Bangkok Post
Thai-Cambodian relations took a step forward last week when the two prime ministers met during the Asia-Europe Summit in Beijing.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen agreed that the border conflict must be solved peacefully through the joint Thai-Cambodian border demarcation committee, which is scheduled to meet on Nov 10.
PM Hun Sen softened his stance during his meeting with PM Somchai. Two weeks ago, the Cambodian leader had demanded that Thai troops be withdrawn from a disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple. Clashes subsequently erupted, resulting in casualties on both sides.
The longstanding border dispute has done more harm than good to both countries. Cambodia has lost its income from tourism and border trade since the temple dispute flared up last July. Thailand's border trade has also suffered.
The two leaders' meeting in Beijing has generated optimism and goodwill on both sides of the border. Those who tried to whip up nationalism to create tensions between the two countries must now think twice.
During the Cold War era, the United States and the Soviet Union created wars through their proxies around the world, and Southeast Asia was no exception. Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam were drawn into this proxy war.
With the demise of the Soviet empire, Thailand under the late prime minister Chatichai Choonhavan adopted a new policy to turn the Indochina battlefields into trade zones. Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam subsequently joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
All countries must strive for peaceful co-existence for the benefit of their peoples.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen agreed that the border conflict must be solved peacefully through the joint Thai-Cambodian border demarcation committee, which is scheduled to meet on Nov 10.
PM Hun Sen softened his stance during his meeting with PM Somchai. Two weeks ago, the Cambodian leader had demanded that Thai troops be withdrawn from a disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple. Clashes subsequently erupted, resulting in casualties on both sides.
The longstanding border dispute has done more harm than good to both countries. Cambodia has lost its income from tourism and border trade since the temple dispute flared up last July. Thailand's border trade has also suffered.
The two leaders' meeting in Beijing has generated optimism and goodwill on both sides of the border. Those who tried to whip up nationalism to create tensions between the two countries must now think twice.
During the Cold War era, the United States and the Soviet Union created wars through their proxies around the world, and Southeast Asia was no exception. Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam were drawn into this proxy war.
With the demise of the Soviet empire, Thailand under the late prime minister Chatichai Choonhavan adopted a new policy to turn the Indochina battlefields into trade zones. Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam subsequently joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
All countries must strive for peaceful co-existence for the benefit of their peoples.
6 comments:
Thai export to Cambodia than we export to your country. Most tourist does not pass by Thailand anymore.
So folks keep boycotting Thai and Yuon products and buy Khmer products.
This will help our people make thing ourselves.
This is New time and New idea,We are just like children fight each other for some toys or some cany.When we are grown-up,We must learn from our mistakes or a misunderstanding of the meaning,Proceeding from faulty judgment.
Cambodia has lost its income from tourism and border trade???????
= This is a lie! Cambodia can do just fine without the tourists and the border trade with Thailand! Cambodia can do better in dealing with the Muslim than the Thaicong Buddhist killer mother fucker!
9:36 AM
I am completely against your comment.
I think We, Cambodian are already grown up enough to make judgment based on facts, history and international law.
The recent fighting was not for candy or faulty judgment or misunderstanding or it was a mistake. But our brothers there at the frontline fought to defend our motherland against the mother fucker greedy and outlawfull neighbors.
I must highly value their bravery and sacrify for the country and the nation of Cambodia.
Buddha will bless them.
That's right, both countries will do more harm than good if the dispute continues. I live in Cambodia and notice that there are less tourists now than there were a few months back. The markets and hotels are more quiet and lots of people complain that businesses have indeed gone bad since the dispute with the Siam.
We all should hope this dispute end soon and peacefully, rather than prolonging it. Or hope war should break out again. ... as it will not help our economy, but rather, deepend us into the global turmoil. The entire world is worried about their economy and Cambodia should do the same. As much as I like the Siam to suffer for their greediness, we are in no shape to fight a war as we lack the resource and money. Khmer will only suffer more.
Hi,I am 9:36 AM.I am strongly agree with you 11:37AM almost everything.But my paragraph referred to(During the cold war era,The United States and the Soviet Union created wars through their proxier around the world and Southeast Asia was No exception,Thailand, The Kingdom of Cambodia,Laos and Vietnam were drawn into this proxy War.
That's time the world was young,But Now we are grown-up.We are need to use our experiencees and all our Knowledge to heal the our world.
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