19 February 2008By Moeung Tum
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Moeung Tum (RFA): The incessant demand by the Thai authority to interfere in the decision to list Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site is turning into a hot and ticklish topic for Cambodia and Thailand.
On this issue, Mr. Sean Pengse, the Cambodia borders expert and also the President of the Paris-based Cambodia Border’s Committee (CBC) NGO, a non-political entity, can you remind our listeners about (the event in) 1962 in which Cambodia and Thailand were opposing each other at The Hague International Court of Justice? To whom does Preah Vihear belong to? Can you remind our listeners about this case?
Sean Pengse (SPS): First, Cambodia obtained its independence from France in 1953. In 1954, the Geneva Conference took place to end the Indochinese war, with the participation of Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. At that time, the Cambodian delegation handed over a map left by France in 1947 to the Geneva Conference committee. In this map, Preah Vihear was included (as part of Cambodia), and everybody recognized this map. In 1955, Cambodia handed this map to the UN when the UN accepted Cambodia as a UN member nation. Therefore, I am reminding that this map handed over by France was deposited in 1954 at the Geneva Conference, and it was also deposited with the UN in 1955 also.
Thailand also recognized this map, but later, it rejected the Cambodian ownership of Preah Vihear, therefore, the Royal Government of Cambodia during the Sangkum Reastr Niyum (SRN) period brought the case to The Hague International Court of Justice in Holland in 1962. The court decided that Preah Vihear Temple belongs to Cambodia.
Prior to making this decision, the court looked at the map, and it considered that the map presented by Cambodia is the right one. If the Cambodian map was not right, we would never win the case. This map clearly delineates the border, that was why it was decided that Preah Vihear Temple belonged to Cambodia.
RFA: In this map, which the SRN officially deposited at the UN so that the International community knows in 1955, how far in the Preah Vihear Temple is from the Cambodian-Thai border?
SPS: It did not determine how far back the temple is from the border, but it indicated that Preah Vihear Temple is located within the Cambodian border, not inside Thailand, that was why we won. In the delineation of the border with markers, we did not build a concrete border post, nor did we set a distance (from the border), but only that Preah Vihear is inside Cambodia’s border, inside Cambodian territory.
In 1904 and 1907, France and Thailand clearly delineate the border between Cambodia and Siam, even though no border posts were build at each 50-meter or one or two-kilometer distance, even without these posts, there were 73 border posts installed along the 500-kilometer long common border.
RFA: How long did you say the common border between Cambodia and Thailand was?
SPS: OK, it is 5,400-kilometer long, there are 73 border posts. But in Preah Vihear, we cannot build a concrete fence along the border, but in the map, it is understood that Preah Vihear Temple is located inside Cambodian territory.
RFA: I want to ask you later on, and even now, what does Thailand base its claim to demand that Preah Vihear Temple is located inside a disputed zone between Cambodia and Thailand? Based on your observations, what can Thailand base its claim on?
SPS: I want to remind once again that the Cambodian-Thai border was clearly delimited already, and currently, it’s not just the issue of Preah Vihear Temple alone, the Ta Moan Temple was also taken by Thailand, and along the border, whatever Cambodia wants to undertake, Thailand would object to all of them.
Why does Thailand object? In my opinion, Thailand uses the excuse that the Joint Cambodian-Thai committee signed several agreements, so many unending memoranda excusing (Thailand) since 2000 until now, and all these memoranda involved border issues. In June 2000, the Joint Cambodian-Thai committee signed an agreement on the border issue, at the time, Hun Sen and Chuan Leek-Pai signed a supplemental agreement on 19 June 2000, on the understanding of the borders. That is why Thailand is using these agreements to prevent us from doing anything anywhere where there is no border marker.
Since ever, we never had any border posts installed with Thailand, therefore, Thailand is using this excuse to make all these claims. Cambodia wouldn’t look at the map deposited in Geneva, it only based on the agreement signed by Hun Sen and Chuan Leek-Pai instead. This, in my opinion, is the mistake committed by the Hun Sen regime, it’s a major mistake because it’s turning a clearly defined map into “white zones” (disputed border areas) which no country would ever accept. This is the mistake committed by the current government.
RFA: Recently, Thailand’s minister of Foreign Affairs declared that he will meet with the vice-Prime minister (Sok An) at the end of February 2008 to negotiate with the Cambodian government about Cambodia’s listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site.
(To be continued)
On this issue, Mr. Sean Pengse, the Cambodia borders expert and also the President of the Paris-based Cambodia Border’s Committee (CBC) NGO, a non-political entity, can you remind our listeners about (the event in) 1962 in which Cambodia and Thailand were opposing each other at The Hague International Court of Justice? To whom does Preah Vihear belong to? Can you remind our listeners about this case?
Sean Pengse (SPS): First, Cambodia obtained its independence from France in 1953. In 1954, the Geneva Conference took place to end the Indochinese war, with the participation of Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. At that time, the Cambodian delegation handed over a map left by France in 1947 to the Geneva Conference committee. In this map, Preah Vihear was included (as part of Cambodia), and everybody recognized this map. In 1955, Cambodia handed this map to the UN when the UN accepted Cambodia as a UN member nation. Therefore, I am reminding that this map handed over by France was deposited in 1954 at the Geneva Conference, and it was also deposited with the UN in 1955 also.
Thailand also recognized this map, but later, it rejected the Cambodian ownership of Preah Vihear, therefore, the Royal Government of Cambodia during the Sangkum Reastr Niyum (SRN) period brought the case to The Hague International Court of Justice in Holland in 1962. The court decided that Preah Vihear Temple belongs to Cambodia.
Prior to making this decision, the court looked at the map, and it considered that the map presented by Cambodia is the right one. If the Cambodian map was not right, we would never win the case. This map clearly delineates the border, that was why it was decided that Preah Vihear Temple belonged to Cambodia.
RFA: In this map, which the SRN officially deposited at the UN so that the International community knows in 1955, how far in the Preah Vihear Temple is from the Cambodian-Thai border?
SPS: It did not determine how far back the temple is from the border, but it indicated that Preah Vihear Temple is located within the Cambodian border, not inside Thailand, that was why we won. In the delineation of the border with markers, we did not build a concrete border post, nor did we set a distance (from the border), but only that Preah Vihear is inside Cambodia’s border, inside Cambodian territory.
In 1904 and 1907, France and Thailand clearly delineate the border between Cambodia and Siam, even though no border posts were build at each 50-meter or one or two-kilometer distance, even without these posts, there were 73 border posts installed along the 500-kilometer long common border.
RFA: How long did you say the common border between Cambodia and Thailand was?
SPS: OK, it is 5,400-kilometer long, there are 73 border posts. But in Preah Vihear, we cannot build a concrete fence along the border, but in the map, it is understood that Preah Vihear Temple is located inside Cambodian territory.
RFA: I want to ask you later on, and even now, what does Thailand base its claim to demand that Preah Vihear Temple is located inside a disputed zone between Cambodia and Thailand? Based on your observations, what can Thailand base its claim on?
SPS: I want to remind once again that the Cambodian-Thai border was clearly delimited already, and currently, it’s not just the issue of Preah Vihear Temple alone, the Ta Moan Temple was also taken by Thailand, and along the border, whatever Cambodia wants to undertake, Thailand would object to all of them.
Why does Thailand object? In my opinion, Thailand uses the excuse that the Joint Cambodian-Thai committee signed several agreements, so many unending memoranda excusing (Thailand) since 2000 until now, and all these memoranda involved border issues. In June 2000, the Joint Cambodian-Thai committee signed an agreement on the border issue, at the time, Hun Sen and Chuan Leek-Pai signed a supplemental agreement on 19 June 2000, on the understanding of the borders. That is why Thailand is using these agreements to prevent us from doing anything anywhere where there is no border marker.
Since ever, we never had any border posts installed with Thailand, therefore, Thailand is using this excuse to make all these claims. Cambodia wouldn’t look at the map deposited in Geneva, it only based on the agreement signed by Hun Sen and Chuan Leek-Pai instead. This, in my opinion, is the mistake committed by the Hun Sen regime, it’s a major mistake because it’s turning a clearly defined map into “white zones” (disputed border areas) which no country would ever accept. This is the mistake committed by the current government.
RFA: Recently, Thailand’s minister of Foreign Affairs declared that he will meet with the vice-Prime minister (Sok An) at the end of February 2008 to negotiate with the Cambodian government about Cambodia’s listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site.
(To be continued)
6 comments:
Stupid questions. The case has been closed long even before the Angkor Wat was built. No one should be contesting or question this case. It's not a sensitive matter. But it is outrageously annoying even for Thai to discuss this matter. The Khmer should be harassing the Thai that all the land they occupy nowadays belonged to the Khmer Empire. Stop discussing this case if good relation between the two ex-enemies is to preserve and maintain.
the Thais know that the Khmer leaders are stupid, Khmer leaders never think of their land or fight for it......that's why it comes to this. The Thais just know that if they persist long enough it will be their.
I agree with 11:37AM....it is stupid to even think about this. If the Thais know it belongs to them they wouldn't wait a day or talk with the stupid Khmer leaders about it, they just take it. Hun Sen and Sok An if they are Khmer they must not give an inch to the Thais on this issue. Tell the Thais to fuck off.
Thailand is trying to blur the line for more land from Cambodia. This is the reason why we never have peace in the region.
Cambodian government must learn from their lesson; and they must fight not to give Thailand an inch more of Khmer land even the border treaty signed. Fact is fact; they cannot blur the line and steal.
Because of our no resistance in the past that is why they are continue their policy of border encroaching. We must make it clear to them it's not going to happen again.
Mr. Seang Peng Se, no matter what you are the best. Please keep up the good work. We are admiring you. You are one of the Cambodian patriotic person. Very proud of your national interest.
There is a clear define border line in Cambodian map of 1947 between Cambodia, Thailame, and Vietname! For the Thaicong and the Vietcong to claim that there are such thing as the "white zone" or the "buffer zone" is only to confuse international community!
If the fucken Thaicong and the Vietcong don't even know what the hell they are talking about and why is it so hard for them to visit the Cambodian map of 1947? Well! The Thaicong and the Vietcong don't have to because they want to drag this conflict forever until one day stupid Cambodian government give in to their demand!
The only solution for Cambodia now is not to negotiate anything with the Thaicong or the Vietcong if they can't accept hard evidence as the guiding principle for any future negotiation or cooperation otherwise they can go to hell for their blind ambition!
The reasons people want go to war because they want to have peace!
Halaluyah!
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