Thai military denies using toxic gas in the battle of Cambodian border

April 23, 2011, 11: 38 am EDT by Daniel Ten Kate

April 24 (Bloomberg) - Thailand, denied the accusations that his soldiers have used toxic gas against Cambodian troops in the bloodiest fighting along the disputed border since tensions broke out three years ago.

Battles which began April 22 killed five Thai and six Cambodian, according to army officials of, and reports, ending two months of peace since the United Nations Security Council urged a permanent ceasefire on February 14 of press. Used Thai soldiers "guns heavy loading of the toxic gas" fighting yesterday, Ministry of defence of Cambodia said in a statement. "Cambodians are really incredible for a story like that," Veerachon Sukondhadhpatipak, Deputy spokesman of the Thai army, said by telephone from Bangkok. "" " They still make stories publish us poorly. "The resumption of the fighting at the time when the Prime Minister of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva is preparing to call an election in early May. The Thailand member is causing clashes raise his popularity in the event where he stages an another coup, the Cambodian Government Phay Siphan said by telephone from Phnom Penh, the capital. "The Thai military to move against us so they can say they are protecting Thai land and earn the credibility of their people,"he says. "We are a small country and we cannot afford to take Thai land." We need peace to build our country. "Southeast Asian neighbors have blamed each other for cause the battles which took place several hundred kilometres west of border clashes in February near the temple of Preah Vihear a world heritage site. Ministry of defence of Cambodia, said Thai troops were aimed to support the temples in dispute, while said Abhisit Thailand would not invade its neighbours and reprisal of the Cambodian attack. "International rules"our movements are consistent with international rules", Abhisit said today in a weekly televised speech. "In our retaliation, we attack military points only.". Our retaliation will be appropriate with Cambodian attacks. "Five Thai soldiers died in the two days of fighting, said Veerachon. Fighting also killed six Cambodian soldiers, Xinhua Chinese news agency reported, citing Suos Sothea, a commander of a unit of artillery on the border.Clashes resume tensions along the border escalated in 2008 after the Thailand opposed efforts in Cambodia to list temple of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site. Fighting in February was at least 10 dead and 30 000 people travel.The Thailand refused to accept observers from the border of the Indonesia, which holds the rotating Presidency of the 10 Association members of Southeast Asia Nations.International Arena "the shock of the latter is another attempt by Cambodia to raise bilateral dispute on the international scene."said today accused Abhisit.Cambodge Thailand of the use of cluster bombs during the fighting in February, a charge confirmed by established the United Kingdom Cluster Munition Coalition, which grows to an international ban on the weapons these munitions scatter over a large area to the detonation. Cambodia and the Thailand are not among the 108 countries which have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions.In 1962, the International Court of Justice decided in a vote of 9-3 that Cambodia had the sovereignty of Preah Vihear. He did not rule on the lands surrounding the temple, and the two countries have not yet reconciled 10,422 miles square (26,993 square kilometres) waters contested in the Gulf of Thailand which can contain oil and gas reserves.264 Billion in the Thailand economy is more than 26 times the size of Cambodia. The Cambodian army spent $ 191 million in 2009, compared with 4.9 billion for the military in Thailand, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

-With the help of Suttinee Yuvejwattana in Bangkok. Editors: Paul Tighe, Anand Krishnamoorthy

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok to dtenkate@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Tighe at the ptighe@bloomberg.net

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Gaddafi forces using civilians as human shields, says France - the guardian

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe: 'Risk of collateral damage on the civilian population of Misurata obviously hampered operations.' Photo: Ian Langsdon/EPA

Muammar Gaddafi's forces use civilians as human shields, to NATO air attacks slide, said France after rebels the Western-led coalition accused their attacking of Misratah continue to stand by government troops.

The French Foreign Minister, Alain Juppe, conceded, that the position of the rebel held town - under shelling and sniper fire from the army was daily - unbearable but said it was a little more that could be done immediately.

"We have formally requested, there will be no collateral damage for the civilian population," he told Radio France info. "This makes more difficult operations course."

The head of the French armed forces gave a similar response to complaints by rebels, that the pace of air strikes has waned since the NATO for the control of Libyan operations from the United States, France and the United Kingdom on 31 March.

"I would like to purchase from Kagi, things accelerated, but as you know, protection means not somewhere fire from civilians in the vicinity of them," said Admiral Edouard Guillaud radio Europe 1. "This is exactly the problem."

He said, NATO was operations at Misratah, concentration in the rebel of port area, keep and at the same time try to prevent the transit of new weapons on Gaddafi's power base in Tripoli.

The comments followed a scathing rebuke for the Alliance of General Abdel Fatah Younis, leader of the ailing rebel forces. He said: "NATO blesses us every now and then with here and as a bombing, and that's that let people of Misratah die every day." "NATO has disappointed us."

Younis, formerly Gaddafi's Interior Minister, had said a significant slowdown of operations since NATO took over: "The NATO response is very slow." An official gets another and then by the official on the head of NATO and by the head of NATO in the field commander. "It takes eight hours."

He denied the NATO argument to limit the bombing of Misurata: "Nato says Gaddafi's forces are hiding among the civilian population." But we tell them that there are no civilians in the areas where the Gaddafi forces, left positioned. We call on them civil property is to destroy the snipers and armed gangs. "

After a first rapid to and fro that quickly provided for the rebels pushed back further, the battle for control of the country in a near stalemate between Tripoli and the rebels based in the eastern city of Benghazi has stuck werdeneine of NATO a no-fly zone and attacks on Gaddafi's forces managed implementation.

Resupplied Government saw the recent fighting, according to rebels, forces push to the East of the oil port of Brega.

Pick-up trucks loaded with machine guns and rocket launchers while several families fled the fighting in cars loaded with their belongings they passed in the opposite direction West of Ajdabiyah headed.

Hossam Ahmed, a defector from Gaddafi's army, said the front line was 25-37 (40-60 miles) West of Ajdabiyah, say that retreat "was not full withdrawal", it is back and forth.

Ajdabiyah, gateway to Benghazi, is about 80 km east of Brega.

How other rebels at the western gate of Ajdabiyah Ahmed expressed frustration about the lack of NATO actions. "There were no air strikes." "We hear the sound but it not a bomb", he told Reuters.

Another rebel, Khaled al Obeidi said: "what did NATO, which bombed the NATO?"

So far, almost one-third of the Gaddafi's said air strikes military capacity away have, Brigadier General Mark van uhm, senior NATO staff officer, in Brussels. He also said that remaining government troops were often hidden in areas populated: "when the people are used as shields we not to participate."

In the midst of the blockade it has increasing focus on diplomatic efforts, such as for example promoting key Gaddafi loyalists to unsubscribe.

Gaddafi apparently tried to play the same game. Libya's official Jana news agency said that he had sent a message to Obama "colonial after the withdrawal of America of the Crusader Alliance against Libya". The United States played a key role in early air strikes before NATO took over.

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