Thursday, 24 July 2008

Hoping for the best but ready for the worst

The Bangkok Post
Thursday July 24, 2008

Crises produce leadership and in the case of the escalating Preah Vihear border tension, one man stands tall on the hill of conflict. The army has been bombarded with criticism for its leisurely response to the border dispute. It mobilised troops to the 4.6 sq km troublespot only on July 15, several days after the temple conflict had flared up.

In light of the border military buildup, Thailand risks running an image deficit as it could come across as the aggressor who refuses to play by the rules even after the ancient Preah Vihear temple has been listed by Unesco as a World Heritage site.

As the race in diplomacy was under way to cool the border friction, the front-line defence was being mounted, with Kanok Netrakawesana, commander of the Sixth Infantry Division and the Suranaree Task Force, despatched to head the military campaign up the slope of the Preah Vihear hill, to secure the Thai side of the border.

The 600-strong armed rangers took the uphill trek to the west of the ancient ruins, and are now stationed face-to-face with an equally large Cambodian military force sent last week.

Despite the sense of friendship that exists between the two armies, the military buildup on both sides of the border, spurred by the recent crossing of the fence by three Thais, including one Buddhist monk, into the disputed zone, could easily touch off a serious confrontation.

Maj-Gen Kanok's troops were forced to make the rough trek over the hill and through the forest after they were prevented by army chief Anupong Paojinda from cutting the chain around an iron gate to the stairways leading up to the hilltop temple.

Apart from the 600 rangers who took up positions near the Wat Kaew area adjacent to the border, about 2,000 soldiers have been spread around the disputed area.

Providing a backdrop to the real-life military drama is the presence of heavy armaments and tanks as well as a deployment of war weapons.

There is no denying that the unfolding Preah Vihear temple saga has catapulted Maj-Gen Kanok to prominence.

It was he who had written to the National Security Council warning of the danger Preah Vihear's heritage registration could pose to Thailand's territorial demarcation and even a possible loss of border land.

A military source said Maj-Gen Kanok was looking to bring in troops to the disputed area as early as June, when the border issue had just started to heat up, but his plan was snubbed by the army chief.

On many occasions, he alerted higher-ups to the potentially unmanageable border hostility from the temple's listing.

Grappling with the gravity of the brewing conflict, Gen Anupong dispatched troops to the hill upon learning of the arrest by the Cambodian army of the three Thais in the disputed zone.

Maj-Gen Kanok insists that credit for the military response is due to Gen Anupong alone.

Maj-Gen Kanok, admired for being direct and forceful at times, has been living on the frontline alongside his rank and file _ braving the forest and huddling under the rain at night together with his men. His action has boosted the morale of soldiers, now banded together in what could turn into a battlefield.

They have to trek for about an hour to reach their positions. They have to save on drinking water, with only two meals to eat on some days. Sometimes, a meal consists only of plain glutinous rice or dry instant noodles.

Born in Bangkok, the commander knows the Thai-Cambodian border terrain like the back of his hand, having been assigned to serve the Sixth Infantry Division since he graduated from Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, Class 11.

Right now, the volatile situation on the border appears rather placid, but for how long is anybody's guess.

The senior defence talks led by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Tea Banh, and Supreme Commander Gen Boonsrang Niempradit, included generally agreeable terms.

Both sides resolved to maintain the military deployment and were open to the rules of engagement which prohibit the use of force and a despatch of further reinforcements to the disputed area.

The soldiers from both sides are likely to stand their ground for the long haul while Maj-Gen Kanok is taking every precaution to ensure there is no pretext or incident which could cause the fragile border situation to escalate into violence.

Although the military is leaving nothing to chance, there is always the alarming possibility that fully-armed soldiers from either side of the border will be at each other's throats over a slight misunderstanding. Thai and Cambodian patrol soldiers near the Preah Vihear sanctuary have been friends, but the recent addition of ''strangers'' who are soldiers fresh off the convoy from Phnom Penh and Along Veng may need a fair amount of ice-breaking to keep the border feud from reaching boiling point.

But Maj-Gen Kanok hopes for the best but is prepared for the worst. In his words: ''If there is to be shooting and casualties, our soldiers will stand firm, at the ready to defend our soil.''

He has tried to ease the tension by agreeing with his Cambodian counterpart to move the lines of soldiers facing each other further apart.

Historically, the conflict has been longstanding, going back eight years when Cambodian villagers came and settled in the overlapping zone, which should have been left unoccupied. Cambodian soldiers planted land mines around the entrances to the zone and denied the Thailand Mines Action Centre access to de-mine the area.

Maj-Gen Kanok has repeated his call for the Foreign Ministry to step up diplomatic leverage in opposing the listing. He also expects the Preah Vihear issue to drag on, now that Phnom Penh is bringing the border feud to the United Nations' attention.

The commander said he was waiting for an ''order'' from the army chief and people to plant the Thai flag in the overlapping zone.

''Just say the word. I can do it,'' Maj-Gen Kanok said.

Wassana Nanuam reports on military affairs for the Bangkok Post.

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