16 October 2008: Thailand and Cambodia trade blame for the first casualties of the three-month border row
(Photo: A Cambodian soldier carries his B40 grenade launcher at the Preah Vihear temple, Cambodia. 7 November 2008. By Isabelle Roughol)
By Isabelle Roughol and Eang Mengleng
A gun battle erupted Wednesday near Preah Vihear temple, resulting in the death of two RCAF soldiers, according to Cambodian officials. Ten Thai soldiers were also captured near the temple and are being held by RCAF, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong.
Following the fighting, which an official at the border said lasted about an hour, Thailand and Cambodia traded blame over who had initiated the skirmish and breached agreements made at several bilateral meetings since the border standoff began exactly three months ago.
“[Wednesday at 2:15 pm] Thai troops launched heavy armed attacks upon the Cambodian troops…in an apparent attempt to force the Cambodian troops out of their present positions inside Cambodian territory,” read a letter from the Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry to its Thai counterpart.
Two RCAF soldiers were killed and three injured, according to the statement.
Fighting occurred at three points, the statement said: the pagoda near the Preah Vihear temple, where Hor Namhong told reporters that the two soldiers were killed; Veal Intry, or “Eagle Field,” an area just west of the temple that both Thailand and Cambodia claim as their own; and Phnom Trap, a hill about 4 km west of the temple. These points of conflict lay 700 meters, 1,120 meters and 1,600 meters, respectively, inside Cambodian territory, the statement said.
Thailand had a different version of events: “Thai soldiers, while peacefully patrolling the area along the Thai-Cambodian border inside Thai territory…were shot at by Cambodian soldiers using RPG and sub-machine guns, which resulted in the injuries of five Thai soldiers,” read a letter from the Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry to its Cambodian counterpart.
“Of course, it’s like every attack in the past. We claim that they started first, and they claim that we started first,” said an official at the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
At a news conference Wednesday evening, Hor Namhong said Cambodian forces had detained 10 Thai soldiers who were made prisoners at the pagoda.
“Twenty Thai troops ran away, and we keep 10,” he said, adding they would be held for questioning.
The Thai Embassy official denied that prisoners were taken.
“Yes, they were disarmed, and they were forced to leave the pagoda, but no detention or no custody,” adding the troops in question were the 10 left at the pagoda in accordance with previous agreements between the two countries.
However, photographs from the temple area show Thai soldiers that had been taken prisoner seated on the ground under guard by Cambodian troops.
Both sides said they remained committed to bilateral negotiations and will hold a meeting near the temple between regional military commanders today.
Hor Namhong said Cambodia would brief the UN about the situation but would not yet request its intervention.
The foreign minister also briefed 22 ambassadors and representatives of foreign countries at the ministry Wednesday evening.
“We certainly have been watching the situation with concern and urging both Thailand and Cambodia to work to diffuse the situation,” said Piper Campbell, charge d’affaires at the US Embassy in Phnom Penh.
The Thai Embassy renewed its call for Thai citizens to think carefully before coming to or staying in Cambodia.
“If it’s not a must to stay, to take care of business or family, we would urge them to go back to Thailand for safety reasons,” the embassy official said.
He added the embassy had been preparing for a possible evacuation since the beginning of the 3-month military standoff, though no order had yet been given.
About 50 intervention police from the Ministry of Interior kept close watch over the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh on Wednesday afternoon and night.
The policemen started lining Norodom Boulevard shortly after fighting broke out to guard the embassy compound, officers at the scene said.
The police presence is “a good way to help the embassy,” said You Vuthy, an embassy security staff supervisor, from behind barred windows. “I don’t worry about safety too much because the Cambodians are focusing on protection.”
The embassy employs between 50 and 60 Cambodians and Thais, and about 10 high-ranking officers were expected to spend the night as a safety precaution, You Vuthy said.
(Additional reporti
