http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080719/wl_af...ry_080719031829

Cambodia and Thailand further increase troops in border standoff

1 hour, 51 minutes ago



PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AFP) - Cambodia and Thailand further increased their forces in the fifth day of a tense standoff on disputed land near an ancient Hindu temple on the border, officials said on Saturday.


More than 500 Thai troops and well over 1,000 Cambodian soldiers are stationed around a small Buddhist pagoda on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

"Now there are nearly 400 Thai troops stationed in the pagoda. I'm not sure how many are stationed in the jungle," said Brigadier Chea Keo, commander of Cambodian forces in the area.

Cambodian officials declined to give the number of their forces at the border, however hundreds of anti-riot police began reinforcing more than 1,000 troops in the area Friday while more than 100 Thai troops joined 400 soldiers already at the scene.

Officials said the situation was "stable" Saturday but the mood among Cambodians became tense Friday evening when they got word of a letter from Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen, saying the addition of Cambodian troops had caused the situation to "deteriorate".

In the letter calling for a peaceful solution to the standoff, Samak said Cambodia had violated a pre-existing agreement not to build in disputed territory, according to a statement by the Thai foreign ministry.

"The establishment of the Cambodian community, including construction of a temple and houses, and the stationing of the Cambodian military personnel in the area constitute a continued violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity," said the Thai foreign ministry.

Asked about the Thai premier's claims, Brigadier Chea Keo answered: "On the map, it is our territory."

The standoff nearly erupted into violence late Thursday, when witnesses said troops twice pointed their guns at each other during 10 tense minutes at the pagoda when 50 Cambodian troops entered the pagoda compound to protect food supplies for dozens of monks.

Officials from both countries plan to meet Monday to resolve the standoff. But Premier Hun Sen and told his Thai counterpart in a letter Thursday that the dispute was worsening and harming their relations.

Our Asian freinds need to put such things behind them and concentrate on their economys this is exactly what the West wants to see.

ASEAN and other countrys lead by China should find a diplomatic solution to ALL Asian problems. I hope Asian countrys work hard to rival EU in the next 20 years such incidents should be resolved ASAP.

It is easier said than done; and in this case exactly what China could do except perhaps calling for calm on both sides.
The long running and simmering border disputes have been blown above the surface by the World Cultural Heritage designation of the ruin. At the end of the day, it comes down to money, specifically tourist money, than anything else.

Yes your right macau boy i didnt know that!

no country in asia or in this region would accept China or for that matter any other country as the sole leader. problems or disputes could be solved bilaterally or even trilaterally with mutual acceptance. projecting a single country as the leader of 'ASEAN and other countries' would be detrimental.

Translation: OMFG HOW DARE U SAY CHINA WILL LEAD THE FUTURE! INDIA SHOULD BE THE LEADER!

I think every country has its own problems, and therefore each individual country should try to solve it themselves first, if not then they can think about asking for external help.

I would not agree that China should take the lead now, China has her own internal problems as well, China is still in the developing phase and should make full use of her resources and money for her own development and the livelihood of the people of China first, not poking its nose into other people's business.

I competely agree guys China should not lead but should take centre stage, a bit like US in the West, not dictatorship but a kind of role model for other asian countrys.

I do not suggest interfering in internals affairs of other countrys but like the 6 party talks with North Korea be a kind of mediator and invite countrys for talks in China or something like that, play the middle role sort of thing thats what i meant.

Certainly there are ways China can help. In this particular situation, China happens to be very friendly with both Cambodia and Thailand. Thus, Hu or Wen or both are desirable "messengers" for either sides. All three countries are members of the Greater Mekong River Economic Development Scheme. The new expressway from Kunming will eventually be extended to Cambodia vis Thailand. So, there is no doubt that China can use its influence to bring the two parties together while stay "low key" in the background. Top leaders from both countries will be in Beijing in about two weeks and "informal talk" could not be ruled out.

I don't know about China or the Far east, but whilst the west has always had a notion of settling disputes by deul, be it by knights in suits of armour or by gun slinging cowboys, or by opposing armies on the battle field, in India/Pakistan/Afghanistan and generally in Muslim countries we have settled disputes, by the jirga system. Parties that are neutral to everyone involved, and respected by everyone involved, will sit down with the two disputing parties and ask them to negociate thier differences.

If the hill is disputed, claim that one side of it is Thai and the other side Cambodian, a split right down the middle, and all tourist money earned by that site should be shared. You should be able to visit it on both a Thai and Cambodian visa, the small territory of the temple should be considered shared.

I am not fully aware of the situation, i am not aware of the full facts, but what i know is that in Asia we have been more civilised than the west, some of our modern history really lets that down, but even that has come around due to western interference. All efforts should be made to settle this without violence. To help someone settle something should be looked at as an act of charity and goodwill, rather than as interference. No greed or economic ties should be used as a weight in these disputes, they should be left purely on the hearts of the two leaders and thier nation.

Simple, radical thinking is required, honest thinking and thinking that involves honour and integrity.

Its a 30 year old issue. Thailand has already given up land on which the temple resides, but the land surrounding the entrance to the temple belongs to Thailand. Both sides have admitted this.

The protest is only by the opposition groups to the Thai government trying to steer up trouble. Thats why more troops are deployed on the Thailand side to control the mob. As for the local people living in the village they dont welcome the protests and had a fight with the mob.

On the Cambodian side, the PM is fueling up the issue because the elections are coming up and he needs to ride on this wave. Thailand has already secured huge investment in Cambodia in exchange for the temple land. Offshore gas projects off the coast of Cambodia and contracts for building dams.

ya i would love if that happens...lol

First, give 655 million people in your country access to a toilet before thinking "super power"....lol

This is so retarded. If a war breaks out because of this, it will go down as one of the dumbest wars ever fought in the modern age.

war over a temple

Although there was the infamous Soccer War...

cool down...... dost lol!!!!

Why???

Or,...you can't handle the fact.

Or... you're completely off-topic!

LOL.... and now you????