_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr1H64XX-z8_ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr1H64XX-z8) _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4vMKmA330c_ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4vMKmA330c) Hun Sen accuses top Thai leaders of using dispute over land for political gain.
PRIME Minister Hun Sen on Monday condemned recent statements by Thai officials challenging Cambodias claim to land near Preah Vihear temple and accused Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of milking the border dispute for political advantage. I suggest that the Thai political leaders stop using the border issue in their own political affairs, Hun Sen said during the opening of the new Ministry of Tourism building, located near the recently evicted Borei Keila community. The premiers comments came four days after Suthep Thaugsuban, the Thai deputy prime minister in charge of security, was quoted in the Bangkok Post as saying that roads built near the temple by previous Cambodian governments did not necessarily belong to Cambodia. The Council of Ministers issued a statement Friday summarily rejecting his remarks. In his speech, Hun Sen described recent statements by Thai officials about the disputed border territory as offensive. The claims from the Thai prime minister, deputy prime minister and other ministers on land around the temple are not acceptable, he said. Cambodia will not recognise them. We will only recognise the maps left from the French era. Hun Sen also issued a warning to Thai protesters who might again try to approach Preah Vihear temple. I would like to stress that Preah Vihear temple is not like the Council of Ministers in Bangkok, and it is not like the Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi airports that allow occupation by the Yellow Shirts, he said, referencing sites that have been occupied in various Thai political protests. PPP-09-28-09 Abhisit hits back over dispute BANGKOK - PRIME Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva hit out at his Cambodian counterpart on Tuesday for saying that Thai trespassers would be shot near a disputed temple on their border. Cambodian premier Hun Sen said on Monday that he had ordered his troops to shoot anyone from neighbouring Thailand who crossed onto land around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple. Mr Hun Sen's comments came a little over a week after Thai protesters rallied near the ancient temple, the site of clashes that have killed seven soldiers since tensions flared last year. 'Whenever he gives interviews to the foreign media he always has this attitude where he wants to make headlines,' Mr Abhisit told reporters of his opposite number. He said Mr Hun Sen wanted to 'retaliate' for the Thai protests on September 19. But he insisted that Thailand still wanted to find a 'peaceful' solution to the dispute over the temple through a joint border commission set up by the two countries. Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around Preah Vihear for decades, but tensions spilled over into violence last July when the temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status. The World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia. Mr Abhisit said he had raised the issue with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during the UN General Assembly in New York last week, saying that UNESCO had worsened tensions between Thailand and Cambodia. He also sought to reassure protesters who rallied at the temple earlier this month and who accused the government of failing to defend its claims over the disputed 4.6 square kilometres of land around Preah Vihear. 'Thai people have nothing to worry about. We will assert our rights,' Mr Abhisit said. Soldiers from Cambodia and Thailand continue to patrol the area, with the last gunbattle near the temple area in April leaving three people dead. The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia. -- AFP --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
