January 30, 2003 4:00 AM
Thais flee Phnom Penh after riots
By Ed Cropley
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Thai military aircraft have evacuated hundreds of frightened Thais from the Cambodian capital after a night of anti-Thai riots in which their embassy and businesses were torched.
Four giant C-130 transport planes military took off from Phnom Penh's military airport on Thursday with some 500 people on board.
In Bangkok, Cambodian flags were burnt in response to the violence, which was sparked by remarks reportedly made by a popular Thai actress that the Angkor Wat temple, Cambodia's main national icon, belonged to Thailand.
"We had one Thai cook and she was picked up by Thai officials at three in the morning and taken straight to the airport," said Bun Sea, a worker at a Thai restaurant in Phnom Penh.
"I don't think there are any more Thais left here. They are all scared for their lives."
Thai actress Suwanna "Kob" Konying has denied making the comments about Angkor Wat, which represented on the Cambodian flag.
In all, five Thai air force C-130 aircraft had been assigned for the evacuation and the first group of 151 evacuees arrived in Bangkok just after 0820 (0120). The Thais last evacuated their nationals from Phnom Penh during a 1997 coup.
After a day of flag-burning and anti-Thai chanting that played on the inherent distrust most Cambodians feel towards their much bigger southeast Asian neighbour, the crowd massed outside the embassy towards nightfall.
Some 50 protesters climbed the embassy walls and threw rocks into the compound, smashing windows, before the arson attack. Three were no reports of serious injuries.
Angry crowds prowled the capital well into the night, setting fire to cars and attacking Thai-owned and other foreign businesses, including Cambodia Shinawatra, the Cambodian branch of a telecoms company set up by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
APOLOGY DEMAND
On Thursday morning, the streets were quiet, but some looters were picking through the wreckage of cars and piles of furniture.
"It's all because Thai people are down on the Cambodian people," said one looter, clutching a bag of medicines, in the charred remains of the Royal Phnom Penh Hotel, believed to be owned by Thais.
"They say we are dogs. If Thai people cannot say sorry, then there will be more riots."
Iwao Tsunashima, a Japanese engineer who has lived in the hotel for two years, said he was devastated.
"I escaped only with my body and my laptop computer. I have lost everything else. I have no idea how this happened."
A French couple looked dazed as they searched the wreckage for their belongings. Any police effort to restrain looters appeared half-hearted at best.
Senior military police official Mak Savuthy said all was quiet in Phnom Penh on Thursday.
"So far there have been no protests, but the police are beefing up security in town to ensure that the protesters cannot play cat and mouse with the police."
A crowd of 200 Thais gathered outside the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok to chant anti-Phnom Penh slogans and burn Cambodian flags. Riot police outnumbered the protesters, a Reuters correspondent at the scene said.
Thaksin said diplomatic relations would continue but contacts would be reduced while Thailand took stock of the attacks on its property in its eastern neighbour.
"Diplomatic relations will continue, but I have recalled our ambassador," Thaksin said. "The Foreign Ministry will ask the Cambodian ambassador to receive our protest and ask him to leave, so as to scale down our relations."
He said Cambodia should compensate Thais for the damage to their businesses and arrest those responsible for the violence.
Thaksin added he had spoken to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen who had apologised for the attack on the embassy and assured him he would act to calm the situation.
Reuters
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