The Nation
EDITORIALS
Cambodian PM stirs nationalist sentiment to spur him to victory in upcoming election
Today the UN Security Council is expected to discuss whether it should place a military stand-off between Cambodia and Thailand on its agenda. Most members of this top UN body believe that the situation is not serious enough, and there is ample room for the two countries to reach agreement on the border demarcation and the Preah Vihear Temple. Don Pramudwinai, the Thai ambassador to the UN, is standing by to help work out the dispute between Cambodia and Thailand at the UN level. He is sending out signals to other UN members that the conflict does not warrant full UN attention because Thailand and Cambodia are in a position to settle the problems by themselves.
Cambodia is very good at crying wolf. On Tuesday, the Cambodian government requested that the UN help broker a solution to the stand-off, which has become tense over the past week. Cambodia's winning approval for Preah Vihear's listing as a World Heritage site has spilled over into a full-blown dispute about overlapping land around the ruins of the 11th-century Hindu temple. Two days of diplomatic talks have produced no result. Cambodia now wants to claim the disputed area as under its sovereignty.
Cambodia is using all international forums, such as Asean, to trumpet its sovereignty claim over the temple and its surrounding areas. It has also threatened to bring the case to the International Court of Justice again, which awarded only the temple to Cambodia in a landmark case in 1962. It seems the only Cambodian foreign policy now revolves around Preah Vihear.
More than 500 Thai troops are facing off against at least 1,000 Cambodian soldiers over the small patch of land near the temple. The stand-off began after three Thai nationalist protesters were arrested last week for jumping a barbed-wire fence to reach the temple, prompting armed troops to head to the border. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej called the three protestors "crazy guys". Both sides are now squaring off in the disputed area, which covers about 4.6 square kilometres. Cambodian Cabinet spokesman Phay Siphan estimated the Thai troops at 4,000 strong after new reinforcements. But Thailand has denied it is reinforcing the frontier, also denying that it has built up any significant force there. Only 400 Thai soldiers had been sent to the overlapping area.
Negotiations through the General Border Committee (GBC), represented by Thailand and Cambodia, are not going anywhere. Inside both countries, the conflict over Preah Vihear has been played up to full nationalist scale. Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen has won publicity with the World Heritage listing and called for celebrations. But the Thai people feel that this is another stupid mistake and a loss of sovereignty to a neighbour country.
Gen Boonsrang Niempradit, the supreme commander and the Thai chief negotiator, has pointed out that the General Border Committee is not likely to produce a breakthrough as this issue can only be resolved through a leaders' summit. Obviously, Thailand would like to resolve the conflict through bilateral means rather than allowing it to develop at the regional or international level as plotted by Cambodia. Both sides will have to handle the conflict carefully to avoid further worsening relations. Images could be tarnished, which could affect the overall image and solidarity of Asean.
Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan is right to have called for Thailand and Cambodia to work out the solution at a bilateral level and to avoid any full-blown confrontation. However, PM Samak is not in any hurry to deal with the situation. The Thai prime minister believes that his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, is trying to use the escalating dispute as a ploy to win the general election scheduled for this Sunday. Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party is expected to win the election and resume power. Once the election is over, Cambodia might regain its composure. Then it can resume talks with Thailand over the border dispute.
Today the UN Security Council is expected to discuss whether it should place a military stand-off between Cambodia and Thailand on its agenda. Most members of this top UN body believe that the situation is not serious enough, and there is ample room for the two countries to reach agreement on the border demarcation and the Preah Vihear Temple. Don Pramudwinai, the Thai ambassador to the UN, is standing by to help work out the dispute between Cambodia and Thailand at the UN level. He is sending out signals to other UN members that the conflict does not warrant full UN attention because Thailand and Cambodia are in a position to settle the problems by themselves.
Cambodia is very good at crying wolf. On Tuesday, the Cambodian government requested that the UN help broker a solution to the stand-off, which has become tense over the past week. Cambodia's winning approval for Preah Vihear's listing as a World Heritage site has spilled over into a full-blown dispute about overlapping land around the ruins of the 11th-century Hindu temple. Two days of diplomatic talks have produced no result. Cambodia now wants to claim the disputed area as under its sovereignty.
Cambodia is using all international forums, such as Asean, to trumpet its sovereignty claim over the temple and its surrounding areas. It has also threatened to bring the case to the International Court of Justice again, which awarded only the temple to Cambodia in a landmark case in 1962. It seems the only Cambodian foreign policy now revolves around Preah Vihear.
More than 500 Thai troops are facing off against at least 1,000 Cambodian soldiers over the small patch of land near the temple. The stand-off began after three Thai nationalist protesters were arrested last week for jumping a barbed-wire fence to reach the temple, prompting armed troops to head to the border. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej called the three protestors "crazy guys". Both sides are now squaring off in the disputed area, which covers about 4.6 square kilometres. Cambodian Cabinet spokesman Phay Siphan estimated the Thai troops at 4,000 strong after new reinforcements. But Thailand has denied it is reinforcing the frontier, also denying that it has built up any significant force there. Only 400 Thai soldiers had been sent to the overlapping area.
Negotiations through the General Border Committee (GBC), represented by Thailand and Cambodia, are not going anywhere. Inside both countries, the conflict over Preah Vihear has been played up to full nationalist scale. Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen has won publicity with the World Heritage listing and called for celebrations. But the Thai people feel that this is another stupid mistake and a loss of sovereignty to a neighbour country.
Gen Boonsrang Niempradit, the supreme commander and the Thai chief negotiator, has pointed out that the General Border Committee is not likely to produce a breakthrough as this issue can only be resolved through a leaders' summit. Obviously, Thailand would like to resolve the conflict through bilateral means rather than allowing it to develop at the regional or international level as plotted by Cambodia. Both sides will have to handle the conflict carefully to avoid further worsening relations. Images could be tarnished, which could affect the overall image and solidarity of Asean.
Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan is right to have called for Thailand and Cambodia to work out the solution at a bilateral level and to avoid any full-blown confrontation. However, PM Samak is not in any hurry to deal with the situation. The Thai prime minister believes that his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, is trying to use the escalating dispute as a ploy to win the general election scheduled for this Sunday. Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party is expected to win the election and resume power. Once the election is over, Cambodia might regain its composure. Then it can resume talks with Thailand over the border dispute.
12 comments:
Good, since they are too daring of violating our sovereignty we must claim all.
HUN SEN, please just don't claim the 4.6KM2.
You must reclaim all those 24 provences from Thailand back.
All those Khmer in Thailand please stop being Thai's slave. Come back and rejoin the motherland.
If Khmer united, we will win.
Please rise up and rebel against the greedy Thai.
Khmer Dor Rong Roeung!!!
Yeah you are absolutely right, Cambodia is a crying wolf. Cambodia knows nothing but violence. Thailand is the best country in the world. Very kind nation on earth, the one that make peace everywhere from the bed to the toilet. They welcome Cambodians in very friendly attitudes by peacefully shooting down those accrossing the border to work in their territory.
Thais is the one creates everything foods, because they invented thai pizza, thai burger, and (even the cockroach is also can be eaten)..thai boxing, and Thai sex show style ranking from human to human (man to woman and man to man) to human to animal..Well one identical invention is Thai ladyboys..They know the magic to change men into women to meet the demand of their gaymen.
hmm..many things about the great nation of Thailand, but I forget..sorry..hmmm...
Don't worry friend, if this case step to ICJ, our government will complain to use our map that Siam recognized with France in 1904 and 1907. we will take back our lost land from Thai thief.
"The Nation" newspaper is a biased and incorrect.
The world court awarded the temple and the surrounding areas to Cambodia on June 15, 1962. The decision was based on 1904-07 Franco-Siamese treaty.
Thailand's recent unilateral map put the 4.6 km2 well inside its territory and claiming it as "overlapping areas". Thai incursion into this area is an act of agression of the territorial integrity of Cambodia.
As a poor nation that wants peace. Cambodia has no choice but to seek UN intervention according to international law.
Thai troops building along Cambodia is not good news.
The Hun Sen government should consider this as a threat, and send our troop to the other part of the border also.
8:12, the Nazi Franco-Siamese can't support Cambodia forever. The new court will likely to invalidate it, and Cambodia will lose every thing. Go with Joint Development to keep the Status Quo. There is no lost here, but eliminate all future risk.
8:54 AM
Yes, If you believe that, please urg your Siam government to accept the UN referree.
Go ahead, we Khmer waiting you there.
If you are so confident that we will lose everything, go ahead to bring the case to ICJ. Don't try to escape.
They will, 8:49, but only if you declared that you do not wished bilateral talk nor local mediation to resolve the dispute. The Thai then doesn't have no choice but to face you before the UN referee.
Motherfucker Ah Pler Ah Chor Ah Chkout Saim!!!!!!! you mother-fuckers are hopeless talking about the same shits-we khmer are good at crying wolf!!!!!!you mother-fuckers never learn and no attempt to learn the truth that PVs and area 4.6km belong to us but "Mother-fucker greedy, pretending blind and behave like your ancestors Ah Chor Thieves escaped from China." You mother-fuckers want the law to rule don;t ya? you mother fuckers bullies the WEAK USELESS ASEAN and KICK OFF THE BILATERAL talk and you say we khmer is acting imature. You mother-fucker is absolutely A BULLY OUTLAW AND DISGUISED FAKE civilized nation!!!!!!! Your peopel will vow not reveal their identiities when you mother-fuckers have brought this ill-reputation for your nation!!!!!!
Guys we should not loose focus.
The Thai is building up troop in other part of the border. We should not let this happens it's very dangerous for the country.
You should concentrate your comment on pressing Hun Sen to send troops to rest of the border.
another baised report from the NUTSATION, it is their PR machine, read REUTERS for more facts.
REMEMBER THIS ASSHOLE, the viet was the most powerful infanty troops in the world, but they bled to death. you think you are more powerful than the viet, please come in and we will show you a good time in the jungle, if you lose this battle you are FUCK, you will be known as the paper tiger. you will start running to the burmese border for help, while they will fuck with you also.
DON'T FUCK WITH CAMBODIA, YOU MUST BE AND IDIOT TO LOSE COURTS JUDGEMENT AGAINST CAMBODIA AND STILL WANT TO fight. you will lose this.
Post a Comment