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Cambodian troops warn Thai protesters not to enter Cambodia

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 , Posted by Koun Khmer at 8:36 AM

Thai yellow shirts who supported the Abhisit administration plan to hold a demonstration at the Preah Vihear temple border this Saturday to demand that Cambodia pulls her troops and people out of the Preah Vihear area. The yellow shirt protesters claimed that this is an overlapping zone. Cambodian troops reacted by telling these yellow shirts that they have the right to demonstrate on their soil, but they should not enter Cambodian territories.

“Thai people can do whatever they want on their soil, as long as they don’t enter Cambodian territories. Frontline Cambodian army commander will not allow them to sneak in and cross over again anymore,” Chhum Socheat, spokesman for the Cambodian ministry of Defense, reacted. The reaction was made to warn the Thai yellow shirt protesters who claimed that they will hold a demonstration on Saturday near the Preah Vihear temple. The Thai demonstrators demand that Cambodian troops and people move out the zone that they claimed is an overlapping area.

The Thai yellow shirts, who are known to support the current Thai regime, seem to try to return the tension in the disputed border zone while a Thai military delegation is currently visiting Cambodia. Cambodian officials believe that this visit will lead to more understanding and it will help avoid armed confrontations. On Sunday 13 September, Kasit Piromya, Thailand’s Foreign Affairs minister, came all the way to Wat Keo Sekha Kiri Svarak pagoda to visit Cambodian troop commanders. His trip to Cambodia was preceded by his visit to Thai soldiers stationed along the border.

Regarding the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Cambodian ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the Thai government, Thailand’s minister of Foreign Affairs, and Thailand’s PM are putting effort to explain to their people about the peaceful resolution of border dispute, without loss of Thai territory.

On Monday, Thailand’s The Nation newspaper reported about the yellow shirts’ plan to hold a demonstration, and it quoted Sansem Kaewkamnerd, spokesman for the Thai defense minister, as telling the yellow shirt demonstrators “to trust the army’s ability to resolve the border issue, and that this border resolution will be conducted through peaceful negotiations, not through the use of force.” The spokesman for the Thai ministry of defense wanted to tell “Thai extremists to reflect the fact that, even the Thai government does not support them.”

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