JAKARTA—A summit of Southeast Asian leaders focusing on economic integration took a dramatic turn Saturday when Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen blasted his Thai counterpart over a bloody border dispute.
Hun Sen took the floor of the closed-door opening session of the two-day summit in Jakarta and accused Thailand of attacking its neighbor in a contested border area near an 11th-century Khmer temple, attendees said.
One foreign minister described the fiery Cambodian leader as "quite aggressive" and observers said the assembled Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) leaders were surprised at the outburst.
"It became a little dramatic, but I think that's just the way that Prime Minister Hun Sen delivers speeches," Philippine presidential spokesman Ricky Carandang said.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters after the encounter: "We had a frank discussion this morning."
"We need to resolve the problem because we don't want this to be a problem that would affect ASEAN's agenda on community building," he added.
The border spat was not on the formal agenda of the two-day summit but it is overshadowing discussions on ASEAN's long-term efforts to create a closely integrated regional economic zone by 2015.
Other issues on the table include food and energy security, territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the scourge of human trafficking and East Timor's membership bid.
But even before the presidents and prime ministers of the disparate 10-nation bloc sat down in Jakarta's cavernous convention center, their discussions had been framed by negative news from troubled member states.
Myanmar stole the headlines on Friday when ASEAN officials announced that the military-led country -- which is under Western sanctions for serial human rights abuses -- had asked to chair the group in 2014.
US-based Human Rights Watch said ASEAN, already struggling for credibility, would become the "laughing stock of intergovernmental forums" if it granted the request.
ASEAN leaders are meanwhile facing mounting pressure to help end the Thai-Cambodian conflict, which has claimed 18 lives and temporarily displaced 85,000 people in weeks of clashes.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono spoke of the dangers of rising food and energy prices, climate change and unrest in the Middle East during his opening remarks.
But without mentioning the Thai-Cambodian row, he also reminded his fellow leaders that ASEAN could no longer use the bloc's long-held principle of non-interference to shirk the need to resolve conflicts between member states.
"We realize that to ensure a peaceful and stable East Asia region, we must ensure stability and security in our region," the ex-general said.
"If conflict occurs, ASEAN must be capable of facilitating a forum for diplomacy and open dialogue with the intent of attaining common peace."
ASEAN's halting efforts to negotiate an end to the clashes are being closely watched as a litmus test of its soaring ambition to create an integrated regional community in just four years' time.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa met his counterparts from Thailand and Cambodia in Jakarta on Friday and said they had agreed to accept Indonesian military observers at the disputed frontier.
But he said the modest observer mission, which would have no power to police a ceasefire, had yet to be dispatched because of stubborn differences over troop locations.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters that Phnom Penh would never agree to Bangkok's demands to pull troops out of the Preah Vihear temple.
"Prime Minister Hun Sen appealed to ASEAN to help solve the problem peacefully," he said.
Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said there was little enthusiasm among ASEAN leaders for the conflict to be internationalized with direct UN involvement, as Cambodia has sought.
"I think what all the other ASEAN leaders have been saying this morning is that we should keep the conflict within the ASEAN family," he said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have publicly backed ASEAN's mediation role.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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Saturday, May 07, 2011
Cambodia PM blasts Thailand at ASEAN summit
Friday, May 06, 2011
Thai resolve tests SBY's regional clout
INDONESIA'S claims to regional leadership will be roughly tested at this weekend's ASEAN leaders' summit as Thailand continues to resist its attempts to mediate a volatile border dispute with Cambodia.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is controversially considering backing Burma to chair the group, and also losing his campaign to win a place at ASEAN's table this year for tiny neighbour East Timor.
Dr Yudhoyono and Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa have been striving to crown Indonesia's 2011 ASEAN chairmanship, and to underscore Jakarta's regional leadership, by admitting East Timor as the 11th member.
But another foundation member, Singapore, backed by the more recent joiners Vietnam and Burma, is reportedly poised to block East Timor.
Mr Natalegawa confirmed yesterday that Burma's new President Thein Sein was seeking Indonesia's support for the army-dominated regime government to take the ASEAN chair in 2014.
"I have a feeling that this is not a matter that will be decided here and now but perhaps there will be a process to ascertain the readiness of Myanmar to assume then chairmanship in 2014," he said.
Human Rights Watch's Asia deputy director Elaine Pearson said giving Burma the chairmanship after last year's "sham elections" and while the regime still imprisoned 2000 political prisoners would render ASEAN a laughing-stock in world forums.
Nine leaders gathered in Jakarta last night, without Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong, whose government is up for re-election today.
Thailand's Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, flew in after obtaining a parliamentary dissolution from ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej, clearing the way for an election next month. The election campaign, with nationalist fervour focused on the disputed Preah Vhihear temple complex, is likely to complicate attempts to settle the border dispute.
Mr Abhisit has refused a sideline meeting today with Cambodia's Hun Sen. The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled the 10th-century temple, on an escarpment defining an eastern border, belonged to Cambodia, but the Thais continue to claim ownership. About 30 soldiers have died, and 150,000 villagers have been displaced, since the dispute erupted in clashes in February.
The fighting is an embarrassment to other ASEAN members, whose 2009 Political Security Community Blueprint pledges them to "rely exclusively on peaceful process in the settlement of intra-regional differences".
Cambodia's appeal for intervention to the UN Security Council, rather than ASEAN, was a slight, and even more so Thailand's reluctance to have Indonesia or other members involved.
After the February clashes, Mr Natalegawa brokered agreement with the other foreign ministers - including Thailand's Kasit Piromya and Cambodia's Hor Namhong - to station Indonesian civilian and military observers in the disputed areas, as first step towards a permanent ceasefire.
But Thai army chief Prayut Chan-o-cha and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, a retired general, rejected the presence of foreign observers at Preah Vihear.
They asserted they were only supporting long-standing government policy that the dispute should be resolved between the two countries, not multilaterally.
But the Thai military is suspected of once again contemplating an intervention in civilian politics.
After meeting his Thai and Cambodian counterparts yesterday, Mr Natalegawa said they agreed Indonesian observers should be sent, but did not expand.
Mr Hor Namhong rejected a pullout of Cambodian troops from Preah Vihear, Thailand's pre-condition for allowing observers. "We can never withdraw our troops from our own territory," he said.
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Bank of China sets to launch Cambodian branch
"The operation of the Bank of China in Cambodia reflects the trust of foreign investors on Cambodia," he said, "It's also a sign of progress in Cambodia's banking industry."
The governor said that Cambodia's banking industry, currently, is quite stable.
By the end of 2010, the customers' deposits grew by 26 percent to 4.16 billion U.S. dollars, while the customer credits increased by 26.7 percent to 3.18 billion U.S. dollars.
Also, the ratio of the non-performing loan in the banking industry has declined to only 3 percent as of April, said the governor.
Including the presence of Bank of China, there are 30 commercial banks in the country so far.
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Cambodia insists on Thailand's agreement to observers before troop withdrawal
May 06, 2011 (BBC Monitoring via COMTEX) -- [Report by Achara Ashayagachat: "Cambodia: Our Troops Will Not Leave"]
JAKARTA -Cambodia would not withdraw its troops from its own territory and was still waiting for Thailand's agreement on the Jakarta terms of reference (TOR) for the stationing of Indonesian observers near Preah Vihear, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong said on Friday.
He was speaking after emerging from 30-minute talks with the Asean chairman, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, at the Jakarta Convention Centre.
Mr Hor Nam Hong said the problem with the border conflict clearly remained on the willingness of Thailand to agree with the deployment of Indonesian observers under the terms of reference.
"Cambodia has already sent a letter of acceptance to Indonesia's proposed TOR on May 2, and we hope will Thailand do likewise," said the Cambodian minister.
He thanked Mr Natalegawa on his efforts to address the border conflict and looked forward to seeing the deployment of observers.
Mr Natalegawa thanked Cambodia for the formal agreement to the terma of reference which Indonesia proposed at the special foreign ministers' meeting in Jakarta, right after the meeting at the United Nations in New York.
The UN General Assembly has tasked Indonesia will helping facilitate a solution to the border conflict between the regional partners of Asean, because Jakarta is the chairman this year. Cambodia is due to take up the rotating chairmanship next year.
Thailand has lobbied for a bilateral meeting during the 18th Asean summit, however, Cambodia was not interested in either meetings between foreign ministers or prime ministers, diplomatic sources said.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, in Bangkok, said before leaving for Jakarta that he has no plans to meet Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during the Asean Summit to discuss the border dispute.
Hun Sen is also due to arrive today. Possibly, he would speak about the border dispute when the summit begins tomorrow, sources said.
Diplomatic sources said Phnom Penh was taking a beyond-Asean strategy, however, they wanted to show goodwill about possible options for a trilateral meeting on the sideline of the summit here, as a face-saver for Indonesia, which was embarrassed by the refusal of Thailand's military to attend last month's meeting in Jakarta.
Cambodia, sources said, was looking forward to the May 30-31 hearing at the International Court of Justice in the Hague on the Preah Vihear dispute.
The Asean chairman said before meeting with Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya at 12.30pm that he hoped a trilateral meeting could be held later today.
Cambodia has agreed with the three proposed locations - Ta Sem, Chak Chreng and Pram Makara - for the deployment of Indonesian observers on its side, while the Thai cabinet agreed on Wednesday to accept Indonesian observers on condition that there would be no foreign troops (including Cambodian troops) in the disputed territory.
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Thursday, May 05, 2011
'Effective mechanism needed for ASEAN to settle Cambodian, Thai border row'
PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) - The credibility and prestige of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) may be downgraded if it has no effective mechanism to settle Cambodian and Thai border row, academics warned on Thursday.
Pou Sothirak, Cambodian senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said Cambodian and Thai border row is not only damaging bilateral relations in a critical way, but also threatening regional peace and stability.
"If no effective mediation is pursued to contain it, it will undoubtedly affect the credibility and reputation of ASEAN," he said during a two-day conference on strengthening the ASEAN political-security community through preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution mechanism.
The conference brought together representatives from the Network of ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies and members of Cambodian parliament and decision makers from various Cambodian ministries.
Pou Sothirak said that the main challenges to security community are the ASEAN principles of non-interference and the norm of not putting bilateral dispute between members on the ASEAN agenda.
"The principles of non-interference and consensus are the obstacles in the realization of the security community by 2015," he said.
"ASEAN must do something right where failure would mean that the region return to the past of using force to settle disputes," he said. "This in turn will send ASEAN straight into a danger zone of losing its role as driver of the regional security architecture. "
Nem Sowath, a board member of Cambodian Institute of Cooperation and Peace, said ASEAN has played a significant role in coping with regional security issues and threat; however, it does not have appropriate and effective regional mechanism in place when it comes to territorial disputes among its member states.
"Cambodian-Thai border conflict is a case in point. It is a testing ground for ASEAN's ability to solve issues for its member states," he said.
"It is a warning signal to ASEAN to get reformed as soon as possible, otherwise ASEAN can be divided and ASEAN credibility will be downgraded." he said.
The leaders of ASEAN countries will meet on May 7-8 in the 18th summit in Jakarta, Indonesia and the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand will be included in the agenda.
"In my own opinion, ASEAN should establish a special working group or a conflict resolution mechanism in order to settle Cambodian-Thai border row," he said.
"We wish to see ASEAN to be stronger, more united and more relevant particularly in security issues in order to serve the interests of everyone."
Yeo Lay Hwee, senior research fellow of Singapore Institute of International Affairs said "frankly speaking, ASEAN has really not moved much progress towards confidence building, preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution mechanism."
Suchit Bunbongkam, president of the Council for Security Cooperation in Asia Pacific (Thailand), said the measures or conflict resolution mechanism should be established in order to settle issues for its member states and to prevent conflicts in the future.
"The principle of internal sovereignty and non-interference in ASEAN must be observed," he said. "For Cambodia and Thailand border conflict, we wish to see the issue be settled peacefully, not by armed forces."
Cambodian and Thai border has never been completely demarcated. Conflict has happened just a week after Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.
The latest flare-up had occurred from April 22 until May 3 at the 13th century Ta Moan temple and Ta Krabei temple in Oddar Meanchey province, leaving 19 people on both sides killed and nearly 100,000 civilians fled homes for safe shelters.
Both sides always blamed each other for firstly triggering the attacks.
ASEAN countries consist of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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Angelia travels to Cambodia in the name of Louis Vuitton
As a natural beauty Angelina Jolie is widely known for her pouty lips and sultry eyes. She is an Academy Award winner, a mother, a wife, a UN High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador, and now it is confirmed that she will be the new face for Louis Vuitton.The location of the shoot is in Siem Reap, Cambodia, a country Angelina is more than familiar with being the birth place of her adopted son, Maddox. In 2001, prior to the adoption Angelina donned the Laura Croft gear for her part in the film, Laura Croft: Tomb Raider, filmed in Angkor Wat.
Following her adoption of Maddox in 2002, 2003 saw the inception of the Maddox Jolie-Foundation, which has since been changed to Maddox Jolie-Pitt foundation.
The foundation is committed to creating peace and stability in communities by working with impoverished rural villagers and local governments. It aims to help alleviate food shortages and increase basic necessities, such as healthcare and education.
Currently, the program is working on the Samlout 2012 project. It's priority is to achieve economic grown and reduce enviornmental destruction in the rural Cambodia Samlout district.
Since then, Angelina has returned to Cambodia on many occasions for business and pleasure. She is so beloved there that it was said that a temple was named after her.
In 2010, Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, told WENN news that Ta Prohm, a Hindu religious temple has been unofficially renamed the "Angelina Jolie Temple."
Cambodia being such an important part of Angelina's philanthropic endeavors and personal life makes for an interesting setting.
The campaign's debut is slated for this summer.
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Thai Government Blamed for Deaths During 2010 Uprising
Last year thousands of anti-government protesters, known as the Red Shirts, occupied Bangkok streets demanding a new election. After a months-long standoff from March to May, the government ordered the military to end the demonstrations. The clashes that followed killed 90 people, most of them civilians.
Brad Adams, the Asia Chief for Human Rights Watch, told a news conference in Bangkok that military snipers appear to have targeted civilians.
"The government cannot simply say that in the heat of attempts to clear demonstrators from the streets of Bangkok, some soldiers may have exceeded their orders," Adams said. "The government provided these orders and the army put these snipers in place and people died."
Adams said the military’s historic impunity is holding back Thailand’s rule of law and democracy.
He added a government appointed truth and reconciliation commission has been ignored by the military and not given enough resources to fully investigate the violence.
Thani Thongphakdi, a spokesman for Thailand's Foreign Ministry, defended the government’s actions.
"The events that occurred were very chaotic," he said. "And, there were a number of cases where it is unclear, both from witnesses account as well as from forensic evidence, as to the people behind the various deaths and injuries. Let me just reiterate that the investigation has not yet closed. It is still ongoing. And, we hope that a conclusion could soon be found," said Thongphakdi.
The Human Rights Watch report also criticized some Red Shirt leaders for the violence. The rights group says some of the leaders publicly welcomed armed elements known as Black Shirts who fought with Thai soldiers.
And, as the military moved in to end the demonstration, Human Rights Watch says some Red Shirt leaders encouraged looting and arson that burned tens of businesses and buildings in downtown Bangkok.
Brad Adams also criticized a government campaign of censoring opponents using laws meant to protect the monarchy from defamation, or Lese Majeste.
"The crackdown on dissent has been ongoing," said Adams. "The government has used any laws at its disposal to stifle speech, it has used the Lese Majeste law in a politically motivated manner, it has targeted one side. We have very large numbers of the Reds who have been arrested for what happened during the protests and we have no one on the government side who has been held accountable," he said.
Thani defended the government's closing down of hundreds of Red Shirt publications, radio stations, and websites since the protest, saying it was done under the rule of law.
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Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden backs online micro-finance initiative
Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden came face to face with entrepreneurs she described as "inspirational" during a recent trip to Cambodia with leading aid and development agency CARE International UK.
CARE took Meaden, their newly-appointed ambassador, to see how individuals in Cambodia are using loans provided to them by individuals in the UK through new micro-lending website Lendwithcare.org. Lendwithcare allows people to lend as little as £15 to entrepreneurs in poor communities around the world, enabling them to start or expand their small businesses.
Meaden met a range of entrepreneurs from poor communities, including a female farmer who used her loan to diversify her crops and rent essential farming tools, which increased her annual income. Another bought bamboo cases to sell a sweet rice snack from her stall. One was a seamstress who used her loan to buy three sewing machines, to train girls from her village for a small fee.
Unlike the business models Meaden is used to seeing, the seamstress' new venture was not all about the profit. "She decided to earn less money for herself, but involve more people in the village, simply because she treasures her community. In the UK I think that would be a very rare decision indeed," she said.
Despite her Dragons' Den persona, Meaden believes profit can't always be measured in cash terms.
"When I arrived I was expecting to sit, slightly Dragons' Den style, and ask the typical questions: 'What do you buy it for, what do you sell it for, what are your margins?' I began to realise very quickly that these are entrepreneurs in the raw; they're not looking to become millionaires, they're just looking to be able to live and be able to feed their family. They want to make enough money to keep themselves and their family safe. Once I understood this point, I realised that their output wasn't just cash," she said.
Meaden explained why she is happy to support Lendwithcare.org: "I really liked the idea of Lendwithcare. I love this idea of putting together people who have money, and want to see what their money is doing, with people who need their money. I think that's a magical combination. You get your money back, and that's good because it means the project has been successful. But really, I think the success can be measured by the change it's left behind."
Lendwithcare.org case study
Farmer Phang Seoun, 49, harvests rice and watermelons on land 10km from her home, and is raising six children alone after her husband died. Phang had struggled to afford to provide for her family and fund the tools needed to keep her business going. Phang's profile was uploaded to the Lendwithcare.org website so people in the UK could lend to her to help fund her business plans. Phang became fully funded and received her request of £261.42, which she used to buy seed, fertiliser and rental of a hand tractor used for ploughing. The resulting income will be used for food, clothing, education and for expenses of the wedding of her daughter.
Reflecting on how CARE International UK has helped Phang, Deborah Meaden said: "I believe that providing the opportunity and framework for people to help themselves is the only sustainable way forward and I saw this very clearly on my trip to Cambodia. The people there are willing to work to repair their lives; they just need even the smallest of leg-ups to get them started."
To change a life with a loan, please visit http://www.lendwithcare.org/.
How you can help
Support CARE International's poverty-fighting work around the world by taking on the CARE IT Adventure Challenge, supported by Computer Weekly. Cover a marathon on foot, bike and canoe alongside teams from across the IT industry, visit www.carechallenge.org/IT or call 020 7934 9470. Read more!
Ieng Sary back in Courtroom
A feeble Ieng Sary appeared before Cambodia’s war crimes tribunal yesterday to challenge his provisional detention ahead of his looming trial alongside three other senior Khmer Rouge leaders.
Lawyers for the former KR foreign minister argued that judges had not rendered a sufficiently reasoned decision on the defence appeal of last year’s indictment within the window during which the court could still compel their client’s detention. The maximum time limit for pre-trial detention since Ieng Sary’s 2007 arrest has therefore now lapsed, the defence said.
The challenge follows appeals earlier this year on similar grounds by the other three defendants set to be tried in the court’s second case: former KR head of state Khieu Samphan, Brother No 2 Nuon Chea and Social Action Minister Ieng Thirith. These appeals have been rejected.
Despite this precedent, defence lawyer Ang Udom told the court yesterday that there was no legal basis to continue Ieng Sary’s detention.
“Mr Ieng Sary has the presumption of innocence and has not been convicted of any crime,” Ang Udom said.
“The most suitable remedy is to release Mr Ieng Sary on bail immediately.”
The defence recommended that Ieng Sary be released from the court’s detention facility and placed under house arrest at his expansive home in Phnom Penh.
“Brother No 3” himself, now 85 years old, managed less than an hour in court yesterday before asking to leave due to fatigue. His lawyers have requested that the court conduct his upcoming trial in half-day sessions in view of his health concerns.
Donning the loose-fitting button-down shirt of the style he has worn in previous hearings, he appeared fatigued and at one point seemed to doze off as his lawyers spoke in front of him. Early in the session, the defence asked that he be given leave for a bathroom break.
Much of the argument yesterday followed the template of previous hearings on pre-trial detention. At one point, however, defence lawyer Michael Karnavas provided a sample of the debate over Cambodia’s complicated history with the West that is sure to come at greater length in the upcoming trial.
Responding to comments from deputy prosecutor Veng Huot, who noted in passing statements of support for the tribunal from United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon and American secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Karnavas said the UN was not “in any position to be lecturing”, given its support for the Khmer Rouge for years following their 1979 overthrow.
“I do believe that we should be entitled to talk about the carpet bombing, by the United States, of Cambodia. We should be able to talk about the UN’s involvement after 1979,” Karnavas said, accusing UN officials of limiting the court’s jurisdiction to events between 1975 and 1979 “to ensure that those issues were not properly vented out”. Read more!
Vaccine touted as cancer prevention
The creator of the human papilloma virus vaccine, Professor Ian Frazer, visited Cambodia yesterday and stated that vaccination prior to sexual activity was a crucial step in protecting against infections that can cause cervical cancer.
Professor Frazer told an audience at the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh yesterday that 80 percent of HPV infections are contracted within three years of becoming sexually active.
“[About] 70 to 80 percent of women who are sexually active get the virus,” he said. “The public health benefit comes from vaccinating young women before they become sexually active.”
Genital HPV infections are primarily transmitted through sexual intercourse and are linked to most cases of cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine is administered in three doses and has been given to over 60 million women worldwide.
Professor Frazer added that two HPV vaccines on the market protect against virus types 16 and 18, which cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers.
An HPV vaccination programme began in Cambodia in June 2008.
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Cambodia, Thailand agree to border station points for deploying observers: Cambodian FM
Cambodia agreed to accept the finalized arrangements for the deployment of Indonesian observers to the disputed border areas near Preah Vihear temple after Thailand has removed a disputed station point, Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong said on Thursday.
"Cambodia replied to Indonesia, current ASEAN chair, on May 4 about the acceptance of the 7th terms of reference (TOR) for the deployment of Indonesian observers to the border with Thailand," he said at Phnom Penh International Airport before leaving for ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting on May 6 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
"This is the finalized TOR," he said.
Hor Namhong said that Cambodia has got unofficial information that Thai cabinet ministers' meeting on May 3 also agreed to accept Indonesian observers to Cambodian-Thai border.
"So, I hope the TOR for observers will be signed in the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting on May 6 between Cambodian, Thai and Indonesian foreign ministers," he said.
"After that, Cambodia would urge Indonesia to send observers as soon as possible to ensure a permanent ceasefire," he said.
Cambodia and Thailand invited Indonesian observers to their respective border near Preah Vihear temple on Feb. 22 in the ASEAN informal foreign ministers' meeting after the deadly clashes on Feb. 4-7.
At that time, Indonesia agreed to send 15 observers to each border side of Cambodia and Thailand in order to monitor a ceasefire, but since then the sending has not happened as both sides have not agreed on TOR.
The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated.
Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. But Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers (1.8 square miles) of scrub next to the temple.
Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand had a border conflict, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.
ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Source: Xinhua
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Wednesday, May 04, 2011
ASEAN Leaders Will Discuss Thai-Cambodia Conflict at Summit
Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are gathering this week in Jakarta (May 5-8) to discuss regional economic development and mutual security issues.
Indonesia's Foreign Ministry's spokesman Michael Tene says ASEAN's role in trying to end an ongoing border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia will almost certainly be addressed when the heads of state meet May 7.
"Of course the development in Thailand, on the border of Thailand and Cambodia is one of major issues developing in our region. So it will be very natural I believe that such issues will be taken up in the summit," he said.
Indonesia took over the chairmanship of the group of 10 Southeast Asian nations this year and made it a stated goal to transform the organization from a loose association to an active participant in global economic and security matters.
But in February clashes erupted between two ASEAN members, Thailand and Cambodia. The two armies have been fighting sporadically over an area surrounding a Hindu Khmer temple, a historical landmark that both countries claim as part of their heritage.
As head of ASEAN, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa saw this conflict as a test case for what the organization leadership could achieve and he has actively tried to negotiate an end to the conflict. So far his efforts have been unsuccessful, but ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan says Natalegawa should get credit for his unprecedented diplomatic efforts.
"There has never been one single special meeting of the foreign ministers on an issue between states before, ever. We have made history under Indonesia. There has never been an attempt by the chair to go to the two capitals and holding hands and talking and try to convince that this is something that we will have to work out together," said Pitsuwan.
He says in addition to continuing to resolve the Thai-Cambodia border conflict, leaders at the summit will also likely discuss how to build on Indonesia's efforts to make ASEAN an integrated economic and political community in the future.
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Thailand, Cambodia trade blame over border battles
* Thailand says clashes are "masterfully orchestrated"
* Thai claims baseless, Cambodia says
By Martin Petty
BANGKOK, May 4 (Reuters) - Thailand and Cambodia traded barbs on Wednesday over which side started a bloody border dispute that is set to take centre stage at a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders in Jakarta this weekend.
Fighting between the two armies appeared to have eased after 12 days of artillery and gunfire that have killed 18 people on both sides, but there was no let-up in the diplomatic battle ahead of a summit of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva accused Cambodia of repeated attacks on Thai troops aimed at internationalising a dispute over sovereignty and influencing foreign opinion in its favour.
"Each time we clashed, it's not an accident but an intentional attempt to push the conflict to the international stage," Abhisit told reporters.
"It matches with Cambodia's strategy that the timing of each attack is linked to their goal of using the international stage (to protect Cambodian interests). We will defend our rights."
His Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, said on Wednesday there was a need to build trust and agree to a ceasefire but appeared to ridicule Thai troops, which he said were "shooting because they are afraid of ghosts".
Exactly why the two countries are in conflict and which side fired first remain a mystery but many analysts say there are political forces on either side that stand to gain domestically if the crisis continues.
At the centre of the latest flare-up are two 12th-Century stone-walled Hindu temples, Ta Moan and Ta Krabey, in a heavily mined jungle area that both sides claim.
DECADES-OLD ROW
The dispute over jurisdiction has been ongoing since the 1950s, when colonial power France pulled out of Cambodia. Another, more significant temple, Preah Vihear, was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice.
Thailand insists it accepts Cambodia's jurisdiction of the 11th Century temple but is challenging its listing of the ruins as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its management plans, because the ICJ did not rule on the 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq miles) of land around it.
Late last week, Cambodia asked the ICJ to settle the Preah Vihear issue by giving an explanation for a judgment it delivered half a century ago.
However, the request sent by Cambodia, written in French and posted on the ICJ's website on Tuesday, could become a bone of contention.
Cambodia told the ICJ that Thailand had orchestrated "serious armed incidents" between April 22 and 26, but the letter, signed by Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, was dated April 20.
It was not immediately clear if the date entered by Hor Namhong was a mistake.
Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong declined to comment specifically on the letter.
"The accusation by Thailand that Cambodia planned to start the fighting has no legal basis," he said.
A senior Thai Foreign Ministry official, who requested anonymity, said the letter proved the fighting had been "masterfully orchestrated" by Cambodia.
Both sides have called for calm and no meeting has yet been arranged between the two countries' leaders on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit starting on Saturday.
As chair of ASEAN, Indonesia intervened in February, at the request of the United Nations Security Council, when the conflict first flared from Feb 4-7, killing 11 troops.
Both sides agreed to allow 15 unarmed Indonesian military observers to be stationed on either side of the border to monitor the fragile peace agreement, but the plan has yet to be put in place.
Analysts say the breaching of the ceasefire on April 22 could weigh heavy on ASEAN's plans to form a regional community by 2015 and bloc Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan has urged an immediate ceasefire to prevent damage to its reputation. (Additional reporting by Ambika Ahuja and Phnom Penh bureau; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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Head of legal team to ICJ named
Veerachai Palasai, Thai ambassador to the Hague and former director-general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department, has been appointed head of the legal team to defend Thailand at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Preah Vihear temple issue, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on Wednesday.
Mr Kasit said this on his return from Geneva, Switzerland, where he met three foreign lawyers to discuss preparedness for the defence in the ICJ.
An addition to Mr Veerachai, Ithiporn Boonprakong, director-general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department, legal experts and historians of the Foreign Ministry will be responsible for compiling information and studying the petition filed by Cambodia with the ICJ.
Cambodia is seeking the ICJ's interpretation of its 1962 judgement on the Preah Vihear temple and accuses Thailand of aggression in attempts to claim Cambodian territory.
Mr Kasit said the ICJ has arranged for Thailand and Cambodia to attend a hearing of the ICJ on May 30-31.
Mr Veerachai will represent Thailand at this hearing. It is expected each side will take three to four hours making its points to the court.
Both countries will present their prepared documents to the court on this occasion.
The ICJ is expected to take four to five months considering the case, he said. He expected a decision early next year.
Read more!
Julie spotted in Siame Reap
International superstar Angelina Jolie was spotted at Siem Reap airport yesterday after an advertisement shoot for luxury brand Luis Vuitton reportedly finished.
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| Angelina Julie arrived by helicopet at Siam Reap international Airport following a day trip to Battambang Province yesterday |
A well-placed source said Jolie had flown from Siem Reap to Battambang province in the morning and returned later that day.
In 2003, the mega-star founded an NGO called the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which operates out of Battambang province. It tackles conservation, education and infrastructure projects in the area.
Yesterday, the foundation’s human resources manager said he could not comment on Jolie as he had been on leave.
The star of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is thought to have arrived in Cambodia on Saturday for filming after a production team scouted out potential locations.
An advert was shot on the banks of a Siem Reap river while an interview for Louis Vuitton was also filmed, said a source close to the shoot who wished to remain anonymous.
Khmer Mekong Films provided the back-up production for the shoot.
The filming was yesterday hailed as a boon for the Kingdom’s film production sector by Cedric Eloy, chief economic officer of the Cambodian Film Commission. “This shows that Cambodia is a safe place to shoot movies,” he said. “In some quarters it still has the image of a place with violence, but projects like this will help to change the image.
“We’ve had six feature films shot in Cambodia in the last six months, and the film industry is opening Cambodia up to the world,” he added.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Cambodia takes dispute with Thailand to UN court
By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press
Cambodia has asked the United Nations' highest court to order Thailand to withdraw troops and halt military activity around a temple at the center of a decades-old border dispute that has flared into deadly military clashes.
Fighting in recent weeks along the disputed border region in northeastern Thailand that surrounds the Preah Vihear temple has left 16 soldiers and one Thai civilian dead.
In a request filed April 28 and made available Tuesday on the court's website, Cambodia asked International Court of Justice judges to urgently deal with its request "because of the gravity of the situation."
Cambodia claims that according to a 1962 ruling by the court the temple is on its territory and warns that if the intervention request is rejected and clashes continue, "the damage to the Temple of Preah Vihear, as well as irremediable losses of life and human suffering ... would become worse."
The border dispute has stirred nationalist sentiment on both sides. But analysts say domestic politics may also be fueling the conflict, especially in Thailand, where the military that staged a coup in 2006 could be flexing its muscles ahead of elections due in June or July.
The conflict involves small swaths of land along the border that have been disputed for more than half a century. Including the latest fighting, clashes have broken out six times since 2008, when Cambodia's 11th-century Preah Vihear temple was given U.N. World Heritage status over Thailand's objections.
Analysts say the fighting is primarily being driven by domestic tensions within each country rather than tensions between them. Neither side appears to be trying to capture territory, and few believe the conflict will evolve into full-scale war.
The fighting forced tens of thousands of villagers on both sides of the border to flee their homes. Many of them returned this week from makeshift refugee camps as the latest skirmishes eased from artillery barrages to small arms exchanges.
Rulings by the court are supposed to be final and binding on parties.
Cambodia has formally applied for an "interpretation" - a written explanation - by the court of its 1962 judgment, and argued in its written application that the court's opinion "could then serve as a basis for a final resolution of this dispute through negotiation or any other peaceful means." Read more!
International Court Expects Temple Hearing Soon
The International Court of Justice is likely to hold a hearing on the Preah Vihear temple issue in a matter of weeks, an official there told VOA Khmer Tuesday.
Cambodia has petitioned the court to re-interpret a 1962 decision that gave Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia but left both Thailand and Cambodia claiming adjacent land.The disputed land has been at the center of a military standoff since 2008 that has killed dozens of people in a series of skirmishes over the years, including the deadliest clashes over the last week and a half. At least 18 have died in fighting that began April 22.
On April 28, Cambodia filed a request to the international court to clarify its 1962 decision, requesting “urgent” action to protect Preah Vihear temple, as Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged rocket and artillery fire along the border.
Biris Heim, a spokesman for the International Court of Justice, said the court will now “fix a date with all parties” so that they can appear before the court with arguments.
“It will be an oral hearing, and it can be between a few days and a few weeks,” he said.
Both Cambodia and Thailand have been notified of the case, he said, but the court will not send investigators to the field.
“Parties will provide evidence,” he said. “The court can only make an interpretation by hearing from both sides.”
Thailand, meanwhile, has begun preparing a group of experts to respond to the court, according to Thai media.
. Read more!
"Operation Death Match" Nets Carson/Incline Man
CARSON CITY, NV - When Lawrence Joseph Read, a former Carson City/Incline Village resident filed for a passport in Buenos Aires, Argentina and again in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, he became a suspect in "Operation Death Match." He tried to use a fraudulent Nevada Driver's License with a deceased man's name.
'Operation Death Match' is a Diplomatic Security Service program that compares passport applications with state death records, and now Read is going to prison for two years for identity theft.
According to the Attorney General for the District of Nevada, he was netted because he tried numerous times to use the name, date of birth and social security number of Michael Truman Hummel, who died in 1996.
Read used a Nevada driver's license with his own picture and an Incline Village address, but somehow it had Hummel's name. Read tried once in 2003 in Argentina and again in 2006 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. On the application in Cambodia, he listed his permanent address as Carson City, Nevada.
Under federal law, anyone who commits a crime at an American Embassy can be prosecuted by a federal judge in the area of their last-known address, which is the District of Nevada. On January 18th he pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft and on Monday he was sentenced to two years in prison.
Read more!
Monday, May 02, 2011
China Air Force Step it up[
US assumptions about China’s air power look outdated. It’s building a force that will be without rival in the Asia-Pacific.
The formal retirement ceremony this June for the last People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shenyang J-6 / MiG-19 Farmer fighter marks an important milestone for China’s air power, as it transitions from a Cold War era, Soviet-style force to a modern and technologically sophisticated air force with a fleet of high performance aircraft.
Sadly, far too many analysts and senior bureaucrats in the United States remain tethered to the idea that the PLA fighter force still comprises fleets of thousands of cloned 1955 Soviet technology MiG-19 fighters, and is thus incapable of protecting China’s areas of interest from regional or US military forces. Yet although this perception remains appealing in Washington, it ceased to be true almost a decade ago, and today reflects more than anything what Huxley described as ‘vincible ignorance’—not knowing because you don’t want to.
For those that are interested though, a more accurate picture can be gleaned from the fact that about 5 years ago, China planned to field well in excess of 500 Russian designed Sukhoi Flanker fighters, a size comparable to the now declining United States Air Force fleet of around 600 Boeing F-15 Eagle fighters. The Flanker was designed to be a direct equivalent (in some respects superior) to the F-15, which is also the backbone of the Japanese and Singaporean fighter fleets.
Indeed, with an ongoing modernisation plan that will see all legacy aircraft types replaced by modern and much longer ranging replacements, the PLAAF will in numerical terms become the strongest air force in Asia, with the largest fleet of ‘tier one’ fighter aircraft globally, should the United States pursue its current plan to downsize and reduce the capabilities of its tactical air forces. In terms of air power alone, this will result in the single largest swing in the strategic balance in Asia since the 1940s.
The PLAAF has existed since the late 1940s, initially equipped with a mix of foreign—at that time Japanese, American and Soviet—aircraft. Through the 1950s the PLAAF acquired a wide range of then state-of-the-art Soviet planes and the first (and to date only) air war in which the PLAAF participated was in Korea, where Chinese pilots performed well in Soviet supplied MiG-15 Fagot fighters.
But a key juncture in the development of the PLAAF fighter force was the Khrushchev era collapse of relations between the Chinese and Soviet leaderships. Denied the ongoing supply of advanced Soviet aircraft, China resorted to the only choice it had, which was reverse engineering Soviet designs. Numerous Soviet types were built, the most significant being the MiG-19S Farmer, or Shenyang J-6, and the MiG-21F Fishbed, or Chengdu J-7 fighters. These cloned Soviet designs formed the backbone of the PLAAF and PLAN fighter regiments, until the next major evolutionary transition point—the fall of the Soviet Union.
In 1992, China ordered its first batch of Russian built Sukhoi/KnAAPO Su-27SK Flanker B fighters, an export variant of the first mass-produced Soviet Flanker model. Further batches were purchased, including the dual seat Su-27UBK combat trainer and by the late 1990s, China had negotiated a deal to partly manufacture and assemble 200 examples of the Shenyang J-11A. Concurrently, multiple regiments of the dual seat Su-30MKK were procured, an aircraft best compared with early blocks of the US F-15E Strike Eagle, providing a robust all-weather strike capability with a wide range of guided weapons, including anti-radiation missiles to defeat opposing air defence radars, and a range of standoff missiles and smart bombs with TV command link, imaging optical and laser guidance.
PLANAF units have also received variants of the Su-30MK, specifically the Su-30MK2, which is equipped with the additional capability to carry Russian anti-ship cruise missiles. PLAN Flankers supplement a growing force of domestically built Xian JH-7 Flying Leopard/Flounder maritime strike fighters, now also being deployed with PLAAF units.
By the middle of the last decade, cracks had begun to appear in the relationship between Shenyang and KnAAPO. China wanted the second half of the domestic J-11A build to be produced in a more advanced configuration, something which the Russians refused to do. Shenyang had by then completed the reverse engineering of the Su-27SK airframe, and disclosed that prototypes of the fully Chinese built J-11B existed. While the Russians have alleged that the Chinese built J-11B is an unauthorised ‘clone’ of the Su-27SK, it’s actually quite different in key systems and avionics.
The PLAN also negotiated with KnAAPO for the supply of up to 50 navalised folding wing Su-27K/Su-33 Flanker D shipboard fighters, intended for operation off the Varyag. This order, which would have brought Chinese Flanker numbers planned and budgeted for well beyond the 500 aircraft mark, stalled due to Russian concerns over reverse engineering (a recent report by Kanwa claims that the PLAN procured a prototype Su-27K previously abandoned at a Ukrainian airfield, and used it to reverse engineer the J-15 Flying Shark shipboard fighter).
In strategic terms, China’s Flanker fleet is its regional ‘big stick.’ These aircraft have a combat radius without aerial refuelling of up to 900 nautical miles, robustly covering the ‘First Island Chain.’ With heavier weapon loads operating radius is reduced, with aerial refuelling it is further extended. Importantly, the Flanker is a credible modern air combat fighter which matches or exceeds key performance and capabilities of the US built Boeing F-15C/E, F-15CJ/DJ and F-15SG operated by the United States, Japan and Singapore, while the indigenous Chinese PL-12/SD-10A air to air missile is a credible equivalent to the US built AIM-120 AMRAAM. Meanwhile, the large fuel and missile load carried by the Flanker provides it with superior combat persistence, compared to most F-15 variants.
But while the Flanker has become the backbone of the PLA tactical fighter fleet, it is not the only important advance under way.
The legacy fleet of lightweight Cold War era J-6 Farmer and J-7 Fishbed fighters is being replaced by newly built indigenous Chengdu J-10 ‘Sino-canard’ fighters, modelled on the European canard fighters, and a direct competitor to US built F-16 Falcon fighters operated across Asia. While many US observers have described the J-10 as a clone of the US-funded and later cancelled Israeli Lavi fighter, this isn’t actually the case. The design of the J-10 is uniquely Chinese, and the ‘double delta’ wing design is clearly based on the earlier Chinese Chengdu J-7G design. The J-10B is designed to carry an advanced electronically steered radar antenna, and employs an engine inlet design modelled on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
And in terms of basing? PLAAF and PLANAF tactical fighters continue to operate from the extensive network of around 200 Cold War era fighter bases. Modelled on period Warsaw Pact semi-hardened base designs, these typically employ fully dispersed service areas protected by berms. Thirteen of these bases qualify as ‘superhardened’ with deep underground hangars tunnelled into hill sides, while a number of other bases have been equipped with Hardened Aircraft Shelters to resist smart bomb attacks. The PLA’s tactical fighter basing system is a strategic asset in its own right, providing the means for rapid redeployment, dispersal and offering inherent strategic depth unavailable to any other nation in Asia.
All this means that China’s evolving fighter force is potent, and will increase in potency over the next decade as remaining legacy fighters are replaced with new ones. With a force structure modelled on that of the US Air Force tactical fighter fleet, the PLA’s fighter force is becoming a strategic asset without peer in the Asia-Pacific. Read more!
Time for ASEAN Peacekeeping Force
The latest clash between Cambodia and Thailand has underscored the need for a regional peacekeeping force. Indonesia should push for one now.
The latest clash between Thai and Cambodian troops over a disputed area surrounding the ancient Preah Vihear temple along the two countries’ border should be a wake-up call for ASEAN.
Years of negotiations have proved ineffective in resolving the crisis as Thailand’s insistence that the issue is a bilateral one has been sharply rejected by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Hun Sen’s response has been to call for UN peacekeepers to be deployed to the area, a call that raises an interesting question—is it time for ASEAN to seriously consider a peacekeeping force?
Ad hoc ceasefire agreements reached after each clash have been too fragile and prone to being breached by both sides—every time a skirmish has broken out, each side has been quick to blame the other.
Political efforts to find a solution, meanwhile, have been complicated by the domestic politics of both countries. Hun Sen has been accused by his political opponents of exploiting the border dispute to maintain his tight grip over his country, while Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is expected to dissolve the Thai parliament in early May, is loathe to appear weak heading into an election. All this is complicated by the close relationship between Hun Sen and the de facto leader of the Thai opposition, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Indonesia, as chair of ASEAN, has played an outstanding role in trying to broker a resolution to the dispute, but it can only do so much. For example, it put proffered the suggestion of dispatching a team of Indonesian observers to monitor the disputed area to avoid further clashes. This proposal was reportedly actually agreed on by the political leaders of both sides in the dispute, but there have been suggestions that objections from the Thai military, which feels uneasy with the idea of having a third party present in the conflict zone, have meant the idea is still on hold.
The latest clash started late last month, and many observers believe it is the most serious so far. At the time of writing, the official death toll stood at 17, although this is expected to increase. A temporary, fragile ceasefire was reached between the two militaries last Thursday, but quickly broke down after only 10 hours, leaving a tense situation and the prospect of war looming over the border.
What can ASEAN do to prevent all-out conflict? It could start by pooling the resources of all member states—including Thailand and Cambodia—to establish and deploy a peacekeeping force at the first opportunity.
This wouldn’t be the first time such a force has been considered. Back in March 2004, Indonesia’s then-Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda moved to propose the establishment of a regional peacekeeping force. Indonesia’s current foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, voiced his support back then, saying: ‘ASEAN countries should know one another better than anyone else, and therefore we should have the option for ASEAN countries to take advantage of an ASEAN peacekeeping force to be deployed if they so wish.’ However, the idea was opposed by a number of other foreign ministers, who noted ASEAN’s stated principle of non-interference in countries’ domestic affairs.
The problem with Wirajuda’s proposal at the time is that it was akin to planting a seed without soil and water—there was really no immediate benefit that ASEAN member states could see from engaging in such cooperation, meaning the environment just wasn’t right.
But with the ASEAN Charter, a legally-binding document signed in 2007, calling for ASEAN to become an economic, socio-cultural and political-security community, the time has come for the idea of an ASEAN peacekeeping force to be put back on the table.
The inaugural ASEAN Defense Ministerial Meeting, along with eight other dialogue partners (ADMM+) in October last year, has provided an excellent foundation for a bolder form of security cooperation among ASEAN member states. Indeed, the ASEAN Political and Security Blue Print, which supplements the Charter, already has language backing peacekeeping cooperation. It eyes: ‘(Establishment of) a network among existing ASEAN Member States’ peacekeeping centres to conduct joint planning, training, and sharing of experiences, with a view to establishing an ASEAN arrangement for the maintenance of peace and stability, in accordance with the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) 3-Year Work Programme.’
The African Union, which in many ways looks to ASEAN for inspiration as a successful regional bloc, has already formed the African Standby Force (ASF), to be deployed as a preventive measure aimed at averting conflict. Although still a work in process, it’s designed to consist of five brigades with 4,500 personnel, 350 vehicles and four helicopters per brigade.
The ASF has engaged in exercises with significant assistance from the EU and the United States. ASEAN member states currently have deployed 5,000 personnel worldwide as part of various UN Peacekeeping operations, yet these forces have no presence in their own backyard.
The benefits of an ASEAN peacekeeping force would go beyond resolution of the Thai-Cambodian border conflict. Any region must have its own processes and mechanisms for ensuring confidence and stability to maintain economic growth and sustainable development. ASEAN has made a remarkable transition into a formidable player in Asia and beyond, and a regional peacekeeping force would build on this progress and contribute to a greater sense that the region can take care of itself in times of crises—manmade or natural.
Of course, there’s bound to be opposition to any such development. Back in 2004, Singaporean Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar was quick to dismiss the idea, arguing that: ‘ASEAN is not a security or defence organization…Perhaps sometime in the future there may be scope for such an organization.’
Yet it should be clear that that future has now arrived, and as chair of ASEAN this year, Indonesia should again explore the possibility.
If it is to have legitimacy in the current spat, any force would clearly need to consist of an equal number of Thai and Cambodian troops, stripped of their respective national military uniforms in favour of one bearing the ASEAN flag. To ensure neutrality, an Indonesian four-star general could serve as commander. If Indonesia was somehow to make such a peacekeeping force happen, it could well be the country’s single most important contribution to the future of ASEAN during its chairmanship.
It will, of course, inevitably have to keep pushing to bring the idea to fruition and overcome opposition from some of its neighbours. But the country is the only member of ASEAN with sufficient political capital and respect to put forward a proposal for such a paradigm shift in ASEAN’s security cooperation.
The ASEAN Summit to be held this weekend in Jakarta presents a timely opportunity for Jakarta to really step up. Read more!
Thailand-Cambodia: Villagers return as clashes ease
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| Local people have been staying in Camps and Temples to avoid the fighting |
Tens of thousands of villagers had been staying in temporary camps and temples as troops exchanged artillery fire in jungle areas both sides claim.
A truce agreed on 28 April did not end the fighting but reduced its intensity.
The clashes, which began on 22 April, have killed 17 people, including one civilian.
"These people have returned to their houses because the situation now is calm," said Pech Sokhen, the governor of Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province.
"I hope that the fighting between the two sides will keep decreasing over time."
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva confirmed people were returning to their villages. "The military will monitor the border. We will remain very careful," he said.
The fighting has not stopped completely. A Cambodian commander said Thai shelling continued on Sunday night, while a Thai commander said the two sides exchanged automatic fire - but reports say it is confined to smaller areas.
It has centred around the two temples of Ta Moan and Ta Krabey, which sit in a hilly jungle area that both sides say belongs to them.
Clashes were also reported last week at the hill-top temple of Preah Vihear, a flashpoint for the dispute.
Parts of the Thai-Cambodian border have never been formally demarcated, spurring nationalist sentiment in both countries.
Fighting took place three years ago in the run-up to a general election in Cambodia, and this latest outbreak comes with the Thai government due to call an election in the coming days. Read more!
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Thai, Cambodian troops clash again at border
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| Cambodian soldiers take up positions with their weapon in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia-Thailand border |
Thailand and Cambodia fought six times since 2008 over land disputed for more than half a century, but analysts say domestic politics on both sides is driving the current conflict, which has forced nearly 100,000 villagers on both sides of the border to flee their homes for refugee camps.
AP
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Thai-Cambodian border clash an ‘embarrassment for ASEAN’
Thai and Cambodian military forces continue to exchange fire in their border area as both countries lay claim to the Preah Vihear Temple and its surrounding area although they have committed to a cease-fire a number of times. Indonesian and Cambodian journalists, including The Jakarta Post’s Mustaqim Adamrah, had a chance to interview Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya during his visit to Jakarta last week. Below are excerpts of the interview.
Question: Thailand and Cambodia have repeatedly pledged to maintain a cease-fire in February and last Thursday. So why did clashes occur again two weeks ago, with the latest last Friday?
Answer: To reaffirm for the record, we never started the clashes. We have no reason to be unfriendly to Cambodia.
First, we are major exporters to Cambodia. Our exports to Cambodia make up 90 percent of bilateral trade [between Thailand and Cambodia]. So, it’s on our interest to keep trading with and exporting to Cambodia.
Second, we are becoming major investors in [Cambodia] in many fields: electricity generation, [manufacturing] industry, tourism, healthcare and construction.
Third, we welcome 150,000 Cambodian workers to Thailand under a bilateral memorandum of understanding.
Fourth, we are becoming a major donor to Cambodian development, education, social, health and infrastructure development.
Fifth, there’s a growth in Thai tourism to Cambodia and at the same time, we are a transit point as international airlines come to Thailand and visitors take regional airlines to Cambodia. So Thailand is an entry point for Cambodian tourism.
Sixth, we started and initiated the ASEAN master plan of connectivity: physical infrastructure, roads, railways, ICT [information and communication technology], electricity and other things, inclusive of the Mekong River development, as well as people-to-people contact.
We and Cambodia are two kingdoms, one destination. Two months ago, we had an agreement with Cambodia for Cambodians to enter Thailand without the need for visas.
The Thai side of the border is heavily populated. Why should we fight when the munitions fall on Thai villages? The Cambodian side is sparsely populated.
It would be silly for us to keep shooting when we know very well that artillery from Cambodia will fall on villages, temples and schools as has been shown on television.
Last time we had to evacuate about 20,000 people. We had to build houses, repair temples and schools, and we had to build more bunkers.
The physical side [construction] is not as important as the morale of the people. Between 30,000 and 40,000 people have been displaced. Instead of spending time looking after their animals, growing rice and tapioca, they have to sleep on temple floors. The damage is not only on the dollar. It’s frightening to hear the gunfire.
What triggered the additional clashes at two separate temples — 150 kilometers away from Preah Vihear — where February’s skirmishes occurred?
From our point of view, the position of the two military units is about 50 meters apart.
Ten days ago, we found out that the Cambodians had moved closer to the Thai side and started to dig bunkers. So we told the Cambodian soldiers to move back and that’s when they started to shoot.
How has Indonesia played out its role as chair of ASEAN? Is it failing to do its job, especially in light of the latest clashes?
We highly appreciate the role of Indonesia — the seriousness, the sense of purpose and the goodwill. So we do whatever we can [to cooperate].
I don’t think [Indonesia is failing] because its responsibility is more or less behind the scenes. No one expected that fighting would break out 150 kilometers away [from the original flash point].
The conflict between the two countries is a waste of time. It’s a waste of resources for the Indonesian government, for Cambodia and for Thailand.
We have to respect and honor the role and involvement of Indonesia. Thailand is not in a position to embarrass the Indonesian government.
It’s sad for ASEAN that the two countries keep on fighting. I’m ashamed. It’s an embarrassment to ASEAN that this conflict has dragged us to the UN.
Read more!
Thai, Cambodian troops clash again at border
BANGKOK -- A Cambodian soldier was killed in fighting with Thailand on Sunday, bringing the total number of dead to 17 as the Southeast Asian nations' festering border conflict dragged on.
The two sides exchanged automatic weapons fire overnight and before dawn Sunday around the Ta Krabey and Ta Moan temples, which are in a disputed zone between the two nations, authorities on both sides said.
One Cambodian soldier was killed by shrapnel from an artillery round, Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen Chhum Socheat said.
In the 10 days since fighting began April 22, 16 soldiers and one civilian have died. Some 18 Cambodian and 50 Thai soldiers have also been wounded, military officials said.
Thailand and Cambodia fought six times since 2008 over land disputed for more than half a century, but analysts say domestic politics on both sides is driving the current conflict, which has forced nearly 100,000 villagers on both sides of the border to flee their homes for refugee camps.
Read more!
Cambodia's army condemns Thailand for 10 straight days of arms attacks
PHNOM PENH, (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Ministry of Defense on Sunday afternoon issued a statement condemning Thai troops for their ten straight days of armed attacks into Cambodian territory at the 13th century Ta Mon temple and Ta Krabei temple in Oddar Meanchey province.
"The repeated invasions of Thai troops into Cambodia have caused gradual damage to Cambodia, it is an unacceptable act," said the statement. "The Royal Cambodian armed forces (RCAF) strongly condemn this latest series of the attacks on Cambodia."
"We'd like to appeal to Thai troops to keep their repeated promises of ceasefire in order to avoid further costing human lives--either soldiers or civilians."
The statement was issued after the latest round of sporadic clashes between the two countries' troops overnight Saturday- Sunday over the border disputed areas at Ta Mon temple and Ta Krabei temple, marking the ten straight days of the skirmishes.
The fighting had killed at least eight Cambodian soldiers, seven Thai soldiers and one Thai civilian, and forced some 100,000 villagers of both sides to flee homes for safe shelters.
However, Lt. Gen. Chhum Socheat, spokesman of Cambodia's Ministry of National Defense said on Sunday that following renewal of acts of aggression on the part of the Thai military on Saturday night through Sunday morning, one Cambodian soldier was killed and another was wounded.
"Again and again, the acts of aggression on the part of the Thai military continue to cause damage for Cambodia despite the agreement reached between Cambodian-Thai military commanders at military Region levels and frontline commanders at Division levels, " Chhum Socheat said.
"This is the tenth times that the Thai military violated the ceasefire agreement and promised, and spin doctored the situation and alleged against Cambodia while we are stationing on our sovereign territory," he added.
The two countries' border has never been completely demarcated. The conflict has occurred just a week after Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.
The International Court of Justice awarded in 1962 that the 11th century Preah Vihear Temple belonged to Cambodia, but both countries claim ownership of a 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square- mile) surrounding area.
Read more!
Laos, Viet Nam, Cambodia build road links
VIENTIANE, Apr 30, 2011 (Vientiane Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The triangle of land where the Lao, Vietnamese and Cambodian borders meet is experiencing rapid development as the three countries work to improve transport links.
The Lao part of the development triangle is located in Attapeu province in southern Laos, Director of the Attapeu provincial Public Works and Transport Department Mr Phetmixay Khampakmy said on Wednesday.
"The development triangle is receiving funding assistance from the Japanese government," he pointed out.
In Laos, construction has started on a road in Samakkhixay district of the province which will eventually link to Vietnam and Cambodia through Phouvong district.
The province is spending US$5.6 million to build a bridge across the Xekhaman River, as well as three kilometres of asphalt road on both sides of the bridge, with funding provided by Japan, Mr Phetmixay told Vientiane Times .
The new bridge and road on either side will be finished within 24 months from the start of construction.
The distance from the Xekhaman bridge to the border with Cambodia is about 90km.
"We can't say when the asphalt road reaching Cambodia will be finished, but we have acquired funding from Japan to continue building a further 19km of road," he added.
Laying asphalt on roads is quite expensive, with 1 km costing around US$800,000, he said.
Attapeu province borders Vietnam and Cambodia and has five districts -- Xaysettha, Samakkhixay, Sanamxay, Sanxay, and Phouvong.
Sanxay and Phouvong districts are considered to be amongst the poorest in the country, with a lack of basic infrastructure, especially roads and electricity.
An asphalt road connecting Attapeu to Vietnam was built a few years ago, but there is no road access to Cambodia. Only Champassak province currently has a road link to Cambodia.
As part of development plans to take the province out of poverty by 2020, work on a road link between Attapeu and Cambodia has started.
A planned motorway between Attapeu and Vietnam, passing through Phouvong district, is currently under construction, with surveying and design for some sections also ongoing.
Road access from the provincial capital to the border area of Phouvong district is restricted during the wet season, as vehicles often can't cross rivers because ferry services are frequently halted due to strong currents.
Once complete, the road will help reduce poverty because people will have better access to markets in both Laos and Cambodia where they can sell their agricultural produce and handicrafts.
Read more!
Filipino teachers shine in Cambodia
By Leti Boniol in Phnom Penh/Philippine Daily Inquirer
Phnom Penh (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Their primary goal when they left the country for Cambodia may have been to earn more money. But in the end, Filipino teachers end up giving their best to that country.
Take the case of Jayson Umaquing, who left the Philippines six years ago for a teaching job that was to give him higher pay in US dollars, part of which he could send back home to his parents and two sisters. He also wanted to embark on an adventure and a life of independence from his family.
His mother would not let him leave at first, fearing for his safety, but he grabbed the opportunity after being accepted for a teaching job in a private school in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh.
It was for him a a completely new world where he met people from different parts of the globe. He was able to visit the famous heritage destination Angkor Wat in Siem Reap and other places of nature. The exchange rate at the time was at least P47 to a dollar and that went a long way in sending his sister and some relatives to school.
He went through the stage of being lonely, doing all the work at home and in school, and facing a language barrier in a country where only a few speak English. But after learning the Khmer language, he was able to mingle with the local population and found that "they are a friendly and enthusiastic" people. He said he has adapted to the Khmer culture, which he described as "very rich and interesting."
In his six years of teaching Math and English to Grades 9 and 10 pupils of the Pannasastra International School, and Business and English subjects to college students of the Pannasastra University and the Western University of Cambodia, he observed that students "easily give up and get stressed."
But Filipino teachers are "patient and hardworking," he observed.
New heaven
Another teacher, Joyce Ira Yarza, 28, first taught in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam in 2005, but transferred to an advertising firm in Phnom Penh in 2007 on the invitation of a friend. She enjoyed the teaching job for two years, but felt she needed change. She went back to teaching and "found a new heaven" in the Cambodia International Academy in Phnom Penh.
Joyce brought her children to Cambodia so she wouldn't miss them. Together with her husband and children, she said she has "found a new home that will satisfy our needs."
She has not had any problem with the locals, as she has adapted to their nature and culture. She teaches algebra, science and English for middle level students. The pay and work conditions are "not as much as I get in Vietnam" but the "best thing" she likes in the city is the "simple way of life."
She works Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and spends her weekends with the family. "I am not stressed here," she added.
Most teachers in Cambodia accept tutorial services in the evenings, Joyce said, something she cannot do because she has her hands full with her own family.
Working in a multicultural community makes teaching so much fun, she added. "Every day, you learn many things from your colleagues and students. If there is one thing I consider a challenge, it's how to improve myself and my teaching to give the best for my students," Joyce said.
Another teacher, Jennifer, (not her real name), who requested anonymity, said she went to Cambodia to apply for the job that she is currently holding. For three years, she has been teaching all subjects at the primary level of a Christian school.
Exposure and involvement in a multicultural community are some of the benefits of teaching in Cambodia, Jennifer said. "Each year, I have at least five nationalities in a class. I not only teach but also get to learn and appreciate my kids' culture. I get more interested about foreign news and information, particularly about my students' countries," she explained.
There were 257 Filipino teachers in Cambodia as of Dec. 31, 2010, the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh said.
"Most of them work for private schools and universities at levels ranging from pre-school to post-graduate studies," according to Ambassador Noe A. Wong in his reply to an e-mailed questionnaire from the Inquirer.
Some Filipino teachers also occupy academic supervisory posts like principal or dean, he said. Their salaries vary depending on the school and teaching level, the embassy said.
Memorable
Jayson said he has had memorable experiences, one of which was when he had a Christmas lunch with his students and they gave him a gift and numerous Christmas cards with heartfelt messages. He was so happy to know his students appreciated his work, he said.
But as Cambodia develops, things will not always be the same for migrant professionals in that country. Jayson realizes that for the past few years, companies and organizations in Cambodia have started to localize their work force because of the lower cost of hiring personnel.
"The wages we get here are not as big as those being given in First World countries," he said in an emailed reply to an interview. "Although sometimes, we don't get benefits," he added without elaborating.
Thus, he plans to go back home this year to explore other employment opportunities in other countries, or to finish his Master's degree.
For Joyce, she will never forget being described by her students as the "Best Science Teacher" they ever had.
She and her husband have not made plans to move to another country in the next years. But Joyce said she would come back to the Philippines only when she retires.
She said her school was being accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges so she expected the students would get quality education. "If every school here is accredited by international school-governing bodies and quality education is assured, I believe that intellectually-inclined students will be the product of our hard work," she said.
Joyce believes Cambodia still welcomes more individuals who can contribute to the welfare of their people.
Jennifer added that even though Filipino teachers' main purpose in working in Cambodia is a better financial position, they "give their best" in their work.
I think it's in our culture to be patient and resilient. Moreover, Cambodians treat Filipinos with respect," she said.
She has seen some improvement with the educational system in that country, with the influx of outside help and foreigners who volunteer to help improve education in Cambodia.
She said she and her husband are open to explore work opportunities in other countries but not in the next two to three years.
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