Ren Jianmin
People's Daily (China)
There has been a military standoff between Thailand and Cambodia over a territorial dispute near Preah Vihear Temple along their border, and no substantial progress has so far been made on this thorny issue.
Preah Vihear Temple, situated on the Thai-Cambodian border, was first built in the 11th century, and Thailand and Cambodia have long been engaged in an acute dispute over their jurisdiction of it. When Cambodia was a colony of France, French colonial authorities and Thailand (then called Siam) joined efforts to demarcate the Cambodian-Siamese border and substantiated the Cambodian claim to sovereignty over the temple. In 1954, however, Thai troops staged a forceful occupation of the temple following the withdrawal of French troops from Cambodia.
Historical facts have shown that reliance on outside pressures alone can not settle disputes after all. Cambodia protested and in 1959 asked the International court of Justice (ICJ) to rule on where the ancient temple lay. The ICJ awarded the temple site to Cambodia in 1962, but Thailand disagreed and anger flared up in the country. So the ruling passed by the ICJ did not settle the dispute between the two countries.
History has also eloquently proven that the use of force cannot resolve problems either. Cambodia and Thailand have been engaged in two armed conflicts respectively in 1966 and 2001, but the border dispute remains till today as a matter of course.
Both Cambodia and Thailand are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (or ASEAN) and Cambodia has an 800-km (land) border with Thailand to the west. In spite of some disputes they had been involved in historically, the bilateral ties of friendship and cooperation are the mainstream of their relationships in recent years. As partners of the Great Mekong River Sub-regional Economic Cooperation, they have been conducting a great deal of cooperation in trade, banking and in battling against drugs and smuggling.
Cambodia is a vital and important investment destination of Thailand, which is also a leading aid provider for Cambodia. The two Asian countries have signed a tourism cooperation accord with regard to "the two kingdoms with one destination", under which a tourist can travel to both counties with only a visa granted by one of them.
Against a global backdrop of peace and development as the main theme in the contemporary world, good neighborliness and friendship are particularly crucial and important. Colonialists in history sometimes laid hidden and left behind purposely a few potential dangers for disputes, apart from going all out to plunder an ocean of wealth and resources from their colonies, noted some historians. A host of disputes in the present global community are still loomed in historical shadows of this sort.
"Taking a step back, a vast, boundless world appear right before you," as a very popular Chinese saying goes. At present, high authorities of both countries have come to realize that military force cannot settle the problem and the two sides plan to pull back their troops after bilateral talks and have agreed to resolve issues through discussion and consultation.
Meanwhile, the international community has provided a sound outer environment for the peaceful settlement of the dispute. The escalation of this dispute is attributed directly to the listing of Preah Vihear Temple into the world heritage. Cambodia applied to the World Heritage Committee for Preah Vihear Temple to be listed as a World Heritage site in 2007, but met with opposition from Thailand.
At the heart of the dispute is a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq miles) area around the ancient temple, which the Thai government claimed as a disputed zone ineligible for Cambodia to apply for unilaterally. So Thailand suggested a joint application for the world heritage status, but this was too rejected and turned down by the Cambodian government. On July 18 this year, Preah Vihear Temple was officially listed as s World Heritage site. This was immediately followed by the arrest by Cambodian soldiers of three Thais, including a monk, who crossed a border checkpoint and trespassed the temple to claim and make known sovereignty over it. Then, a presence of military power was beefed up along the border and conflicts escalated gradually afterward.
If the related international organizations had mulled opinions of various sides in strict compliance with the mission of spurring the world peace, the intensification of conflicts could have possibly been avoided. In this regard, the ASSEAN is, however, very reasonable and sober-minded. It advocated and strove for prompting Thailand and Cambodia to resolve the problem on their own via a bilateral negotiation mechanism, without meddling directly into their bilateral affairs.
"Amity does both good" while "clashes jeopardize both". As a matter of course, the two close Asian neighbors should have taken the advantage of the opportunity to develop tourist resources with the listing of Preah Vihear Temple into the World Heritage. Instead, they amassed their forces along the common border and declared the infinite closure of the scenic site. The outcome is simply"self-defeating" and has nothing to do with the original intention of the application. Preah Vihear Temple is in anyway a rare "pearl" to bridge the two Buddhist nations and, if both sides can affect a reconciliation and concert efforts in the disputed area, they will be likely to turn the temple from a "forbidden military place" into a real "gold mine," from which wealth could keep rolling into both countries.
Preah Vihear Temple, situated on the Thai-Cambodian border, was first built in the 11th century, and Thailand and Cambodia have long been engaged in an acute dispute over their jurisdiction of it. When Cambodia was a colony of France, French colonial authorities and Thailand (then called Siam) joined efforts to demarcate the Cambodian-Siamese border and substantiated the Cambodian claim to sovereignty over the temple. In 1954, however, Thai troops staged a forceful occupation of the temple following the withdrawal of French troops from Cambodia.
Historical facts have shown that reliance on outside pressures alone can not settle disputes after all. Cambodia protested and in 1959 asked the International court of Justice (ICJ) to rule on where the ancient temple lay. The ICJ awarded the temple site to Cambodia in 1962, but Thailand disagreed and anger flared up in the country. So the ruling passed by the ICJ did not settle the dispute between the two countries.
History has also eloquently proven that the use of force cannot resolve problems either. Cambodia and Thailand have been engaged in two armed conflicts respectively in 1966 and 2001, but the border dispute remains till today as a matter of course.
Both Cambodia and Thailand are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (or ASEAN) and Cambodia has an 800-km (land) border with Thailand to the west. In spite of some disputes they had been involved in historically, the bilateral ties of friendship and cooperation are the mainstream of their relationships in recent years. As partners of the Great Mekong River Sub-regional Economic Cooperation, they have been conducting a great deal of cooperation in trade, banking and in battling against drugs and smuggling.
Cambodia is a vital and important investment destination of Thailand, which is also a leading aid provider for Cambodia. The two Asian countries have signed a tourism cooperation accord with regard to "the two kingdoms with one destination", under which a tourist can travel to both counties with only a visa granted by one of them.
Against a global backdrop of peace and development as the main theme in the contemporary world, good neighborliness and friendship are particularly crucial and important. Colonialists in history sometimes laid hidden and left behind purposely a few potential dangers for disputes, apart from going all out to plunder an ocean of wealth and resources from their colonies, noted some historians. A host of disputes in the present global community are still loomed in historical shadows of this sort.
"Taking a step back, a vast, boundless world appear right before you," as a very popular Chinese saying goes. At present, high authorities of both countries have come to realize that military force cannot settle the problem and the two sides plan to pull back their troops after bilateral talks and have agreed to resolve issues through discussion and consultation.
Meanwhile, the international community has provided a sound outer environment for the peaceful settlement of the dispute. The escalation of this dispute is attributed directly to the listing of Preah Vihear Temple into the world heritage. Cambodia applied to the World Heritage Committee for Preah Vihear Temple to be listed as a World Heritage site in 2007, but met with opposition from Thailand.
At the heart of the dispute is a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq miles) area around the ancient temple, which the Thai government claimed as a disputed zone ineligible for Cambodia to apply for unilaterally. So Thailand suggested a joint application for the world heritage status, but this was too rejected and turned down by the Cambodian government. On July 18 this year, Preah Vihear Temple was officially listed as s World Heritage site. This was immediately followed by the arrest by Cambodian soldiers of three Thais, including a monk, who crossed a border checkpoint and trespassed the temple to claim and make known sovereignty over it. Then, a presence of military power was beefed up along the border and conflicts escalated gradually afterward.
If the related international organizations had mulled opinions of various sides in strict compliance with the mission of spurring the world peace, the intensification of conflicts could have possibly been avoided. In this regard, the ASSEAN is, however, very reasonable and sober-minded. It advocated and strove for prompting Thailand and Cambodia to resolve the problem on their own via a bilateral negotiation mechanism, without meddling directly into their bilateral affairs.
"Amity does both good" while "clashes jeopardize both". As a matter of course, the two close Asian neighbors should have taken the advantage of the opportunity to develop tourist resources with the listing of Preah Vihear Temple into the World Heritage. Instead, they amassed their forces along the common border and declared the infinite closure of the scenic site. The outcome is simply"self-defeating" and has nothing to do with the original intention of the application. Preah Vihear Temple is in anyway a rare "pearl" to bridge the two Buddhist nations and, if both sides can affect a reconciliation and concert efforts in the disputed area, they will be likely to turn the temple from a "forbidden military place" into a real "gold mine," from which wealth could keep rolling into both countries.
2 comments:
My first impression is that I haven't seen any foreign newspaper seems to be aknowledged that Preah Vihear was built by Khmer when Cambodia was an Empire in Asia and the Khmer territory was covering the whole of today's Thailand. Khmers kept on losing ground due to greedy Thai invasion and finally the Temple became a border issue. And that now Thai wants more??? What happen if countries in in this world behave like Thai now??? Do we all have peace??? Thai alway try to make Cambodia the victim country looks like an agressor???
It's a responsibility for all Khmer People, in Cambodia and in Thailand to inform the world of the reality.
Even Hun Sen is a dead dog. We Khmer are quite alive and this will be the downfall of ah siem.
Don't get excited because the Jap and the Yankee is behind you siemland.
Because reality is not what you think.
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