Washington
31 October 2008
The recent border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand near the ancient Preah Vihear temple has escalated into military clashes that resulted in bloodshed on both sides. As Reasey Poch of VOA's Khmer service reports from George Washington University, Asian experts are urging bilateral talks to end the conflict.
The dispute heated up earlier this year when the World Heritage Fund designated the 900-year-old Cambodian Preah Vihear temple a U.N. World Heritage site.
The decision re-ignited a long-standing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. Many Thais were angry that Cambodia had unilaterally listed the temple, which they also consider sacred.
The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty over surrounding land has never been resolved.
Cambodia uses a French-colonial map demarcating the border, which Thailand says favors Cambodia. Thailand relies on a map drawn up later with U.S. technical assistance.
On October 15, troops on both sides were involved in a clash that resulted in the death of three soldiers and several casualties on both sides. The temple was also damaged in the fighting.
In a meeting last week on the sideline of the Asia-Europe Meeting in Beijing, Cambodian and Thai leaders agreed to avoid further border clashes near Preah Vihear temple.
Professor Shawn McHale, a Southeast Asian historian at George Washington University in Washington D.C. blamed both Cambodia and Thailand for the violence.
He said, "On both sides, the Cambodian and Thai sides, there are individuals who are trying to whip up a sense of hysteria over this particular issue. And the problem is they are the ones who are pushing the conflicts. They need to calm down."
Professor Brigit Welch teaches a class on conflicts in Southeast Asia at John Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C. She said conflicts are not about who is right and who is wrong. The key to end the conflict, she said, is bilateral talks.
Welch added, "Right now, in my view both sides are wrong because they have let the situation escalate into the loss of lives. And we have not seen effective bilateral negotiations sitting down solving this problem, which can be solved effectively if people have the political will to do so."
Cambodia accuses Thailand of encroaching into its territory along the border. Thailand has said its troops are inside its territory and that it did not do anything wrong.
The Thai parliament has approved a framework for negotiations with Cambodia planned to begin November 10. Cambodia has welcomed the action of the Thai parliament.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has said the two sides can solve their border issues without outsiders.
Professor Michael Yahuda who teaches Asian studies at the George Washington University said a third party could help solve the problem. "Indonesia could play such a role, but I think it would require both sides to agree on who the third party would be. Once they agree, that would be half the battle because that would show that they really want to settle it.'
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the United Nations, and the United States have all urged Cambodia and Thailand to try to resolve their dispute peacefully.
The dispute heated up earlier this year when the World Heritage Fund designated the 900-year-old Cambodian Preah Vihear temple a U.N. World Heritage site.
The decision re-ignited a long-standing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. Many Thais were angry that Cambodia had unilaterally listed the temple, which they also consider sacred.
The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty over surrounding land has never been resolved.
Cambodia uses a French-colonial map demarcating the border, which Thailand says favors Cambodia. Thailand relies on a map drawn up later with U.S. technical assistance.
On October 15, troops on both sides were involved in a clash that resulted in the death of three soldiers and several casualties on both sides. The temple was also damaged in the fighting.
In a meeting last week on the sideline of the Asia-Europe Meeting in Beijing, Cambodian and Thai leaders agreed to avoid further border clashes near Preah Vihear temple.
Professor Shawn McHale, a Southeast Asian historian at George Washington University in Washington D.C. blamed both Cambodia and Thailand for the violence.
He said, "On both sides, the Cambodian and Thai sides, there are individuals who are trying to whip up a sense of hysteria over this particular issue. And the problem is they are the ones who are pushing the conflicts. They need to calm down."
Professor Brigit Welch teaches a class on conflicts in Southeast Asia at John Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C. She said conflicts are not about who is right and who is wrong. The key to end the conflict, she said, is bilateral talks.
Welch added, "Right now, in my view both sides are wrong because they have let the situation escalate into the loss of lives. And we have not seen effective bilateral negotiations sitting down solving this problem, which can be solved effectively if people have the political will to do so."
Cambodia accuses Thailand of encroaching into its territory along the border. Thailand has said its troops are inside its territory and that it did not do anything wrong.
The Thai parliament has approved a framework for negotiations with Cambodia planned to begin November 10. Cambodia has welcomed the action of the Thai parliament.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has said the two sides can solve their border issues without outsiders.
Professor Michael Yahuda who teaches Asian studies at the George Washington University said a third party could help solve the problem. "Indonesia could play such a role, but I think it would require both sides to agree on who the third party would be. Once they agree, that would be half the battle because that would show that they really want to settle it.'
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the United Nations, and the United States have all urged Cambodia and Thailand to try to resolve their dispute peacefully.
15 comments:
What those professors said doesn't seem to be useful at all.
yeah, they just repeat what thailand wants. bilateral talks must be based on international laws. the 1904-1907 maps, which were recognized by the international court of justice are the only recognized maps, so only those maps should be used in the negotiations. maps drawn by thailand have no legal basis under international laws.
Sying for nothing: this is what we can see among intellectuals in the US.
Exemple: G. W Bush lokks like a silly gue but was able to be graduated from Yale or Havard.
It proves that we can buy anything in the US.
professor brigit teaches aclass on conflicts to create more conflicts, that is what I can see from this aticle.
Hay Guys Professors,
IF you professors what ot give suggestions, you need to listen to bhoth saides before you make final commants.
hay Guys professors! look at this simpple way.
Cambodia has:
1. 1904 and 1907 maps recognizled internationally and both countries.
2. ICJ judgement in 1962.
3. MOUs 2000, 2003 agrred on by both Countries.
4. UNESCO listed Preah Vihea temple as the world heritage.
Thailand:
1. does not accept
2. still claims Preah Vihear temple
3.Violates the MOUs
4. caused damages to the temples
So, guys professors. Waht do you gusys think? Tell Me now.
Thais know everything, but they just ignore. The question is whether Cambodian leaders want to play a losing game with them. SO< IGNORE THEM AND TAKE LAWFUL ACTION. INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES SEE CAMBODIAN LEADERS AS STUPID TO PLAY THIS LOSING GAME. COME ON, HUN SEN. DODN'T BE JUST BRAVE WITH KHMERS!
Commentators -- You are saying that both sides *don't* need to calm down? You are saying that the call for both sides to calm down is biased towards the Thai? Such claims make no sense. Of course both sides need to calm down. How else could Cambodia get its way?
Thai and Khmer before the French did not demarcate borders the way we do today. Thai and Khmer do not think of political authority and about territory in the same way today as they did centuries ago. THAT is the problem.
How should the conflict be solved? I don't know the solution. I do know that ignorance of Cambodia's and Siam's history won't help.
Outsider
To 11:28 PM
IF you dont want to have border,so do it with China.
I want to see thailand swallowed by China.
Three side got to be involve. yourn, samdach psettacho and siem. samdach psettacho is a great man will give east side to his relative yourn and west he is goingto give to siem his business partner. No way he is going to look for help from international's law because he is learning from our great father sihanouk who decide to do thing on their own. Srok Khmer belong to only one man as samdach psettacho like during sihanouk srok Khmer belong to sihanouk him self.
asian experts need to tell thailand to respect the international law, whether thailand like it or not. that's the real problem now, thailand violated the treaty of 1907 map, and instead use the map that they unilaterally drew up on their own terms without cambodia's agreement. that is the real problem. i think cambodia will only use the treaty 1907 treaty map, otherwise the new maps will cause cambodia to lose more lands than we already lost since historical time. don't forget that even before siem invaded and annex a part of cambodia, these lands and more of the old khmer provinces were stolen from cambodia at the time when cambodia was weak due to internal conflict or civil war or whatever. now, that's like the strong picking on the weak and feable. and now thailand wants more of cambodia's lands, tough luck, no more!!! so, stop dreaming, thailand!
easier said than done!
Outsider 11:28PM,
Khmer and Thai did not demarcate the border before the French, but they did agree to the map and the treaty. Let's used that map to now start demarcation the border. The honest and just suggestion would to tell the Thai to take their troops and the artillery guns back to where they were before. Why only after UNESCO decision to put the temple as world heritage that the thais are acting up? It is not acceptable to use a map unilaterally drawn by Thai, regardless to the fact that it was with the US technical assitance because the two have been close allies.
addendum to 10:03AM:
The US-assisted, unilaterally Thai drawn map is not an instrument of good faith becuase it did not involve Cambodia. The Franco-Siam treaty and map was AGREED by THAI.
US officials and experts must overcome their biases and set aside their favor for Thailand to be able to see the situaion clearer. Cambodia is trying to build trust and good relation with the US, favoring Thailand does not help. The US should be non-bias in this approach if they are truly intending to build good relation with Cambodia.
Thai has historically been at advantageous position in acquiring Khmer ancestral land, it is really unfair for them to still want to grab whatever is left of the currently much smaller neighbor, Cambodia.
Thai's naked ambition and agression only help to magnify the greeds and dishonest ulterior motive. The question is what will 4.6 square kilometers will do for the Thai? What those 4.6 km2 mean to Cambodia is much more because it will help to assure them that there is still hope for justice and fairnes in this world.
Pls.see PARIS PEACE AGREEMENT Oct23/91 on line.the most usefull and update too.8:42
Post a Comment