Border town residents 'ready to flee'
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Verdict on Preah Vihear to be televised live on Monday
After losing her home a couple of years ago to artillery shelling from Cambodian troops in a border clash over Preah Vihear, Si Sa Ket resident Samrit Saenpradab says she is ready for any fallout from the International Court of Justice verdict on Monday.
Worried but determined, Samrit says she has packed up, with money, key documents and bank accounts stuffed in a bag, and is ready to flee at any time of the day or night.
“Everything I need is right here by my side, ready to pick up when I need to run. I can get clothes and other necessities when I’m safe,” she explains.
The much-awaited ICJ ruling on the temple will be aired live on Monday from 4pm, with Thai-language translation on FM88, 92.5, 100.5MHz and AM 891KHz, and also be televised in a bilingual broadcast on Channels 9 and 11.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is scheduled to deliver a speech on the ruling at 10pm, followed by a concluding statement from the Foreign Ministry.
In Yingluck’s weekly television address this morning, references will be made to reports on the Preah Vihear Temple, and documents or actions taken by previous governments on the issues will be revealed to the public for the first time, government spokesman Teerat Ratanasevi said yesterday.
Meanwhile, Samrit said she supported the campaigns organised by nationalist groups against any ICJ ruling that might put Thailand at a disadvantage.
She said confrontations between both sides would not go away if the ruling were neutral as the dispute has persisted for long enough.
“If the ruling is in favour of Cambodia, Thailand may risk losing its territory and sovereignty, which is unacceptable,” she added.
Samrit’s home in Phumi Srol Hill in Kantharalak district is in the direct line of fire. After it was damaged two years ago, it was rebuilt with government funding and assistance from vocational students.
She is still paying for the electrical appliances and furniture she bought on instalment, including a sewing machine that she has been using to make a living.
“My daughter has been asking me to go stay with her in Bangkok, but there is enough turmoil going on there as well. Maybe I should stay at home and avoid the conflicts here,” she said.
Sodsri Phahom, who lost her husband in the 2010 border clashes, said she and some of her neighbours had made the inspection of bomb shelters a part of their daily routine, which includes taking care of her family’s rice fields and rubber and palm plantations.
She said she had been keeping up with all news and development related to Preah Vihear so she can get people to move to the shelters on time.
However, she said she hoped nothing major would come of it and there would be long lasting peace between the two countries.
