Witnesses to history: NIU professors recall day first Khmer Rouge verdict handed down

The public gallery at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia in Phnom Penh is crowded with onlookers July 26, 2010, when the U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal handed down its first guilty verdict against a senior Khmer Rouge figure. NIU faculty members Kenton Clymer (history) and Judy Ledgerwood (anthropology) were there. (Courtesy of Reuters)

Thursday, February 3, 2011
Northern Illinois U. Today (Illinois, USA)

NIU professors and Cambodia specialists Kenton Clymer (history) and Judy Ledgerwood (anthropology) were at the proceedings last July in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, when the first verdict against a senior Khmer Rouge leader was handed down by an United Nations-backed international war crimes tribunal currently underway in that country.

Clymer and Ledgerwood will discuss the verdict against Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies’ weekly lunchtime lecture from noon to 12:50 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, in Room 110 in the Campus Life Building.

As director of the infamous Tuol Sleng prison during the 1975–79 Khmer Rouge regime, Duch was responsible for the deaths and torture of more than 14,000 Cambodians imprisoned there. His guilty verdict and 35-year sentence marked the first verdict by an internationally recognized court against the Khmer Rouge, who are estimated to have caused the deaths of more than 1.7 million Cambodians during their brutal regime.

Clymer and Ledgerwood, who were in Cambodia on separate projects over the summer, were seated in the public gallery at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia directly in front of Vann Nath, a famous painter and one of the dozen or so survivors of Tuol Sleng.

“It took an hour to read the verdict. It was very long and very complicated,” Ledgerwood said.

During the reading, there was emotional reaction in the crowd when the names of the victims were read and when the 35-year sentence was handed down, then reduced by five years because of Duch’s illegal incarceration by the Cambodian Military Court from 1999 t0 2007. With credit given for time already served, the 69-year-old Duch will serve 19 more years in prison.

“Many Cambodians were very upset that the sentence seemed short,” Ledgerwood said. “I felt it was OK because, given his age, it means he is likely to die in prison.”

Cambodia does not have the death penalty.

Duch was successfully prosecuted, Ledgerwood said, because authorities had the cooperation of the former math teacher. “Duch is the only one [of surviving Khmer Rouge leaders] who has said that ‘I did this, it was wrong, and I’m sorry,’ ” she said. “[Khmer Rouge leader] Pol Pot went to his grave saying he’d done nothing wrong.”

Ledgerwood and Clymer went to the court proceedings with Cambodian villagers to witness the verdict. These villagers were brought to Phnom Penh by the Documentation Center of Cambodia, a nonprofit group originally affiliated with Yale University’s Cambodia genocide research program. Four surviving and now elderly Khmer Rouge leaders are still awaiting trial, expected to begin later this year.

Kasit to meet Cambodian counterpart in Siem Reap

February 4, 2011
The Nation

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is scheduled to meet his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong to discuss border disputes, notably in the area near Preah Vihear Temple, and seek ways to ease the tension in Thailand caused by nationalist protesters.

The minister travelled by car yesterday through the border province of Sa Kaew to Siem Reap, where he will attend the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Commission meeting. Kasit stopped at the border to get a briefing from Thailand's Burapha Task Force. 

The joint commission is expected to discuss general issues related to bilateral ties, like economic and cultural cooperation, although Kasit expects to discuss the boundary dispute with his counterpart on the sidelines.

The jailing of Thai Patriots Network leader Veera Somkwamkid and his assistant Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, who got lengthy sentences last week after being convicted of trespass and espionage by a Cambodian court, was unlikely to be on the agenda as the two are expected to appeal the verdict next week.

Kasit said he would visit the two in Prey Sar prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh after the meeting wraps up today.

The border conflict was initially handled by the joint boundary committee, which met for the last time in 2009. But it is still waiting for the Thai Parliament to give it the go ahead to meet again.

The areas adjacent to Preah Vihear temple have not been demarcated and both countries claim sovereignty over the 4.6 square kilometres.

Thailand has accused Cambodia of building a Buddhist pagoda in the disputed area, and is demanding that it remove the national flag it has hoisted there. Cambodia has rejected the demand, saying the area is under its sovereignty.

Though the pagoda was built in 1998, the government has been pressed to protest by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is also demanding that the 2000 memorandum of understanding on boundary demarcation be scrapped and Cambodians living near the temple be forcibly evicted.

Second Army Region chief Lt-General Thawatchai Samut-sakorn, who oversees the area, said he could not force Cambodia to remove the flag hoisted over Wat Keo Sikha Kiri Svara as it might spark a major conflict between the two countries.

Thailand had also hoisted its national flag at the Twin Stupa nearby, he said. "Both parties can claim sovereignty on the area as long as the boundary issue has not yet been demarcated," he added.

Kasit vows to free Veera

4/02/2011
THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL
Bangkok Post

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA : Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya says he will come up with a way to have two high-profile Thai detainees released from a Phnom Penh prison when he meets today with his Cambodian counterpart.

Mr Kasit and Hor Namhong will meet at a Joint Boundary Commission meeting being held to discuss problems resulting from a memorandum of understanding signed in 2000 on land surveying and border demarcation, which states that the two countries will not construct anything in disputed areas.

Mr Kasit will visit Thai Patriots Network coordinator Veera Somkhwamkid and his secretary, Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, later in the day at Prey Sar prison.

He said the ministry's priority was to bring Mr Veera and Ms Ratree back to Thailand as soon as possible, but that would be impossible without their cooperation.

"If Mr Veera stands firm in his testimony [before the Cambodian court] that he was arrested in Thai territory, then we can't do anything but let the court procedure go on until the end," he said.

The minister said he would try to convince Mr Veera to cooperate with his Cambodian lawyer to increase the possibility of his return to Thailand.

"Mr Veera is a fighter, but he cannot fight if he is in jail," Mr Kasit said.

Permanent secretary for foreign affairs Theerakhun Niyom said Thailand and Cambodia wanted to speed up the Joint Boundary Commission meeting as it was a framework to discuss border problems.

"Both sides hope the JBC can resume talks as soon as possible," he said.

"The delay has been caused by the Thai parliamentary process in considering three JBC memos [the one signed in 2000, one in 2008 and another last year] and Cambodia understands this."

A joint parliamentary committee is screening the three memos. It asked parliament president Chai Chidchob in November last year for another 90 days to study the agreements, claiming they did not contain enough detail.

Two Thais detained in Cambodia taken to court for hearing

PHNOM PENH, Feb 1 (MCOT online news) -- Two Thai nationals detained here have been taken to Phnom Penh Court Tuesday morning for a hearing on illegal entry and trespassing into a Cambodian military area and spying charges and the court may deliver its verdict later in the day.

Veera Somkwamkid, a coordinator of the Thai Patriots Network, was taken from Prey Sar prison as he was the only one still detained there, while his secretary, Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, who was earlier granted bail, has arrived at court by Thai embassy van.

Mr Veera was not seen as having a worried expression as his previous court appearance. He shouted to reporters waiting outside the court that he was fine and would not accept the charges and would fight the accusation.

Ms Ratree came to the court later and said nothing to the media, but entered the premises promptly.

Meanwhile, Nattaporn Toprayoon, a legal adviser appointed by the Thai Patroits Network, prepared documents and a map as evidence to contest the case. He also prepared two witnesses to give statement for Mr Veera and Ms Ratree.

The Cambodian government prosecutor earlier added espionage to the charges levelled against the duo, apart from illegal entry into Cambodian kingdom and trespassing into a Cambodian military zone, citing they gathered security information that could pose a severe threat to Cambodian security.

The two were among the seven Thais, including Democrat member of parliament for Bangkok Panich Vikitsreth, who were arrested Dec 29 by the Cambodian authorities for illegal entry in Banteay Meanchey province.

The five have already returned to Thailand after the Cambodian court on Jan 21 ruled that they were guilty of illegal entry and intentionally trespassing into Cambodian territory. They were sentenced to nine-month suspended jail terms and a fine of one million riel (US$250) each.

Prince vows to target rival royalists

Monday, 31 January 2011 18:43 Meas Sokchea

The Phnom Penh Post

 

Prince Norodom Ranariddh, president of the Norodom Ranariddh Party, has announced that he will call on grassroots Funcinpec supporters to join his party if Funcinpec’s leaders continue to oppose a merger plan put forward by the Prince. NRP spokesman Pen Sangha said today that Ranariddh travelled to Kratie province on Saturday to meet with more than 300 party members and woo local Funcinpec activists ahead of next year’s commune council election.
“If Funcinpec will not merge with the NRP we will appeal to grassroots Funcinpec members to join us,” Pen Sangha said.
Prince Ranariddh returned to political life last month, more than two years after his retirement, pledging to revitalise the country’s flagging royalist movement.
However, the prince’s proposal to form a unified royalist party – to be called Funcinpec 81, after the date of the party’s founding – has been blocked by the leadership of Funcinpec. Ranariddh, Funcinpec’s former president, was fired from the party in 2006 following allegations he embezzled party funds.
Pen Sangha claimed that during Ranariddh’s trip to Kratie, some Funcinpec members had already decided to defect to the NRP, though he did not know their exact number.
“If both parties cannot merge, I have seen that grassroots Funcinpec leaders would come to join the NRP,” he said.
Por Hea, Funcinpec’s acting president in Sambor district who attended a speech by Prince Ranariddh on Saturday, said that he was impressed by the prince’s leadership and has decided to defect to the NRP.
“I love him because I have followed him for a long time,” Por Hea said.
“I will collect 700-800 Funcinpec members to join the NRP.”
When contacted today, Funcinpec President Keo Puth Reaksmey denied that his party had refused the merger plan, accusing the NRP in turn of failing to adhere to the terms of an agreement between the parties.
He said he had confidence that Funcinpec’s leaders would stand firm and resist the temptation to join the NRP.

General freed after investigation

Monday, 31 January 2011 20:19 Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

The Phnom Penh Post
A Brigadier general in the national police was released from custody today after promising to repay tens of thousands in illegal “fees” he collected from young men wanting to join the police force.

National Police spokesman Kirt Chantharith said General So Nal, deputy director of the Department of Police Intervention in the Ministry of Interior, was detained for questioning on Saturday, accused of collecting US$3,500 payments from at least 30 people.
“General So Nal was accused of collecting the money from those who wanted to work with the police. He was released because he has agreed to return all the money to those who he collected it from,” he said.
“The reason why he was not sent to court is because this is a civil case.”
Mok Chito, director of the Ministry’s Department of Penal Police, said So Nal was detained following the arrest on January 28 of four “brokers” who had helped him collect the money.
“The general was detained on the morning of January 29 due to the complaints of a group of young people, who said that they paid $3,500 each to him through his four people,” he said.
He added that the four alleged brokers were still being held at the Interior Ministry pending further investigations into the accusations against them.

Preah Vihear: Spy accusation to masquerade forced eviction? Are these soldiers "Thmil"?

Border priest held for spying

Monday, 31 January 2011
Thet Sambath
The Phnom Penh Post

The chief priest of a pagoda in Preah Vihear province was arrested on charges of spying for Thailand after writing down the license plate of an RCAF vehicle that witnesses claim held a confiscated Buddhist statue.

Chuk Som, police chief of Choam Ksan district’s Kantuot commune, said today that Toeun Pheap, 33, was arrested after writing down plate numbers of RCAF tanks, personnel carriers and trucks that were stationed at the Svay Chrum pagoda.

Sao Yath, representative for villagers in Svay Chrum village, said that at his request, Toeun Pheap wrote down the number of the car that removed the Buddhist statue from the pagoda.

He said the provocation was related to the authority’s order to local villagers in early January to leave their houses.

Many villagers in Svay Chrum refused orders to leave their property to make way for tourist and commercial development projects led by Preah Vihear National Authority.

“It is just an accusation to put him in prison and force people to leave the village after we refused their deadline to vacate,” Sao Yath says.

“We do not serve Thailand. We wrote down a license plate to file a complaint, but the authority is using this to accuse us of wrongdoing and pressure us to comply with their orders,” Sao Yath says.

A police officer who refused to be identified said today that tanks, personnel carriers and military trucks have been parked in Svay Chrum pagoda for two days.

He said that officials from the province and military officers came with cars and trucks to remove the Buddhist statue from the pagoda.

Police chief of Preah Vihear province Mao Pov said the monk is being detained at the provincial police headquarters for questioning.

“He is suspected of engaging in abnormal activity at a military site,” Mao Pov said.

“We are asking him for more information about this.”

Cambodia Refuses To Lower Flag from Contentious Pagoda

(Photo: CEN)

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Friday, 28 January 2011

“Cambodia reserves its legitimate rights to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Cambodia says it will not remove its flag from a pagoda on a disputed piece of land near Preah Vihear temple, despite a request from Thailand.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement it would not comply with a request from Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to remove the flag from Wat Keo Siha Kiri Svara.

Both sides claim the land surrounding the pagoda, which was also at the center of a prolonged military standoff that began in July 2008 and only ended a few months ago.

The Foreign Ministry called the “demand” for the removal of the flag “insulting” and said recent Thai military exercises near the border were “clearly provocative.”

“Cambodia reserves its legitimate rights to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement said.

The latest row follows the removal of a controversial placard on the border purporting to mark the place where “Thai troops invaded Cambodia” in July 2008 and withdrew on Dec. 1, 2010. That sign has been replaced with one that says, “Here! Is Cambodia.”

Cambodia lays claim to the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda via turn of the century maps and conventions between France and Siam, the former name for Thailand. The pagoda was built by Cambodians in 1998 on land claimed by Cambodia. For its part, Thailand has said in the past it disputes the maps used by Cambodia and demarks the border according to its own surveys.

Foreign ministers from both countries are slated to meet in Siem Reap next week for a bilateral meeting on security and cooperation.

"Cambodia is not a 'child' that we [Thailand] can order to do whatever we want": Thai Lt Gen Thawatchai

Flag flap pits Abhisit against military

ANALYSIS: The PM's new strong stance worries some among the top brass

1/02/2011

Bangkok Post

The border dispute with Cambodia is driving a wedge between Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and military leaders.

Mr Abhisit is demanding that Cambodia remove all national flags from Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara.

The prime minister considers the 4.6-square-kilometre area near Preah Vihear temple, on which Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara stands, to be part of Thailand.

Military leaders believe Cambodia's earlier agreement to remove two stone tablets at Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara which carried claims of ownership of the area should be taken into consideration by Mr Abhisit.

The first tablet labelled Thai troops who had been stationed in the zone as "invaders", while the second was engraved with the statement: "Here! is Cambodia".

The Cambodian government agreed to remove both.

Mr Abhisit's latest demands are akin to "unrelenting" pressure on the Cambodian government, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said yesterday.

He said the flags issue was "trivial".

"The temple put up the Cambodian national flags [not the government]," Gen Prawit said.

"Cambodia has already agreed to destroy the marble tablets at Wat Kaew [Sikha Khiri Sawara]. What else does [Mr Abhisit] want from them?"

The defence minister asked the media to avoid presenting reports that could lead to conflict between the two countries.

He also urged political groups not to exploit international affairs for their own gain.

An army source said Thai military leaders were unhappy with Mr Abhisit for making such demands without asking for information from the armed forces.

"[Mr Abhisit] seems to want to ease political pressure [at home] at the same time as building up his image to look stronger than his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen," the source said.

"However, those who are placed in difficult situations are us [soldiers]."

The source, who is stationed near the disputed area, said local army officers had not yet told the Cambodian soldiers to remove the national flags from the temple, although they have inquired about who erected them.

Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon, the commander of the 2nd Army in charge of the eastern provinces bordering Cambodia and one of army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha's close friends, said the prime minister might have his own reasons for his displeasure over the Cambodian flags, but insisting that they be removed would meet opposition.

"Cambodia is not a 'child' that we can order to do whatever we want," Lt Gen Thawatchai said.

"Moreover, we just demanded that they [Cambodia soldiers] destroy the tablets, which they agreed to do."

Tensions along the eastern border have risen since the stone tablets at Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara were erected.

The Thai army has mobilised troops and heavy war weapons along the border in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket province, although it claims this was part of regular military training. The Cambodian military responded by mobilising troops, armoured vehicles and rocket launchers to reinforce its outposts.

The tension led to a visit to the disputed area last Friday by Hun Sen's 33-year-old son, Brig Gen Hun Manet, in a bid to map out battle strategies for the Cambodian military.

Gen Prawit is playing down the reinforcement of troops by the two countries.

"We [Thai soldiers] are ready to fight to protect our land, but don't worry: The relationship between the Thai and Cambodian military is still on good terms," he said.

Abishit talks about peaceful resolution while raising the specter of war?

PM: War the last option

31/01/2011
Bangkok Post

The government will persist in pursuing peaceful means to settle border disputes with Cambodia, with war the very last option, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Monday.

"I do believe that both the Thai and Cambodian governments will adhere to peaceful ways to resolve our border conflicts.

"My intention of using peaceful approaches to settle the border dispute does not mean that the government is afraid of a war with Cambodia.

"It is also does not mean that the government is the underdog in dealings with our neighbor, as claimed by the yellow-shirt people group.

"The use of force will be the last option and will be resorted to only when there is no other solution left," Mr Abhisit said.

He stressed that the government is in contact with Cambodia about removing its flag from the disputed area.

On the three demands by the yellow-shirt People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), Mr Abhisit said the demands would only lead to more damage to the country, instead of any benefit.

“If the government decided to withdraw from Unesco's World Heritage Committee today, there would be no Thai representatives to oppose Cambodia’s plan to also list the area near Preah Vihear temple as a world heritage site.

“Would the yellow-shirts accept responsibility for the foreseeable consequences? My decision on the issue is for the benefit of the country, not for self interest,” Mr Abhisit said.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said fresh deployment of Cambodian troops and armour along border areas adjoining Si Sa Ket province are not cause for worry.

Gen Prawit said Cambodian troops might be on routine defence exercises. Thai solders are also on full alert, ready to protect the country's sovereignty.

Troops of both countries were doing their duty on both sides of the border, and there should not be any problem, he said.

"I believe there are no serious problems on the Thai-Cambodian border.

"The Foreign Ministry should be able settle the dispute through talks.

"Thailand and Cambodia are not involved in a serious conflict that could trigger a war,'' Gen Prawit said.

He said the flag the Cambodians put up at the entrance to the old Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple in the disputed 4.6-square-kilometre area near Preah Vihear temple was actually a temple flag, and it was only a small flag.

Gen Prawit denied suggestions that Cambodian had was taking an aggressive stance towards Thailand.

Cambodian authorities had showed they were willing to cooperate by removing the insulting stone tablet in front of Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban said the government will not accede to the PAD's three demands, as their demands would be very difficult to carry out.

Mr Suthep called on the PAD protesters not to block roads, as they are breaking the law and inconveniencing other people.

Bangkok police will continue to negotiate with the PAD leaders and the government is willing to talk with them at any time, he added.

PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan said yellow-shirt activists went to the Criminal Court on Monday morning and filed a suit against four cabinet ministers, accusing them of causing Thailand a loss of sovereignty.

Mr Panthep said the lawsuit filed by Samdin Lertbutr and Tainae Mungmajon, representatives of the PAD, accused the prime minister, his deputy Suthep, Gen Prawit and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya of violating Articles 119 and 120 of the Criminal Code, for which the maximum penalty is capital punishment.

The spokesman said the four cabinet ministers were responsible for protecting Thailand's sovereignty, but the country had lost some sovereignty to Cambodia.

Mr Samdin and Mr Tainae are two of the seven Thais arrested for illegally entering Cambodia on Dec 29 last year. They were subsequently sentenced to nine months in jail and then released and allowed to return to Thailand.

The PAD started protesting outside Government House last Tuesday, pressing the government to revoke the memorandum of understanding on boundary demarcation signed in 2000, withdraw from Unesco's World Heritage Committee and expel Cambodian people from the disputed areas.

Frail and unrepentant: Top Khmer Rouge leaders appear in court to argue for release as they await genocide trial

On the stand: 'Brother Number Two' Nuon Chea listens in court and, right, former head of the Khmer Rouge state Khieu Samphan has headphones on

Custody: Khmer Rouge 'First Lady' Ieng Thirith, a former social affairs minister, left the court hearing early

31st January 2011
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER (UK)

Three top Khmer Rouge leaders made a joint appearance before a UN-backed war crimes court today to seek release from custody as they await trial for genocide.

'Brother Number Two' Nuon Chea and ex-social affairs minister Ieng Thirith looked frail as they sat in the courtroom with former head of state Khieu Samphan.

There are strong concerns that not all of the defendants, who are aged between 78 and 85, will live to see a verdict.

They are accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and other charges under Cambodian laws in connection with the deaths of up to two million people between 1975 and 1979 as a result of starvation, overwork and execution.

Lawyers called for their 'immediate release', claiming their detention was illegal because they had not been brought to trial four months after their indictments were issued.

Jasper Pauw, defending, said 'there are no conceivable reasons to keep Nuon Chea in custody'.

A pale Ieng Thirith, described as the 'First Lady' of the Khmer Rouge, left the courtroom as soon as proceedings began and waived her right to attend the hearing.

Nuon Chea - who wore sunglasses to protect his eyes from the light - suffered a dizzy spell and was sent to the court's detention facility on medical advice.

Fellow accused Ieng Sary, the regime's foreign minister, did not attend the hearing. His lawyers claim he was too ill to spend full days in court.

All four defendants have been detained since they were arrested in 2007.

Prosecutors dismissed the call for their release and said they could try to escape the country or exert pressure on witnesses if freed.

Andrew Cayley, prosecuting, said: 'The passage of time has not diminished the impact of these crimes.'

A ruling on the request will be made in mid-February, but they are unlikely to be freed because of the uproar it would cause in Cambodia.

Chab Chhean, 60, who lost 12 relatives under the regime, said outside court: 'The court must not release them because they abused the people so much.'

The trial, the tribunal's second, is due to start in the next five months and is expected to be lengthy as all four leaders dispute the charges against them.

It follows the landmark conviction in July of former Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the deaths of around 15,000 men, women and children.

The court, which does not have the power to impose the death penalty, handed Duch a 30-year jail term - but he could walk free in 19 years because of time already served.

Both Duch, 68, and the prosecution have appealed against the sentence.

Led by 'Brother Number One' Pol Pott, who died in 1998, the Marxist Khmer Rouge regime emptied entire cities in the late 1970s in a bid to create an agrarian utopia.

Bid to damp down border tension

A Cambodian soldier plays a game on his phone while on duty close to Preah Vihear temple in February last year. (Photo by: Heng Chivoan)

MONDAY, 31 JANUARY 2011
CHEANG SOKHA AND KIM YUTHANA
Phnom Penh Post

Military commanders from Cambodia and Thailand held meetings along the border today in a bid to defuse a spike in military tensions, a military official said.

In recent days, Cambodia has deployed infantry, tanks and heavy artillery along the Thai border in response to a demand from Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva that Cambodian flags be removed from Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvara, a pagoda close to Preah Vihear.

A Royal Cambodian Armed Forces official based at Preah Vihear, who declined to be named, said today that military commanders based at Phnom Trop and Ta Thav met to affirm their positions and damp down tensions.

“The situation is fragile, as troops from both sides are on alert,” he said, adding: “We have reinforced our troops only for defending our territory.”

The official said that during the talks, Thai commanders asked why Cambodia had moved troops into border areas.

The Cambodian commanders said the movements were in response to Abhisit’s demands for the removal of the flags, as well as the apparent Thai plans to hold military exercises close to the border.

“We will not allow them to enter Cambodian soil to remove the flags,” the official said. “Thailand has added troops and heavy weapons along the border and we have acted in kind.”

Srey Doek, military commander of RCAF Military Division 3 based at Preah Vihear, declined to comment.

Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said today that the fresh deployments of Cambodian troops and armour in border areas adjoining Sisaket province were no cause for worry, the Bangkok Post reported.

“I believe there are no serious problems on the Thai-Cambodian border,” Prawit said.

“The Foreign Ministry should be able settle the dispute through talks.”

The military talks come a day ahead of the trial at Phnom Penh Municipal Court of Veera Somkwamkid, a high-profile Thai Yellow Shirt activist, and his secretary Ratree Taiputana Taiboon.

The pair were part of a group of seven Thais who were arrested for trespassing on Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey province on December 29.

The group reportedly travelled to the border to “investigate” the demarcation of the countries’ shared border.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, who met with Yellow Shirt representatives today in Phnom Penh, confirmed that Veera will face court today.

He added that he was powerless to act on requests that he intervene to free the two defendants.

“We cannot do anything before the court proceeding as it is illegal,” he said.

“The government cannot interfere with the court’s affairs.”

Yellow Shirts to the rescue

The Phnom Penh Post
Thursday, 27 January 2011 20:53 Cheang Sokha

Photo by: AFP

Thai nationalist Yellow Shirts rally outside  

Governm ent House in Bangkok on Tuesday.

A group of Thai Yellow Shirt activists will travel to Phnom Penh on Monday for talks with government spokesman and Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith, a day ahead of the trial of a key Yellow Shirt figure.
Activist Veera Somkwamkid and his secretary, Ratree Taiputana Taiboon, are set to stand trial at Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday in a high-profile case that has strained diplomatic ties.
“I’m not sure about the purpose of Mr Veera’s representatives requesting a meeting with me,” Khieu Kanharith said today.
“Maybe they want to understand the Cambodian government’s stance on the issue.”
The two were part of a group of seven Thais – including Panich Vikitsreth, a lawmaker from the country’s ruling Democrat Party – who were arrested by Cambodian soldiers in Banteay Meanchey’s O’Chrou district.
All seven were charged with illegal entry and unlawfully entering a military base.
On January 21, five of the Thais were convicted on the charges and released after their nine-month jail sentences were suspended, bringing the case one step closer to a conclusion.
Next week, Veera and his secretary will be tried on those charges, as well as an espionage charge which carries a punishment of up to 10 years in jail.
Also today, the Thailand Patriot Network, a nationalist splinter group, submitted a request to the Thai government requesting that it help extradite Veera from Cambodia.
The letter was submitted by Sunthorn Rakrong, a TPN coordinator, through Kiatfa Laohapornsawan, a vice minister attached to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s Office, the Bangkok Post reported.
“Concerning the extradition of Mr Veera, we have to wait the court’s verdict,” Khieu Kanharith said.
“If the spying issue is involved the extradition will be more complicated.”
Koy Kuong, spokesman for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Bangkok has already pledged to respect the ruling of the Cambodian court, adding that Cambodia has not yet received any request from Thailand to extradite Veera.
“We work government to government, but the request for the extradition was made in Thailand so we don’t have a headache with them,” Koy Kuong said.
“We cannot make any comment on what has not happened.”
Yellow Shirt protesters have rallied in central Bangkok this week in a bid to push the Abhisit government to take a stronger stance in border disputes with Cambodia.

Suthep brushes aside coup claim [in Thailand]

27/01/2011
Bangkok Post

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban on Thursday brushed aside Puea Thai list MP Jatuporn Prompan's claim that the military was planning a coup, saying he did not believe it would happen.

Mr Jatuporn claimed on Wednesday that he had information from a reliable source that top-level military officers met at a safehouse on Tuesday and discussed staging a coup.

Mr Suthep said that, based on his work with the military ovedr the last two years, he believed there would definitely not be a coup.

Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha is a democratically minded soldier, he said.

He thanked 2nd Army commander Lt-Gen Tawatchai Samutsakhon for having successfully talked Cambodian military leaders into smashing the contentious stone tablet claiming rights over a disputed area on the border.

Further talks were needed to resolve the border dispute, he said.

Asked about the continuing rally by the People's Alliance for Democracy to pressure the government to respond to its demands, Mr Suthep said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had shown his readiness to negotiate with the protesters and give them a clear explanation.

He said it was not possible for the government to yield to the PAD's demands - for the government to revoke the 2000 memorandum of understanding made with Cambodia, to withdraw from membership of the World Heritage Committee, and to push out Cambodians from disputed areas.

On constitutional changes, Mr Suthep believed the two charter amendment bills would be passed by parliament in the third reading next month.

On the possibility of a House dissolution in April, he said this was up to the prime minister to decide.

Mr Suthep also said the government was not bothered by the opposition's plan for a no-confidence debate. He personally liked the idea because it would give him a chance to explain any issue which might be raised.

[Thailand:] Two unlikely partners with the same adversary

27/01/2011
Bangkok Post

By chance or by fate, it now appears that the People's Alliance for Democracy and its arch rival, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, share the same common enemy - the Abhisit government. Will the two ever join forces, although separately and for different reasons, to get rid of the government?

by Veera Prateepchaikul

"We are the patriots who are protecting every inch of our Motherland and you are not!” This seems to be the message conveyed to the Abhisit government by the ultra-nationalist leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy or the yellow-shirt movement.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and a few others in the government have been unofficially branded “traitors” by the PAD leaders for allegedly selling out the disputed areas along the Thai-Cambodian border to Cambodia. They are planning to file a lawsuit against them to the Supreme Court’s Criminal Department for Political Office Holders. Also, a complaint against them will also be lodged with the National Counter-Corruption Commission.

I wonder anyone of us who do not agree with the PAD’s ultranationalist stand over the border conflict with Cambodia and their call for forced eviction of Cambodians out of the territory claimed by Thailand will also be branded as unpatriotic or, worse, traitors.

The PAD has vowed to stage a long-haul protest in front of the Government House until the government submits to its three demands which are as follows: to revoke the memorandum of understanding on boundary between Thailand and Cambodia; to withdraw Thailand’s membership from Unesco’s World Heritage Committee and to evict all Cambodians from the disputed areas. All the three demands have, so far, been rejected by the government on the ground that they will not serve the country’s interests.

A few thousand hard-core yellow-shirt supporters joined the PAD protest which started on Tuesday. Whether the protest will draw more supporters remains a big question mark. The truth is that many people who used to support the PAD have now shied away from the movement for a number of reasons, especially the fact that many of them are fed up with protests and just want to have a peace of mind.

The nationalist card which is now being played up by the PAD to mobilize public support to join the cause has nothing to do with the livelihood of most people or the rights of the people to the extent that they will feel compelled to join the protest. On the contrary, it has the potential to bring about more troubles and unnecessarily escalate border tensions with Cambodia.

At best, the PAD can rely on support from the Thai Patriots Network, a splinter group of the PAD, which staged a rally a few days in advance, also at the Government House, to demand the release of their two colleagues, Mr Veera Somkwamkid and his secretary, from Cambodian detention. About 1,000 protesters, mostly members of the Santi Asoke sect, have joined the TPN rally.

The PAD protest alone will not pose a serious threat to the government mainly because the protest is unlikely to gain mass public support unless the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship or the yellow-shirt movement seizes the opportunity to intensify their protest to add more pressure on the government, although for reasons totally from those of the PAD.

For the time being, it appears that the two rival groups which share mutual hatred and contempt of each other may have the same enemy – that is the Abhisit government. Who knows, they may share the same objective – that is the removal of the government from the office through early dissolution of the House.

UDD has now changed its protest strategy by agreeing to hold one instead of two protests each month and to cut short the protest at Ratchaprasong intersection to ease the hardships caused to business operators there. It is only a matter of time whether the movement will adjust its strategy again to get rid of the Abhisit government which has always been its main objective from the start.

A prolonged protest by the PAD which cannot be curbed by the government will offer a good excuse for the UDD to do likewise if it chooses to do so. In which case, Prime Minister Abhisit may feel the heat and hard pressed to stay on and call a snap election sooner than later. Anything is possible now that the constitutional amendment bills are about to be finalized.