Thailand waits for Cambodia’s pullout, Cambodia to hold joyous celebration
Thailand would not have to react as Cambodia has not shown any sign of its troop withdrawal, said Thai FM Tej Bunnag Thursday in response to Cambodian PM Hun Sen’s statement that it’s up to the Thai govt as to when to redeploy troops in the disputed area, according to Bangkok Post.
The Cambodian government has “not informed Thailand officially” when it will pull out its troops from the area, Tej said. “So far there is no official reaction from Cambodia.”
Such a reaction could be seen as another failure in bilateral negotiation between the two nations.
Meanwhile, Cambodia has planned to hold a lavish celebration at Preah Vihear temple Friday, Cambodian govt spokesman told DPA today. it will be attended by the country’s first lady, Bun Rany, and other high ranking officials.
“We are all in preparation for Bun Rany’s arrival. We have no security concerns because as a World Heritage site, the temple is a tourist destination, not a war zone,” Preah Vihear Deputy Governor Ka Lean said by telephone.
Real estate boom v. land grabbing in Cambodia: A typical example
Check out this video report by Bloomberg to get a feel of what the real estate boom is like in Cambodia.
It’s true. Marc Faber, the founder of Marc Faber Ltd, is also interested.
The boom is not without disadvantages. The rich and powerful has taken advantage of the situation where many poor people do not have land titles. They take the people’s land, most often by use of force. If you speak Khmer, take a listen to this chunk of report by Radio Free Asia (RFA) Jul 30.
WARNING!!! Be prepared to fight back your tears!
[audio:http://ysamphy.com/wp-content/audio/landgrabbing1.mp3]
If you don’t, you can read this quick summary i wrote. A woman has been struggling to seek justice since 2007 in a land dispute in Preah Vihear province. She went to the National Assembly, which told her to go to the Ministry of Interior. The ministry told her to go to court. She also has sought help from the Cambodian premier, without any luck just yet. (These are common approaches for the poor in Cambodia when it comes to land grabbing.)
Her daughter in law was shot dead with her little baby being breast-fed in her hand as she refused to leave her home. Her son has been detained in Phnom Penh’s Prey Sar Prison. All she wants now is to have her son released so he can come and take care of his four children who the old woman has, in Phnom Penh, been begging food from people to feed. Two sons, a son in law and a nephew of hers were jailed in the dispute.
She claimed it was the authority who moved her family from Anlong Veng, Battambang to Preah Vihear and that it was also them who forced her to leave her land she had lived on for more than 8 years. (Art. 18 of the land law allows for legal ownership of any vacant or not-owned land to people who have lived there for more than five years.)
Just a typical example of how real estate boom is affecting the impoverished and disadvantaged in Cambodia.
Troop pullout will take time
Plan to withdraw troops from the disputed area near Preah Vihear will take weeks as Thai govt’s order is needed, according to AFP and Bangkok Post yesterday.
“Both countries need to pass their domestic legitimacy processes,” ministry spokesman Tharit Charunvat told AFP.
A Thai army chief told Reuters he was waiting an order from the govt to pull out. “When the government says withdraw, we will immediately do so,” said Anupong Paochinda.
“For our side, there is no problem at all,” Cambodian PM Hun Sen told AP in the capital, Phnom Penh, adding, “the issue is up to Thailand to decide when to act. For us, anytime.”
Three steps will be taken for the withdrawal after a special commission is set up, a Cambodian official told Xinhua Tuesday. “The discussion will be held in three steps, first demining work, second demarcation and finally withdrawal,” he said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, a Khmer language daily newspaper reported there were several gunshots by the Thai black-clad paramilitary officers stationed along the two countries’ border in Samlot village, Samlot commune, Samlot district, Battambang. That happened at 8:20am on Jul 28, just a few hours before the bilateral talks began between Cambodian and Thai foreign minister, Kampuchea Thmey reported. The shootings were meant to provoke return of fire by Cambodian troops, said the Cambodian chief of the Cambodian military police in Battambang. Cambodia did not fall prey to this, Lieutenant-Colonel Um Dara concluded.
See also:
– Thailand ‘undecided’ on troop withdrawal from Cambodian border, ABC News
– Cambodian PM: Problems of border dispute on Thai side, Xinhua
– Thailand pleased with outcome of temple talk with Cambodia, DPA
– Cambodian soldiers fed up waiting for fight to take place…, Kampuchea Thmey (republished on KI Media)
Cambodia, Thailand strike deal on troop pullout
Round 2 negotiation between Cambodia and Thailand has, after 12 hours of talks, been concluded with both sides’ agreement to withdraw troops from the disputed area, according to DPA, AP.
DPA did not mention it; AP reported 1,200 will be pulled out, 800 Cambodian troops and 400 Thai. A comprehensive schedule was not set. But both sides would establish a task force for the recall of troops, DPA reported.
“We cannot solve all problems at one meeting. We need to take gradual steps,” said Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong (AP), adding, “the immediate task is to avoid clashes through the redeployment of troops.”
Both Cambodian and Thai FM agreed to hold further meetings to discuss border demarcation. But again, no set date.
Round 2 may flop
By noon today, the round-two negotiation between Cambodia and Thailand on border conflict had not yielded any fruitful result, Cambodia told reporters (Bangkok Post, AP).
“Cambodia is not happy. Neither side is happy,” said A senior Cambodian official who spoke on condition of anonymity, according to Bangkok Post. “On the Thai side, the new foreign minister has not enough capacity to talk with the veteran Cambodian Foreign Minister.”
“We have discussed many points but we have not reached a solution yet,” Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told AP.
The exact points in disagreement were not reported and negotiation was still going on.
AP mentioned Thailand rejected the French map on which the ICJ was based for its Preah Vihear ruling in 1962 in favor of Cambodia, arguing it was drawn up by a colonial power to its own advantage.
The map was accepted voluntarily by Thailand in its various agreements with France and Cambodia in various stages: 1904, 1907, 1937, 1947, 1962 and 1991 when the Paris Peace Accord was signed, Cambodia’s Border Committee Sean Pengse told RFA in an interview on Jul 25. Thailand itself was involved in the drawing of the map, he added.
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