[Thai] PM orders Cambodian flags to be taken down

Phnom Penh labels demand 'provocative'

31/01/2011
Bangkok Post

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is insisting that any Cambodian flag flying above disputed areas must be removed, despite Phnom Penh denouncing the call as "insulting and unacceptable".

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement criticising Mr Abhisit's demand, saying the call, in parallel with Thai military exercises last week near the border, was provocative.

Mr Abhisit called for the removal of the Cambodian flags yesterday during his weekly radio and television address.

Cambodia is flying its national flag near Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple in the disputed 4.6-square-kilometre area near Preah Vihear temple.

Mr Abhisit said the area did not belong to Cambodia and ordered the Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry to protest against Cambodia's announcement that he had violated its sovereignty by ordering the removal of the flag.

The prime minister also reaffirmed yesterday that he would not meet the demands of the People's Alliance for Democracy, which is protesting against the government's handling of the border row.

The PAD is calling on the government to revoke the 2000 memorandum of understanding between Thailand and Cambodia that governs the countries' boundary quarrel, to withdraw from the World Heritage Committee, and to expel Cambodian people from the disputed area.

Mr Abhisit said it was a misunderstanding that the border agreement allowed Cambodia to encroach on Thai territory. He said the memorandum prohibited either country from further intruding on the other's land.

He denied the agreement put Thailand at a disadvantage or meant that Thailand accepted a 1:200,000 border map used by Cambodia. He insisted the memo was drawn up in line with international principles and could help prevent the disagreement escalating into war.

As for the membership of the World Heritage Committee, Mr Abhisit said the past government of Thailand allowed Cambodia to have the Preah Vihear temple listed as a world heritage site, while his government had resisted Cambodia's desire to manage the temple as a world heritage site alone.

Regarding the expulsion of Cambodian people from the disputed area, the prime minister said such a move could trigger retaliations.

The secretary to the foreign minister, Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, said yesterday the Foreign Ministry would issue a letter of protest against Cambodia's statement accusing Mr Abhisit of violating its sovereignty.

"We should help each other avoid conflicts and should not issue any statement that will lead to more conflicts and confusion," he said.

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Thailand to protest to Cambodia over disputed temple

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 30 (MCOT online news) -- Thailand will issue a protest note to Cambodia after the Cambodian government issued a statement condemning Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for his remarks asking Cambodia to remove its national flag flying at the entrance of a disputed ancient temple which sits on the border, a senior Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry official said Sunday.

Chavanont Intarakomalsut, secretary to the foreign affairs minister, told journalists that the statement issued by the Cambodian foreign ministry charging that Thailand had violated Cambodian integrity and sovereignty would not help provide a conciliatory atmosphere for talks between the two neighbouring countries aimed at resolving the border problem under the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) framework.

Phnom Penh issued the statement after Mr Abhisit asked the Cambodian government to remove its national flag erected above the entrance of Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple near historic Preah Vihear.

Mr Chavanont, who is accompanying Mr Abhisit who is attending the 41st World Economic Forum now in progress in Davos, said the statement should not have been issued at all as it would “create more conflicts and confusion”.

Thailand follows the watershed line as the border marking the two countries and if the Cambodian government believes its map shows the genuine watershed line then the two countries should sit down and talk, Mr Chavanont said.

Since the border is still unclear and both countries still claim ownership, neither Thailand nor Cambodia should act as if it owns the disputed land, he said.

Mr Chavanont said his ministry would definitely issue a protest note to Cambodia in order to enable Phnom Penh to better understand the whole scenario.

The yet to be issued protest is not expected to affect the two Thais now detained in Phnom Penh on charges of trespassing and espionage. The duo are scheduled to appear for trial this Tuesday.

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[Thai] Protest to be lodged over flag

January 31, 2011
The Nation

Preah Vihear tense after influx of Cambodian troops

The government will flex its muscles for the protesting yellow shirts from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to show it will protect land in disputed border areas. It plans to issue a statement of protest against Cambodia.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has instructed the Foreign Ministry to issue a protest, because Phnom Penh has refused to remove its national flag from the disputed area adjacent to the Hindu temple at Preah Vihear, the ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said.

"Concerned officials are working on it and we could issue the statement soon," he said. Abhisit said last week that Cambodia had no right to fly its national flag at Wat Keo Sikkha Kiri Svara temple as Thailand also claimed territorial rights to the area.

Thailand managed to convince Cambodia to remove two stone tablets saying the area where Thai troops invaded in 2008 belonged to Cambodia.

However Phnom Penh refused to follow any further demand from Bangkok to remove its national flag there. It says the temple built by Cambodian people in 1998 is clearly situated in Cambodian territory.

"Therefore the national flag of Cambodia is legitimately able to fly over the pagoda," a statement by Cambodia's Foreign Ministry said last week.

The border area adjacent to Preah Vihear has been argued over ever since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in 1962 that the temple was situated in Cambodian territory.

Abhisit has argued that the ICJ ruled only the stone ruins belong to Cambodia while surrounding areas belong to Thailand.

The areas have not been demarcated yet but the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in 2000 to set up a joint mechanism to try to settle the dispute.

The PAD, which has staged a rally near the Prime Minister Office, wants Abhisit to use force to remove Cambodians from the disputed area and scrap the 2000 MOU on land boundary demarcation. They have pressured the government by vowing to stay until their demands are met.

Cambodia, meanwhile, is reported to have boosted troops in the area, notably near Preah Vihear. Thai news teams have said the border areas are tense while outlets in Phnom Penh have reported that the Cambodian military is ready for war with Thailand.

Abhisit insisted he would settle the border dispute with Cambodia by peaceful means. The 2000 MOU was an effective instrument for settling the border dispute, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who oversees security matters, said the Thai military was strong enough to protect the country but would not boost forces in the area near the historic temple.

The government would continue to negotiate with Cambodia over the border issue, he said.

"Please do not provoke any news to create tension with our neighbouring country. We have to live with them peacefully," Suthep said when asked about Cambodian troops along the border.

"We don't have any problem with Cambodia and our two governments have no problem," he said.

Asked if the government in Phnom Penh criticised Thailand every day, Suthep said, "don't look only at one side. If you are in Cambodia, you would see a group of Thai people scolding Cambodia every day."

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Yellows' return to Thai street politics

The nationalistic Thai Yellow Shirt movement have helped to claim the scalps of three governments in under five years

The largely working class, rural 'Red Shirts' political movement remains a key force in Thailand

Thai street protest groups, with an eye on elections looming before February 2012, are set to become more prominent

via CAAI

By Amelie Bottollier-Depois (AFP)

BANGKOK — With neatly spaced tents, massages, free vegetarian meals and a heavy dose of nationalist rhetoric, Thailand's powerful royalist "Yellow Shirts" are back on the streets of Bangkok.

More than a thousand people have camped out around the government's compound since Tuesday, demonstrating against its handling of a border dispute with neighbouring Cambodia.

Despite relatively small numbers compared to their arch enemies -- the anti-government "Red Shirts" whose most recent rally attracted nearly 30,000 people -- the group has managed to choke off streets around Government House.

Yellow Shirts are a force to be reckoned with in Thailand's colour-coded politics and have helped to claim the scalps of three governments in under five years, including that of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The group, officially the People's Alliance for Democracy, want the government to take a tougher stance on the thorny issue of the Thai-Cambodian border.

Tensions centre on 4.6 square kilometres (1.8 square miles) of land around the ancient Preah Vihear temple, which the World Court ruled in 1962 belonged to Cambodia, although the main entrance lies in Thailand.

"I came here to help my country. We have to fight to protect our land," said protester Chutikarn Rattanasupa, 42, a grocery shop owner from Nakhon si Thammarat in southern Thailand.

The Yellows, who boast support from Bangkok elites and elements in the military, used to be linked to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, but the relationship has soured.

Abhisit came to power in 2008 after Yellow rallies which helped to eject two pro-Thaksin governments. The protests culminated in the seizure of two Bangkok airports, stranding over 300,000 travellers.

Two years earlier the Yellows had flexed their muscles with demonstrations that destabilised Thaksin's own government, paving the way for the military coup that unseated him.

Paul Chambers of Heidelberg University in Germany said Abhisit may be able to keep his "Teflon prime minister" reputation if he does not bend to the Yellows' demands.

But at the same time, "if he does not give in, I think the protests will continue building," he added.

The border issue heated up when seven Thais were arrested in Cambodia in December for illegal entry and trespassing in the disputed zone, including a Yellow activist who remains in jail facing spying charges.

But Pavin Chachavalpongpun, of the Institute of Southeast Asia Studies in Singapore, said the territory dispute with Phnom Penh is just an excuse for the Yellows to "return into the limelight".

"They just want to regain political credibility and the only thing they can do is to attack the current government, whatever the government is," he said.

Thailand's street groups, with an eye on elections looming before February 2012, are likely to become ever more prominent, said Chambers.

And the stakes are high. Last year's April and May protest by the mainly rural and working class Red Shirts left more than 90 people dead in clashes between troops and civilians.

"The shirts -- of all colours -- are getting out and about to make themselves heard loud and clear," he said.

At the Yellows' rally site, there is almost a festival atmosphere.

Facilities provided for the comfort of protesters include toilets, showers and recycling bins, while stalls sell everything from watches to amulets and a caricaturist is on hand to sketch souvenirs.

A sign proclaiming "Free vegetarian food", next to an assortment of dishes and a mountain of cabbage, signals the work of a group of blue-clad radical Buddhists who are busily providing nourishment at the gathering.

But coils of barbed wire between the camp and the locked gates of the government compound are a reminder that the Yellows have been here before.

"I stayed 193 days in 2008 and this time I'm prepared to stay too," said Nittaya Kurakan, 40, the owner of an accountancy firm.

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Thailand to protest to Cambodia over disputed temple

via CAAI

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 30 -- Thailand will issue a protest note to Cambodia after the Cambodian government issued a statement condemning Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for his remarks asking Cambodia to remove its national flag flying at the entrance of a disputed ancient temple which sits on the border, a senior Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry official said Sunday.

Chavanont Intarakomalsut, secretary to the foreign affairs minister, told journalists that the statement issued by the Cambodian foreign ministry charging that Thailand had violated Cambodian integrity and sovereignty would not help provide a conciliatory atmosphere for talks between the two neighbouring countries aimed at resolving the border problem under the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) framework.

Phnom Penh issued the statement after Mr Abhisit asked the Cambodian government to remove its national flag erected above the entrance of Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple near historic Preah Vihear.

Mr Chavanont, who is accompanying Mr Abhisit who is attending the 41st World Economic Forum now in progress in Davos, said the statement should not have been issued at all as it would “create more conflicts and confusion”.

Thailand follows the watershed line as the border marking the two countries and if the Cambodian government believes its map shows the genuine watershed line then the two countries should sit down and talk, Mr Chavanont said.

Since the border is still unclear and both countries still claim ownership, neither Thailand nor Cambodia should act as if it owns the disputed land, he said.

Mr Chavanont said his ministry would definitely issue a protest note to Cambodia in order to enable Phnom Penh to better understand the whole scenario.

The yet to be issued protest is not expected to affect the two Thais now detained in Phnom Penh on charges of trespassing and espionage. The duo are scheduled to appear for trial this Tuesday. (MCOT online news)

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Suthep urges caution amid 'troop boost'

CAMBODIA SAYS THAI DEMANDS 'PROVOCATIVE'

Published: 30/01/2011

The government is appealing to yellow shirt protesters to show restraint amid reports that Cambodia is boosting troops at the border.

BORN TO BE WILD: People’s Alliance for Democracy co-leader Chamlong Srimuang patrols on a scooter as the PAD rally enters its fifth day at Makkhawan Rangsan bridge on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue to protest the government’s approach to the Thai-Cambodian border dispute. PHOTO: JETJARAS NA RANONG

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday called on People's Alliance for Democracy protesters to tone down their attacks on Cambodia and be mindful of what they say during their rally near Government House.

He was speaking amid unconfirmed news agency reports that the Cambodian Ministry of Defence on Friday sent dozens of tanks and fighting vehicles, missiles and ammunition to the Preah Vihear temple area at the disputed border.

On its website, the Cambodian newspaper Duem Ampil quoted Information Minister Khieu Kanharith as saying that the Cambodian army had ordered its forces to be on a full alert to prevent any Thai attempt to enter Cambodian territory, while the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a recent Thai military exercise at the border was provocative and could set off a war.

It also criticised Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's demand that Cambodia remove its flag from the Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple, saying such a call was "unacceptable and Cambodia firmly rejects such an insulting demand".

The Thai army held a military drill in Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday seen as an attempt to show its muscle.

Border tensions intensified over the past week after Cambodia put up tablets in the disputed area opposite Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket criticising a Thai "invasion" of the area in 2008.

Phnom Penh later demolished the tablets, but any easing in border tensions looks to have been shortlived.

The Xinhua news agency reported yesterday that Cambodia has boosted troops at the border.

"We have warned Thai troops that if they dare to enter our territory, Cambodia will act in self-defence to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity," said a senior Cambodian officer, who asked not to be named.

In Bangkok the PAD has set up a protest site near Government House to demand the government take stronger action against Cambodia. Mr Suthep yesterday urged the protesters to exercise caution. "I want to tell [Cambodian] Prime Minister Hun Sen that what the protesters say has nothing to do with the government's stance," he said.

Meanwhile, the PAD has knocked back efforts by a Democrat MP jailed in Phnom Penh this month to broker talks with the government to end the Cambodia dispute.

Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth yesterday urged the PAD to enter talks with the government.

However, the protest group leaders said they had yet to hear from him formally and in any event doubted the talks would succeed.

PAD spokesman Panthep Phuapongpan insisted Mr Panich had not approached yellow shirt leaders.

Mr Panich, a former vice-minister for foreign affairs, was among seven Thais jailed in Cambodia this month on border trespass charges.

"As far as the key men in the PAD are concerned, he has not contacted us. We see no benefit to our group from any talks anyway," the spokesman said.

"We will agree to talk only if the government accepts our demands."

The PAD, which is camped out on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue, is demanding the government abolish the memorandum of understanding signed between Bangkok and Phnom Penh in 2000 on land border demarcation, withdraw Thailand from the World Heritage Committee and clear Cambodian villagers and troops from a disputed area near Preah Vihear temple.

Mr Abhisit, speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday, said the protesters had the right to put up their demands but the government would do what is best for the country. "You know, they can make their demands. They have the right to do so. But as the government, we have to do what is the best for the country," he said.

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Lawyers for detained Thais need more time

Lawyers from the Thailand Patriots Network will ask a Cambodian court to postpone the reading of a verdict from this Tuesday in the case against two Thais charged with trespassing and espionage.

They said they had not collected sufficient information and proof to be presented to the court in order to defend Veera Somkwamkid and Ratri Pipattanapaiboon.

TPN legal adviser Wanwipa Charoonroj said the group's lawyers were unable to survey the border area where Cambodian soldiers arrested the two and five other Thais on December 29. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban had not granted permission for a survey of the area despite Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva ordering state agencies to help facilitate the lawyers' travel to the disputed border area.

Suthep acted as caretaker prime minister while Abhisit was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

TPN legal adviser ML Tossapol Kaewtima said the group was deeply disappointed with Suthep. Since they could not find evidence to help with the case, the network would request the Cambodian court give them more time to find evidence and postpone its verdict on the two, who are charged with trespassing and espionage. They will also request bail for the two.

Tossapol said the TPN also planned to step up pressure on the government to meet their demands over disputes with Phnom Penh. The group would follow up on complaints submitted at various agencies and step up their campaign against the government.

In Davos, the prime minister told The Associated Press that protesters demanding the government revoke its pact with Cambodia over a border dispute had a right to make their demands, but he would do what was best for the country.

"We feel that the way we approach the border problems, and the problems — as far as the relationship with Cambodia is concerned — is best for the country, which is that we try to resolve whatever issues come up in a peaceful manner."

He stressed the importance of dealing with the issue peacefully. "So that we preserve good relations — we are both part of Asean — and at the same time we make sure that we protect Thai interests," he said. "So all we can do is to explain to them that we feel that this is the best approach and I am confident that the majority of Thai people support" the government.

Human Rights Commissioner Parinya Sirisarakarn said he would attend the court hearing of Veera and Ratri and would ask Veera about conditions of his detention to ensure his basic rights.

Meanwhile, Suthep threatened legal action yesterday against the People's Alliance for Democracy if they continue their protest by blocking roads and causing inconvenience to the public.

Suthep said he would wait for two to three days and decide - if there were not many protesters but the PAD blocked several roads causing traffic congestion, the government would definitely file a suit against them. He said there were only a few hundreds protesters during the day and about 2,000 protesters at night but the PAD blocked not one but several routes.

He urged the protesters to get on one side of the road to make way for motorists. He said blocking Rajdamnoen Klang Road, which the royal family uses, was totally inappropriate.

Responding to demands for the government to remove a Cambodian flag on a Thai temple near the Thai-Cambodian border, Suthep said the government would solve the problem through diplomatic means. "We have to take it easy. When you have neighbours, you should not threaten them too much. I believe Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has probably been attacked by the media and his people over the PAD's threat,'' he said.

"I would like to send this message to PM Hun Sen that whatever the protesters said had nothing to do with the government. Both sides have to be patient and find solutions to the problems,'' he said.

Democrat Party MP for Bangkok Panich Vikitsreth said he negotiated with the PAD not to stop their protest but to explain the government's stand so that both sides understand each other better.

He said key leaders of the PAD's sub groups had a tendency to understand the government's point of view and there was only one group that had a different view of the government.

Responding to a threat by Chaiwat Sinsuwong, a leader of the Thailand Patriots Network, to team up with the red shirts to oust the government, Panich said no government wanted to lose territory but pushing Cambodians off Thai soil was something that had to be done without confrontation.

"I admit that I crossed the military operation line to the disputed area. We will know the answer [whether it is Thai or Cambodian soil] when we complete border demarcation,'' he said.

PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan said the fact PM Abhisit knew about the Cambodian flag being hoisted at the Thai temple for two days but failed to remove it showed his government was incompetent.

Cambodia has refused to remove the flag, claiming the area belongs to Cambodia according to the 1:200,000 square kilometre map.

He said the PM and his deputy must take responsibility if it accepts the Cambodian verdict on the case of the seven Thais since they were arrested on Thai soil.

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$11.7 million more for Khmer trials

via CAAI

Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011

PHNOM PENH (Kyodo) Tokyo announced Friday it will provide a further $11.7 million to the U.N-assisted tribunal trying former Khmer Rouge leaders for atrocities.

The Japanese Embassy here said $8.8 million is for the international component and $2.9 million is for the national component of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, as the tribunal is formally known. "This contribution will cover 25 percent of the ECCC's operational cost throughout the year 2011," it said.

The ECCC, which has spent more than $80 million since being set up in 2005, although it has so far convicted only one Khmer Rouge figure, has a budget of $87.1 million for 2010-2011.

Japan is its single largest donor, accounting for nearly half of the total pledges and contributions made to date.

The embassy said this year is critical for the ECCC's judicial proceedings with the hearings of appeal of the case of former chief jailer Kaing Guek Ieu, alias Duch, to commence at the Supreme Court Chamber and trials of five other Khmer Rouge leaders to start at the Trial Chamber.

The embassy said the trials are intended to deliver justice for the victims and ensure atrocities never occur again.

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Protesters reassert three demands to Thai government on temple disputed with Cambodia

via CAAI

BANGKOK, Jan 29 -- Activists of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) encamped near Thailand's Government House for the fifth day Saturday stressed their demands that the government must take action to resolve the dispute over an ancient temple which sits on the border with Cambodia, as well as scrapping three agreements signed by the two countries, threatening that the administration of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva must consider its future if it fails to resolve the problem.

The ‘Yellow Shirt’ activists of the PAD continued to occupy Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue Saturday afternoon with no sign that they would disperse unless Thailand withdraws from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, revoke three memorandums of understanding signed by Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), and eject Cambodian soldiers and villagers in border areas the group claims belong to Thailand.

The protesters have become enfuriated when a Cambodian national flag was flying above the entrance of Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple near historic Preah Vihear temple, charging that the former is situated well within Thai territory.

Praising the Thai army for conducting an exercise near the border recently, PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongphan told a press conference that two days had passed and the Thai government is still unable to remove the Cambodian national flag in front of the temple while the Cambodian government insists that it would not do so.

“The prime minister must display his responsibility for what has happened and explain [to the public] on ways to resolve the problem,” Mr Panthep said.

He also said two out of seven Thais who were arrested by Cambodian soldiers on charges of violating Cambodian territory on Dec 29 and are due to appear for a court trial Tuesday must also be freed because all were apprehended in Thai territory.

Prime Minister Abhisit, his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban and Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya must take responsibility for the situation and consider their political futures if the Thai government accepts the Cambodian court verdict, Mr Panthep said.

Accompanied by two other PAD core leaders, retired Maj Gen Chamlong Srimuang and Praphan Koonmee, Mr Panthep said the government would make a big mistake if they disperse the PAD demonstration by force.

Meanwhile, Mr Abhisit, now attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said in a telephone interview that the border problem with Cambodia must be carried out by peaceful manner, especially as both countries are members of ASEAN --the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-- and his government must uphold the country’s benefits as most important.

“The PAD has every right to make demands but the government must uphold the country’s benefits as its priority,” Mr Abhisit said. “What the government has done would definitely receive support from the majority of the people in the country.” (MCOT online news)

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[Thai] PM: Govt to peacefully solve border dispute [with Cambodia]

29/01/2011
Bangkok Post

The Thai government will use peaceful ways to settle the continuing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Saturday.

During an interview given to AP reporter in Davos, Mr Abhisit said both Thailand and Cambodia are parts of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations and therefore, solving of any conflict between the two countries should be in a peaceful manner.

Asked about the three demands by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the prime minister said PAD has the constitutional right to make such demands or to rally against the government.

“On my part, I will do only for the best of the country”, he said.

The PAD is demanding Thailand’s withdrawal from the Unesco World Heritage Committee, the revocation of the4 2000 MoU sign with Cambodia and ejecting Cambodians in border areas the group claims belong to Thailand back to their homeland.

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Confrontation Between Cambodia, Thai Continues

2011-01-29
Xinhua

The military confrontation between Cambodian and Thai troops over the border area near Preah Vihear temple continues on Saturday and troops on both sides are still on high alert, said a close military source standby at the area.

"We're still on high alert to defend our territorial integrity, " a senior officer, who asked not to be named, said on Saturday.

Thai side has stepped up their troops on their border side; they attempted to bring their Thai flag to fly at Cambodia's Keo Sikha Kiri Svarak pagoda near Preah Vihear temple, he said.

"We have warned Thai troops in advance already, if they dare to enter Cambodian territory, Cambodia will use self-defense rights to protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

Cambodian Ministry of Defense on Friday has dispatched dozens of tanks and fighting vehicles as well as missiles and ammunition to Preah Vihear temple area. He said that those armaments have arrived at Preah Vihear temple on Saturday morning.

The re-tension between Cambodia and Thailand over the border happened on Thursday after Thailand demanded Cambodia to remove a national flag over Wat Keo Sikha Kiri Svarak pagoda near Preah Vihear temple, claiming that the pagoda is on the disputed area, but Cambodian side rejected it.

Meanwhile, Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a declaration on Friday to firmly reject the demand of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to remove the Cambodia's flag at the pagoda near Preah Vihear temple.

The ministry said that according to the map produced by the Franco-Siamese commissions between the period of 1905 and 1908, the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda, built by the people of Cambodia in 1998, is clearly situated in the Cambodian territory. Therefore, the flag of Cambodia is legitimately flying over this pagoda.

The ministry called "the statement made by Thai Prime Minister in parallel with Thailand's military exercise at the border with Cambodia is clearly provocative and constitutes a casus belli for future acts of aggression against Cambodia."

Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand have had border conflict due to Thai claim of the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the temple, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.

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Thai PM tells AP: I'll do what's right for my country over Cambodia border

Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva speaks during a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Friday, Jan. 28, 2011. In a nod to the post-crisis atmosphere, the World Economic Forum shifts its attention on Friday to austerity measures and priorities for improving the economy. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Friday, January 28, 2011
By Matt Moore (CP)

DAVOS, Switzerland — Thailand's prime minister told The Associated Press on Friday that protesters demanding it revoke its pact with Cambodia over a border dispute have a right to make they're demands, but he will do what is best for the country.

Speaking Friday at the World Economic Forum, Abhisit Vejjajiva said that since both nations are part of ASEAN any resolution must be done in a peaceful manner yet protect Thai interests, too.

"You know, they can make their demands. They have the right to do so. We have to do what is the best for the country," he told AP. "We feel that the way we approach the border problems, and the problems — as far as the relationship with Cambodia is concerned — is best for the country, which is that we try to resolve whatever issues come up in a peaceful manner."

Earlier this week, a rally by the People's Alliance for Democracy — also known as the Yellow Shirts — and an associated fringe group, raised tensions in a country still recovering from political violence last year that turned parts of the capital into a war zone. Police on Monday arrested five men accused of plotting to bomb the protest.

The demonstrators set up a stage along a major street near the U.N.'s Asian headquarters and Government House, the prime minister's office that the Yellows occupied for three months in 2008.

The protesters want the government to revoke a pact with Cambodia on settling border disputes; withdraw from the U.N. Education Scientific and Culture Organization World Heritage Committee, which approved Cambodia's application for landmark status for a temple on the border; and force Cambodian residents off land the group claims should belong to Thailand.

"So that we preserve good relations — we are both part of ASEAN — and at the same time we make sure that we protect Thai interests," he said. "So all we can do is to explain to them (that) we feel that this is the best approach and I am confident that majority of Thai people support" it.

The Cambodian issue has its origins in a dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over land near a landmark temple on their border, but has evolved into a Thai domestic political issue.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia, but the decision rankled Thailand, which still claims land around the temple.

As for neighbouring Myanmar, he said while its recent elections "may not be perfect," they were "an important first step and what we want to do now is to see the gradual opening up and making sure that political process becomes more inclusive, and we hope that the rest of the world will try to make sure that we can support Myanmar to do that."

He pointed to the release earlier this year of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in November after seven years under house arrest as a "positive step" in that process.

Afterward, she gave a recorded address to the Forum, urging investment in technology and infrastructure, and micro-lending programs in her country, but said investors "should pay close attention to the costs and collateral damage of our development, whether environmental or social."

Suu Kyi's party won the country's last election, in 1990, but the army would not let it take power and refused to convene parliament. The first parliamentary session since 1988 is to convene Monday, dominated by a military-sponsored party.

Suu Kyi spoke to the Davos participants hours after Myanmar's highest court declined Friday to hear a case she filed seeking to overturn the government's dissolution of her party.

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PAD severs ties with 'fake' Kasit

Just pretending:
A Chinook helicopter from the Lop Buri-based General Support Aviation Battalion takes part in an artillery air transport exercise at Surathampitak army camp in Nakhon Ratchasima. PRASIT TANGPRASERT

Former bedfellows fall out over Cambodia

28/01/2011
Bangkok Post

Unity in the People's Alliance for Democracy has taken a further blow after a messy parting of the ways with its former champion, Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya.

Mr Kasit was attacked by the PAD yesterday after he refused to accept the group's demands that the government revoke a 2000 border agreement with Cambodia and withdraw from the World Heritage Committee.

The alliance also demands that the government use force to expel Cambodian soldiers and villagers from the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area on the border.

The PAD severed ties with the foreign minister after he insisted on a policy of negotiation rather than confrontation with Cambodia.

The conflict of loyalties between his role as minister and membership of the PAD has caused Mr Kasit political headaches in the past.

He joined the PAD as a vocal member of its campaign to overthrow former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006. Mr Kasit criticised Thaksin for alleged conflicts of interest in his government's dealings with Cambodia.

As an unelected member of the Democrat Party-led coalition, Mr Kasit said yesterday he must follow the government's policy of forging peace with neighbouring countries.

Mr Kasit said he had chosen to engage with neighbouring countries to build peace and prosperity, rather than seek confrontation.

"If there is any conflict [with neighbouring countries], we have to negotiate peacefully as friends," the minister said.

"The PAD should not act like a baby or react with emotion."

Thailand would not employ a policy of confrontation in solving problems with Cambodia as the two countries have common business interests and natural resources that they could share, Mr Kasit said.

"I'd like to plead [with the PAD]: This is the peaceful and right means of solving the problem, which will create mutual benefits without affecting Thai investors in Cambodia."

Political analysts said Mr Kasit's break with the PAD exposed further cracks within the movement.

The Thai Patriots Network and the Santi Asoke sect have separated from the PAD and are holding their own demonstrations even though their protest demands are related to the same sovereignty issues with Cambodia.

The analysts felt the PAD's credibility could be eroded now it had turned against a "friend" whom it once regarded as an authoritive figure in foreign affairs.

Attacking Mr Kasit personally rather than the government could also dilute the PAD's message.

On stage last night, PAD co-leader Sondhi Limthongkul took to task people he called "fake" PAD members - a reference to Mr Kasit. PAD spokesman Panthep Phongphuaphan said yesterday Mr Kasit had forgotten his own duties and role as foreign minister.

He said the minister failed to tell people what his ministry would do to protect national sovereignty, even though that was part of his job.

Mr Panthep said the minister allowed Cambodia to detain seven Thais who were arrested on what the PAD regarded as Thai territory.

Historian Thepmontri Limpaphayom said Mr Kasit was "sick" and had betrayed the nation. He urged Mr Abhisit to dismiss him from the cabinet.

PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang yesterday dismissed the prime minister's remark that revocation of the 2000 agreement might lead to conflicts or even war.

The memorandum required the two countries to base their border demarcation on a 1:200,000 map that put Thailand at a disadvantage, he said.

Meanwhile, the PAD and the Thai Patriots Network yesterday refused a government request that they abandon their protests on Phitsanulok and Ratchadamnoen Nok roads, claiming moving would put protesters in danger.

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Thai Government Again Besieged by Protesters

A supporter of the People's Alliance for Democracy, or the Yellow Shirts, waves clapping tool during the demonstration outside the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, January 26, 2011. (Photo: AP)

Daniel Schearf, VOA
Bangkok January 27, 2011

The Thai government is under increasing pressure from thousands of street protesters. Red-dressed anti-government protesters are holding monthly demonstrations to express anger at last year’s bloody crackdown. And now yellow-dressed protesters have surrounded the seat of government, demanding tough action against Cambodia over a border dispute.

Thailand’s Red Shirts are back on the streets of Bangkok, holding monthly demonstrations.

They want justice for the 90 people killed last May, most of them civilians, when the government ordered the military to end their occupation of a Bangkok commercial area.

Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan says they also want their leaders, now facing terrorism charges, to be released.

He says they do not know when the leaders will be granted bail, so people outside must show their power through peaceful means to show that those who are behind bars do have friends. Jatuporn says everybody asks for them to be released and sees that they have not received justice.

And, as if the Red Shirts were not enough to contend with, now the government’s former supporters, the Yellow Shirts, are on the streets, but not in its defense.

At least 2,000 yellow-dressed protesters surrounded the seat of government this week and say they will stay until it gets tough with Cambodia over a border dispute. These mass protests are becoming almost routine.

In 2008, the Yellow Shirts besieged this same area for weeks, and shut down Bangkok’s two airports, helping to push out two governments aligned with the Red Shirts.

And thousands of Reds blockaded an upscale shopping and tourist area for about two months last year.

The nationalist Yellow Shirts want the government to revoke a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia on the border and expel Cambodians from areas Thailand claims.

“We had so many negotiations, forums, with the government. For one and two years already. Nothing happened,” Parnthep Pourpongpan, spokesman for the Yellow Shirts said. “So, that’s why we protest.”

The Yellow Shirts want the government to stop cooperating with the United Nations cultural body over the ancient Preah Vihear temple near disputed territory.

The government rejected their demands, saying they would only lead to conflict with Cambodia.

The Yellow Shirts are setting up for a long fight, erecting stages for speeches and setting up tents for shelter.

Protester Phudit Dolpipat set up his tent on a sidewalk near the main stage. He owns a restaurant in northeast Thailand but says he will not leave Bangkok until the protesters’ demands are met.

The Preah Vihear Temple belongs to Cambodia according to the World Court, but the area around Preah Vihear, he says, is Thai territory. He says they are going to lose this area so that is why he joined the rally.

Despite their shared anger at the government, there is no chance of the Yellow and Red Shirts teaming up.

Yellow Shirt protests in 2006 ended after a military coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Most Yellow Shirts consider him to be corrupt and authoritarian. Mr. Thaksin lives in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.

Most of the Red Shirts, however, support Mr. Thaksin. They also consider the current government is illegitimate, saying it came to power with military support after two elected governments led Mr. Thaksin’s allies were removed by court orders.

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Thai FM Turns Down Protesters' Demands On Border Issues

via CAAI

BANGKOK, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya insisted on Thursday that the Thai government will not handle Thai-Cambodian border issues in response to demands lodged by the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and other civic groups, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.

Kasit said that the Thai government will, instead, base its solutions to problems with Cambodia on mutual development, and that he will discuss pending border issues with Cambodian authorities early next month at a meeting of a joint Thai-Cambodian commission on bilateral cooperation, set to be held in the Cambodian Siem Reap Province.

Meanwhile, Thai soldiers of the Suranaree Task Force and paramilitary rangers from the 23rd Paramilitary Task Force have stationed along the Thai-Cambodian border in Phumsarol Village of Kantharalak District of Thailand's northeastern Si Sa Ket Province, particularly in front of the office of the Preah Vihear National Park, and have prohibited people from approaching the border as a precaution -- following reports that some Cambodian soldiers and people were upset with the removal of a previous stone tablet accusing the Thai military put in front of Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara Temple.

However, order has remained along the border and Cambodian soldiers have not erected any other negative sign against Thailand -- although a Thai market close to the Chong Jom border checkpoint in nearby Surin Province was quiet Thursday.

Suthee Panich, the customs chief at the Chong Jom border checkpoint, said that the inactive border trade had resulted from economic problems in Cambodia and had nothing to do with Cambodia's previous tablet (a small piece of stone engraved with words) accusing Thai troops of intruding into the Cambodian territory.

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Let's deal with this calmly

The last time Thai and Cambodian forces fought their worst sporadic battle over the disputed area surrounding the ancient Hindu temple of Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is called in Thailand, was in October 2008. Several clashes were reported and both sides suffered death and injury among their men. Although further skirmishes occurred in the years following, they were deemed minor and insignificant.

The hostilities are believed to stem from Cambodia's unilateral effort to have the ancient temple registered as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, which it succeeded in doing, and also from the Cambodian government's appointment of Thailand's deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as its special economic adviser. Only after Thaksin's resignation from the post last August did relations between the two countries gradually take a turn for the better.

Prime Minister Hun Sen told Cambodian and foreign press on Dec 6 that relations between Thailand and Cambodia had returned to normal. This was further reinforced by a visit to Phnom Penh on Dec 20-21 by Thai army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha. On the occasion of that visit, Hun Sen handed over to Gen Prayuth and the Thai ambassador to Phnom Penh, Prasas Prasasvinitchai, three Thais who had been granted a royal pardon after they were sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for illegal entry.

The rapprochement appeared to go smoothly until shortly before the year ended, when seven Thais, including Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth and Veera Somkwamkid, a leading member of the Thai Patriots Network, a splinter faction of the People's Alliance for Democracy, were arrested in Cambodia on charges of illegal entry and trespass in a military zone, while on an inspection trip to investigate alleged border encroachment by Cambodian civilians. Though the Thai government tried to play down the event, the Cambodian government seemed to blow it out of proportion by charging Mr Veera and his secretary with spying.

The release and return home last week of Mr Panich and his four colleagues was a welcome move from Cambodia and a hopeful sign that ties would improve. But they did not. Thai media revealed that a small stone tablet had been put up by Cambodians at Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple which is located in the disputed area. The tablet, inscribed in the Khmer language, proclaimed ownership of the disputed land and denounced Thais as "invaders".

The message was definitely provocative and unfriendly and the Cambodian government should have known better. If Cambodia values good neighbourly relations with Thailand, this is no way to show it.

Also, the massing of troops for "routine drilling" by both sides as a show of force only serves to intensify the conflict unnecessarily. This is a time for cool heads to prevail, not a flexing of muscles. And both sides know that the right channel to resolve their border dispute is through the Joint Boundary Commission.

Any decent Cambodian and Thai will know that, by geography and destiny, we are neighbours and must live side by side together. Wouldn't it be much better if we lived in peace and harmony as friends, leaving behind our bitter history?

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Chamlong: PAD won't soften its demands

Any negotiations between the government and the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) would likely be unproductive, PAD core member Chamlong Srimuang said on Thursday.

"The door to negotiation is not closed, but I don't think it would be fruitful since the government has yet to give a clear response about protecting Thailand's sovereignty," Maj Gen Chamlong said.

He said the government had shown itself to be ineffective in dealing with border issues such as the seven arrested Thais and the controversial stone sign near Preah Vihear temple.

The government should demonstrate military power while engaging in diplomatic negotiations for a new memorandum of understanding with Cambodia on the surveying and demarcation of the land boundary, replacing the current MoU signed in 2000.

"The yellow-shirts are not involved in the coup rumours. Our rally is aimed protecting the land of our country," Maj Gen Chamlong added.

The PAD started their peaceful rally outside Government House on Jan 25. The group demands the government withdraw from the Unesco World Heritage Committee, revoke the 2000 MoU, and expel Cambodian people from disputed border areas.

The Thai Patriots Network (TPN) submitted a letter to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva asking the government to seek the extradition of yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid under the terms of the extradition treaty with Cambodia.

The letter was submitted by TPN coordinator Sunthorn Rakrong, through Kiatfa Laohapornsawan, a vice minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office.

The TPN - a yellow-shirt splinter group, wants the government to ask Cambodia to extradite Mr Veera, who faces charges in Thailand in connection with the PAD's seizure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in late 2008.

Mr Sunthorn said if the Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Mr Veera guilty of espionage and sentenced him to imprisonment, he feared this could lead to violence.

He claimed to have obtained information that if Mr Veera was given a jail term then people who were dissatisfied with the verdict, and a third-hand group, would instigate unrest and try to stir up war between the two countries by burning the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok.

Mr Veera, a TPN coordinator, and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, have been charged with espionage in Cambodia, in addition to illegal entry. The court has set Feb 1 for a verdict.

They were among the seven Thais who were arrested by Cambodian soldiers on Dec 29 for illegal crossing and intrusion into a military zone without permission.

The five others were released and returned hom after nine-month jail terms handed down by the court were suspended.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya warned today that protesters should not link foreign affairs with domestic politics.

"My job is to strengthen foreign relations, not to make war," Mr Kasit said.

The minister said he rejected the PAD's three demands.

Mr Kasit called on PAD leaders to end their protest outside Government House.

"I give you a 100 per cent assurance that we will not lose any land as long as negotiations are continuing.

"We should not let our emotions drive our actions, as Thai businesses have been affected. The sale of Thai products in Cambodia is down to 60 or 70 per cent," Mr Kasit said.

He planned to visit Cambodia on Feb 3-4 to attend the 7th Thai-Cambodian Joint Border Commission meeting in Siem Reap. He would also visit Mr Veera and Mrs Ratree, who are being held in Prey Sar prison.

Metropolitan Police spokesman Piya Uthayo warned that PAD protesters will be arrested if they intrude on Government House.

Pol Maj-Gen Piya said police would arrest any protesters who force their way into Government House or any other government installation.

Any intrusion would be recorded on video and used as evidence in court, he said.

The announcement follows a comment by Maj-Gen Chamlong that the PAD would step up its activities if its demands were not met.

Pol Maj-Gen Piya said many people had telephoned to complain about traffic problems caused by a section of Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue being closed by the protesters.

About 150 traffic policemen had been deployed to help traffic flow around the protest site. Negotiations with the protesters to keep the road at least partly open had not been successful so far, he said.

Pol Maj-Gen Kreerin Inkaew, deputy metropolitan police chief, said although obstructing traffic is a legal offence the police had not taken any action for fear it could worsen the situation. Police would mainly rely on negotiation.

So far, the protesters had not announced an intention to move their rally elsewhere, he said.

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Yellow Shirt protesters shun special law enforcement

via CAAI

BANGKOK, Jan 27 - Encamped at Thailand's Government House to protest the Abhisit administration's stance on resolving the Thai-Cambodian border dispute, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), also known as the Yellow Shirts, on Thursday reasserted that the prime minister must respond to the PAD's three demands unconditionally.

The protest movement is unafraid of the use of any special law called to foreclose their action.

PAD key leader Gen Chamlong Srimuang spoke toughly after reports that national police chief Pol Gen Wichean Potephosree will ask the government to apply a special law to control crowd.

Gen Chamlong said the PAD will stand its ground as the people have the constitutional right to protest.

The Yellow Shirts won't march to any other location, he said, but will stay fast at the current rally venue at Makkawan Rangsan Bridge, only a just few metres away from Government House, until their demands are met.

The protest leader asserted the government must follow all three demands unconditionally -- withdrawal of Thailand from the UNESCO)'s World Heritage Committee, revocation of the 2000 MoU signed with Cambodia and pushing Cambodians now living in border areas which they claim belong to Thailand back to their homeland.

Following the premier's remarks that he is seeking talks with key protest leaders, Gen Chamlong said that no government representative has contacted the PAD to discuss the matter.

The Yellow Shirt leader dismissed allegation that the PAD move is aimed at creating a condition for a coup, saying the purpose of the ongoing protest is to protect Thailand's sovereignty.

While the PAD protests at Government House, police officers from Metropolitan Police Division 3 and Provincial Police Region 7 jointly conducted a riot control drill. No firearms have been used for the training, but only wooden staves and shields.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on Thursday urged the PAD not to exploit a border dispute with Cambodia for its political gains, warning that such a move will lead to more social divisiveness and a rift with the neighbouring country.

The foreign minister explained that there are negotiation frameworks in handling with the neighbouring country, for example, the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) and the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia, in which the seventh meeting of the latter is scheduled to be held in Cambodia's Siem Reap Feb 3-4.

Mr Kasit added he plans to visit Veera Somkwamkid, a coordinator of Thailand Patriots Network who is now being held in Prey Sar Prison in Phnom Penh, and will ask Mr Veera's family to help convince him to follow the instructions of his lawyer so that he might be released at the earliest.

Seven Thais including Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth and Mr Veera were arrested Dec 29 on charges of trespassing on Cambodian territory.

Mr Panich and four other Thai detainees returned to Bangkok on Jan 22 after the Cambodian court ruled that they were guilty of illegal entry and intentionally trespassing into Cambodian territory. They were sentenced to nine-month suspended jail terms and fines of one million riel (US$250) each.

But Mr Veera, whose bail requests were rejected, along with his secretary Ms Ratree pledged to continue fighting illegal entry and espionage charges. (MCOT online news)

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Thai Protester Demands ‘Impossible’: Government

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Wednesday, 26 January 2011

Koy Kuong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the demands unacceptable. The 2000 agreement is aimed at benefitting both countries, and it is “impossible” to remove Cambodians from areas where they “are living on their own territory,” he said.

The Cambodian government on Wednesday issued a strong rebuke of the Thai “yellow shirt” protest movement, which has called for the annulment of border agreements and the ejection of Cambodians from land along the border.

Thai supporters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy have been up in arms since the arrest of seven Thais in December, five of whom were found guilty of illegally entering the country on Friday and two of whom still face more serious espionage charges.

Protesters are demanding the Thai government revoke a 2000 agreement on the resolution of border issues and remove Cambodians living on disputed territory, the Bangkok Post reported.

Koy Kuong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the demands unacceptable. The 2000 agreement is aimed at benefitting both countries, and it is “impossible” to remove Cambodians from areas where they “are living on their own territory,” he said.

Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said sustained political turmoil in Thailand will make implementation of the border agreement difficult.

“But Cambodia’s obligation to keeping its sovereignty and territory has been fulfilled,” he said.

Thun Saray, president of the rights group Adhoc, said the demands of the “yellow shirts” were aimed at toppling the administration of Thai Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva and that increased tension was a reason for concern.

Abhisit knows the agreement is “an important basis for continuous cooperation and negotiation on the border issue,” he said.

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Thai "yellow-shirt" leader threatens to raid Gov't House

January 27, 2011
Xinhua

The nationalistic People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) core leader Chamlong Srimuang has threatened to raid Government House if their three demands are still unmet.

"If Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva continues to ignore our demands, then the PAD will storm Government House to ask for an answer," Chamlong said while making speech on Wednesday night.

The PAD, known as "yellow-shirt" movement, has vowed to continue rallying until the government agrees to cancel the 2000 memorandum of understanding on Thai-Cambodian borders, to pull out from the UNESCO's World Heritage Convention and to drive Cambodian soldiers and people out of disputed areas.

Meanwhile, Thai Patriots Network (TPN), a splinter group of PAD, still continues their protest at the Government House for the third day, calling the government for speeding up the solution for border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia.

In addition to PAD's demands, TPN pressured the government to rapidly help Veera Somkwamkid and his secretary Ratree Pipattanapaiboon who are now detained in Cambodia for being charged of illegal entry and espionage.

About 600 police officers have been deployed to endure security and order around the rally sites.

In 2008, the yellow-shirt PAD's protracted protests culminated in the seizure of the Government House and two international airports to pressure PM Samak Sudaravej and later Somchai Wongsawat, whom they saw as nominees of the fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, to resign consecutively.

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