Thai Army Satisfied With Border Situation After Peace Talk

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Army Satisfied with Border Situation after Peace Talk

The 2nd Army Region is considering permitting evacuees staying in shelters to return to their homes now that clashes at the Thai-Cambodian border have eased.

Second Army Region Spokesman Colonel Prawit Hu-kaew said there were skirmishes yet again last night and at the same time Cambodian espionage units and operations remain active near the Thai-Cambodian frontier, but tensions there have eased to satisfactory levels after yesterday's ceasefire talks between commanders.

Prawit said the Commander of Cambodia's 402 Brigade, Colonel Neak Wong, yesterday coordinated with the chief of the Thai infantry task force stationed at Ta Moen Tom Temple, Colonel Adul Bunthamchareon in working towards a ceasefire between the two countries' troops.

Prawit stated that the Cambodian commander agreed to withdraw all troops from the area around the temple beginning at 6 A.M. yesterday, while claiming that Cambodian forces have suffered severe damage.

Thai troops meanwhile sealed the entrance of the ancient temple with barbed wire fences and stepped up surveillance measures in nearby areas due to fears that the agreement is a trick by Cambodian forces.

Prawit then said that the negotiation between commanders was a good sign that Cambodia also intends to end the current conflict.

The spokesman confirmed reports that there were many Cambodian troop casualties due to the clashes, but dismissed suggestions that the ceasefire was the result of Cambodia's plea that they be able to remove soldiers' bodies from the battle zone at Ta Moen Thom Temple.

He said evacuees living at shelters will be allowed to return to their homes as soon as the border situation stabilizes.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-02

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Surin, Buriram gradually close evacuation centres as border situation eases

BANGKOK, May 2 - Surin and Buriram, two Thai provinces bordering Cambodia, have gradually closed their evacuation centres for local villagers centres as the residents are returning home as the border situation has eased, with no heavy weapons clashes taking place between Thai and Cambodia troops.

While Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva ordered the army to high alert at the Thai-Cambodian border as Cambodia is still using tactics to incite [incidents] and making sporadic attacks with small arms.

He added that the sniping and inciting by Cambodian troops could eventually lead to intensified clashes anytime so that the army must closely monitor situation.

Surin Governor Serm Chainarong said the province had closed 35 evacuation centres and provided transportation for some 44,000 villagers to return to their homes after the situation returned to normal.

He said that during the last four days, there were no heavy weapons in action on the Cambodian side.

In Buriram, Governor Thani Samartkij closed three evacuation centres following the clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops at Surin's Phanom Dong Rak district had eased with only small weapons fire being heard.

Villagers who fled the fighting to shelter at centres in Ban Kruat and Prakhon Chai districts have gradually returned to their homes. The province has closed three centres and six remaining centres are expected to be closed on Monday.

Mr Thani said six villagers were wounded from the fighting. Two homes were destroyed and 14 homes were damaged.

Meanwhile, minister attached to the prime minister's office Ongart Klampaiboon reiterated that during the border clashes between April 22- May 2, eight Thai soldiers were killed and 131 were wounded.

One civillian was killed in the while three died from congenital diseases at hospital in Surin, he said.

Mr Ongart said he has instructed Surin governor to build 169 additional bunkers in at-risk areas in the province. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-05-02

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Thousands return to homes on border

By The Nation

Published on May 3, 2011

Many evacuees have returned to their homes after border fighting in Surin died down over the past two days, and a few refugee shelters have been closed.

PM's Office Minister Ong-art Klampaiboon said yesterday that villagers had been ordered to leave the shelters by provincial authorities, after analyses by military and civilian agencies showed that the firing of light weapons at local spots would remain only sporadic. Troop mobilisations on both sides had also stopped, and force strength was not likely to be beefed up.

Field commanders agreed to a cease-fire starting at 4pm on Saturday, with Cambodia agreeing to withdraw from Ta Muen Thom and Ta Kwai temples in Surin, but exchanges were reported until 4am on Sunday.

Military spokesman Col Preeda Butrraj said about 14,000 Cambodian villagers had been armed as an extra force. "Given these fighters' lack of discipline, they regularly spark gunfights at their initiative," he said.

A military source claimed many career soldiers had left the frontline in violation of their superiors' orders, after realising that they had been used to serve personal gains, and had been given no promise about compensation for their families in case they were killed. Many had been demoralised by reports of the dead bodies of their comrades being abandoned while "many" outposts were being manned with new conscripts, after soldiers "deserted".

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, in an interview at a Bangkok hotel, said the border situation was now under control, and repeated that the skirmishes had been plotted by Cambodia as an excuse to seek sympathy in future demarcation talks with Thailand.

He cited a rumour that was spreading that Cambodian migrant workers had been killed in Thailand as a ploy to provoke confrontation.

Surin Governor Serm Chainarong declared a three-day observation period, beginning yesterday, before deciding whether to send home more residents or allow them to stay on at the 35 shelters in the province. Surin has been the prime arena of operations since border fighting erupted on April 21.

The weekend saw intermittent exchanges of small-arms fire, while shelling and rocket attacks ceased last Friday. No more casualties on Thailand's side have been reported but figures for Cambodia had been cited by Thai media, which could not be independently verified.

All nine shelters in neighbouring Buri Ram had closed, pending further closures if more than 9,000 residents are willing to go back home, Governor Thanee Samartkij said.

The project to build 169 temporary housing units in four border provinces, including Ubon Ratchathani and Si Sa Ket, will continue despite the situation easing, with construction due to be completed this weekend, Ong-art said. The latest government casualty toll counted eight soldiers and four civilians killed, and 131 people wounded.

The government is negotiating with sugarcane mills to extend the purchase of cane from farmers, who can now return to their plantations to harvest their crops, he added.

-- The Nation 2011-05-03

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More Border Fighting Kills 1 Thai Soldier

More fighting erupted near the Ta Moan Thom Temple in Surin province last night between 9 and 11 PM. As a result, one Thai soldier was killed while four others were injured.

Thai authorities had closed down all evacuation centers yesterday afternoon and sent locals home after reassurances from Cambodian troops that they were retreating from the various dispute areas.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-03

[Thaddeus]

Had word yesterday from a well informed and trusted source that the fighting around this area has never really stopped, it has just been smalls arms fire for the last few days.

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Thai-Cambodia border toll reaches 18

BANGKOK, May 3, 2011 (AFP) - A Thai soldier was killed in fresh fighting with Cambodian troops, the army said Tuesday, raising the death toll from the worst border clashes in decades to 18, despite some signs of easing tensions.

Three other Thai troops were wounded in the skirmishes late on Monday and early Tuesday, said Colonel Sukit Subanjui, a Thai army spokesman in the northeast border region.

"Both rounds of fighting involved assault rifles and mortars," he said.

Cambodia said one of its soldiers was wounded.

Despite the continued sporadic clashes, the situation had improved enough on Monday for many of the 85,000 civilians who had sought refuge in temporary camps or temples on both sides to return home, authorities said.

"The Thais that evacuated can return home because the gun battle has subsided," Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban told reporters.

But he added: "We have to be fully vigilant."

Eight Thai troops and nine Cambodian soldiers have died since April 22 in the conflict around two disputed temples on the border. Bangkok has said a Thai civilian was also killed and some homes were damaged on both sides.

The neighbours have come under increasing international pressure to end the violence.

An attempted truce announced on Thursday after military-level negotiations proved short-lived, but the fighting has since become less intense and appears to be confined to a smaller area away from civilian populations.

The relationship between the two countries has been strained since the 900-year-old temple 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.

Cambodia on Thursday asked the court to clarify that ruling and also requested provisional measures including the removal of Thai forces from the temple area, according to a document published on the International Court of Justice website.

The most recent deadly clashes have been mainly centred around two temple complexes about 150 kilometres (90 miles) west of Preah Vihear.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-05-03

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Death and Injury Tolls over Border Dispute Unveiled

The Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department has announced the death and casualty toll to date over the ongoing border conflict.

Meanwhile, news reports claimed almost 50,000 residents have had to relocate following the crisis.

Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department's director general Wiboon Sa-nguanphong unveiled seven military officers have been killed and 120 injured by the armed confrontation between Thailand and Cambodia.

He went on to say one resident have been killed and three injured, while 34 houses have been destroyed by the clash.

Around 46,000 residents affected have relocated to 43 camps provided by the government. Most of them, 43,000 people, are from Surin province.

To cope with the victims, he said 72 officers, 5 water-producing trucks, 18 water trucks, 7 mobile light-providing trucks, 350 sleeping tents, 2 small rescue trucks, 30 mobile restrooms, 24,000 quilts, and many other equipments have been sent to the camps to assit the battle victims.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-03