Thais claim Cambodia laying landmines

The Thai opposition Democrat Party says the cross border conflict is a direct result of the UN's granting Cambodia sole recognition over the temple site, whose main access route lies on the Thai side of the border. And Thai Foreign Ministry officials are very concerned over the recent discovery of new land mines - now banned by both countries - being uncovered inside Thai territory near the disputed area.

Presenter: Ron Corben
Speakers: Virachn Plasai is the director general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department with the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Democrat Party Korn Chatikavanij, Deputy leader of the Democrat Party Korn Chatikavanij

CORBEN: Thai foreign ministry officials in a briefing to foreign diplomats Thursday raised the accusation of Cambodian troops laying landmines inside Thai territory. While some areas of the Thai Cambodian border are still to be demined - from the Cambodian war of the 1970s into the 1990s, the mines found after the injury to two unarmed Thai rangers were new.

The mines, Russian made PMN-2 anti-personnel mines used in wars from Afghanistan to Ethiopia, were laid in an area already cleared when the unarmed Thai rangers entered the region on October 6 - three days after a fire fight with Cambodian troops that left injured on both sides. Two Thai rangers survived but lost the lower part of their legs to the mines.

Virachn Plasai is the director general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department with the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Virachn says the chief concern from all the recent developments was the discovery of laid landmines, in contravention of the 1997 Ottawa Convention banning landmines.

VIRACHN: What we find of grave concern is the discovery of these landmines newly planted, newly planted. So we believe that this is a grave threat for the international community as a whole because we believe that we had banned them; now they're back and used in a way that is quite expert and clever with a view to killing. So we think it's a grave concern we should alert the international community to work together in order to find who did it and take whatever measures we have to.

CORBEN: What do you see diplomatically as the next step for both countries?

VIRACHN: The next step for both countries is to let the steam out by having meetings of the military through the mechanisms on the Thai side - which is the regional border committee - on their side - the task force - that will help tremendously.

CORBEN: Going forward now is there an expectation that diplomatically things can return to normal?

VIRACHN: Oh yes I very much hope so. And I think, I personally believe it will return to normal. The only thing that worries me really is these mines - the land mines worry me most because it's something that is unthinkable that could happen in the year 2008. For the boundary question ... if our Cambodian friends are ready to be patient .. just let the democratic internal process take its course -- in due time we'll be able to sit down and negotiate meaningfully with them.

Thailand's opposition Democrat Party earlier this year led a fierce attack in parliament against the government of former Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej after the Cabinet agreed to allow Cambodia to make a sole application to the United Nations Education and Scientific Organization for the temple to be recognized as a world heritage site. The then foreign minister was then forced to resign after a Thai court found he had failed to present the agreement before parliament.

Deputy leader of the Democrat Party Korn Chatikavanij says part of the blame for this week's fighting lies with the Thai government itself

KORN: The whole incident is entirely unnecessary and it really emanates from the attempt by the Cambodian side to list the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site and we as a party had previously forewarned the World heritage Organization UNESCO.. That their participating in the proposal by Cambodia could actually lead to exactly what's happening. Once the temple site was accepted as a World heritage site with preconditions on the removal of military forces from the site it was always going lead to this because now Cambodia needs for the Thai military to withdraw and have it done by February otherwise the approval lapses.