Tag Archive | "foreign ministers"

Tensions in a Thai-Cambodian Temple Continue


Thai and Cambodian troops battled for the fourth consecutive time on Monday for a small yet symbolically valued piece of territory along their shared boarders. The clashes have become bloody and deadly.

The clashes are rooted on two ancient temples: Ta Moan and Ta Krabey. These two temples are located 160 kilometers west of a temple on top of a cliff – Preah Vihear.

Since the violent dispute started on Friday, a total of 12 soldiers were killed and many others were wounded. Civilians in the area, accounting to more than a thousand people, were evacuated from their houses as announced by officials of both governments.

Both Thailand and Cambodia accuse the other of starting the fight. The foreign ministry of Cambodia accused armed troops of Thailand for launching long-range artillery attacks. However, the foreign ministry of Thailand said that Cambodia initiated the fight with unprovoked attacks.

The United Nations said on Saturday that they urge both countries to agree on a verifiable and effective ceasefire. The Indonesian government, as the current chair of the Association of Southern Asian Nations or the ASEAN, scheduled meetings between the foreign ministers of all three countries. However, the meeting was cancelled on Monday because a diplomatic resolution is not yet clear.

Thailand and Cambodia have been fighting for decades over the delineation of the countries’ land border. Just recently, they also started fighting over maritime territory because it is believed to be rich in oil and mineral deposits.

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Gadhafi’s Daughter Hurls Rebellious Message


Gadhafi’s daughter said Friday that the US airstrikes did not defeat them 25 years ago, they will not pull it off now. The crowd cheered for her as she said this from her father’s compound.

Aisha, Gadhafi’s daughter, pumped her fist in the air while leading her audience from the balcony of the severely damaged compound. Just a few hours earlier, NATO launched an airstrike in Tripoli.

During the NATO foreign ministers meeting, Secretary Hillary Rodham of the United States said that Gadhafi is clearly cutting his international alliance by attacking cities held by rebels. Gadhafi has held the greatest power in Libya for the past 42 years and people would love to see this stop. NATO is one with the rebel forces and would like to see Gadhafi go to end the situation in the country.

Gadhafi has a very long and distressed history with the West. Many believe that he sponsored militant groups in the 80s. Moreover, secret service of Libya is said to be responsible for the Berlin disco bombing in 1986; two American servicemen died in the incident. A little over a week later, the United States launched an air attack in Tripoli and Benghazi. The president’s Bab Aziziyah compound was one of the places that were badly damaged by the bombing. Now, it stands as a museum and a constant reminder of his relationship with the U.S.

Although a lot of protesters want Gadhafi to leave his office, many still believe in him. They gathered and cheered for Aisha as she relieved the bombing in 1986. She said that many children were killed in that incident buy the country survived. She added that Libyans are people that refuse to be defeated.

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