By Raphael Minder in Singapore
Financial Times
International mediators could be forced to step in after Thailand and Cambodia on Monday failed to solve a spat over an ancient Hindu temple that has inflamed nationalist sentiment in both countries and sparked a military stand-off.
The impasse in talks in Thailand between defence officials from the two countries coincided with a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations in Singapore. The 10-nation Asean urged both countries to show “utmost caution and restraint” and offered to help resolve the dispute. Still, in a sign that the regional group is in no hurry to test its abilities as a regional peace broker, Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general, told the Financial Times on Monday night that the two countries “should find their own solution and I think that they are determined to find one”.
The border stand-off comes after a UN decision to list the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site belonging to Cambodia, overriding 11th-hour objections from the Thais, who had initially backed the listing.
Cambodia has accused Thailand of violating its territory by allowing soldiers to cross the border, but Thailand has rejected the accusations, saying its military had been trying to contain Thai protesters threatening to storm the temple.
Last week, Cambodia also approached the UN, accusing Thailand of violating its “sovereignty and territorial integrity.” But Cambodian officials have since insisted they were not seeking UN intervention at this stage.
The Thai government’s handling of the issue has already forced the resignation of its foreign minister and threatened to weaken further the coalition government of Samak Sundaravej.
Mr Samak’s temple headache, on the other hand, has strengthened the likelihood that his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, will win another five-year term from voters this Sunday.
In the run-up to the Cambodian election, the World Heritage decision was celebrated last week at a rally in Phnom Penh’s main stadium, allowing the government to focus voter attention on a national victory at a time of economic worries.
Last week, soldiers reportedly pointed guns at each other across the long-disputed temple grounds, with both prime ministers writing to each other warning against a more serious confrontation. Following an earlier dispute, the International Court of Justice had ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia. Monday’s meeting, however, ended in disagreement over what maps should be used to end the military stand-off.
The impasse in talks in Thailand between defence officials from the two countries coincided with a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations in Singapore. The 10-nation Asean urged both countries to show “utmost caution and restraint” and offered to help resolve the dispute. Still, in a sign that the regional group is in no hurry to test its abilities as a regional peace broker, Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general, told the Financial Times on Monday night that the two countries “should find their own solution and I think that they are determined to find one”.
The border stand-off comes after a UN decision to list the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site belonging to Cambodia, overriding 11th-hour objections from the Thais, who had initially backed the listing.
Cambodia has accused Thailand of violating its territory by allowing soldiers to cross the border, but Thailand has rejected the accusations, saying its military had been trying to contain Thai protesters threatening to storm the temple.
Last week, Cambodia also approached the UN, accusing Thailand of violating its “sovereignty and territorial integrity.” But Cambodian officials have since insisted they were not seeking UN intervention at this stage.
The Thai government’s handling of the issue has already forced the resignation of its foreign minister and threatened to weaken further the coalition government of Samak Sundaravej.
Mr Samak’s temple headache, on the other hand, has strengthened the likelihood that his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, will win another five-year term from voters this Sunday.
In the run-up to the Cambodian election, the World Heritage decision was celebrated last week at a rally in Phnom Penh’s main stadium, allowing the government to focus voter attention on a national victory at a time of economic worries.
Last week, soldiers reportedly pointed guns at each other across the long-disputed temple grounds, with both prime ministers writing to each other warning against a more serious confrontation. Following an earlier dispute, the International Court of Justice had ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia. Monday’s meeting, however, ended in disagreement over what maps should be used to end the military stand-off.
4 comments:
To have the fucken Thaicong army on Cambodian soil is a disgrace and all of them should be fired upon by Cambodian army! The fact that the fucken Thaicong army are on Cambodian soil already and now they even ask for a place at the table to negotiate for something that they don't even have is unspeakable!
These fucken Thaicong are a fucken terrorist and the free world have an obligation and the responsibility to help Cambodia with weapons to kill these Thaicong terrorist motherfuckers!
Why mediate? The Khmers were deliberately stolen our temple in broad daylight. Also, it was imperiously brazen and audacious of the Khmer government to have the ruined temple listed with the UNESCO.
To avert the regional war, the Khmer government must unlist the temple with the UNESCO, or have joint developments -- or -- we'll teach the Khmers a lesson that they will never forget.
Don't ever think of waging war with us. Look at your pathetic Khmer soldiers who are barely have nothing on, and not to mention of using dilapidated weapons, to go against us.
Again, take our offer, or face the destruction of your nation. Once your nation destructed, you'll become our slaves.
Oh! Tell your prime minister that we already had agreed on a specific stipulation when he signed the agreement, and we think he should honor it. In fact, we deal you to take the issue to the UN.
Mis. of Inter.
I hope we khmer care about our people in the country. War doesn't make us live well, but it kill us and make us suffer. Both country try to built better relationship for long time. Why don't we start the peace? As I know, we send troops there first and more than troops in neighbour country. What did we do? It's not for our people's life! It's just for leading-to-death people and soldiers and for the grave! It doesn't solve both country's feeling! I'm so sad to see our cambodian being like this!
How about our children ? How about our people in our city? Anyone care?
Just accept fact, 3:16. The Khmer in Cambodia is a self-extinct race. They always have to spill blood to avoid being strikes by lightning. That is why they don't want to settle on any dispute. The worse part of all is the demand to used map that was made by the French when the French was in control of the region as though SEA is Europe or something. If that is not retarded, I don't know what is.
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