By Ek Madra
PHNOM PENH, July 24 (Reuters) - Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.
"Thailand has continued to increase its military build-up," government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told a news conference in Phnom Penh, labelling Bangkok the aggressor in a spat that has sparked fears of a military clash.
"The situation is not easing," Kanharith said, adding that Cambodia had 800 soldiers along the border compared with around 3,000 Thai troops.
The Thai Foreign Ministry said Bangkok had only 400 men facing as many as 1,700 Cambodian soldiers. Both sides have moved artillery into the area, occupied by remnants of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrilla army in the 1980s and 1990s.
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.
France and Vietnam 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, although it was not clear if it would lead to formal Council involvement.
Thailand said it wanted the issue to be resolved on a bilateral basis, and it played down Phnom Penh's claims of rising tensions ahead of a general election on Sunday in Cambodia, where nationalism is a frequently played political card.
"It is a peaceful military stand-off. It is like a picnic. They chat together and lunch together," Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat told Reuters in Bangkok.
Thailand says it has the support of China, Russia, the United States, Vietnam and Indonesia against the need for Security Council intervention.
Even if it did step 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.
While there have been no major incidents at the temple so far, Thai border villages that are home to some 4,000 people are braced for conflict.
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 and joy in Cambodia and uproar in Thailand.
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 Nopporn Wong-Anan)
(Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Alan Raybould and Alex Richardson)
PHNOM PENH, July 24 (Reuters) - Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.
"Thailand has continued to increase its military build-up," government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told a news conference in Phnom Penh, labelling Bangkok the aggressor in a spat that has sparked fears of a military clash.
"The situation is not easing," Kanharith said, adding that Cambodia had 800 soldiers along the border compared with around 3,000 Thai troops.
The Thai Foreign Ministry said Bangkok had only 400 men facing as many as 1,700 Cambodian soldiers. Both sides have moved artillery into the area, occupied by remnants of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrilla army in the 1980s and 1990s.
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.
France and Vietnam 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, although it was not clear if it would lead to formal Council involvement.
Thailand said it wanted the issue to be resolved on a bilateral basis, and it played down Phnom Penh's claims of rising tensions ahead of a general election on Sunday in Cambodia, where nationalism is a frequently played political card.
"It is a peaceful military stand-off. It is like a picnic. They chat together and lunch together," Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat told Reuters in Bangkok.
Thailand says it has the support of China, Russia, the United States, Vietnam and Indonesia against the need for Security Council intervention.
Even if it did step 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.
While there have been no major incidents at the temple so far, Thai border villages that are home to some 4,000 people are braced for conflict.
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 and joy in Cambodia and uproar in Thailand.
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 Nopporn Wong-Anan)
(Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Alan Raybould and Alex Richardson)
11 comments:
"Thailand says it has the support of China, Russia, the United States, Vietnam and Indonesia against the need for Security Council intervention."
It is only Yhai claiming themself and not from those countries. I never hear vthose countries told reporters about their stand.
Thailand is playing spychological tactics to poison international community with mass media showing no tension b/w the both side " It is a peaceful military stand-off. It is like a picnic. They chat together and lunch together, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat told Reuters in Bangkok." and distribute of Thai army to Khmer army as well. Bcuz Thailand want UNSC misunderstand that degree of the conflict is not high enough to be considered.
In fact, Thailand build up its army with the number and heavy arms along the border. They train thier people how to be safety upon war happen as tongterm preparation.
Blaming to PAD is another tactics used by Thailand to avoid from what they were agreed with Cambodia. Secondly, they use this reason to invade shamelessly Cambodia. They are all together playing a game to invade Cambodia. PM Hun Sen woke up quickly to recognize this game by move unibilaterally to ASEAN and UNSC immedietly. No more chance to cheat Cambodia agian!!!
To 2:14
It's another lie of Thailand.
Hahahahahah What is the crook nation.
Cambodia is dead if China truly goes with Thai. The rest in insignificant in this area.
Could it be Samak and Hun Sen are playing political card to make their own benifit ?
- Samak can stay in power without interruption by PAD
- Hun Sen will gain more support from voters in the 27 July election.
Who is the losers ? Thai and Cambodian peoples.
3:24 PM
You just hit the nail on the head.
I absolutely concur with your comment. However, we have to see what'll happen after the election.
Until then, I hope the territorial dispute does not escalate into a regional war.
Another stupid speculation, PM Hun Sen doesn't need Preah Vihear issue to win the election. Therefore, he need not to play political game, not to mention that PM Hun Sen hated political game himself.
4:47 Hun Sen doesn't want to play political game? Do you remember the riot in 2003? Hun Sen could have stop the Khmer nationalist from burning the thai embassy but Hun Sen didn't. In fact after the embassy and other thai bussiness were destroyed, Hun Sen said himself that he doesn't want to do bussiness with thailand.
Why did he do that? Because he wanted to gain support to win the election at that time. In conclusion, to be honesty, if Hun Sen and Samak is playing a politic game then they are playing a very dangerous political game but for Cambodia to ask ASEAN, the UN, UNESCO for help makes me doubt that Hun Sen is invovled in this so called "political game".
If he dose back down and work with the thais to from a joint venture for the "disputed zone" quickly right after the election, this assuming if he wins the election, this we will now that he is part of this dangerous game. If that's the case this Cambodians, as citizens of Cambodia should impeach Hun Sen and members of his government for putting the live of many Cambodians at risk.
Don't be too much presumptuous and look down at us, you, Thai thieves.
Though your soldiers are very well equipped and cruel,
you are unable for decades to handle the insurgency of the small group of PATRIOT MALAY or to WIN the 1986 war with SMALL LAO which made your country ASHAMED of YOUR PRETENDED GLORIOUS SOLDIERS ( MORE THAI KILLED THAN LAO).
May be you will win some battles, but you will never win the war. And for 1 skinny soldier khmer rouge killed, we swear to have your FAT SOLDIERS 10 and if the war keep on we will make you terribly suffer as the Malays have been doing to you.
REMEMBER THAT!
AH SIAM NEVER OWN THEIR OWN LAND (AH AT POUCH). THEY COME FROM NAN CHAO (CHINA). THEY STOLE THE LAND FROM KHMER, MALAY, LAO AND BIRMAN.
IT'S TIME FOR THE 4 COUNTRIES TO JOIN TOGETHER ,TO RECUPERATE OUR LAND AND EXPELL ALL THE THAI TO CHINA.
BROTHERS, STAND TOGETHER TO FIGHT THE THIEF SIAM!
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