Navy forces fire an Exocet missile from the
HTMS Ratcharit, a fast-attack boat, during regularly scheduled military
exercises in the Gulf of Thailand near Sattahip. Whilst watching the
exercises, Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara said that Thai
forces were “resolute” in protecting the country’s sovereignty.
Patcharapol Panrak
Presiding over the Royal Thai Navy’s annual training
exercises in Sattahip, Thailand’s top military commander ruled out
negotiations with Cambodia until that country’s forces cease hostilities
in the latest rounds of deadly border clashes.
Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara said
during an April 22 speech at Sattahip Naval Base that Thai forces were
“resolute” in protecting the country’s sovereignty and will not hesitate
to attack Cambodia forces if necessary. “Negotiations are not in the
plans if our enemies choose to disrupt peace in our country,” he said.
Ten people were killed in the first three days of
heavy artillery exchanges near Ta Kwai temple in Surin. Thailand accuses
Cambodia of trying to seize both Ta Kwai and nearby Ta Muen temple in a
move similar to its occupation of the disputed Preah Vilhear temple
about 160 km from the latest fighting.
Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara returns salutes as he
boards the HTMS Chakri Naruebet to watch naval exercises off Sattahip.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has
urged both sides to agree to an immediate cease fire, but Thai leaders
say their Khmer counterparts are trying to escalate the situation in
order to force international involvement in border disputes Thailand
wants solved bilaterally. Hoping to provoke international outrage,
Cambodians have claimed Thais are using air strikes and chemical weapons
on their military, which is about 25 times smaller than Thailand’s. Thai
leaders denied both.
In Sattahip, Songkitti said 15,000 villagers have
been evacuated from the battle zone. He said he hoped hostilities would
cease soon, but also has been asked to approve the dispatch of five more
battalions to the area to protect the two temples.
At his Sattahip war games appearance, the supreme
commander certainly did his best to show of the might of Thai forces.
From a perch on the helicopter deck of the HTMS
Chakri Naruebet, Songkitti watched as Navy forces fired an Exocet
missile from the HTMS Ratcharit, a fast-attack boat. Other exercises
included anti-aircraft firing, artillery practice with live rounds and
joint sorties by Royal Thai Navy and Air Force F-16s.
Navy commander Adm. Kamthon Pumhiran said the war games were a
previously scheduled, annual exercise put on to better integrate the
operations of various naval units.
Part
of Thailand’s naval fleet underway in formation during naval exercises
in the Gulf of Thailand last week.
