Thai soldiers pull back from encroachment into Cambodia (2nd Lead)

By Puy Kea
PHNOM PENH, March 25 KYODO

(EDS: UPDATING WITH THAI TROOPS PULLING BACK) A tense standoff between Thai and Cambodian troops ended late Wednesday afternoon when as many as 100 fully armed Thai soldiers pulled back from Cambodian territory near a disputed border temple. Gen. Yim Pim, commander of Cambodia 's Brigade 43 in the area, told Kyodo News the Thai troops returned to their previous position around 5 p.m., about four hours after crossing into Cambodian territory.

The general said that after negotiations between the two sides the Thai troops agreed to leave the dispute up to a joint Cambodian-Thai border commission.Earlier Wednesday, Phay Siphan, spokesman for Cambodia 's Council of Ministers, told Kyodo News the Thai troops crossed into Cambodia at 1:45 p.m. at a site known as Eagle Field where the Cambodian and Thai militaries had a tense confrontation last year.

Eagle Field is about 2 kilometers west of the disputed Preah Vihear Temple . Initial reports said the Thai troops planned to reoccupy the area, but the Cambodians wanted them to return to their previous position about 800 meters away.

In Bangkok , Thai army sources rejected Cambodia 's version of the incursion. In late February, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with his Thai counterpart on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Thailand , during which the two leaders reaffirmed their intent to solve the seven-month-old border dispute, but they set no deadline.

The area near Preah Vihear Temple was the scene of a tense standoff between Cambodian and Thai armed forces that left several dead on both sides. The situation has since eased, but the military presence remains.

The Cambodian government insists that Thai troops are deployed on Cambodian soil, while Thailand says its troops are only in a disputed zone. Since the border issue erupted last year, many rounds of talks at different levels, including at the defense and foreign ministerial levels, have been held but a concrete agreement or solution has proved elusive.

KyodoMarch 25, 2009

Cambodia says Thai soldiers again encroach on Cambodian soil

PHNOM PENH, March 25 KYODO

As many 100 fully armed Thai soldiers have entered Cambodian territory near a disputed border temple, a spokesman for Cambodia's Council of Ministers said Wednesday. Phay Siphan told Kyodo News the Thai troops crossed into Cambodia at 1:45 p.m. at a site known as Eagle Field where the Cambodian and Thai militaries had a tense confrontation last year. Initial reports said the Thai troops plan to reoccupy the area, but the Cambodian side is trying to convince the Thai troops to return to their previous position about 600 meters away. Thailand and Cambodia have yet to fully demark their common border and a dispute last year over ownership of a World Heritage-named temple in Cambodia spilled into violence several times before settling into a tense border standoff.

Kyodo

Sacked Cambodian military leader named as deputy premier

PHNOM PENH, March 5 KYODO

Cambodia's recently sacked top military leader Gen. Ke Kim Yan will be made a deputy prime minister and oversee the operations to counter drug trafficking, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday. The general, a loyalist of Cambodian People's Party President Chea Sim, was sacked in January as military commander-in-chief, a position in which he had served for 10 years, and replaced by Hun Sen's close ally Gen. Pol Saroeun in a surprise move that prompted rumors of a rift in the ruling party. Hun Sen had earlier said the removal of Ke Kim Yan was merely part of military reforms, though officials later suggested the general had been sacked for using his position to profit from shady land deals, something said to be rife in the military. There was also speculation that it might have had something to do with the general's performance during Cambodia 's military standoff with Thailand along the disputed border last year. But some analysts saw the move as Hun Sen consolidating his grip on power. The CPP is widely believed to have two main factions, one comprised of Hun Sen's loyalists and the other one of loyalists of Chea Sim, who doubles as party president and Senate chairman. According to veteran political analyst Chea Vanath, the naming of Ke Kim Yan to another position of power was likely done to ensure unity in the CPP. Once Ke Kim Yan's appointment is approved by parliament, the number of deputy prime ministers in the government formed after last July's general election will reach 10.

KyodoMarch 05, 2009