Thailand-Cambodia cease fire, 12 dead

The gunfire has stopped along the Thai-Cambodian border today, after three days of fighting that left 12 people dead. But hopes of a diplomatic solution were dashed when talks with senior regional representatives were abruptly cancelled.

Seven Cambodian and five Thai soldiers have been killed in artillery and gunfire exchanges along the border between the two countries over the past three days. Another Thai soldier was killed late yesterday, said Thai border spokesman General Prawit Hookaew.

Cambodian soldiers prepare a BM21 rocket launcher near the Cambodia-Thailand border, in Meanchey province, 450km northwest of Phnom Penh, April 23.

Cambodian frontline commander Suos Sothea said another Cambodian soldier was killed late yesterday. “One of our soldiers was killed by a Thai sniper last night… while on patrol,” he said.

He also said another soldier had been missing since Friday, when fighting first broke out.

In addition to the 12 people killed, 25 Thai soldiers and 17 Cambodian soldiers were also injured.

Meanwhile, the gunfire has now stopped at the Thai-Cambodian border, but hopes of a diplomatic solution have been dashed as a trip to Thailand and Cambodia for talks by Indonesian Foreign Minister and ASEAN chair Marty Natalegawa for talks on Thursday has been cancelled, officials from both Thailand and Cambodia have confirmed.

Marty Natalegawa brokered a UN-backed peace deal on February 22 that would have allowed unarmed observers from Indonesia to the Thai-Cambodian border. But the deal has never been implemented, with Thailand arguing that international observers were not required and insisting the dispute could be resolved bilaterally.

Thousands of people on the Thai-Cambodian border have been forced to flee as new fighting breaks out.

Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the trip was canceled because Thailand and Cambodia had not yet agreed on terms for Indonesian observers.

At the center of the latest dispute are two 12th-century stone-walled Hindu temples, Ta Moan and Ta Krabey, located in heavily mined jungle that both sides claim. Thailand says the temples are in its Surin province, but Cambodia insists the ancient ruins are on Cambodian territory.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for “serious dialogue” aimed at an “effective and verifiable” ceasefire and an immediate halt to grenade attacks and shelling between the two sides.

While the new fighting appears to be over territorial disputes, many experts are skeptical that it is aimed at discrediting each other or at winning over nationalists at home. Analysts say the conflict could boost the Thai government’s popularity ahead of elections scheduled for July.

According to Dan Tri