threat is very useful in distracting the population from important local issues. Remember the confrontasi between Malaysia and Singapore, not to mention the constant accusation of external menace from various repressive regimes such as Burma, Iran and N. Korea.

I do think this situation could get out of control very easily given the vested interests of the army and the politicians – together with their incompetence and corruption. The real victims will inevitably be impoverished villagers on both sides of the border.

However, Thailand should not forget that last time it had a spat with a neighbour (tiny Laos), they got the #!!* kicked out of them. Better the army stick to what it is good at - marching and making money.

[roygsd]

I have a Thai friend who takes this situation VERY seriously. He is an educated Thai who speaks English complete with slang expressions. I mention that to dispel the idea that maybe there was any misunderstanding. He says the situation is very tense and that fighting could easily break out. He also says that Thailand DOES have a legitimate claim on part of that temple land. He reinforces his point by telling me to just look at the map and to think in logical terms. He also says that Thaksin has a financial interest in the area and most of that interest lays in Cambodia itself.

Your friend is correct on all three counts.

Hi

Sorry but in the original legal proccedings back around 1910 ish the judgement in favour of Combodia confirms that the matter was known to the thai authories at the highest level and therfore the thai effort to try to claim they were ignorant of the matter by passing the blame onto a thia junor administrator for failing to bring the matter to his superiors attention at the relevent time were dismissed.

I recall that a Thai Prince once made an official Royal visit to the site and was recieved as such by Cambodia, I think there is also documetary and photgraphic evidence that records that official Royal Visit by the Thai Prince to visit the Cambodian

site.

Roy gsd

[roygsd]

Chalerm Incorporated

Interior Minister instructs Sisaket Governor to explain Preah Vihear matter to local people

Interior Minister Chalerm Yubamrung instructed the Governor of Sisaket province to explain the Preah Vihear issue to local people and expressed his confidence that the relations between Thailand and Cambodia remain strong.

The Minister said further that he has asked the Governor to keep a close watch on local people to prevent confrontations with Cambodians in the province.

He has also instructed district chiefs and community leaders to "make people understand" that democracy allows divergence of opinions and the Preah Vihear matter is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Chalerm said he believed that violence in unlikely to take place. However, the Minister refused to express an opinion concerning the speculation that clashes over the Preah Vihear issue were staged to create violence in the area.

- ThaiNews / 21-07-08

Hi

Make Thai people Understand?

They convieniently forget that 5 years after the uprising in the south started they have yet to make them "understand" anything dispite all their military superiority,

More mirrors and smoke from BKK.

Roy gsd