PHNOM PENH, July 24 (Reuters) - Cambodia and Thailand will hold more talks on Monday aimed at resolving a smouldering border dispute over a 900-year-old temple, officials said on Thursday after their two leaders spoke on the phone.
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told reporters in Bangkok that his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, had agreed to withdraw a complaint to U.N. Security Council, but Cambodian officials denied this.
Hun Sen only agreed to delay its request for an emergency U.N. meeting on the spat that has sparked fears of a military clash, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said.
"We have decided to postpone our complaint to the United Nations Security Council, but that does not mean we withdraw it," he told Reuters.
"We want to see how far Thailand goes with this process," he said after this week's talks in Thailand ended in failure.
In New York, Cambodia's U.N. Ambassador Sea Kosal sent a letter to Vietnamese Ambassador Le Luong Minh, the president of the U.N. Security Council this month, asking him to postpone a planned emergency council meeting on the dispute "pending the result of the meeting of the two foreign ministers."
The emergency council session was originally expected to take place next week.
The Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers will hold Monday's negotiations in the Cambodian tourist town of Siem Reap, home of the famed Angkor Wat temples.
At the heart of the dispute is a 1.8 square mile (4.6 square km) stretch of scrubland around the Preah Vihear temple on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary between the southeast Asian countries.
The temple itself is claimed by both countries but was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, a ruling that has rankled in Thailand ever since.
OPPOSITION TO U.N. INVOLVEMENT
France and Vietnam had said on Wednesday the United Nations Security Council would hold a special meeting in response to a Cambodian request for it to take up the issue. But France said council members wanted ASEAN to mediate if possible, and for the two sides to continue bilateral negotiations.
Thailand said it had the support of China, Russia, the United States, Vietnam and Indonesia against the need for Security Council intervention.
Even if it avoids stepping into the imbroglio, it is not clear what the U.N. could do other than issue a statement telling Bangkok and Phnom Penh to sort out the kerfuffle.
The chairman of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Thursday there was no need to involve the U.N. in what should be a bilateral matter.
"It should not have to go to the U.N. Security Council," George Yeo, who is also Singapore's foreign minister, told reporters at an ASEAN meeting on Thursday.
"We should not let a small issue -- that was a non-issue in the past -- become a big issue."
Politics has played a key role in fuelling the fracas on both sides of the border.
Nationalism frequently rears its head in Cambodia, especially around election time, and there is a general election in the country on Sunday.
But analysts say domestic Thai politics are mainly to blame for the eruption of the dispute, which stems from Cambodia's successful bid to have the ruins listed as a World Heritage site, a source of pride for Cambodia but an outrage for many Thais.
Bangkok's initial support for the heritage listing was seized on by anti-government groups who whipped up a nationalist fervour in their attempt to unseat the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. His foreign minister resigned over the issue.
(Additional reporting by Sukree Sukplang fromKhao Pra Viharn Preah Vihear temple, Nopporn Wong-Anan in Bangkok and Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations; Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Alan Raybould and Alex Richardson)
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told reporters in Bangkok that his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, had agreed to withdraw a complaint to U.N. Security Council, but Cambodian officials denied this.
Hun Sen only agreed to delay its request for an emergency U.N. meeting on the spat that has sparked fears of a military clash, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said.
"We have decided to postpone our complaint to the United Nations Security Council, but that does not mean we withdraw it," he told Reuters.
"We want to see how far Thailand goes with this process," he said after this week's talks in Thailand ended in failure.
In New York, Cambodia's U.N. Ambassador Sea Kosal sent a letter to Vietnamese Ambassador Le Luong Minh, the president of the U.N. Security Council this month, asking him to postpone a planned emergency council meeting on the dispute "pending the result of the meeting of the two foreign ministers."
The emergency council session was originally expected to take place next week.
The Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers will hold Monday's negotiations in the Cambodian tourist town of Siem Reap, home of the famed Angkor Wat temples.
At the heart of the dispute is a 1.8 square mile (4.6 square km) stretch of scrubland around the Preah Vihear temple on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary between the southeast Asian countries.
The temple itself is claimed by both countries but was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, a ruling that has rankled in Thailand ever since.
OPPOSITION TO U.N. INVOLVEMENT
France and Vietnam had said on Wednesday the United Nations Security Council would hold a special meeting in response to a Cambodian request for it to take up the issue. But France said council members wanted ASEAN to mediate if possible, and for the two sides to continue bilateral negotiations.
Thailand said it had the support of China, Russia, the United States, Vietnam and Indonesia against the need for Security Council intervention.
Even if it avoids stepping into the imbroglio, it is not clear what the U.N. could do other than issue a statement telling Bangkok and Phnom Penh to sort out the kerfuffle.
The chairman of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Thursday there was no need to involve the U.N. in what should be a bilateral matter.
"It should not have to go to the U.N. Security Council," George Yeo, who is also Singapore's foreign minister, told reporters at an ASEAN meeting on Thursday.
"We should not let a small issue -- that was a non-issue in the past -- become a big issue."
Politics has played a key role in fuelling the fracas on both sides of the border.
Nationalism frequently rears its head in Cambodia, especially around election time, and there is a general election in the country on Sunday.
But analysts say domestic Thai politics are mainly to blame for the eruption of the dispute, which stems from Cambodia's successful bid to have the ruins listed as a World Heritage site, a source of pride for Cambodia but an outrage for many Thais.
Bangkok's initial support for the heritage listing was seized on by anti-government groups who whipped up a nationalist fervour in their attempt to unseat the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. His foreign minister resigned over the issue.
(Additional reporting by Sukree Sukplang from
11 comments:
cambodia must demand that thailand abide by the international rules, not thailand's own rules or whatever if they want to discuss bilateral development or whatever with cambodia, and respect the icj verdict already! and stop mixing everything up as if to play a funny game or something, this is serious stuff, not funny, thailand. your gov't need to tell your people to respect the international law, whether they agree with the law or not, it is irrelevant because cambodia doesn't see the way thailand sees it. so, if thailand want to resolve this, then thailand must respect the icj verdict and learn to live with the mistake your previous gov't made by ratifying the treaty of 1907 already. that is the law, you cannot decide on your own free will a century later that the treaty was injustice or whatever. don't you know the meaning of the statue of limitation? by law, the court cannot have to have the statue of limitation in place. this way, every nation can only appeal with good, new evidence within a specified period of time for appeal as the court cannot allow you to keep appeal forever like you wanted at your own free will... so, by thailand respecting the international law, whether agree with it or not, it's still is the law, there will be no disagreement from cambodia, the way i see it.
We can talk all we want about border dispute. Don't worry, SRP and HRP or other political parties will win jointly and change country around and go with international law.
Only idiot will think that law will protect them forever. Law is evolving as we speak, if you are not with the truth, it will come back to bite you. Do you feel that lucky, punk?
Why are you listening to that lying thief SAMAK.
We had france backing us at the un. e had the momentum for us. The thais were starting to panic.
You one eyed SOB Hun Sen. USELESS.
STUPID THAIS.
After Sunday July 27th, 2008. The old govt will no longer exist. Period! Let the new political parties unit and run the country.
2:31AM, one on the top the foolish Thai Siame!
The morden law loving people are idiot to you babarian?
Laws may not protect us from criminal like you but what we good people like to live by and not hide in the darke like you!
You want to go back to stone age are up to you Boy Siamese!!!!!!!
Let belive in law so the world can get some peace for once! NEW WORLD ORDER BOY THAI NO ONLY HISTORY THAT YOU HAVE TO LEURN BUT CORRENT LAW AND SOCIAL HARMONY!!!!
Sorry you University are faked!!!
What does Thai Gov use to win Cambodian land: bilateral talk
What does Cambodian Gov use to protect Cambodian land: UN
One, two, three, go: Thai win!!!
Stupid Cambodian Government.
remember the treaty of 1907 was ratified into law by both parties. and just because it was a century old or whatever doesn't give thailand the right to ignore it. the only way to ignore it is for all boundary lines that were made during that time to being redrawn, of course, not unilaterally like thailand was doing. thinking they are the superpower or something! i thought they were the one to complain about how france were stronger and how siam was weak or whatever; and now look at how they are doing to cambodia. so much of their logic. that's why cambodia will never agree with what thailand is telling cambodia.
obviously, thailand is not the one to tell cambodia what is or isn't to do with our sovereignty. so, stop dreaming already!!!!
this is why the treaty of 1907 is so importanct as we talk now; and this is the base that cambodia will go by. and whether siam think it is injustice or whatever because france did it or whatever, it is irrelevant in the court of law. i dare thailand to go tell that to the UN council and i'm sure the UN council will tell thailand to respect the international law, regardless!!!! get use to it, i'm telling you. learn from the fact the the icj made the decision, and now unesco did the same thing, and guess what the UN council will do. you got it right, thailand!!!! god bless cambodia.
yes, in this case, the international law protect preah vihear temple and the icj verdict protect the treaty of 1907. you bet, law is important in this case, specifically... can ignore this, thailand because if you people chose to ignore this, you will lose forever!!!! we don't care about your emotional drugged heads; we only look at the law to protect cambodia and our khmer people's rights. that's all!!!! your disgreement with the treaty of 1907 is illegal, to say the least!!! and your present situation won't help that either!!! get use to it!!! you lost!!!! no part of the temple and surrounding treaty map of 1907 is yours, never will be!!!!
Stupid Issan dude again. Well, at least you did your homework about the Issan region, which is in the north eastern of Thailand. Issan Province does not exist. Only Preah Vihear Province does. We Khmers don't want the dispute gets out hand either. So, the Thais solders should withdraw back the status quo before July 15. Of course, you guys will gain profits too from the listing of the temple. The secrete deal the Thailand and Cambodia did was to let Cambodia own the temple and the rich Thais can build hotels and Casinos to make money from tourists and gamblers. This is called joint development. You understand? You people living the region can come and visit as well. Don't worry, you have to pay the fee to get in.
From Khmer Issan living in Preah Vihear Province.
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