Global Comment
Two soldiers are dead and six are injured for 4.6 square kilometres of land. Whose land? Well that is the question. Thailand claims it. Cambodia claims it. Neither side is happy with the other’s claim.
Historically, both have owned it. Naturally both claim ownership today. It has been a point of contention for quite a few decades. With the Khmer Rouge and the resultant landmines, the whole area was inaccessible until the early 90s so the argument was moot.
On Monday, Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, ordered the Thais to withdraw or risk a bloodbath. The Thais refused to withdraw. Then the shooting began. Rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns were fired. Two soldiers were killed.
Nobody is sure who fired first. Both sides claimed that it was the other. Thai Foreign Minister, Sompong Amornvivat, has urged Thai nationals to leave Cambodia, no doubt remembering the violence of the anti-Thai riots in 2003.
In fact, the current fighting might easily have been avoided but with civil unrest in Thailand and the recent election in Cambodia, the dispute has taken on a life of its own.
A bit of history:
In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the 9th century Hindu temple of Preah Vihear to Cambodia. The ICJ did not rule on the 4.6 square kilometres of land surrounding the temple. It is claimed by Thailand.
The ownership became an issue again in July 2008 when UNESCO designated Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site in Cambodia. Thailand took issue with this decision. An outsider might well be curious as to why the decision of an international cultural organisation has had such serious consequences, and certainly without in other political circumstances, a minor protest might have been lodged.
As luck would have it, the dispute arose in the run up to the general election, which fanned the ultra-nationalist factions in Cambodia. The Prime Minister, Hun Sen likes to be known as the strong man of Asia.
Indeed even expats lower their voices when they refer to him while out for a drink. His power is absolute. His word is law. He has been in power since the Vietnamese threw out the Khmer Rouge. He was a Khmer Rouge soldier but that is not mentioned nowadays.
Nobody really had any doubts but that Cambodia’s ruling party, the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), would win. The usual ‘rice for votes’, intimidation, fear and ghost voters made any outcome but a victory impossible. The PM even stated that there would be civil war if he were not re-elected. Nothing like a little intimidation to encourage people to vote the ‘right’ way.
The Thai-Cambodian Preah Vihear dispute was a boon because it allowed Hun Sen to bellow anti-Thai rhetoric and pander to the nationalist factions. Not to be outdone, Thai nationalists went on hunger strike.
Cambodians don’t like the Thais anyway (or the Vietnamese for that matter). It is a centuries long hatred that bubbles under the surface. One of the major cities is even named ‘Thailand Defeated’. You may know it as Siem Reap, the home of Angkor Wat. Cambodians are very sensitive regarding the size of their territory. In regard to the history of the great Khmer Empire, Reuters reminds us that:
It is serious business. Cambodian troops have been staring at Thai troops since July and both sides are trigger-happy. The situation on the ground has waxed and waned with the deployment of more and less troops over the past few months.
Cambodians called for a boycott of Thai goods, which had commercial impact. The baiting and posturing has been going on since.
On Monday, The Nation reported that
Thai soldiers received orders to retaliate immediately if fired upon. Fighter planes were put on standby. No doubt this sabre-rattling contributed to Wednesday’s shootings.
The situation stands thus: Thailand is reinforcing its defences with additional troops are artillery. Cambodian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hor Namhong, said ten Thai soldiers had surrendered.
Both sides are aggrieved but neither wants bear responsibility for war.
Historically, both have owned it. Naturally both claim ownership today. It has been a point of contention for quite a few decades. With the Khmer Rouge and the resultant landmines, the whole area was inaccessible until the early 90s so the argument was moot.
On Monday, Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, ordered the Thais to withdraw or risk a bloodbath. The Thais refused to withdraw. Then the shooting began. Rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns were fired. Two soldiers were killed.
Nobody is sure who fired first. Both sides claimed that it was the other. Thai Foreign Minister, Sompong Amornvivat, has urged Thai nationals to leave Cambodia, no doubt remembering the violence of the anti-Thai riots in 2003.
In fact, the current fighting might easily have been avoided but with civil unrest in Thailand and the recent election in Cambodia, the dispute has taken on a life of its own.
A bit of history:
In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the 9th century Hindu temple of Preah Vihear to Cambodia. The ICJ did not rule on the 4.6 square kilometres of land surrounding the temple. It is claimed by Thailand.
The ownership became an issue again in July 2008 when UNESCO designated Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site in Cambodia. Thailand took issue with this decision. An outsider might well be curious as to why the decision of an international cultural organisation has had such serious consequences, and certainly without in other political circumstances, a minor protest might have been lodged.
As luck would have it, the dispute arose in the run up to the general election, which fanned the ultra-nationalist factions in Cambodia. The Prime Minister, Hun Sen likes to be known as the strong man of Asia.
Indeed even expats lower their voices when they refer to him while out for a drink. His power is absolute. His word is law. He has been in power since the Vietnamese threw out the Khmer Rouge. He was a Khmer Rouge soldier but that is not mentioned nowadays.
Nobody really had any doubts but that Cambodia’s ruling party, the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), would win. The usual ‘rice for votes’, intimidation, fear and ghost voters made any outcome but a victory impossible. The PM even stated that there would be civil war if he were not re-elected. Nothing like a little intimidation to encourage people to vote the ‘right’ way.
The Thai-Cambodian Preah Vihear dispute was a boon because it allowed Hun Sen to bellow anti-Thai rhetoric and pander to the nationalist factions. Not to be outdone, Thai nationalists went on hunger strike.
Cambodians don’t like the Thais anyway (or the Vietnamese for that matter). It is a centuries long hatred that bubbles under the surface. One of the major cities is even named ‘Thailand Defeated’. You may know it as Siem Reap, the home of Angkor Wat. Cambodians are very sensitive regarding the size of their territory. In regard to the history of the great Khmer Empire, Reuters reminds us that:
“Drummed into every school-child’s head, its area - 181,035 sq km - is as etched into the collective memory as deep as “9-11″ in the United States.”In fact, commenters on Khmer blogs praised the Thai hunger strikers and urged them to continue. They stated, anonymously of course, that they would like to see the Thais dead.
It is serious business. Cambodian troops have been staring at Thai troops since July and both sides are trigger-happy. The situation on the ground has waxed and waned with the deployment of more and less troops over the past few months.
Cambodians called for a boycott of Thai goods, which had commercial impact. The baiting and posturing has been going on since.
On Monday, The Nation reported that
“Cambodian PM Hun Sen wasted no time in making his point. An ultimatum was issued even before Sompong [Thai Minister for Foreign Affairs] touched down on Thai soil: Hun Sen gave Thailand until midday yesterday to withdraw troops from areas of overlapping territorial claim or he would use military force to resolve the matter.”As you can see, Hun Sen is not famous for his diplomatic skills.
Thai soldiers received orders to retaliate immediately if fired upon. Fighter planes were put on standby. No doubt this sabre-rattling contributed to Wednesday’s shootings.
The situation stands thus: Thailand is reinforcing its defences with additional troops are artillery. Cambodian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hor Namhong, said ten Thai soldiers had surrendered.
Both sides are aggrieved but neither wants bear responsibility for war.
6 comments:
" Cambodians don’t like the Thais anyway (or the Vietnamese for that matter) "
...In fact it was Thai who taught their children the fictional history and therefore Thai also hate Khmer because of that.
The 7 provinces that thai has taken from Cambodia about a century ago is enough evidence as encroachment into khmer territory..
Thai has never admiited that their culture, arts, languages are either copy from Khmer...and instead taught their children in the history that they lost 3 of their provinces to khmer in the early 1900 (namely Battambang, Siem reap, and sisophon)
The fallen of Lung Vek, invanding into the capital by Siam mark the end of the glorious time when Thousands and 10 thousands of khmer engineers, artists, scholars, high class monks and priests were tied and marched them back to Bankg Kok......
Since then Cambodia never revived and in the following year the invasion between the two country mainly Siam and Vietname were anermous......
I love and agree with your writing.
This is stupid writing, it is very bias. If people really follow the situation since the start until now they will sure know that this writing is a half true or less. The author(s) surely want to put all mistakes to Cambodia when actually most part of the problem is caused by the Thais. It is true that Hun Sen is poor in diplomacy but the patient has its limit. You must alway remember, who start it and why it is still happening? The Thais military seems trying to divert the attention of Thai people to border conflict because they want to heal the turmoil in Bangkok, and that would be the real cause of the border conflict. Of cause the Thai military know that if they keep incursion in Cambodian territory, Cambodian will end their patient and fight back and that is what the Thai military want.
I quote it from the author "Historically, both have owned it. Naturally both claim ownership today".
This is historically ignorant and INCORRECT.
The Khmer Empire existed since the first century BC. Siam was not in existence even after many of Khmer temples were built.
Read the Khmer Empire history before you write any piece of article that is relevant to it and its existence.
Ignorance can create chaos, death and destruction such as what we are witnessing now. Only truthfull writing will help resolve the matter.
It is very likely that this ignorant article was written by some Thai naltionals themselves that support the Thais cause.
Untruthful information is by and large void and useless. It is rubbishy despised. And it is a reflection of the guilty, the obvious criminal attitude in the defensive mode.
Wake up people. This is not a little skirmish. Two arch enemies facing each other with guns and heavy artilleries are not going to solve the problems through political dialoques.
More bloodshed will be spilled and more innocent lives will be lost before this is over.
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