Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Thailand’s internal political strife has tainted and complicated bilateral relationship with its neighbouring countries, particularly Cambodia and Burma.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Monday that former Thai Prime Minister Chavalit Yongjaiyuth, who has close ties with ousted Prime Minister Taksin Shinawatra plans to visit neighbouring countries including Burma. It would be good if it is for the sake of the country, he added.
“Gen Chavalit is within his rights to visit these countries but should not cause problems to the countries, like when he visits Cambodia. I insisted that the anti-government groups should not put pressure on the Thai government by asking neighboring countries to help them,” according to a report in the Thai News Agency website.
Previously, Gen Chavalit visited Cambodia and met Hun Sen, The Cambodian premier, who asserted that Thaksin could remain in Cambodia as his guest and could be his economic advisor. Hun Sen added that he was not interfering in Thailand's internal affairs but that Cambodia has the right to exercise its sovereignty and take such a decision.
Former Thai premier Thaksin jumped bail and fled, evading his sentence to a two-year jail term for malfeasance in the controversial land purchase case in Bangkok. He spends most of his time in the United Arab Emirates after his status as a visitor was rejected by some countries including both the United Kingdom and Germany.
Hun Sen compared Thaksin to Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, asking rhetorically why he should not talk about his friend when everybody is allowed to talk about the detained Nobel Peace Laureate.
Abhisit responded saying that Hun Sen may have received incorrect information about Thaksin and should not allow himself to be used as a 'pawn'.
Kasit Piromya, the Thai Foreign Minister said Thailand and Cambodia are fellow ASEAN members and should cooperate and live together peacefully. Both countries should observe the same rules and the leaders should not do anything that could lead to misunderstanding.
On Saturday, at a bilateral meeting, the Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein, who attended the 15th ASEAN Summit in Thailand told the Thai premier that he would not allow any person to use Burma’s territory for activities against Thailand.
Abhisit thanked Burma for supporting Thailand as the ASEAN chair and said there would be more participation in development projects including the, Tavoy deep sea port in Burma and the East-West Corridor project which will benefit both countries.
About Burmese politics, Kasit said at a press conference on Saturday that he was optimistic about the ongoing developments inside the country, in which opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of the military government are engaging in dialogue.
He also welcomed the shift in tactics by the US government, which has called for engagement rather than relying purely on sanctions against the regime.
Assistance from ASEAN countries or an election observation team can be done collectively or individually. The final result will be worked out, Kasit said.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Monday that former Thai Prime Minister Chavalit Yongjaiyuth, who has close ties with ousted Prime Minister Taksin Shinawatra plans to visit neighbouring countries including Burma. It would be good if it is for the sake of the country, he added.
“Gen Chavalit is within his rights to visit these countries but should not cause problems to the countries, like when he visits Cambodia. I insisted that the anti-government groups should not put pressure on the Thai government by asking neighboring countries to help them,” according to a report in the Thai News Agency website.
Previously, Gen Chavalit visited Cambodia and met Hun Sen, The Cambodian premier, who asserted that Thaksin could remain in Cambodia as his guest and could be his economic advisor. Hun Sen added that he was not interfering in Thailand's internal affairs but that Cambodia has the right to exercise its sovereignty and take such a decision.
Former Thai premier Thaksin jumped bail and fled, evading his sentence to a two-year jail term for malfeasance in the controversial land purchase case in Bangkok. He spends most of his time in the United Arab Emirates after his status as a visitor was rejected by some countries including both the United Kingdom and Germany.
Hun Sen compared Thaksin to Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, asking rhetorically why he should not talk about his friend when everybody is allowed to talk about the detained Nobel Peace Laureate.
Abhisit responded saying that Hun Sen may have received incorrect information about Thaksin and should not allow himself to be used as a 'pawn'.
Kasit Piromya, the Thai Foreign Minister said Thailand and Cambodia are fellow ASEAN members and should cooperate and live together peacefully. Both countries should observe the same rules and the leaders should not do anything that could lead to misunderstanding.
On Saturday, at a bilateral meeting, the Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein, who attended the 15th ASEAN Summit in Thailand told the Thai premier that he would not allow any person to use Burma’s territory for activities against Thailand.
Abhisit thanked Burma for supporting Thailand as the ASEAN chair and said there would be more participation in development projects including the, Tavoy deep sea port in Burma and the East-West Corridor project which will benefit both countries.
About Burmese politics, Kasit said at a press conference on Saturday that he was optimistic about the ongoing developments inside the country, in which opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of the military government are engaging in dialogue.
He also welcomed the shift in tactics by the US government, which has called for engagement rather than relying purely on sanctions against the regime.
Assistance from ASEAN countries or an election observation team can be done collectively or individually. The final result will be worked out, Kasit said.
BANGKOK, Oct 27 (TNA) - Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Tuesday that he had clearly explained the correct information regarding the case of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a September 2006 coup, to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Mr Suthep said he had met and discussed the matter with Mr Hun Sen, as assigned by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and the Cambodian premier now has a better understanding about Mr Thaksin’s case.
Ousted in a bloodless coup three years ago, Mr Thaksin was sentenced to a two-year prison term for abusing his power when he was prime minister to help his ex-wife purchase prime land in Bangkok’s Ratchadapisek Road. He now lives mainly in the United Arab Emirates. His Thai passport was cancelled but he obtained passports given by some foreign countries.
Mr Suthep said he told the Cambodian premier that it was too late for Mr Thaksin to complain that he has been treated unfairly as the coup was over long before he and his supporters accepted the post-coup Constitution and fielded candidates to run in the (2007) general election which led to the pro-Thaksin party's victory, but then two prime ministers were forced to leave office after being found guilty of violating the constitution.
"Mr Hun Sen understands what I said," said Mr Suthep “However I didn't mention the extradition and his home offer to Mr Thaksin, I went there only to give him better and correct understanding on the situation in Thailand."
The deputy premier said he had told the Cambodian leader that the Thai people want to live in peace with their neighbours, respecting the sovereignty of each other and not meddling in its neighbour's internal affairs and solve any dispute through peaceful means.
Mr Hun Sen also pledged that the recent verbal spat would not lead to border tension or military skirmishes, according to the Thai deputy prime minister.
Meanwhile, the People's Assembly of Thailand led by political activists Chaiwat Sinsuwong and retired Admiral Bannawit Kengrian gathered in front of the Cambodian Embassy to Thailand in Bangkok, reading a statement condemning what they branded as "improper behaviour" of both the Cambodian leader and ex-Thai premier Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyuth, which they accused them of damaging relationships between the two neighbouring countries.
At the same time, a group of protesters who called themselves Dhammayatra submitted an open letter accusing the Cambodian prime minister of distorting the facts regarding the dispute focusing on the overlapping area adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Security has been tightened at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok.
The Cambodian premier said again on his arrival at the ASEAN summit in the Thai resort towns of Cha-am and Hua Hin over the weekend that his government would allow Mr Thaksin, now in self-imposed exile, to take refuge in Cambodia and work as the his economic advisor and that Cambodia would not extradite him as asked by Thailand.
Mr Hun Sen's remark came as former Thai prime minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyuth, chairman of the opposition Puea Thai Party, visited Phnom Penh unofficially last week.
Thailand said it would seek Mr Thaksin’s extradition if it is known that he is staying in the neighbouring country.
Mr Suthep said he had met and discussed the matter with Mr Hun Sen, as assigned by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and the Cambodian premier now has a better understanding about Mr Thaksin’s case.
Ousted in a bloodless coup three years ago, Mr Thaksin was sentenced to a two-year prison term for abusing his power when he was prime minister to help his ex-wife purchase prime land in Bangkok’s Ratchadapisek Road. He now lives mainly in the United Arab Emirates. His Thai passport was cancelled but he obtained passports given by some foreign countries.
Mr Suthep said he told the Cambodian premier that it was too late for Mr Thaksin to complain that he has been treated unfairly as the coup was over long before he and his supporters accepted the post-coup Constitution and fielded candidates to run in the (2007) general election which led to the pro-Thaksin party's victory, but then two prime ministers were forced to leave office after being found guilty of violating the constitution.
"Mr Hun Sen understands what I said," said Mr Suthep “However I didn't mention the extradition and his home offer to Mr Thaksin, I went there only to give him better and correct understanding on the situation in Thailand."
The deputy premier said he had told the Cambodian leader that the Thai people want to live in peace with their neighbours, respecting the sovereignty of each other and not meddling in its neighbour's internal affairs and solve any dispute through peaceful means.
Mr Hun Sen also pledged that the recent verbal spat would not lead to border tension or military skirmishes, according to the Thai deputy prime minister.
Meanwhile, the People's Assembly of Thailand led by political activists Chaiwat Sinsuwong and retired Admiral Bannawit Kengrian gathered in front of the Cambodian Embassy to Thailand in Bangkok, reading a statement condemning what they branded as "improper behaviour" of both the Cambodian leader and ex-Thai premier Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyuth, which they accused them of damaging relationships between the two neighbouring countries.
At the same time, a group of protesters who called themselves Dhammayatra submitted an open letter accusing the Cambodian prime minister of distorting the facts regarding the dispute focusing on the overlapping area adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Security has been tightened at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok.
The Cambodian premier said again on his arrival at the ASEAN summit in the Thai resort towns of Cha-am and Hua Hin over the weekend that his government would allow Mr Thaksin, now in self-imposed exile, to take refuge in Cambodia and work as the his economic advisor and that Cambodia would not extradite him as asked by Thailand.
Mr Hun Sen's remark came as former Thai prime minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyuth, chairman of the opposition Puea Thai Party, visited Phnom Penh unofficially last week.
Thailand said it would seek Mr Thaksin’s extradition if it is known that he is staying in the neighbouring country.
BANGKOK, Oct 27 (TNA) – A Thai government cultural official has been named to the United Nations committee which determines what heritage sites in all countries make it to the world register of historic sites overseen by the world body.
A Cambodian representative was elected to the committee as well, with one more point than received by Thailand.
Somsuda Leeyavanich, Thailand’s deputy permanent secretary for culture, was selected as a member of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which this month replaced 12 retiring country members, according to Minister of Culture Teera Slukpetch.
Mr Teera said the selection was held at the 35th session of the UNESCO's General Conference in Paris.
Twenty-nine countries nominated representatives to be considered in selecting the 21-member World Heritage Committee, with a quota of two positions for Asia. Four member countries, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan, were competitors of Thailand.
As for the Asian representatives, Cambodia and Thailand won seats with 83 and 82 points respectively, he said.
Other countries selected were Switzerland with 104 points, South Africa (78), France (73), Ethiopia (69), Mexico (56), Estonia (55), Iraq (52), Mali (46), United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia.The UAE was selected without rivals and Russia was selected in the second round as no countries in East European group received more than half of the total votes.
Ms Somsuda, 57, will be a member of the World Heritage Committee for four years, from now until 2013. She is the second Thai national who won a seat, the first being Dr Adul Wichiencharoen who held a seat for two terms, 1989-1995 and 1997-2003. He chaired the committee in 1991.
The World Heritage Committee establishes sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is responsible for implementing the World Heritage Convention, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from UNESCO members.
Mr Teera said it was expected that during her four-year term as a member of the World Heritage Committee, Ms Somsuda could promote the kingdom's role in the world arena and push Thai historic sites and natural attractions as the world heritage sites.
As Thailand and Cambodia also win seats in the World Heritage Committee, the two countries could coordinate and promote improved bilateral relations and understanding of the dispute over the Preah Vihear Temple.
The border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia flared up after UNESCO granted the historic temple World Heritage Site status in July 2008, as the question of sovereignty over the land having was never clearly resolved.
The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, in a decision that Thailand was reluctant to accept. The surrounding land remains in dispute.
A Cambodian representative was elected to the committee as well, with one more point than received by Thailand.
Somsuda Leeyavanich, Thailand’s deputy permanent secretary for culture, was selected as a member of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which this month replaced 12 retiring country members, according to Minister of Culture Teera Slukpetch.
Mr Teera said the selection was held at the 35th session of the UNESCO's General Conference in Paris.
Twenty-nine countries nominated representatives to be considered in selecting the 21-member World Heritage Committee, with a quota of two positions for Asia. Four member countries, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan, were competitors of Thailand.
As for the Asian representatives, Cambodia and Thailand won seats with 83 and 82 points respectively, he said.
Other countries selected were Switzerland with 104 points, South Africa (78), France (73), Ethiopia (69), Mexico (56), Estonia (55), Iraq (52), Mali (46), United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia.The UAE was selected without rivals and Russia was selected in the second round as no countries in East European group received more than half of the total votes.
Ms Somsuda, 57, will be a member of the World Heritage Committee for four years, from now until 2013. She is the second Thai national who won a seat, the first being Dr Adul Wichiencharoen who held a seat for two terms, 1989-1995 and 1997-2003. He chaired the committee in 1991.
The World Heritage Committee establishes sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is responsible for implementing the World Heritage Convention, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from UNESCO members.
Mr Teera said it was expected that during her four-year term as a member of the World Heritage Committee, Ms Somsuda could promote the kingdom's role in the world arena and push Thai historic sites and natural attractions as the world heritage sites.
As Thailand and Cambodia also win seats in the World Heritage Committee, the two countries could coordinate and promote improved bilateral relations and understanding of the dispute over the Preah Vihear Temple.
The border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia flared up after UNESCO granted the historic temple World Heritage Site status in July 2008, as the question of sovereignty over the land having was never clearly resolved.
The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, in a decision that Thailand was reluctant to accept. The surrounding land remains in dispute.
BANGKOK, Oct 27 (TNA) – A Thai government cultural official has been named to the United Nations committee which determines what heritage sites in all countries make it to the world register of historic sites overseen by the world body.
A Cambodian representative was elected to the committee as well, with one more point than received by Thailand.
Somsuda Leeyavanich, Thailand’s deputy permanent secretary for culture, was selected as a member of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which this month replaced 12 retiring country members, according to Minister of Culture Teera Slukpetch.
Mr Teera said the selection was held at the 35th session of the UNESCO's General Conference in Paris.
Twenty-nine countries nominated representatives to be considered in selecting the 21-member World Heritage Committee, with a quota of two positions for Asia. Four member countries, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan, were competitors of Thailand.
As for the Asian representatives, Cambodia and Thailand won seats with 83 and 82 points respectively, he said.
Other countries selected were Switzerland with 104 points, South Africa (78), France (73), Ethiopia (69), Mexico (56), Estonia (55), Iraq (52), Mali (46), United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia.The UAE was selected without rivals and Russia was selected in the second round as no countries in East European group received more than half of the total votes.
Ms Somsuda, 57, will be a member of the World Heritage Committee for four years, from now until 2013. She is the second Thai national who won a seat, the first being Dr Adul Wichiencharoen who held a seat for two terms, 1989-1995 and 1997-2003. He chaired the committee in 1991.
The World Heritage Committee establishes sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is responsible for implementing the World Heritage Convention, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from UNESCO members.
Mr Teera said it was expected that during her four-year term as a member of the World Heritage Committee, Ms Somsuda could promote the kingdom's role in the world arena and push Thai historic sites and natural attractions as the world heritage sites.
As Thailand and Cambodia also win seats in the World Heritage Committee, the two countries could coordinate and promote improved bilateral relations and understanding of the dispute over the Preah Vihear Temple.
The border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia flared up after UNESCO granted the historic temple World Heritage Site status in July 2008, as the question of sovereignty over the land having was never clearly resolved.
The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, in a decision that Thailand was reluctant to accept. The surrounding land remains in dispute.
A Cambodian representative was elected to the committee as well, with one more point than received by Thailand.
Somsuda Leeyavanich, Thailand’s deputy permanent secretary for culture, was selected as a member of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which this month replaced 12 retiring country members, according to Minister of Culture Teera Slukpetch.
Mr Teera said the selection was held at the 35th session of the UNESCO's General Conference in Paris.
Twenty-nine countries nominated representatives to be considered in selecting the 21-member World Heritage Committee, with a quota of two positions for Asia. Four member countries, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan, were competitors of Thailand.
As for the Asian representatives, Cambodia and Thailand won seats with 83 and 82 points respectively, he said.
Other countries selected were Switzerland with 104 points, South Africa (78), France (73), Ethiopia (69), Mexico (56), Estonia (55), Iraq (52), Mali (46), United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia.The UAE was selected without rivals and Russia was selected in the second round as no countries in East European group received more than half of the total votes.
Ms Somsuda, 57, will be a member of the World Heritage Committee for four years, from now until 2013. She is the second Thai national who won a seat, the first being Dr Adul Wichiencharoen who held a seat for two terms, 1989-1995 and 1997-2003. He chaired the committee in 1991.
The World Heritage Committee establishes sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is responsible for implementing the World Heritage Convention, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from UNESCO members.
Mr Teera said it was expected that during her four-year term as a member of the World Heritage Committee, Ms Somsuda could promote the kingdom's role in the world arena and push Thai historic sites and natural attractions as the world heritage sites.
As Thailand and Cambodia also win seats in the World Heritage Committee, the two countries could coordinate and promote improved bilateral relations and understanding of the dispute over the Preah Vihear Temple.
The border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia flared up after UNESCO granted the historic temple World Heritage Site status in July 2008, as the question of sovereignty over the land having was never clearly resolved.
The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, in a decision that Thailand was reluctant to accept. The surrounding land remains in dispute.
Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday welcomed his country's appointment as a member of the World Heritage Committee (WHC), the decision-making body of the UN's cultural body UNESCO.
The committee decides what sites will be awarded World Heritage status, and asks member states to take action when listed properties are not properly managed.
'Cambodia was elected as a member of the WHC thanks to her richness in cultural properties and history including intangible cultural properties, several of which were inscribed on the World Heritage List, namely the Royal Ballet, the Shadow Theatre, Angkor [Wat] area and the temple of Preah Vihear,' Hun Sen said.
Chuch Phoeung, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, told the German Press Agency dpa that the election marked an important step.
'Now that we are on the committee, we will have a voice at the table,' he said. 'We want other sites in Cambodia to be listed because many of our temples and national heritage properties have international value.'
Chuch Phoeung said the annual meeting would provide Cambodia with a good opportunity to raise issues it felt were of importance.
'We are just a small country, but our name is known to the world because of the diversity of our culture,' he said. 'And we want to share our experience in protecting World Heritage Sites to the world, and to learn from other countries to strengthen our knowledge.'
Committee membership is for six years, but most members typically choose a four-year term, UNESCO notes on its website. Cambodia has been a member of UNESCO since 1951, but this is the first time it has been elected to the decision-making board.
Cambodia and Thailand have a long-running disagreement over Preah Vihear, the ancient temple which sits on Cambodia's northern border and was awarded to Cambodia by the World Court in 1962. Some Thai nationalists were angered in 2008 when UNESCO added the site to the World Heritage List.
The committee decides what sites will be awarded World Heritage status, and asks member states to take action when listed properties are not properly managed.
'Cambodia was elected as a member of the WHC thanks to her richness in cultural properties and history including intangible cultural properties, several of which were inscribed on the World Heritage List, namely the Royal Ballet, the Shadow Theatre, Angkor [Wat] area and the temple of Preah Vihear,' Hun Sen said.
Chuch Phoeung, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, told the German Press Agency dpa that the election marked an important step.
'Now that we are on the committee, we will have a voice at the table,' he said. 'We want other sites in Cambodia to be listed because many of our temples and national heritage properties have international value.'
Chuch Phoeung said the annual meeting would provide Cambodia with a good opportunity to raise issues it felt were of importance.
'We are just a small country, but our name is known to the world because of the diversity of our culture,' he said. 'And we want to share our experience in protecting World Heritage Sites to the world, and to learn from other countries to strengthen our knowledge.'
Committee membership is for six years, but most members typically choose a four-year term, UNESCO notes on its website. Cambodia has been a member of UNESCO since 1951, but this is the first time it has been elected to the decision-making board.
Cambodia and Thailand have a long-running disagreement over Preah Vihear, the ancient temple which sits on Cambodia's northern border and was awarded to Cambodia by the World Court in 1962. Some Thai nationalists were angered in 2008 when UNESCO added the site to the World Heritage List.
BANGKOK - AROUND 100 Thai protesters rallied Tuesday outside the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok after the neighbouring country's premier offered refuge to fugitive former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra.
Outspoken Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last week offered safe haven to Thaksin - who was ousted in a coup in 2006 and is living abroad to avoid corruption charges - and suggested he take a job as his finance advisor.
Mr Hun Sen's comments cast a pall over a summit of Asian leaders hosted by Thailand at the weekend and have riled the Thai government, which says that Cambodia must extradite Thaksin if he steps foot on Cambodian soil.
'Hun Sen's action intentionally showed hostility to Thailand, its government and its military as well as the Thai people. It is interference in Thai politics,' said Bangkok protest leader Chaiwat Sinsuwong, adding that Mr Hun Sen should apologise.
Mr Chaiwat is a key member of Thailand's 'Yellow Shirt' movement, which hounded Thaksin's allies out of government last year by blockading Bangkok's airports, but Tuesday's protest was not officially staged by the group.
Security was tightened around the embassy with around 150 officers on guard for the rally, which dispersed without violence after two hours, said district police commander Colonel Samit Choensa-ard.
Outspoken Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last week offered safe haven to Thaksin - who was ousted in a coup in 2006 and is living abroad to avoid corruption charges - and suggested he take a job as his finance advisor.
Mr Hun Sen's comments cast a pall over a summit of Asian leaders hosted by Thailand at the weekend and have riled the Thai government, which says that Cambodia must extradite Thaksin if he steps foot on Cambodian soil.
'Hun Sen's action intentionally showed hostility to Thailand, its government and its military as well as the Thai people. It is interference in Thai politics,' said Bangkok protest leader Chaiwat Sinsuwong, adding that Mr Hun Sen should apologise.
Mr Chaiwat is a key member of Thailand's 'Yellow Shirt' movement, which hounded Thaksin's allies out of government last year by blockading Bangkok's airports, but Tuesday's protest was not officially staged by the group.
Security was tightened around the embassy with around 150 officers on guard for the rally, which dispersed without violence after two hours, said district police commander Colonel Samit Choensa-ard.
A demonstrator holds a banner with pictures of exiled former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during a rally outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok October 27, 2009. The relationship between Thailand and Cambodia, which is already stressed from a border dispute near Preah Vihear temple, was further worsened after comments made by Hun Sen about Shinawatra. Hun Sen offered Shinawatra at the ASEAN summit last week, a job as economic adviser should he choose to seek asylum in Cambodia. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
Policemen stand guard outside the Cambodian Embassy during a demonstration in Bangkok October 27, 2009. The relationship between Thailand and Cambodia, which is already stressed from a border dispute near Preah Vihear temple, was further worsened after comments made by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen about exiled former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Hun Sen offered Shinawatra at the ASEAN summit last week, a job as economic adviser should he choose to seek asylum in Cambodia. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
Policemen stand guard outside the Cambodian Embassy during a demonstration in Bangkok October 27, 2009. The relationship between Thailand and Cambodia, which is already stressed from a border dispute near Preah Vihear temple, was further worsened after comments made by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen about exiled former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Hun Sen offered Shinawatra at the ASEAN summit last week, a job as economic adviser should he choose to seek asylum in Cambodia. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
Thai police officers stand guards as the security is tightened outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 for ongoing rallies by Thai protestors. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen offered to make Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra his economic adviser last week, threatening to worsen already tense relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)
Thai activists wave Thai flags and chant slogans during a rally against the act of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen toward Thailand outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009. Hun Sen offered to make Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra his economic adviser last week, threatening to worsen already tense relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)
Thai activists set fire a protest placard that represents the treaty between Siam (old name of Thailand) and France during a rally against the act of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen toward Thailand outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009. Hun Sen offered to make Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra his economic adviser last week, threatening to worsen already tense relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong) 
Orphaned Cambodian children in refugee camp in 1979
Young Somaly Lun
Somaly as she is today
With her daughters (All pics: Harry Page, Getty)It is 30 years since John Pilger revealed the existence of the Cambodian Killing Fields in the Daily Mirror. For Somaly Lun, the anniversary is bittersweet.
Today, customers at the Oxfordshire supermarket checkout where she works have no idea of her extraordinary story.
How she escaped US B-52 bombers as a child, a Khmer Rouge concentration camp as a teenager, and Vietnamese soldiers as a young woman. How she lost her father and six brothers to the Khmer Rouge.
Somaly owes her life in the UK to Oxfam's Marcus Thompson, then a young humanitarian worker who had become friends with Somaly and her husband Borithy.
"England gave me the first safe place I had ever lived," Somaly says.
By the time she was 10, her home town of Kratie was under attack, even though Cambodia was neutral. Kratie was close to the border with Vietnam which was at war with the States, and US President Richard Nixon ordered 100,000 tonnes of secret bombings.
"The B-52s came every day," Somaly recalls. "Every day, shooting and bombing and running." One day a man grabbed her as an F-11 US fighter jet swept low and held her in front of him as a shield. "The plane was so low I could almost see the pilot's face," she says. It permanently damaged her hearing.
Somaly's family fled to Phnom Penh, but by 1975 it had fallen to Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. Backed by the US against the Vietnamese communists, the Khmer Rouge were determined to return Cambodia to Year Zero, to a time before industrialisation.
"My father, a doctor, was in the middle of an operation the day the Khmer Rouge came," Somaly says. "He said, 'What about the patient?' They pointed a gun at him and asked, 'Do you want to die?'"
Somaly's family were herded out at gunpoint with two million other people. The family was taken to Pursat, a concentration camp in the remote countryside. Then the Khmer Rouge came for Somaly's father.
"They said, 'We know you are a doctor'." The first time, they wanted him to treat one of the leaders. But the second time, "they took him away and he never came back". Somaly was forced to spend 20 hours a day as a slave doing hard labour in the rice fields despite starvation, exhaustion and malaria.
Her older brother was caught saving his food rations for her. "They made him confess he was a US spy," she says. "They kept beating him until he died. Then my younger brother was taken. They put him in a prison with other children, and burned it to the ground. The screams have haunted me ever since.
"One day, they came and took 2,000 people. One of the girls came back like a zombie with blood all over her. She said, 'They killed everyone'." Then, one day a pal whispered: "They are killing our parents and we have to escape now, tonight." Somaly says: "After dark we went to where people were gathered with three big boats."
The Khmer Rouge chased them along the river, firing at the boats. She says: "We hid in the mangrove and caught fish and ate it raw as we didn't dare to make a fire. We drank muddy water. We all became sick - just skin and bones."
Everyone on Somaly's boat was drifting in and out of consciousness. "But somehow it arrived by itself at Kampong Chhnang, where the Khmer Rouge was driven out," she says. "They gave us food, water, shelter."
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New escapees from Pursat told Somaly that thousands had been taken to a cliff and forced off at gunpoint. Yet, somehow her mother, sister and brother had escaped. "The day I saw them again was the happiest day of my life," Somaly says.
When they returned to Phnom Penh in 1979 they found a ghost city occupied by the Vietnamese liberators.
Somaly took a job at the hotel Samaki - now Le Royale - as a receptionist, where she met Borithy, who was working for the Cambodian foreign office as a translator.
She also met Marcus Thompson, a 34-year-old British aid worker sent by Oxfam to set up a humanitarian programme. "We became friends," he remembers. "We were all stuck together at the hotel."
But Cambodia was still dangerous - and Borithy was warned to leave Phnom Penh. "He said he was in love with me and refused to leave without me," Somaly says.
On March 16, 1980, the couple married in secret inside a destroyed pagoda. The next day, they escaped. Passing through fields of landmines, they made it through Vietnamese, then Khmer Rouge territory and even past the Thai border guards to Khao I Dang, a squalid refugee camp on the border. Somaly wrote to her family and to Marcus to tell them they were alive.
"I needed to go to those camps as part of my work," Marcus says. Somaly says she will never forget seeing Marcus walking through the camp. "I cried out 'Marcus!' and just hung on to his neck," she says.
Marcus was shocked by their plight. "They couldn't go back to Cambodia," he says. "The Thais wouldn't accept them. We had to do something."
Back in England, Marcus and his Oxfam colleagues went through official channels to ask whether Britain would accept the family as refugees.
"We had no expectation anything would happen," Marcus says. "But then we got a letter saying 'Yes'."
Somaly, 22 and pregnant, arrived in the UK on May 12, 1981, with Borithy, Somaly's mother Moeun, brother Rithy and sister Virak - and settled close to Marcus and his family in Witney, Oxfordshire.
"People at the Oxfam offices donated all kinds of furniture, saucepans, an old TV, carpets," Somaly remembers.
Today, the couple's daughters are success stories in their own right. The youngest, 23-year-old Bophanie, is a teacher in Brighton, while her sister, Mary Thida Lun, 27, is Assistant Private Secretary to the Minister of State for International Development, Gareth Thomas.
At 64, Marcus still works as an adviser to Oxfam, and the charity remains working in Cambodia, still tackling the legacy of the dark days of the Khmer Rouge and facing new challenges from climate change, typhoons and flooding.
Today, 30 years on, when she goes to and from work at the local supermarket, living her British life, Somaly sometimes remembers the words her father said to her before they took him away.
"He said, 'You are going to survive. You are going to go places'." She shakes her head slowly. "I think that was what gave me the strength to survive."
Today, customers at the Oxfordshire supermarket checkout where she works have no idea of her extraordinary story.
How she escaped US B-52 bombers as a child, a Khmer Rouge concentration camp as a teenager, and Vietnamese soldiers as a young woman. How she lost her father and six brothers to the Khmer Rouge.
Somaly owes her life in the UK to Oxfam's Marcus Thompson, then a young humanitarian worker who had become friends with Somaly and her husband Borithy.
"England gave me the first safe place I had ever lived," Somaly says.
By the time she was 10, her home town of Kratie was under attack, even though Cambodia was neutral. Kratie was close to the border with Vietnam which was at war with the States, and US President Richard Nixon ordered 100,000 tonnes of secret bombings.
"The B-52s came every day," Somaly recalls. "Every day, shooting and bombing and running." One day a man grabbed her as an F-11 US fighter jet swept low and held her in front of him as a shield. "The plane was so low I could almost see the pilot's face," she says. It permanently damaged her hearing.
Somaly's family fled to Phnom Penh, but by 1975 it had fallen to Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. Backed by the US against the Vietnamese communists, the Khmer Rouge were determined to return Cambodia to Year Zero, to a time before industrialisation.
"My father, a doctor, was in the middle of an operation the day the Khmer Rouge came," Somaly says. "He said, 'What about the patient?' They pointed a gun at him and asked, 'Do you want to die?'"
Somaly's family were herded out at gunpoint with two million other people. The family was taken to Pursat, a concentration camp in the remote countryside. Then the Khmer Rouge came for Somaly's father.
"They said, 'We know you are a doctor'." The first time, they wanted him to treat one of the leaders. But the second time, "they took him away and he never came back". Somaly was forced to spend 20 hours a day as a slave doing hard labour in the rice fields despite starvation, exhaustion and malaria.
Her older brother was caught saving his food rations for her. "They made him confess he was a US spy," she says. "They kept beating him until he died. Then my younger brother was taken. They put him in a prison with other children, and burned it to the ground. The screams have haunted me ever since.
"One day, they came and took 2,000 people. One of the girls came back like a zombie with blood all over her. She said, 'They killed everyone'." Then, one day a pal whispered: "They are killing our parents and we have to escape now, tonight." Somaly says: "After dark we went to where people were gathered with three big boats."
The Khmer Rouge chased them along the river, firing at the boats. She says: "We hid in the mangrove and caught fish and ate it raw as we didn't dare to make a fire. We drank muddy water. We all became sick - just skin and bones."
Everyone on Somaly's boat was drifting in and out of consciousness. "But somehow it arrived by itself at Kampong Chhnang, where the Khmer Rouge was driven out," she says. "They gave us food, water, shelter."
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New escapees from Pursat told Somaly that thousands had been taken to a cliff and forced off at gunpoint. Yet, somehow her mother, sister and brother had escaped. "The day I saw them again was the happiest day of my life," Somaly says.
When they returned to Phnom Penh in 1979 they found a ghost city occupied by the Vietnamese liberators.
Somaly took a job at the hotel Samaki - now Le Royale - as a receptionist, where she met Borithy, who was working for the Cambodian foreign office as a translator.
She also met Marcus Thompson, a 34-year-old British aid worker sent by Oxfam to set up a humanitarian programme. "We became friends," he remembers. "We were all stuck together at the hotel."
But Cambodia was still dangerous - and Borithy was warned to leave Phnom Penh. "He said he was in love with me and refused to leave without me," Somaly says.
On March 16, 1980, the couple married in secret inside a destroyed pagoda. The next day, they escaped. Passing through fields of landmines, they made it through Vietnamese, then Khmer Rouge territory and even past the Thai border guards to Khao I Dang, a squalid refugee camp on the border. Somaly wrote to her family and to Marcus to tell them they were alive.
"I needed to go to those camps as part of my work," Marcus says. Somaly says she will never forget seeing Marcus walking through the camp. "I cried out 'Marcus!' and just hung on to his neck," she says.
Marcus was shocked by their plight. "They couldn't go back to Cambodia," he says. "The Thais wouldn't accept them. We had to do something."
Back in England, Marcus and his Oxfam colleagues went through official channels to ask whether Britain would accept the family as refugees.
"We had no expectation anything would happen," Marcus says. "But then we got a letter saying 'Yes'."
Somaly, 22 and pregnant, arrived in the UK on May 12, 1981, with Borithy, Somaly's mother Moeun, brother Rithy and sister Virak - and settled close to Marcus and his family in Witney, Oxfordshire.
"People at the Oxfam offices donated all kinds of furniture, saucepans, an old TV, carpets," Somaly remembers.
Today, the couple's daughters are success stories in their own right. The youngest, 23-year-old Bophanie, is a teacher in Brighton, while her sister, Mary Thida Lun, 27, is Assistant Private Secretary to the Minister of State for International Development, Gareth Thomas.
At 64, Marcus still works as an adviser to Oxfam, and the charity remains working in Cambodia, still tackling the legacy of the dark days of the Khmer Rouge and facing new challenges from climate change, typhoons and flooding.
Today, 30 years on, when she goes to and from work at the local supermarket, living her British life, Somaly sometimes remembers the words her father said to her before they took him away.
"He said, 'You are going to survive. You are going to go places'." She shakes her head slowly. "I think that was what gave me the strength to survive."