Preah Vihear temple shoot illegal Thai trespassers
PREAH VIHEAR CONTROVERSY
Four square km land belongs to Cambodia: Hun Sen
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday said with strong words that Cambodia and Thailand do not have overlapping land of 4.6 square km near 11th century Khmer Preah Vihear temple.
“That area is Cambodian soil,” Hun Sen said at a opening ceremony of the new Tourism Ministry building in Phnom Penh downtown.
“Thailand is using their own map which was drawn unilaterally to take land from Cambodia such as 4.6 km square near Preah Vihear Temple,” Xinhua quoted Hun Sen as saying.
Hun Sen had said that Thai “yellow T-shirt” protesters rallied at the area near Preah Vihear temple to demand Cambodian troops and villagers to move out from the land of 4.6 square km near the temple. “They are extremists and have ambitions,” he said.
State-run Xinhua said Hun Sen warned that he has told his military commander that if the Thai “yellow T-shirt” protesters forced their way into the area, Cambodian troops could use force.
He said he has ordered his troops to shoot anyone found illegally crossing a disputed border with Thailand.
His remarks came a little over a week after Thai protesters rallied at the site near the Preah Vihear temple, where seven soldiers were killed when tensions flared last year.
“If they enter again, they will be shot,” Hun Sen told officials.
“Troops, police and all armed forces must adhere to the order … for invaders, shields are not used but bullets are used,” the said in the speech at the opening ceremony for Cambodia’s new Ministry of Tourism building.
The Prime Minister also rejected the declaration by Thai leaders that the road Cambodia built to Preah Vihear temple is joint sharing for using. “This road was built on Cambodian soil and it did not have joint share with Thai side. I am so sorry for your comment,” he said, adding “you have confused the matter of this street.”
However, Hun Sen stressed that even though “we will not avoid to use force, our stance is still to deal with the issues with peaceful way, Cambodia does not need war.”
Cambodian and Thai troops have confronted each other since July 15, 2008 at the areas near Khmer Preah Vihear temple after Cambodia registered the temple as the World Heritage Site in July 7, 2008.
NACC finds ground to charge Samak, Noppadon over Preah Vihear communique
The National Anti-Corruption Commission Tuesday decided to seek legal action against former prime minister Samak Sundaravej and former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama over the issuance of a Cabinet resolution to endorse the listing of Preah Vihear temple.
The NACC found grounds to charge the two for having the Cabinet endorse the joint communique that supports the listing of the ruins as a world heritage site.
I can beat Preah Vihear charges : Noppadon
Noppadon Pattama was optimistic yesterday he would be cleared of criminal and impeachment charges relating to the wrongful signing of the Cambodian-Thai joint communique on Preah Vihear temple last year.
“So many past indictments by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) have been dismissed by the courts,” he said.
The NACC ruled on Tuesday to prosecute him and former prime minister Samak Sundaravej on suspicion of a lapse of duty, under Article 157 of the Criminal Code. They were accused of pushing through the controversial joint communique which was subsequently rejected and voided by the Constitution Court as well as the Central Administrative Court.
Noppadon – who was foreign minister at the time – insisted the NACC was prejudiced by relying heavily on evidence supplied by his opponents and those in the anti-Thaksin camp.
The joint communique was not a treaty, as claimed by opponents. It was a first document in which Cambodia duly recognised the existence of the disputed area surrounding the temple, he said, denying the allegation about sanctioning the Cambodian claim to the Thai territory.
He said he was prepared to fight the legal battle in the Supreme Court and the impeachment proceedings in the Senate.
Noppadon said ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra gave him the moral support to clear his name. Samak, who is in hospital for cancer treatment, also gave him encouragement through an aide, he added.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the government would allow justice to run its course without interfering in the matter.
In his message posted on Twitter, Thaksin said the NACC had gone overboard in trying to fault Noppadon.
As part of the indictments, the NACC cited evidence from the National Security Council on the intentions of Noppadon and Samak relating to the joint communique. Based on the evidence, it concluded the two wanted to help Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen boost his popularity ahead of the polls.
The NACC expressed shock and dismay the two were willing to risk Thai territorial integrity for the political gain of a foreign leader.
Reacting to the evidence obtained by the NACC, NSC secretary general Thawil Pliensri said he remained sceptical Samak had actually instructed Noppadon to help Hun Sen.
“The story is beyond belief and I never heard Samak tell Noppadon to act in such manner,” Thawil said, insisting he was at the NSC meeting on the temple issue.
He admitted, however, there was no taped record of what transpired between Samak and Noppadon.
Thawil’s predecessor Lt General Surapol Phuenaiyaka was the key witness in the NACC inquiry.
Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Prompan said the NACC had been unfair in indicting Noppadon and Samak.
The two were not responsible for losing the Thai territory to Cambodia but Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his fellow Democrats were, Jatuporn claimed.
He insisted the two had tried to safeguard the Thai borders while Abhisit neglected to defend the disputed area in spite of a road constructed by Cambodia 250 metres inside Thai soil.