Thai Army Resumes Intense Shelling Into Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Province, Fighting Ceases(Updated With Casualties Of Both Sides, ICJ Judgment of Preah Vihear)

Phnom Penh 5 February 2011 -- AKP

Thai troops resumed firing mortar rounds into Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province early Saturday into Cambodia’s location of Phnom Trap, killing one Cambodian solider and a civilian said Cambodia’s government officials.

“Around 6:15 a.m Thai soldiers fired rounds of mortars at Cambodia’s Phnom Trap,” said the official who works for Press and Quick Reaction Unit (PRU) of the Office of the Council of Ministers.

“The fighting ceased about 7 a.m,” he said.

Altogether more than 10 Cambodian soldiers and civilians were killed and wounded. At least 16 Thais have been reportedly killed, including civilians. Cambodia also captured 5 Thai soldiers including 4 in the battle on Friday, said the officials.

Thai soldiers rushed into the buffer zone and moved up to 500meters into Cambodian territory at Phnom Trab, Sambok Khmum, Chak Chreng, Veal Intrei, Ta Thao, Ta Sem and fired vigorously into Cambodian forces defending sovereign Cambodian territory.

The Thai army also shelled the Cambodian village of Svay Chrum. Villagers from the Svay Chrum and the Eco-global Museum were evacuated to a safe zone in the wake of Thai artillery fire. Thai shells were fired deeper and deeper into Cambodia’s territory. Thai artillery bombardment has caused damages to the UNESCO heritage of Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple, putting the 900-year-old temple in imminent danger of destruction.

Cambodian Army yesterday had battled to repel invading Thai forces at six locations well inside Cambodia’s territory near the U.N. listed Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Temple. The fighting had temporary ceased around 6 p.m on Friday.

The UN legal institution of International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 ruled that: the Temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia.

The court found that Thailand is under obligation to withdraw any military or police forces, or other guards or keepers, stationed by her at the Temple, or in its vicinity on Cambodian territory.

Thailand is under an obligation to restore to Cambodia any objects of the kind specified in the Cambodia’s fifth submission which may, since the date of the occupation of the Temple by Thailand in 1954, have been removed from the Temple or the Temple area by the Thai authority, said the ICJ’s Judgment.

by Ek Madra (contributor)