Bangkok Post: Cambodia has 1000 temple guards on hand
In a war, truth is the first casualty. I was thinking about that expression today when I Bangkok Post Sunday read. A grand opening article reports that Cambodia has secretly recruited a thousand people over the past three years to protect Hindu temple Preah Vihear as 'Temple Security'. The newspaper bases itself on statements made by a Cambodian general during an undercover visit Bangkok Post to the temple area.
Cambodia has stationed 319 soldiers at the temple, according to 'Cambodian military sources'. The mysterious Temple Security is said to have been recruited from the Tourist Police and the Apsara Authority that oversees Angkor Wat. The members do not wear uniforms and are said to be armed with AK-47 firearms. Women are also part of it; they are allowed to perform household chores.
Cambodian sources the newspaper has spoken to (some referred to by name) accuse Thailand of bringing troops to the border area and building bunkers. “We are afraid that Thais will attack after the verdict. […] We think they hold violent demonstrations when they lose.'
A source at Thailand's Suranee Task Force, which is stationed in the border area, denies the build-up of military logistics. The bunkers are civilian shelters and have recently been restored. The source says Cambodia has soldiers stationed around the temple, wearing police uniforms. This is contrary to the interim judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in July 2011. The Court then established a demilitarized zone.
An article on page 4 of the newspaper gives a completely different sound. Thai and Cambodian soldiers promise to eat and exercise together more often. They already have lunch together every Saturday. The commander of the Second Army will soon meet with his Cambodian colleague to discuss strengthening military ties.
And there was also Minister Surapong Tovichatchaikul (Foreign Affairs), who, during Prime Minister Yingluck's weekly TV talk, brought old cows out of the ditch. Is about the heritage status of Preah Vihear, which Unesco awarded to the temple in 2008.
All the fuss has to do with a 4,6 square kilometer piece of land near the temple, which is disputed by both countries. The ICJ awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962; The Court will decide on the surrounding area on Monday, but it could also send both ruffs back to the negotiating table. Wait and see.
(Source: Bangkok Post, 10 November 2013)
Submitted communication
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