Are retirees moving to the new DTV visa - anybody done it?

[stepenwolf1958]

Probably the Russians. Knowing how fond of Thailand America is, it wouldn't be surprising for Russia to be financing Cambodia.

I don't think the Cambodians will be able to maintain this rate, they'll be soon short in ammunition.

Who supplies Cambodia with this ammunition ?

Very possible, but indirectly, Russia. Directly, if we should believe the stories of Thais, it is Vietnam, in this case.

Again, the probability that this is just a way Russia intervene and the Russians have reason-extradition of Viktor Bout America. But, in my opinion this is not the case. It is more like 2 stubborn roosters. Especially Thai side.

[stepenwolf1958]

Such a tragic shame that this is happening in Surin, where 70% of the population is made up of the ancient Khmers residing on land the Thais colonized...

Here! Here!

The land belongs to the Khmer people, not the Cambodians or the Thais. Similar situation to Wales in the UK. The people of this area speak Khmer, and not Cambodian or Thai as a mother tongue. Cambodian is only 20% similar in language to Khmer. I say that Thailand and Cambodia should give all the lands back to the Khmer people.

In that case that would not be just and only Surin area as Thailand should to give back to ancient Khemrs 13 provinces which belongs today to Thailand.

Going so far in past, about to make revision of boundaries would be worse madness than it was with Serbia - Bosnia - Croatia war. Pure madness.

[midas]

They said this yesterday :-

" Cambodian soldiers fired with assault rifles at Thailand first and now they started to shell us with artillery and we took appropriate retaliation," Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon told AFP."

Is this true .....and why would Cambodia chose to do this now ? Am i being too cynical to question if there is any link between this outbreak and the announcement this week " Thai Prime Minister AbhisitVejjajiva said on Friday parliament would be dissolved by the first week of May "

[DP25]

The people of this area speak Khmer, and not Cambodian or Thai as a mother tongue.

As of the 2000 census 47% of the population of Surin Province can speak Khmer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surin_Province#Demographics

[stepenwolf1958]

09:40

it's getting hot.....

they're firing less frequently now.

dropped down to 5-10 shells per minute.

perhaps the bilateral "somtam-prahok" break :/

That is worse than i saw in Bosnia. More frequently even this what you said as dropping down. Still hell of a fire and we saw in Bosnia as daily events but not so frequently like this.

[stepenwolf1958]

I observed the Thai artillery at Soi 13 school from about 9:30am to 11:30am. They were firing M-11 rockets at regular intervals and judging from the empty casings they had fired about 100 as of 11:30 am. They were also unloading hundreds more and preparing to fire them. There were three howitzers and they seemed to use different co ordinates every time they fired.

No-one I spoke to had seen or heard any artillery coming from Cambodia but I wasn't actually allowed into Phanom Dong Rak itself.

Great Photos James.

Just a point..... Isn't there a B2,000 fine for littering?

I can remember them shelling across the border near Kap Choeng and Bahn Pahnom Dong Rak back in '94 - '97 at our favorite picnic spot at the reservoir near Kap Choeng. In those days the Cambodians were fighting Pol Pot and shells were coming across the border as Pol Pot's Army were trying to escape the shelling. The Thai Army in turn were defending their territory.

This positioning of the arms is very carelessly. So big area of clear land around weapons and if the Cambodians line of fire is placed against the line of Thais on this picture, this people would not be long lived.

But as OP said there were no sound of Cambodian back fire. So this looks like show.

[Steely Dan]

This is pure speculation at the moment, but when does a limited military skirmish with political overtones become something more?

Given the premise that the army to a degree acts independantly to the politicians I would start to suspect that any forthcoming election (and perhaps democracy) will be put on ice if the clashes escalate.

[PhoenixRising]

The Thai's have never been in a real war yet Cambodia was for a long time I know who my money would be on.

What are you talking about? Thailand has fought many wars throughout it's history. The very beginning of the Kingdom of Siam (what is now understood as Thailand) started from a huge war with the Khmer Kingdom. There are just too many battles since then to mention here, but I will bring up the fact that Thailand has had many battles with Cambodia, especially during the Khmer Rouge time, and Thailand had no trouble bombing the bejuseus out of them, driving them back.

[PhoenixRising]

Probably the Russians. Knowing how fond of Thailand America is, it wouldn't be surprising for Russia to be financing Cambodia.

I don't think the Cambodians will be able to maintain this rate, they'll be soon short in ammunition.

Who supplies Cambodia with this ammunition ?

Don't know about Russia, but I know for a fact that North Korea definately supplies Cambodia!

[webfact]

More than 25,000 Thai villagers evacuated

Surin - Following the second day of fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops, over 25,000 Thais have been evacuated from villages along the border in Phanom Dongrak district here.

Officials said the villagers were evacuated to six temporary shelters.

-- The Nation 2011-04-23

[webfact]

Phnom Penh alleges Thai F-16 warplanes staged mock attack runs on Cambodian positions

Phnom Penh - Thai and Cambodian troops clashed Saturday in the second day of fighting near a disputed temple on their common border in a conflict that has already claimed at least seven dead and 19 injured.

"Fighting started at 6:15 am (2315 GMT Friday), but no casualties have been reported yet," said Thai army deputy spokeswoman Colonel Sirijan Nathong.

"We're still investigating who started it," she said. "They are using artillery but the fighting is not as heavy as yesterday's."

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan again blamed Thai forces for instigating the clashes, which he confirmed were taking place in the same area as Friday's fighting. He said there was no word on casualties.

Phay Siphan said Thai F-16 warplanes were staging mock attack runs on Cambodian positions.

"This time we have seen on a number of occasions Thai F-16 airplanes. This time they are not just doing reconnaissance, but air support, but they have not dropped bombs," he said.

He said thousands of Cambodian civilians had fled the area for locations 60 kilometres from the border.

-- The Nation 2011-04-23

[webfact]

One Thai troop killed, 11 others injured in 2nd day of skirmish

Surin - One Thai troop was killed and 11 others injured when fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops resumed Saturday morning.

The clash resumed at 6 am near the Ta Kwai Temple in Phanom Dongrak district.

The two sides then exchanged artillery and mortar fires and the fighting escalated along the borderline until the Ta Muen Thom Temple.

Private Somkid Somsri, a ranger, was killed. The 11 injured troops were rushed to the district hospital and forwarded to the provincial hospital.

-- The Nation 2011-04-23

[stepenwolf1958]

The Thai's have never been in a real war yet Cambodia was for a long time I know who my money would be on.

What are you talking about? Thailand has fought many wars throughout it's history. The very beginning of the Kingdom of Siam (what is now understood as Thailand) started from a huge war with the Khmer Kingdom. There are just too many battles since then to mention here, but I will bring up the fact that Thailand has had many battles with Cambodia, especially during the Khmer Rouge time, and Thailand had no trouble bombing the bejuseus out of them, driving them back.

Battles or border clashes is not same as real war, i think that was the point of Englishinsima, and he is right about modern history of Thailand. Since the reign of Rama III and his dying words that there will be no more wars with Champa(Vietnam) or Burma but with western countries...etc; Thailand was not in war. Not in real one.

[thaifrelst]

Give both government members a knife each and find a field where they can settle their stupid brain dead war them selves. Dont kill more innocent people.

[PhoenixRising]

I would suggest if the Thai side is rejecting the observers for some hidden reason, let Indonesia send them to remain on the Cambo side of the border and observe from there.

They will soon enough be able to see who is the agressor and who is the liar.

No doubt that there are plenty of observers who have been looking at this for a long time from sattelites. They don't need anyone on the ground to observe!

[finnomick]

Three and a quarter hours of artillery fire. Much bigger than yesterday because our windows and roller-shutter doors rattled with every salvo. Also heard something firing in salvos of four rounds at a time and very frequently. After the firing had ceased, about 9:30 am, we saw a four wheeler truck heading towards the border with Red Cross aid packages, an emergency generator truck, three convoys of aid including bottled water and a couple of Press vehicles. About an hour or so later, a convoy of government vehicles came back the other way with police escort. Probably the big-wigs who had given out the emergency aid in front of the cameras. Maybe tonight this altercation will be on the news but there didn't seem to be any mention of it last night. Obviously Channel 7 don't think this kind of occurance is worth broadcasting. We've still got the bags packed and the truck full of fuel -- just in case......

More news as we see and hear it

[Thaddeus]

"We're still investigating who started it," she said. "They are using artillery but the fighting is not as heavy as yesterday's."

<snip>

Phay Siphan said Thai F-16 warplanes were staging mock attack runs on Cambodian positions.

"This time we have seen on a number of occasions Thai F-16 airplanes. This time they are not just doing reconnaissance, but air support, but they have not dropped bombs," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-04-23

The amount of munitions used today is far higher than yesterday, more frequency over a longer duration.

If there had been any F-16's doing anything in the area, unless they went a very long way round, I'm sure that one of us would have seen or heard them and reported here as such.

[finnomick]

Just as an afterthought -- can people who are nowhere near the conflict stop posting mindless and irrelevant cr*p and let those of us who are here post relevant information ???

[Scott]

I will go back and clean out some of the off-topic posts. We have continuously asked people to stay on topic since this is a significant problem for people in the area/headed to the area/making visa runs etc.

Please, stay on the topic.

[PhoenixRising]

The Thai's have never been in a real war yet Cambodia was for a long time I know who my money would be on.

What are you talking about? Thailand has fought many wars throughout it's history. The very beginning of the Kingdom of Siam (what is now understood as Thailand) started from a huge war with the Khmer Kingdom. There are just too many battles since then to mention here, but I will bring up the fact that Thailand has had many battles with Cambodia, especially during the Khmer Rouge time, and Thailand had no trouble bombing the bejuseus out of them, driving them back.

Battles or border clashes is not same as real war, i think that was the point of Englishinsima, and he is right about modern history of Thailand. Since the reign of Rama III and his dying words that there will be no more wars with Champa(Vietnam) or Burma but with western countries...etc; Thailand was not in war. Not in real one.

I think people really need to read up more on their history of Thailand. I know this is a bit off-topic, but since there is a direct relationship with the battles going on today, I'll go ahead and post these links for anyone who is interested in the history:

Thailand WWII

http://countrystudie...thailand/21.htm

Franco-Thai War

http://en.wikipedia....Franco-Thai_War

http://en.wikipedia....32%E2%80%931973)

I'll also add that the insurgency in the South of Thailand could be deemed a 'real war.' Furthermore, Thai troops have also fought in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Are those real wars? Not to mention the Korean War.

Edited April 23, 2011 by PhoenixRising

[auserb]

i have a child with Thai Lady. Can I have this child to carry my surname, we are not married. If so please let me know how

thank you so much

[geovalin]

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Renewed fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops on the countries' disputed border has killed at least 10 soldiers and kept thousands of civilians out of their homes.

Officials from both countries said fighting that lasted several hours Friday resumed Saturday, and at least 10 soldiers had died over the two days. The fighting continued most of the morning and involved mostly long-distance shelling but also use of small arms.

Cambodia also accused the Thai Army of firing shells with poison gas, an allegation which could not be independently verified and was rejected by Thailand.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Thailand-Cambodia-clash-2nd-day-toll-rises-to-10-1349245.php#ixzz1KKodBTEP

[webfact]

members who continue to post off-topic will be suspended without further notice.

//Admin

[diehard60]

Deputy PM Suthep says Thailand does not want to go to war with Cambodia and does not want 3rd party to intervene in conflict

/TAN_Network

I wonder why?????????????

[h90]

0830....still firing

windows are shaking more frequently.

150 minutes with at least 40 artillery shells per minute.....do the math

odd thought comes to mind:

anyone else experienced the silence (on both sides) from 0800 to 0802 while the national anthem was on tv?

If Thailand is firing like this and Cambodia also, why aren't there hundreds of deads? Or are they just firing just somewhere without target?

[Thaddeus]

If there had been any F-16's doing anything in the area, unless they went a very long way round, I'm sure that one of us would have seen or heard them and reported here as such.

No, not if they were up high enough. You'd never know. I've seen enough airshows with F-16s to know this. They are pretty quiet until they get down right on top of you.

But the news article states.

Phay Siphan said Thai F-16 warplanes were staging mock attack runs on Cambodian positions

Have you seen any F-16's do a mock attack run at 30,000 ft.

[cdnvic]

I'll remind you for the last time. No talk about specifics of troops, aircraft, or units operating in the area.

[rubl]

Have you seen any F-16's do a mock attack run at 30,000 ft.

I must admit my eyes are not what they used to be. Minor details start to escape me when they are more then 50 feet away

[Credo]

If there are any people in the conflict area, do you have any updates? Has it quieted down? Are villagers returning?

[midas]

who to believe ?

"Cambodian soldiers fired with assault rifles at Thailand first and now they started to shell us with artillery and we took appropriate retaliation," Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon "

AFP.

or

" Pich Sokhin, provincial governor of Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, said clashes erupted at around 6:30 a.m. (7:30 a.m. EST) in areas around the Ta Moan and Ta Krabei temples. The fighting is still going on and the Thais fired at us first," Pich Sokhin said."

http://www.theusdaily.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=1461644&type=World

Edited April 23, 2011 by midas