Evacuation

Heng Chivoan

A soldier rests near Preah Vihear temple earlier this month.

Vendors and residents near Preah Vihear temple fled the area Thursday as a standoff between Cambodian and Thai soldiers over the disputed territory escalated, while Prime Minister Hun Sen warned that the row was "very bad for relations" between the two countries.

"People are leaving the area because they are scared," said Keo Vannak, a resident of Sa Em town near the base of the mountain on which the 11th-century ruins sit.

Sa Em has seen an influx of people coming off the mountain on trucks piled with their belongings, Keo Vannak said Thursday.

"I'm worried there will be a clash and it will destroy all of my belongings," said vendor Chim Nang. "I'm moving my stuff to another village for safety," he added, standing near a truck packed with household goods.

“Now I move my material to another village for safety because I’m worried there will be a clash and it will destroy all my belongings.” He had his most important household items packed with him in the truck.

Added Srey Leap, who works at Preah Vihear temple: "I will return to my hometown in Siem Reap province ... I cannot work here until there is security and this dispute is over.”

Some 800 heavily armed Cambodian soldiers have been deployed to the temple since Tuesday, when Thai troops first allegedly crossed the border following the arrest of three Thai demonstrators who jumped an international checkpoint to enter the temple.

Cambodia claims that at least 400 Thai soldiers continue to occupy Cambodian territory, while Bangkok insists that they are stationed on the Thai side of the border to conduct demining operations.

An area of 4.8 square kilometers around the temple remains in dispute after the World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia. The temple was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 7 after years of resistance from Bangkok to the inscription, further inflaming Thai nationalism.

On July 10, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama stepped down after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had acted illegally in signing an agreement supporting Cambodia’s bid to have Preah Vihear temple listed as a World Heritage Site without the permission of parliament.

Hun Sen, in a letter to his Thai counterpart, Samak Sundaravej, urged Bangkok to withdraw the Thai troops, saying the standoff was damaging relations between the neighbors, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told reporters on Thursday.

"These [Thai] soldiers have encroached on our territory ... and have since increased in number rather than withdrawing," Hun Sen wrote.

Khieu Kanharith also said that Cambodian defense minister Tea Banh would be dispatched for crisis talks Monday in Thailand with Samak on the situation.

Other Cambodian officials have called for calm this week as tensions along the border escalated with the Thais's refusal to withdraw, but military officers on the ground say that more troops could be deployed to counter Thai reinforcements.

“We sent more soldiers to the temple yesterday to stop the Thai troops from moving even further into the temple complex," said Kem Oun, deputy commander of RCAF Brigade 43, which was brought in as the crisis grew.

"Now, they are on our land, in our pagoda and violating our sovereignty, even after the threats of Cambodian soldiers," he told the Post on Thursday. "But our orders are to be patient and avoid fighting unless they start it first," he said, adding that Thai military officers had asked the Cambodians to meet with them later Thursday.

Thai soldiers have gathered at a Buddhist pagoda built on a slope about 200 meters from the temple, and slept Wednesday night next to Cambodian troopers, said Him Chan, deputy commander of the border police battalion 795.

“They are occupying our land and last night they slept just a few meters away from us to show their aggression and provoke trouble," he said. "We’ve tried to push them away but they won't leave.... This is Cambodian land."

Cambodian officials have agreed to hold crisis talks with their Thai counterparts on Monday in a bid to defuse the standoff, but soldiers on the mountain say they remain at the ready if the situation worsens.

"I haven't used it in 10 years and it's gotten a bit rusty," said Srun Mao, soldier with Brigade 795, tapping his AK-47 rifle. "But I'm ready and I'm thirsty," the former Khmer Rouge fighter added.

Although generally good in recent years, Thai-Cambodian relations nose-dived in 2003 when a Thai pop star allegedly said Angkor Wat, one of the most important symbols for Cambodians, actually belonged to Thailand.

In response, an mob looted and burned the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh and ransacked several other Thai-owned businesses.