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Military stand-off on Laos border. (UPDATED 2022)

Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:17 pm
by CEOCambodiaNews
Laos border stand-off developing
Mon, 20 February 2017
Khouth Sophak Chakrya

Authorities in Stung Treng province are in talks with their Laotian counterparts to resolve a military impasse, after armed soldiers from the Kingdom’s northern neighbour confronted a Cambodian military engineers unit on Saturday and demanded they stop constructing a road near the border.

Reached yesterday, Defence Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat said the standoff was in Siem Pang district’s Thma Keo commune near an area called O’Talao.

He said Stung Treng Governor Mom Saroeun and military commanders on the border were attempting to resolve the issue.

Saroeun said military engineers had completed 137km of the planned 150km road, which starts in Stung Treng town, when they met Laotian soldiers.

“Lao border military came into our border land and stopped our construction activity, claiming the area had not been demarcated,” he said. “Right now, we are trying to reconcile with them to avoid facing each other with military force.”

Provincial information department director Uk Theary said the Lao soldiers “did not listen” to an explanation that the area was inside Cambodia. He added that more Cambodian troops had been sent to the border.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/l ... developing

Re: Military stand-off on Laos border.

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:07 am
by CEOCambodiaNews
Border row amid state visit by Laos
Wed, 22 February 2017
Shaun Turton and Touch Sokha

Lao President Bounnhang Vorachith is expected to arrive in Phnom Penh today for a state visit to the Kingdom. Meanwhile 600 kilometres away, Cambodian and Lao troops remain in a stand-off after a territorial dispute over a Cambodian-built road near the countries’ border.

[However,] with some 400 Lao soldiers deployed on their country’s side of the Sekong River, according to a recent National Police report, and Cambodian troops also massing in the area, analysts yesterday said the leaders would likely discuss the current stand-off to defuse local tensions on the frontier.

“I don’t see a danger of this escalating once it’s been discussed at a high level,” said Carl Thayer, an emeritus professor at Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra. “Laos isn’t going to be pressing and vice-versa with Cambodia.”

The dispute began on February 8, when Cambodian officials say Lao soldiers crossed into Siem Pang district to demand military engineers cease work on a road they claim strayed into border territory not yet demarcated...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/l ... -discussed

Image Laos President Bounnhang Vorachith.
Getty Images.

Re: Military stand-off on Laos border.

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 3:56 pm
by Bitte_Kein_Lexus
Shit, a road by Siam Pang? There goes the last shelter of the Giant Ibis...

Re: Military stand-off on Laos border.

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 11:06 pm
by juansweetpotato
Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2017 3:56 pm Shit, a road by Siam Pang? There goes the last shelter of the Giant Ibis...
What's the road for? Where is it going to? up to the border? Don't any of the papers say? Is it another military road to rape the forest? Or just a new road into Laos, which they haven't bothered to get agreement on. Doesn't anybody have the back story on this?

Re: Military stand-off on Laos border.

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:25 am
by Bitte_Kein_Lexus
I'm guessing it's just a border road. Like the ones in Banteay Menchey, PV and Odor Menchey. Basically a road that goes along the border. The road to Siem Pang is not paved or laterite the whole way. There's a trail that goes from there to Wunsai in Rattanakiri. Lots of logging and poaching there, as it goes along the Virachey National park. Fun dirtbike trail. I'm guessing that's where they're paving as last time I went I noticed they had markers in the forest. Will allow for easier access to logs and wildlife poaching. Plantation concessions have already been sold I'm guessing. It also happens to be a big haven for the Giant Ibis. Documentaries have been filmed there.

Re: Military stand-off on Laos border.

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 4:23 pm
by juansweetpotato
Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:25 am I'm guessing it's just a border road. Like the ones in Banteay Menchey, PV and Odor Menchey. Basically a road that goes along the border. The road to Siem Pang is not paved or laterite the whole way. There's a trail that goes from there to Wunsai in Rattanakiri. Lots of logging and poaching there, as it goes along the Virachey National park. Fun dirtbike trail. I'm guessing that's where they're paving as last time I went I noticed they had markers in the forest. Will allow for easier access to logs and wildlife poaching. Plantation concessions have already been sold I'm guessing. It also happens to be a big haven for the Giant Ibis. Documentaries have been filmed there.

Cheers, thought as much when the army is involved.
Documentaries have been filmed there.
From what you say, there may be a few more to come.

Rama, and other regular readers of the Khmer press, may be able to confirm this - but, chatting with my landlord about things, and he was saying the government use the excuse that all the illegal logging is caused by farmers stealing the wood on their land. He was saying most Cambodians believed that it was true.
I said I didn't believe it, as the army has men and equipment a plenty, and as there was far too much deforestation. And that only really started happening when the international community were making a big fuss about 10 years or so ago, so the army was appointed to " control" it.

I should have also asked him what families are living in the heart's of forests. I think the farmers etc just go in after the army and saw up the stumps, but they're the one's get busted for it all the time.

EDIT Just chatting with the landlord again and he was saying it is what the gov says, but nobody believes them.

Re: Military stand-off on Laos border.

Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 10:02 am
by CEOCambodiaNews
Laotian Soldiers Suspend Construction of Cambodian Border Post
April 4, 2017

Nearly 20 Laotian soldiers interrupted Cambodian border police clearing grass and small trees in Stung Treng province on Sunday afternoon and prevented them from building a one-person border-crossing post inside an undemarcated area, an official said.
Provincial military commander Svay Nhan said on Monday that the Laotian soldiers ordered the border officers to abandon plans to construct the small wooden post at Thala Barivat district’s Anlong Morakot crossing.

The construction of a new Laotian army base in the same district about one year ago sparked protests from the Cambodian side. Laotian authorities threatened violence if they were prevented from building the post, prompting Cambodian soldiers to be put on standby.

Brig. Gen. Nhan said the latest border dispute was probably a response to Cambodia’s efforts to stop the construction last year.

“In my opinion, Laos came to prevent Cambodian border police because last year they had prevented [Laos] from attempting to build a concrete construction where both countries have not yet demarcated boundaries,” he said.

The two countries faced off in February after more than 400 armed Laotian soldiers poured into Cambodian territory to stop construction on a 257-km road in Stung Treng province running from Stung Treng City to Siem Pang district.
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/laot ... -2-127480/

Re: Military stand-off on Laos border.

Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 10:39 am
by phuketrichard
there is a new casino ( small one already there) going in above Steung Treng accessed by 70kms from ST ( 40kms of that on a dirt road) BUT its being built right on the Mekong at
13°57'7.44"N, 105°53'29.44"E at the waterfalls. They will bring rich Laotians over by boat from above the falls

Re: Military stand-off on Laos border.

Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 8:37 pm
by phuketrichard
and they closed the only border crossing now;
In the latest flare up in tensions between the two countries, Lao authorities temporarily shut a border crossing with Cambodia and dispatched more troops to an undemarcated area on the northern border after Cambodian authorities began renovating an old French border outpost.

According to local officials, Laos shut the Voen Kham border crossing in Stung Treng province’s O’Svay commune on Sunday and briefly again yesterday until authorities from Thala Barivat district scrambled to find a resolution.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/l ... r-tensions

Re: Military stand-off on Laos border.

Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 9:17 pm
by CEOCambodiaNews
The border is open again according to this, but it might be good to check ahead if you are heading in or out of Cambodia via this border crossing with Laos.
Voen Kham is the major/only border crossing for tourists traveling between Cambodia and Laos, so this could be a big headache for travelers in the region.
4 April 2017
In the latest flare up in tensions between the two countries, Lao authorities temporarily shut a border crossing with Cambodia and dispatched more troops to an undemarcated area on the northern border after Cambodian authorities began renovating an old French border outpost.

According to local officials, Laos shut the Voen Kham border crossing in Stung Treng province’s O’Svay commune on Sunday and briefly again yesterday until authorities from Thala Barivat district scrambled to find a resolution...

Reached yesterday, Thala Barivat district police chief Sem Sitha said Laos had stationed more troops near O’Svay commune. He said the border had been opened and closed a few times since the stand-off began.

“But when leaders had talked with them, they have reopened it,” he added. Thala Barivat District Governor Thorng Srean said the border was now open and the situation was calm, but declined to give further details calling it a “national affair”.
http://jclao.com/laos-cambodia-border-closed-tensions/