Cambodia 2011 Peace Project Event (Part1 The Story)

The NEXT Forty-eight days: ACCESS DENIED
The NEXT Forty-eight days: ACCESS DENIED
Jakarta, Cambodia and
Thailand agreed to allow
Indonesian observers to
monitor disputed border
territory by up to 40
military and civilian
observers. “This is an
observer team, not a
peacekeeping or peace
enforcement team. The
observer team will be
unarmed,” Indonesian
Foreign Minister Marty
Natalegawa said.[102] April–
May 2011[edit] On April 7,
Thailand admitted using
Dual-Purpose Improved
Conventional Munition
(DPICM) during the clash,
which has been identified by
the Cluster Munition
Coalition (CMC) as a type of
cluster munition.[103]
These contain up to
hundreds of small grenades
or “bomblets” that scatter
over vast areas, and are
banned by the majority of
countries under the
Convention on Cluster
Munitions. Thailand has not
signed the pact but has
publicly pledged not to use
such weapons.[104] The
CMC said this was the first
confirmed use of cluster
munitions since the
Convention became
international law.[103] On
April 22, 2011, a five- hour
clash erupted along the
border between Phanom
Dong Rak District of Surin
Province, Thailand and the
Banteay Ampil District of
Oddar Meanchey Province,
Cambodia at the Ta Moan
temple complex
14°20ʹʹ57ʹʹN
103°15ʹʹ59ʹʹE 153
kilometres west of Preah
Vihear and at Ta Krabey
temple complex 15 km
east of Ta Moan, with
reports that both sides
used rocket launchers,
machine guns, and rifles.
According to the Thai
Army, the fighting
erupted after dawn and
continued for over half an
hour. Four Thai and three
Cambodian soldiers were
reported killed and eight
Thai and six Cambodian
soldiers were reported
wounded.[9][105][106] On
April 23, 2011, the
fighting with mostly longdistance
shelling
resumed about 6 am and
halted by noon. A
Cambodian defense
ministry statement accused
Thai aircraft of entering
Cambodian airspace. The
statement also said Thai
forces had fired 75- and
105-mm shells loaded with
poisonous gas into
Cambodia’s territory, an
allegation that could not be
independently verified and
that Thailand rejected. A
Cambodian field
commander claimed that
the “poison smoke” caused
several soldiers who inhaled
it to lose strength in their
arms and legs. Col. Suos
Sothea, deputy commander
of the artillery unit, said
that six rounds of cluster
shells had landed in villages
about 20 km (12 mi) inside
Cambodia, but caused no
casualties since residents
had already been evacuated.
Col. Tawatchai
Samutsakorn, commander
of Thailand’s 2nd Army
Region, denied absolutely
that cluster bombs or
poison gas had been
employed. Tawatchai said
one Thai soldier died,
bringing the two-day
casualty toll to four dead
and 17 wounded, and that
15,000 civilians had been
evacuated from the area of
fighting. Cambodia’s Suos
Sothea said three soldiers
from his country had been
killed, bringing Cambodia’s
two-day death toll to six.
[104] According to vicepresident
of the Cambodian
National Committee for
Disaster Management, Mr
Nhim Vanda, roughly 5,000
residents had been
evacuated to a safe shelter
in the Samrong district of
Banteay Meanchey
province, some 30 km from
the fighting zone.[107][108]
On April 25, 2011, the
fighting continued, after an
almost full-day break. On
April 26, 2011, the fighting
resumed for a fifth day. The
fighting had now spread to a
nearby temple.[109][110] By
this point, five Thai soldiers
were killed and more than
35 wounded, and eight
Cambodian soldiers were
killed, 17 were wounded and
one was missing.[111][112]
[113] On April 27, 2011, a
Thai civilian was reported to
had been killed in the
fighting.[5] On April 28,
2011, two more Thai soldiers
were confirmed killed in the
fighting.[114][115] The same
day, Thailand and Cambodia
finally agreed upon a
ceasefire. Cambodian
spokesman Phay Siphan
said that “We will abide by
the ceasefire from now on
and local commanders
will meet regularly to
avoid misunderstanding”.
[116] On April 29, 2011,
the ceasefire was broken,
as one Thai soldier was
confirmed killed in the
fighting.[117] A Thai
military spokesmen said
11 Thai soldiers were
hurt in the clashes with a
total of 58 soldiers
wounded since the start
of the fighting.[118] On
April 30, the fighting
resumed for a 9th day.
However, there were no
casualties.[119] On May 1,
a Cambodian soldier was
killed. The death toll had
reached 17, including:
nine Cambodian and
seven Thai soldiers and
one Thai civilian. 95
Thais, including 50
soldiers, and 18
Cambodian servicemen
had been wounded since
the start of the fighting.