DPA
Phnom Penh - It was expected to be a showdown about a disputed border temple, but the meeting between new Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej instead focused on growing anger over killings of Cambodian immigrant workers, a spokesman said Monday.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told reporters at a press conference that Samak's two-day visit at Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's invitation had been cordial - but issues of disputed sea borders and border killings of itinerant Cambodians had come up.
So too had the Preah Vihear temple problem, he said, but Thailand and Cambodia had spoken reasonably on the controversial move to make the temple perched on the two nations' border a UNESCO World Heritage site for Cambodia - a proposal Thailand has objected to.
As a newly-elected leader, Samak's visit to neighbouring nations has become a tradition for new leaders of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, of which both countries are members.
Kanharith said talks focused on the disputed sea borders between both nations instead, with Cambodia looking to make its claims to territory legal before expected rich offshore oil reserves are tapped within two years.
Also on the table were Cambodian allegations that Thailand uses undue force in controlling Cambodian immigrant workers to Thailand, which results in at least a dozen shooting deaths at the hands of Thai border patrols per year, according to border police.
'Please, do not use unnecessary violence (on the borders) because it could disturb the Cambodian people,' Kanharith warned. 'Thailand has full rights to control illegal immigrants, but Thailand should also respect human rights.'
He said although the Preah Vihear temple had been discussed, Cambodia stood firm that the northern border temple belonged to it and it was Cambodia's right to ask for World Heritage rights.
The issue is a controversial one in both nations. On Monday, the nationalistic Student Movement for Democracy issued a statement demanding Hun Sen refuse to speak with Samak regarding Preah Vihear, citing the 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice in the Hague that Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia.
That movement's leader, Kein Sara, was briefly imprisoned in 2003 for his alleged role in the anti-Thai riots in Phnom Penh. Angry mobs had burned the Thai embassy and Thai businesses after a Thai actress was said to have claimed another cultural icon, the Angkor Wat temple complex, was Thai. Sara was quickly released.
Although allies, tensions between the neighbouring nations go back centuries. However issues including cultural ownership, Cambodia's possible impending new oil wealth and other border issues have strained relations.
On Monday Kanharith said the oil field border dispute had been discussed extensively by Hun Sen and Samat, and Thailand had been urged to be less inflexible, allowing a 'win-win situation between our two nations'.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told reporters at a press conference that Samak's two-day visit at Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's invitation had been cordial - but issues of disputed sea borders and border killings of itinerant Cambodians had come up.
So too had the Preah Vihear temple problem, he said, but Thailand and Cambodia had spoken reasonably on the controversial move to make the temple perched on the two nations' border a UNESCO World Heritage site for Cambodia - a proposal Thailand has objected to.
As a newly-elected leader, Samak's visit to neighbouring nations has become a tradition for new leaders of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, of which both countries are members.
Kanharith said talks focused on the disputed sea borders between both nations instead, with Cambodia looking to make its claims to territory legal before expected rich offshore oil reserves are tapped within two years.
Also on the table were Cambodian allegations that Thailand uses undue force in controlling Cambodian immigrant workers to Thailand, which results in at least a dozen shooting deaths at the hands of Thai border patrols per year, according to border police.
'Please, do not use unnecessary violence (on the borders) because it could disturb the Cambodian people,' Kanharith warned. 'Thailand has full rights to control illegal immigrants, but Thailand should also respect human rights.'
He said although the Preah Vihear temple had been discussed, Cambodia stood firm that the northern border temple belonged to it and it was Cambodia's right to ask for World Heritage rights.
The issue is a controversial one in both nations. On Monday, the nationalistic Student Movement for Democracy issued a statement demanding Hun Sen refuse to speak with Samak regarding Preah Vihear, citing the 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice in the Hague that Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia.
That movement's leader, Kein Sara, was briefly imprisoned in 2003 for his alleged role in the anti-Thai riots in Phnom Penh. Angry mobs had burned the Thai embassy and Thai businesses after a Thai actress was said to have claimed another cultural icon, the Angkor Wat temple complex, was Thai. Sara was quickly released.
Although allies, tensions between the neighbouring nations go back centuries. However issues including cultural ownership, Cambodia's possible impending new oil wealth and other border issues have strained relations.
On Monday Kanharith said the oil field border dispute had been discussed extensively by Hun Sen and Samat, and Thailand had been urged to be less inflexible, allowing a 'win-win situation between our two nations'.
7 comments:
glad to hear that mr. kannarith supported the rights of khmer workers in thailand. i like that; it goes to show that the current leaders are reforming and more and more educated to know the importance of protecting every single khmer person from such violent in neighboring countries. thank you for voicing cambodia's concern. i think cambodia is heading in the right direction in terms of catering to national interest and listening to every khmer's concern and interest in protecting our people and nation development. thank you.
It's good to see the Cambodian government stand up for our people and nation, but not forget they must do the same with the Vietnam. As a concerned citizen and a child of Cambodian decent, I wanted to see the Cambodian government continues its policy of protecting the homeland with the respect of its people and natural environment. I also wanted to see last for years to come not just before the election.
Border killing happening everywhere. It is hard to tell a dangerous drug dealer from a normal citizen. Plus, it is impossible to get people with master degree to work as border guard, not to say that they will do better either.
The Thaicong army is the number one killer of Cambodian people!
Soon or later Cambodian people will have to take revenge!
Wrong, we will never take revenge for drug dealers, traffickers, ... , or what have you.
The Thaicong army had been known to plant evidence on the victim and a lot of time the Thaicong army killed them without due process too!
Yes, sometime they do that to cover up themselves because of fear of losing their job, but this is no difference from the US did the same thing to Mexican on the border when they accidentally shot an innocent Mexican.
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