By Melanie Lee
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Cambodia has asked the United Nations Security Council for an emergency meeting to resolve a military stand-off with Thailand over an ancient temple on their border.
Phnom Penh's appeal to the world body came after bilateral talks on Monday failed to end the week-long border fracas, which regional neighbors fear could turn violent.
"In order to avoid armed confrontation, the Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to request an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to find a solution to the problem in accordance with international laws," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia were due to meet on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Singapore later on Tuesday, Thai and Cambodian sources said.
The meeting will be chaired by Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo and is in response to a letter sent to him by Cambodia's government late on Monday, asking the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to intervene to cool escalating tensions between the neighbors.
"The meeting will be held at 12 p.m. (0400 GMT) today, and will be attended by the foreign ministers from Thailand and Cambodia and will discuss the situation over the temple," a Thai diplomatic source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Other ASEAN foreign ministers may also be at the meeting, an ASEAN official said.
HEART OF DISPUTE
At the heart of the dispute is a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) area around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary and is claimed by both nations.
The 900-year-old temple was awarded to Cambodia by an international court in 1962.
The military showdown began a week ago when Thai troops moved into the disputed area after three Thai protesters were briefly detained there. Since then, both sides have sent hundreds more soldiers and heavy artillery to the border.
Cambodia has asked ASEAN to form an Inter-Ministerial Group of foreign ministers from Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos to "find a peaceful solution to the current crisis and to avoid a military confrontation between two ASEAN members".
ASEAN foreign ministers are holding their annual series of meetings first amongst themselves, then with Asia-Pacific powers culminating in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which has ambitions to deal with issues such a the Thai-Cambodia spat.
Monday's talks on the Thai-Cambodia border partly bogged down over which maps should be used to settle ownership of the temple and surrounding area, officials said.
(Additional reporting by Ek Madra in Phnom Penh)
(Editing by David Fox)
Phnom Penh's appeal to the world body came after bilateral talks on Monday failed to end the week-long border fracas, which regional neighbors fear could turn violent.
"In order to avoid armed confrontation, the Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to request an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to find a solution to the problem in accordance with international laws," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia were due to meet on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Singapore later on Tuesday, Thai and Cambodian sources said.
The meeting will be chaired by Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo and is in response to a letter sent to him by Cambodia's government late on Monday, asking the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to intervene to cool escalating tensions between the neighbors.
"The meeting will be held at 12 p.m. (0400 GMT) today, and will be attended by the foreign ministers from Thailand and Cambodia and will discuss the situation over the temple," a Thai diplomatic source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Other ASEAN foreign ministers may also be at the meeting, an ASEAN official said.
HEART OF DISPUTE
At the heart of the dispute is a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) area around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary and is claimed by both nations.
The 900-year-old temple was awarded to Cambodia by an international court in 1962.
The military showdown began a week ago when Thai troops moved into the disputed area after three Thai protesters were briefly detained there. Since then, both sides have sent hundreds more soldiers and heavy artillery to the border.
Cambodia has asked ASEAN to form an Inter-Ministerial Group of foreign ministers from Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos to "find a peaceful solution to the current crisis and to avoid a military confrontation between two ASEAN members".
ASEAN foreign ministers are holding their annual series of meetings first amongst themselves, then with Asia-Pacific powers culminating in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which has ambitions to deal with issues such a the Thai-Cambodia spat.
Monday's talks on the Thai-Cambodia border partly bogged down over which maps should be used to settle ownership of the temple and surrounding area, officials said.
(Additional reporting by Ek Madra in Phnom Penh)
(Editing by David Fox)
30 comments:
After the poll on Sunday, the PM of Cambodia will declare victory, and then will make his anouncement of joint development with the Thai company. This is a win-win situation for the Cambodian PM and the former and sitting Thai PMs. The ordinary people of Thailand and Cambodia will be a big losers.
We khmer are stuck in history now! Please open our eyes. We are now Cambodia. We have many nationalities inside. We live peacefully. Why do we have to kill people or getting that some sq.km. Thai mountain land. We can't deny that we send troops weeks before them, it also cause this long problem. In my opinion, if we khmer now making a weird history to our new khmer generations.
We are now in 2008. We should learn from history that war and bad relations always make us suffer. If we get thati small area from Thai's mountain, we will change friend to eneny. Open your eyes.
We khmer should proud in ourselves everywhere we go, new york, paris, anywhere. But, we should know that we and thai are brothers in ancient times. Why we let our people doing weird things EVERY GENERATION. It already shows the problem is deeper and deeper. It's not the way to solve. It's time for us to change! If we can give that some sq.km. land as a gift of "FOREVER PEACE" and no problem in border anymore. I think it will be very very valuable for our ordinary people both in mind and in real life. Don't we accept that we have family and relatives in Thai too. Buddha teach us to give. And sometimes let it go." Why can't we do win-win with all neighbour countries.
We can't move country. Next 30 years, our gevernment and politicians will die by their age. Then what the gov. left for us. Bigger and bigger and deeper problems and deep hate in 2 nations. This is WEIRD absolutely. No visions show in our government and politicians.
So sad!
The Thai and cambodian government are using Preah Vihear for political purpose.
However Cambodia is asking for UN to help. This is a very good point and the thai will lose face, because their arguments are baseless: they have too much shit in their eyes to see the historical thruth and the facts.
We hope that HUN Sen after winning the election will not cede any parcel of lands to Thailand to gain peace, but......
What we khmer aer doing now is to "get". Not the way of "peace" that the whole world is waiting for. We should have wider vision. Yes, we win in the court. But, the court is not win-win. It is not the real peace of humanity. One win-one lose. This way won't solve problem for sure! Problem will effect longer and longer in the next generations of our khmer and thai. Do we care our children's future?
Yes, Malaysia and Singapore has win-win about there island. That make the future bright for all new generations.
Shut up! 12:48 above.
Do NOT pretend to be Khmer.
We have main vihear already.. That's enough! We should stop making things bad.
We khmer have right to speak even it is not the way other people khmer think. We will have election. We should not make things bad.
It's time for Hun Sen to stop talking to U.N representative again.
I am ashamed of my own Thaim people
never stop our greeds- we stole it from the Khmer, the Malay, teh lao, the Burmese, the Vietnamese. We used to be thiefes back in nan Chao not long ago. it is time foour one eye king to tell his people to come clean and repent.
Chaidet
We Khmer people, Cambodian, shoule call or make any meeting anymore because if we do so, it means we give Thai a hope of gaining 4.6 sq km from us.
Please Don't give Thail a dreaming hope like this.
So pity on Thai people for the whole country that they have been dreaming and continue to dream of having 4.6 sq km from Cambodia.
And if their dream come true, we Khmer people should call ourselves stupid pig. And Mr. Hun Sen and his carbinets should add a new name name as Hun Sen La-ngong, Tea Banh Arch......
So again Khmer Govt don't give any hope to Thai, because ordinary people from both side are suffering
mentally and psychologically. Ant it can create a great hatred for both people.
To 12:48 PM
You are not a Khmer, if khmer had one more person like you, then Angkor Wat would already give to Siame!! Don't try to be smart, but showing that you have sth wrong in your brain.
Khmer-Heart-Soul!
the UN security council should have been called to an emergency meeting last week as soon as thailand entered in cambodian territory.
ASEAN should have been called to mediate
now we see how weak the cambodian army is
Money go into the pockets of corrupt government
generals and soldiers ing in karaoke bars and steal land from people
Hun sen makes mistakes after mistakes.
In any other country thailand would never dare invade
Now Hun Sen, do your job, protect cambodia and kick the thais out.
Or else we will kick you out.
Hun Sen, you are doing good job with Thai that you are seeking help from UN and the world. Make sure you are not cheating us!!!
Hun Sen, I support your strategy that we will not kill thai unless they fire us first.
You have made the right choice Hun Sen!!
Friend 12:48 pm! I totally agreed with to solce the problem b/w the two countries peacefully with high consideration of next Khmer generation. But Khmer should never and never give the piece of land to exchange for peace as you said. We khmer lost alot of land to agressive neighboring states. Histoty teaches Khmer people already they never stop invading and swallowing. I think all Khmer 14 million people will not be and never agreed with this solution. At this moment our Khmer back against the wall already and we will not take back no any centimeter of land to any body.
There is only international law that can guarrantee the survival of our future generation forever. It is not of cutting a piece of land to exchange for false peace or peace in mouth ot Thai tiger.
The fucken Thaicong think that they are going for a picnic in Cambodia! Ahahhahhahahahha
Yeh...the Thaicong are to a picnic and to pick the wild flowers and to look at the birds and the bees while not aware that there are million and million of landmines beneath their feet! Ahhahahahhahah
The fucken war hasn’t started yet and the fucken Thaicong have suffered casualty from stepping on the landmines! Ahhahahahhahah
We take what is rightly ours, and then we build infrastructure from cambodian side to PV
We will leave the thais out completely in the cold.
to 12:48pm:
You are too ashame to pretend that you are siam?
You just continue your liar custom from your siam ancestor!!!
Ashameless siam people!!!
Go back to Hell you evil (1:53). You are not going to make us cut our own family's throat no more. We want Joint Development, not War.
Have we ever asked ourselves why we only registered the Preah Vihear with the UNESCO?
If we really own the 4.6Sq.km, why didn't we ask UNESCO to register the Preah Vihear and its surrounding areas as the World Heritage?
I think there's something fishy going on under the registration of the Preah Vihear as the World Heritage.
So far, we have heard that Hun Sen had cut some deals with the Thai government but no one seems to know the truth.
I urge Hun Sen to disclose all the information and any deals he had done with the Thai government to the publics.
12:48pm:
If u r siamese, shamefull the aggressiveness of your nation.
Be careful for your trick if any politicised, thought u r Khmer.
2:32 PM
That's a million-dollar question!
It was a surreptitious agreement that was signed involving the Cambodian prime minister and the former and current Thai prime ministers.
Yes, I have to concur with you that the Cambodian prime minister need to unearth the agreement that he signed, because both countries must see in public.
To Mr. 12:48,
Your case is not acceptable for Khmer and all other nations worldwide...
Budha also did not teach any one one to be greed as Thai( as 3 thai entered Cambodia using pretext of Budhism-- as Thai Govt. PAD and Thai King/Quuen..
Sorry Mr 12: 48 your idea is unacceptable forever sorry Mr. Thai Thief /Robber...
If you think as you mentioned above you should not have Claimed for this territory....
Achar Knoy.
2:59, stop ignoring the truth. The Thai, lao, and Khmer have lived on that mountain for centuries, and they have everything there: market, school, farm, clinic, .... . And what do you have?
Hey, Khmer shit! Fuck the UN (UNESCO), ICJ, and your pathetic government.
This is a bilateral high-level talks, and therefore, multilateral parties should not get involved. You signed the agreement, and you understood what entails and stipulates in the agreement.
About time we Thai accept history and stop acting like Chinese gangsters and pirates from Nan Chao. We have done better than that so far.
Waraporn
Tailad he land of the smiling ass
today they are laughuing at us
tomorrow when the UN security council and ICJ condem the thieves
we wll kick them ou so ard they will be rying
About 20 years ago, not too far from Nokoreach (currently occupied by Thailand), a complete stone inscription was discovered (see Photo 1). The inscription dated from the 11th century, under the reign of King Udayaditiyavarman II (Udaya Aditiya = the Rising Sun), and it was inscribed in two languages. The first 30 lines consist of a poem in Sanskrit, and the last 6 lines are in Khmer. Chirapat Prapandvidya, a professor of archeology at the Silpakorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, translated the inscription into English, and the content of the inscription was published in the Journal of the Siam Society, Vol.78, Part 2 (1990).
Those who would like to learn about the details of this inscription should refer to the published article above. My goal here is not to talk about the entire subject described by Prof. Chirapat Prapandvidya, but I just want to point out a short sentence in Sanskrit to show how much Khmer people from that era loved their Nation. Furthermore, it is not just me who was interested in this issue, I also heard the interest of Prof. Kangvol Khatshima (a Khmer language professor at the Silapakorn University) who discussed this issue during a lecture in Bangkok also.
A sentence found on line 29 (see Photo 2) reads: “If I will be rewarded for my meritorious acts, I wish to be reborn in Kampuja [again]”.
Translated by Ang Choulean
I always keep saying, ” I was born as Khmer I shall live as Khmer and I shall die for Khmer.”
Pang Sokheoun
http://sokheounpang.wordpress.com
That's good news.
The UN has to intervene, this is our land.
If the UN don't come Cambodia should file for their assistance.
If they don't care we go to the ICJ.
At the end if nobody care the siam will see how serious we are.
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