BANGKOK POST AND AFP
Cambodia has lodged a complaint with the United Nations accusing Thai troops of damaging the ancient Preah Vihear temple during a border shootout earlier this month, an official said yesterday. Phay Siphan, spokesman for Cambodia's Council of Ministers, said a staircase and a sculpture at the ruins were damaged by rocket fire.
A complaint was filed with the UN cultural body Unesco a few days after the firefight erupted on Oct 15 near Preah Vihear, a World Heritage Site at the centre of the long-running territorial dispute.
''Preah Vihear temple was intentionally damaged by Thai troops, because we found the remnants of grenades ... near the temple and there were no Cambodian soldiers stationed nearby,'' Phay Siphan said.
''The Preah Vihear authority has sent pictures of the damage to Unesco.''
The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday denied Thai soldiers had damaged the 11th-century Khmer temple.
The Second Army, in charge of the northeastern region, insisted that no heavy weapons or rockets were used that day.
Phnom Penh's complaint to the UN agency comes as the two countries attempt to resolve the border row, which is centred on the disputed area between Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province and Cambodia's Preah Vihear province.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat met Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on Friday in Beijing while attending the Asia-Europe Summit.
Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat said the talks were amicable and quoted Hun Sen as saying the fighting on the border should not have occurred.
The Cambodian leader also supported attempts to prevent future clashes through bilateral talks and the need to urgently untangle the overlapping borders by the Joint Boundary Commission and maintain trade and investment ties.
The government will seek parliamentary approval tomorrow for border negotiations with Cambodia, he added.
Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand flared in July when Preah Vihear was awarded UN World Heritage status, rekindling long-simmering tensions over ownership of 4.6 sq km of land surrounding the temple.
Three Cambodian soldiers and one Thai soldier were killed in the clashes on Oct 15.
Preah Vihear, with its elegant carvings and crumbling stone staircases, is the most important example of ancient Khmer architecture outside Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temple complex.
Although the World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia, the most accessible entrance is in Kantharalak district
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Thailand rejects Cambodian claims of damage to Preah Vihear
BORDER DISPUTE
By Supalak GanjanakhundeeThe NationPublished on October 28, 2008
Thailand yesterday dismissed Cambodian claims of damage to the World Heritage site of Preah Vihear Temple during the recent shoot-out, saying it was the other side that had dispatched troops with heavy weaponry at the temple and its vicinity.
"We're verifying the presence of Cambodian troops at the temple, because we understand that placing troops at a World Heritage site violates the World Heritage Convention," said Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Virasakdi Futrakul.
A military report indicated Cambodian troops had fired rockets from the temple onto the Thai side, he added.
Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said on Sunday that his government has lodged a complaint with the United Nations accusing Thai troops of damaging the ancient Preah Vihear Temple.
The complaint was filed with Unesco, the UN's cultural body, a few days after the firefight broke out on October 15 near Preah Vihear, he said.
A staircase and a sculpture of the mythical Naga creature were hit by rocket fire at the 11th-century Khmer ruins, he said.
However, Thai ambassador to Paris Thana Duangrat reported to the ministry that there was no record of a Cambodian complaint submitted to Unesco.
"We have evidence proving Cambodia fired the rockets from Preah Vihear Temple at Thai troops," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat.
The ministry has checked the facts with the Second Army Area, which confirmed that on October 15, Thai soldiers, fired upon by Cambodian troops in the vicinity of Pha Mor I Daeng, used only rifles in their defence, he said.
In accordance with strict orders, Thai troops have not used heavy firearms or rocket launchers near Wat Phra Viharn, as it is called in Thai, and never fired at the temple.
On the contrary, Cambodian soldiers opened fired on Thai soldiers positioned near the twin stupas in the vicinity of Pha Mor I Daeng with recoilless guns and rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), Tharit said.
The rockets landed near the twin stupas, wounding two Thai soldiers. Some also landed in Preah Vihear National Park in the vicinity of Laan Chom Dao and the park's residences. The Thai side later found two RPGs fired by the Cambodian side that had landed but failed to explode and has kept both of them for evidence, he said.
Cambodia's latest move could make the border problem more complicated and difficult to resolve, he said.
By Supalak GanjanakhundeeThe NationPublished on October 28, 2008
Thailand yesterday dismissed Cambodian claims of damage to the World Heritage site of Preah Vihear Temple during the recent shoot-out, saying it was the other side that had dispatched troops with heavy weaponry at the temple and its vicinity.
"We're verifying the presence of Cambodian troops at the temple, because we understand that placing troops at a World Heritage site violates the World Heritage Convention," said Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Virasakdi Futrakul.
A military report indicated Cambodian troops had fired rockets from the temple onto the Thai side, he added.
Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said on Sunday that his government has lodged a complaint with the United Nations accusing Thai troops of damaging the ancient Preah Vihear Temple.
The complaint was filed with Unesco, the UN's cultural body, a few days after the firefight broke out on October 15 near Preah Vihear, he said.
A staircase and a sculpture of the mythical Naga creature were hit by rocket fire at the 11th-century Khmer ruins, he said.
However, Thai ambassador to Paris Thana Duangrat reported to the ministry that there was no record of a Cambodian complaint submitted to Unesco.
"We have evidence proving Cambodia fired the rockets from Preah Vihear Temple at Thai troops," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat.
The ministry has checked the facts with the Second Army Area, which confirmed that on October 15, Thai soldiers, fired upon by Cambodian troops in the vicinity of Pha Mor I Daeng, used only rifles in their defence, he said.
In accordance with strict orders, Thai troops have not used heavy firearms or rocket launchers near Wat Phra Viharn, as it is called in Thai, and never fired at the temple.
On the contrary, Cambodian soldiers opened fired on Thai soldiers positioned near the twin stupas in the vicinity of Pha Mor I Daeng with recoilless guns and rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), Tharit said.
The rockets landed near the twin stupas, wounding two Thai soldiers. Some also landed in Preah Vihear National Park in the vicinity of Laan Chom Dao and the park's residences. The Thai side later found two RPGs fired by the Cambodian side that had landed but failed to explode and has kept both of them for evidence, he said.
Cambodia's latest move could make the border problem more complicated and difficult to resolve, he said.
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