Reuters
ARANYAPRATHET, Thailand - Talks between Thailand and Cambodia failed on Monday to end a week-long military stand-off over an ancient temple on their border, which regional neighbours feared could turn violent.
Hundreds of troops at the temple will hold their positions, negotiators said after eight hours of talks on an issue that has whipped up nationalist fervour in both southeast Asian nations.
"The best option is to stay where they are, but avoid using weapons," Thai Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niumpradit told reporters.
Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said "it is impossible to find a solution at this second", but negotiations would continue at a later unspecified date.
The meeting took place in the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet, 380 km (235 miles) from the 11th century temple awarded to Cambodia by an international court in 1962.
At the heart of the dispute is a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) area around the temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary, that is claimed by both nations.
Monday's talks partly bogged down over which maps should be used to settle ownership of the temple and surrounding area, officials said.
Cambodia complained to the United Nations Security Council on Friday about Thailand's violation of Cambodia's "sovereignty and territorial integrity", but did not ask the U.N. to intervene.
In a sign of easing tensions, soldiers at the site had agreed on Monday to keep weapons out of the temple itself, Cambodian commander Chea Mon said.
"We do not want any armed troops to disturb Buddhist monks who are praying there," he told Reuters.
NEIGHBOURS WORRIED
The stand-off has revived memories of a 2003 spat over Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temple complex, which saw a mob set fire to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, and worried neighbours.
The 10-country Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) urged members Thailand and Cambodia to show "utmost caution and restraint" and offered to help resolve the impasse.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, opening the annual ASEAN meeting in the city state, said the "situation has escalated dangerously" and the group "could not stand idly by without damaging its credibility".
Cambodian politicians, themselves no strangers to nationalism, have denounced the "Thai invaders" in the run-up to next Sunday's general election.
But domestic politics in Thailand, where the temple is known as Khao Pra Viharn, have played a bigger role in fuelling the border fracas, analysts said.
Preah Vihear's listing as a World Heritage site this month triggered a political uproar in Bangkok, where the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) accused the government of selling out Thailand's history by initially backing the listing.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government argued its support was only for the temple, and would not affect Bangkok's claims to the disputed land around Preah Vihear.
Neverthless, the PAD, a coalition of activists and royalists, has used the listing as a weapon in its campaign against Samak, whom they accuse of acting as a proxy for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a coup in 2006.
"The PAD will use any tool, any instrument to bring down the Samak government. Khao Pra Viharn is a casualty of Thailand's domestic political crisis," Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a foreign affairs lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, told Reuters.
Hundreds of troops at the temple will hold their positions, negotiators said after eight hours of talks on an issue that has whipped up nationalist fervour in both southeast Asian nations.
"The best option is to stay where they are, but avoid using weapons," Thai Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niumpradit told reporters.
Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said "it is impossible to find a solution at this second", but negotiations would continue at a later unspecified date.
The meeting took place in the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet, 380 km (235 miles) from the 11th century temple awarded to Cambodia by an international court in 1962.
At the heart of the dispute is a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) area around the temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary, that is claimed by both nations.
Monday's talks partly bogged down over which maps should be used to settle ownership of the temple and surrounding area, officials said.
Cambodia complained to the United Nations Security Council on Friday about Thailand's violation of Cambodia's "sovereignty and territorial integrity", but did not ask the U.N. to intervene.
In a sign of easing tensions, soldiers at the site had agreed on Monday to keep weapons out of the temple itself, Cambodian commander Chea Mon said.
"We do not want any armed troops to disturb Buddhist monks who are praying there," he told Reuters.
NEIGHBOURS WORRIED
The stand-off has revived memories of a 2003 spat over Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temple complex, which saw a mob set fire to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, and worried neighbours.
The 10-country Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) urged members Thailand and Cambodia to show "utmost caution and restraint" and offered to help resolve the impasse.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, opening the annual ASEAN meeting in the city state, said the "situation has escalated dangerously" and the group "could not stand idly by without damaging its credibility".
Cambodian politicians, themselves no strangers to nationalism, have denounced the "Thai invaders" in the run-up to next Sunday's general election.
But domestic politics in Thailand, where the temple is known as Khao Pra Viharn, have played a bigger role in fuelling the border fracas, analysts said.
Preah Vihear's listing as a World Heritage site this month triggered a political uproar in Bangkok, where the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) accused the government of selling out Thailand's history by initially backing the listing.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government argued its support was only for the temple, and would not affect Bangkok's claims to the disputed land around Preah Vihear.
Neverthless, the PAD, a coalition of activists and royalists, has used the listing as a weapon in its campaign against Samak, whom they accuse of acting as a proxy for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a coup in 2006.
"The PAD will use any tool, any instrument to bring down the Samak government. Khao Pra Viharn is a casualty of Thailand's domestic political crisis," Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a foreign affairs lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, told Reuters.
11 comments:
See, Tea Bahn went to Bahn Tea.
There will never be any justice for cambodia and khmer until the vietcong, thai, CPP, have no involement in the cambodian way of living.
khmer people are tried of the vietcong, the thai, and the CPP.
10:02pm
sorry, i'm trying to understand what you are saying.
From a result of the meeting it reflected clearly that Thailand is always greedy for Cambodian soil.
It's more enough for Cambodian Government to trust Thailand. PAD, Samak and Thai army all are the same they are playing the ambitous game with Cambodia. Don't wast the time, Cambodia should go to regional and internatioal institution, Asian, UN and ICJ although Thailand do not want them. Why it do not want...?
Bilateral talk will not produce any things for Cambodia and in return Cambodia will lost every thing to Thailand.
No wast the time start immedietly to ASEAN, UN, ICJ otherwise we will be too late. Do not and never trust Thai, they all are the same.
10:12, I think 10:02 try to say that we need a new government. No worry, I will go to vote to make the change.
10:35PM
Do you think Thais trust Scambodians?
The result of the meeting was predictable, for the goal of Thai government was not to solve the issue but to try to gain something from Cambodia and find a way to make their invasion legal to the UN.
That is why Cambodia must put a stop to their scheme.
Because they well know that their behavior is so illegal. This a blatant violation of International Law.
Cambodia should call for the assistance of the UN immediately.
10:10 PM
Fuck the UN.
Fuck the Cambodian government.
Fuck the Thai government.
This is a surreptitious or secret plan between the Cambodian prime minister and his friends current and former Thai prime ministers in which will benefit them greatly, which is why these traitors have deliberately delayed the negotiation. Therefore, the Thai and Cambodian people should demand both countries leaders (and Thai former prime minister) to unearth the secret plan in which they signed and gave the Cambodia a green light to inscript in with the UNESCO.
I believe both of the countries have been betrayed by their leaders.
Cambodia should not excepting bilateral talk with Thailand.
Cambodia should bring this issue to International Court and United Nations.
If Thailand still not respect the International law the United Nations will
kick them out from joining.
Another thing Cambodia government should not create any new map.
Use old map to against any borderline issue.
In this conflict,if Thai did not withdraw then Thai is winning.And if khmer did not push the Thai out then the looser is khmer.
And why should Thai withdrawed and give Issan Province to Cambodia?
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