NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Nov 6 (TNA) - The situation at the disputed border areas between Thailand and Cambodia, especially in the vicinity of the ancient Preah Vihear temple, has remained calm some three weeks after an armed clash near the temple, a senior Thai army officer said Thursday.
Lt-Gen. Wiboonsak Neephan, commander of the Second Army Region responsible for security affairs along the northeastern border, said the military of both countries posted near the ancient temple seemed to understand each other better than before and they were trying to avoid confrontation.
His remarks were made as negotiators of the two neighbouring countries planned to hold a two-day meeting, starting Monday (November 10), at the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) level for the first time to resolve border conflict, in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap. Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat will confer with his Cambodian counterpart on Wednesday, also in Siem Reap, while committee members from the two countries will discuss troop reductions and the removal of landmines along the border.
The border demarcation between the two countries has never been fully implemented due to landmines planted along the border during decades of war inside Cambodia.
The border conflict is caused as Cambodia uses a French colonial map to demarcate the border, which Thailand says favours Cambodia. Thailand relies on a map drawn up later with US technical assistance, which Cambodia says favours Thailand.
Meanwhile at the disputed Ta Muen Thom temple ruins, which Thailand claims sits in the border province of Surin, Lt. Gen. Wiboonsak said Thai soldiers are now posted inside the temple while Cambodian soldiers have withdrawn. Ta Muen Thom is now open to tourists, including Cambodians, he added.
Lt-Gen. Wiboonsak Neephan, commander of the Second Army Region responsible for security affairs along the northeastern border, said the military of both countries posted near the ancient temple seemed to understand each other better than before and they were trying to avoid confrontation.
His remarks were made as negotiators of the two neighbouring countries planned to hold a two-day meeting, starting Monday (November 10), at the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) level for the first time to resolve border conflict, in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap. Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat will confer with his Cambodian counterpart on Wednesday, also in Siem Reap, while committee members from the two countries will discuss troop reductions and the removal of landmines along the border.
The border demarcation between the two countries has never been fully implemented due to landmines planted along the border during decades of war inside Cambodia.
The border conflict is caused as Cambodia uses a French colonial map to demarcate the border, which Thailand says favours Cambodia. Thailand relies on a map drawn up later with US technical assistance, which Cambodia says favours Thailand.
Meanwhile at the disputed Ta Muen Thom temple ruins, which Thailand claims sits in the border province of Surin, Lt. Gen. Wiboonsak said Thai soldiers are now posted inside the temple while Cambodian soldiers have withdrawn. Ta Muen Thom is now open to tourists, including Cambodians, he added.
3 comments:
It is a waste of time talking with the Thais again and again.
Cambodian Government must have firm and flexible strategies and tactics to cope with the Thais'tricks. If they do not work, then bring the case to the International Community As Soon As Practicable
It is a common understanding that "The more we talk with the thais, the more problems we will have."
The Thais have never accepted the truth or any historical facts. Still worse, the Thais never keep their promises, even formally and legally BINDING in the Treaties or Agreements. History has noted all the hyprocritical acts of the Thais, and all these bear in the heart of the Khmers. Never, Never Ever forget.
The new genration of the Thais will be same as their culture of expansionism was nursed in the Thai Society for many centuries. The Thais have slandered the truth in history and educate their children from one generation after another that the Khmer Land belong to them.
From one generation to another, the Thais have nursed and will always nurse ambitions to rob and control the khmer territory by every inch of land, every piece of stone, every piece of culture
Thailand became a country around 800 years ago by stealing and occupying most part of the khmers'territory.
We have to accept that Thais is a strong nation with unbreakable unity, however; we have to resist their imperialist ambition.
The resistance by Cambodia alone is not powerful enough. We need other countries in the regions: Burma, Laos, Malaysia - to joint in the resistance to weaken the Thais'ambition to become a regional superpower.
Cambodia MUST stick to what were already settled by a series of Franco-Siam Treaties in the early 1900's in any talk with the Thais.
Let's have a perusal of an extract below:
The Khmer-Thai borderlines have been settled once and for all since 1907. The delimitation of the borders between Cambodia and Thailand have long been recognised under international law as having been once and for all settled by the findings and the works of the Franco-Siam Mixed Commission instituted and ratified by the Convention of 1904 and the Franco-Siam Treaty of March 23, 1907. Furthermore, the Franco-Siam Treaties of 1925 and 1937 as well as the adjudication of June 15, 1962 of the International Court of Justice, in which the Preah Vihear temple was adjudged to belong to Cambodia, reaffirmed the border disposition as prescribed by the works of the Franco-Siam Mixed Commission.
In regard to the current disputes, Thailand has consistently insisted that the surrounding areas in the vicinity of the Preah Vihear temple have never been delimited and that the verdict of the International Court of Justice in 1962 did not cover the issue of those surrounding areas. The notion that the areas in the vicinity of the Preah Vihear temple have not been settled is a misconception. The Cambodian ownership of the temple and the surrounding areas, deemed disputed by Thailand, has been settled once and for all by that court’s verdict. And that verdict has vindicated the Cambodian claims and render justice to the 1907 treaty. The court adjudicated that:
1. "the Temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia;"
2. "Thailand is under an obligation to withdraw any military or police forces, or other guards or keepers, stationed by her at the Temple, or in its vicinity on Cambodian territory"
3. "Thailand is under an obligation to restore to Cambodia any objects of the kind specified in Cambodia's fifth Submission which may, since the date of the occupation of the Temple by Thailand in 1954, have been removed from the Temple or the Temple area by the Thai authorities.": ICJ Reports 1962, p. 36, 37.
The second judgement of the court was crystal clear that Thailand is under the obligation to withdraw all its forces from the temple or from “its vicinity on Cambodian territory”. As the court’s judgements were based on the maps of the 1904 and 1907 treaties, the issue of the ownership of the temple and “its vicinity” has been resolved, as the maps of the 1904-1907 treaties placed both the temple and “its vicinity” inside Cambodia.
All the best for Cambodia and her people.
M. Tan
PARIS PEACE AGREEMENT :
PART IV : International Guarantees.
Article 18 :
Cambodia undertakes to maintain,preserve and defend,and the other Signatories undertake to recognize and respect,the souvereignity,independance,territorial intergrity and inviolability,neutrality and national unity of Cambodia,as set fort in a separate Agreememt.
Note : THAI and VN as the signatories of this Agreement Oct.23 1991.
The same old show will be put up to strengthen their respective team's power.
Going to bed now cos very sleepy
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