Thai soldiers enter to a Cambodian Buddhist pagoda, near Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, 22 Jul 2008By VOA News
22 July 2008
The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations failed to resolve a simmering border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand during an emergency meeting Tuesday.
Diplomats said both countries presented their side of the issue during a lunch meeting, but no progress was made.
Cambodia has requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to mediate the military standoff with Thailand over disputed territory around a historic temple.
The appeal to the world body Tuesday came a day after talks between top defense officials from Thailand and Cambodia failed to end the stalemate.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for both sides to exercise restraint.
Both countries have voiced willingness to peacefully resolve the territorial dispute.
The dispute centers on ownership of about 4.6 square kilometers of land surrounding the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple. An estimated 4,000 troops are facing off near the ancient Hindu temple.
Tensions flared last week, when Thai soldiers crossed the border to follow three Thai protesters trying to reach the temple. The protesters were detained for illegally entering Cambodia but were later released.
The U.N. cultural organization, UNESCO, recently approved Cambodia's application to name the Preah Vihear temple a World Heritage site. The move renewed a decades-old dispute over who owns the temple and the land around it.
The International Court of Justice granted Cambodia sovereignty over the temple in 1962, but did not rule on which country owns the surrounding land.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
Diplomats said both countries presented their side of the issue during a lunch meeting, but no progress was made.
Cambodia has requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to mediate the military standoff with Thailand over disputed territory around a historic temple.
The appeal to the world body Tuesday came a day after talks between top defense officials from Thailand and Cambodia failed to end the stalemate.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for both sides to exercise restraint.
Both countries have voiced willingness to peacefully resolve the territorial dispute.
The dispute centers on ownership of about 4.6 square kilometers of land surrounding the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple. An estimated 4,000 troops are facing off near the ancient Hindu temple.
Tensions flared last week, when Thai soldiers crossed the border to follow three Thai protesters trying to reach the temple. The protesters were detained for illegally entering Cambodia but were later released.
The U.N. cultural organization, UNESCO, recently approved Cambodia's application to name the Preah Vihear temple a World Heritage site. The move renewed a decades-old dispute over who owns the temple and the land around it.
The International Court of Justice granted Cambodia sovereignty over the temple in 1962, but did not rule on which country owns the surrounding land.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
6 comments:
This is a domestic problems of two nations shared the same culture and history. It should be solved between the families even we broke up into two nations, not by the ASEAN. If Thais didn't study or know the history of Khmer Empire or Thais sacked Angkor Wat because of fear that Thai people may feel we stole everything from Khmer brothers still it needs to setle between brothers and brothers.
Everything was fine and many Thais didn't have anything to claim after King Sihanouk won Preah Vihear, but the neo-Nazis of PAD are the radical extremists want to destroy everything we have earned.
We want to end and settle between brothers.
Cambodia and the Muslim separatist in Southern Thailand now have a common goal and a reason to fight the Thaicong aggressor to the end because Cambodia and the Muslim separatist both is a victim of Thaicong aggression.
Cambodia has the responsibility to help those unfortunate Muslim and to stop the Thaicong aggression!
Cambodian officials must come out proclaim to the world of their solidarity with the Muslim in Southern Thailand and open the war against the Thaicong on two fronts!
This is expected. ASEAN is a paper tiger and useless when deal regional issue. There are too many conflicting iterest by each members state to govern the group affectively. No members will risk loosing their countrymen lives to protect the rule of law of other outside their own borders.
You are wrong; without ASEAN, Cambodia is dead. I dare you to pull out of ASEAN.
Hey Siam those who profit from ASEAN is Siam, Singapore and the Vietminh.
Most of Cambodia trade are with Korea, China and the US.
You should read news outside Siamland from time to time.
It will help you to be less ignorant.
Cambodia must field more surface to air missiles to counter any Thaicong air superiority over Cambodia!
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