Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag (R) shakes hands with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong (L) (Photo: AFP)HUA HIN, Thailand (AFP) — Foreign ministers from Cambodia and Thailand said Tuesday they have agreed to step up efforts to mark the border around a disputed temple that has been the scene of a military standoff.
At the weekend, up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops pulled back from a small patch of disputed land near Cambodia's 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, suggesting that an end to the month-long military stand-off could be near.
Twenty troops from both sides are stationed at a small pagoda in the contentious border area, while 40 Cambodian and Thai solders remain nearby.
After a day of talks between Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong, the two sides said in a statement that a border committee would meet in October to step up efforts to draw the boundary around the temple.
They also said military officials would meet on August 29 to discuss a further pullback of troops.
Cambodia had asked the UN Security Council to consider the standoff that erupted last month, but Hor Namhong said that request would likely be withdrawn.
"I think the removal of this issue from before the UN Security Council will take place as soon as possible," he told reporters, but said he had yet to consult his government on the matter.
"The two countries will solve the problem peacefully, in friendship and under the law," he said after the talks in the Thai beach resort town of Hua Hin.
Once both countries remove all their soldiers from the ruins, he said Cambodia would station only police at the temple and the border crossing.
Relations between the neighbours flared up last month after Preah Vihear was awarded world heritage status by the UN cultural body UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the ancient Khmer temple.
On July 15, Cambodia arrested three Thai protesters for illegally crossing the border to try to reach the temple, sparking the deployment of troops from both sides on the tiny patch of disputed land near Preah Vihear.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia, but surrounding land remains in dispute.
The Cambodian-Thai border has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.
At the weekend, up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops pulled back from a small patch of disputed land near Cambodia's 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, suggesting that an end to the month-long military stand-off could be near.
Twenty troops from both sides are stationed at a small pagoda in the contentious border area, while 40 Cambodian and Thai solders remain nearby.
After a day of talks between Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong, the two sides said in a statement that a border committee would meet in October to step up efforts to draw the boundary around the temple.
They also said military officials would meet on August 29 to discuss a further pullback of troops.
Cambodia had asked the UN Security Council to consider the standoff that erupted last month, but Hor Namhong said that request would likely be withdrawn.
"I think the removal of this issue from before the UN Security Council will take place as soon as possible," he told reporters, but said he had yet to consult his government on the matter.
"The two countries will solve the problem peacefully, in friendship and under the law," he said after the talks in the Thai beach resort town of Hua Hin.
Once both countries remove all their soldiers from the ruins, he said Cambodia would station only police at the temple and the border crossing.
Relations between the neighbours flared up last month after Preah Vihear was awarded world heritage status by the UN cultural body UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the ancient Khmer temple.
On July 15, Cambodia arrested three Thai protesters for illegally crossing the border to try to reach the temple, sparking the deployment of troops from both sides on the tiny patch of disputed land near Preah Vihear.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia, but surrounding land remains in dispute.
The Cambodian-Thai border has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.
9 comments:
I must admit that some Cambodian people are so stupid! This is getting ridiculous a how some stupid Cambodian people resort to reason that it is because of weak Cambodian government for the reason the Thaicong want to invade Cambodia and some even use the middle east conflict as an example of how the United Nations fail to play their role! The most famous reason is that Cambodian is tired of fighting the war even if the Thaicong or the Vietcong come to cut Cambodian people throat and burn down their house! So tell me what else I want to know!
It seems that Cambodia as a country is nobody business or interest and nobody want to help Cambodian people to protect their sovereignty in the face of the Thaicong naked aggression! If Cambodia is nobody interest why even bother sign the Paris Agreement involving the United Nations called UNTAC for! Why does United States have to build their embassy in Cambodia for? Why Cambodia has to join the ASEAN block for? Why...
So here are the logics!
Some stupid Cambodian people claimed that Cambodian government is so weak and the Cambodian government can never protect Cambodian sovereignty from the Thaicong naked aggression but why AH Khieu Kanharith claimed that Cambodia do have enough weapon to protect Cambodian sovereignty! Some stupid Cambodian people claimed that the United Nations can never help Cambodia because the United Nations can’t even help the Middle East conflict and the Middle East conflict is a religious conflict which supported by world super powers and there is no way the UN can help bring an end to the middle east conflict! What about the UN fail to stop US from invading Iraq? Well, the US is the world policeman and if Iraq decide to invade Kuwait and build mass weapon destruction to threaten the world peace and the US has an obligation as the world policeman to invade Iraq to restore the world peace and stability! Now does that mean the Thaicong can behave like the US by going around invading Cambodia? Of course not! The Thaicong isn’t world super power and the Thaicong is just shrimp among whale! Some stupid Cambodian people even claim that Cambodian people are so sickened tired of war and they just want peace but do Cambodian people really have peace over the years? Of course not! Well! Cambodian people had been getting use to the fucken war for long that they forget that they are living in a fucken war zone! To prove my point and just look at the living condition of dirt poor Cambodian people and it is not different from the Khmer Rouge and the Vietcong occupation because Cambodian people continue to live in fear! AH HUN XEN has been using his police thugs as his foot soldiers who are walking around with AK-47 and grenades and they do land grabbing, killing, and intimidating Cambodian people as if they were his enemy and AH HUN XEN even deport his own citizen such as Monk Tim Sakhorn without due process to please the Vietcong government!
The fact is too many stupid Cambodian have too much inferior complex and they see no value in themselves and they continue to play death and waiting for some unknown force to help them! Since the beginning the Khmer empire and if Cambodian people didn’t fight for the survival of Cambodia and Cambodia would have vanished long time ago! The fact that Cambodia continue to exist until today is because Cambodian people chose to fight the Thaicong and the Vietcong relentless aggression! Fear no more and if Cambodian people chose to fight to protect Cambodia and Cambodia will always continue to exist and Cambodian people will always continue to be prosper and multiply!
Cambodia should unilaterally draw new borders into Thai territory and call it "disputed territory" like the Thais did with their new map into Cambodian territory and call it "disputed territory"; Cambodia should not fall in their trap of new border negotiation. The Thais totally ignore the agreed border line of Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907. The Royal Government must seek UN verification of our borders. It is sad that even at Poipet, the Thais manage to encroach 500 meters from the border at O'Chrov bridge. Every Khmer must be ready to fight to defend our land.
Please note that Poipet is a famous Thai-Khmer border checkpoint.
What else do Khmer people have left if our leaders allow Thailand to encroach 500 meters from the internationally recognised border at the O'Chrov bridge near Rong Gluea. Half of the bridge used to belong to Thailand and the other half used to belong to Cambodia. Several blocks beyond the bridge is Angkor Wat entry gate. Since the casino boom, the Cambodian authority allowed the border checkpoint moved in 500 meters into Cambodia. Please check Wikipedia hybrid map. If our leaders left unchecked, there maybe no more Cambodia!
It is so true! Cambodia is a country under occupation!
Siam has restored Sdok Kok Thom Temple(Sdok= (means in Khmer), dense, thick; Kok=Kak, type of Reed used to produce mate etc..); Thom= big , large, great etc..) since 38 yrs(means since 1970s), in that year( 1970), Cambodia started civil war and internal termoil so that we left it un touched due to security reason(civil war)...Not abandoned...
by law if understand "The restoration/taking care of someone's property is not meant the restorer is the owner..."
Achar Knoy(=Phd. Bandit/excellency from Prahok Chamroeurn Avichea University PPenh)
Yeah, I agreed we should fight Thai invader now to protect our territory.
I suggest the government now must choose a place to build a camp for our compatriots living oversea to join this war. Our oversea compatriots are so hungry for fight with Siamese invader.
Hurry up Mr. Hun Sen, we Khmer oversea are ready for war and waiting for your command...
CHEY YO CHAM ROLEAY, KHMERE ROLOT...CHEY YO...!
6:31 PM, you are stupid. We Khmer overseas don't have chance to fight with Siamese coz the stupid Hor Namhong agreed with Siamese to pull back all troops soon... We are unable to go to hell now coz no war seems appeared... Stupid decision to pull back all troops, we should send more and start fighting...
6:39 PM
You need to reevaluate your way of thinking. What do Khmer get out of fighting except to push Thai back? Nothing plus dead soldiers, broken families, and even potential damages to the Preah Vihear itself since it is right there.
Through negotiation, we can push the Thai back without having to sacrifice any Khmer blood. Please use your head and logics more. Please!
No No Sir, I am a strong man but with Foreign agressors Sorry Sorry
Khantey Nhom
Khantey Nhom
Peace Nobel Prize Winner
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