By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
03 September 2009
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday welcomed the approval of border discussions in Thailand’s parliament, providing the border committees of the neighbors a foundation for resolving a longstanding border dispute.
The two sides are expected to discuss border demarcation near the temple of Preah Vihear, which has been at the center of a military standoff for more than a year. The approval follows the withdrawal of some troops by both sides in recent weeks.
In a closed-door session between the Thai upper and lower Houses, lawmakers voted 306-6 to engender talks, the Nation newspaper reported. Earlier attempts to negotiate a border settlement have been scuttled by a Thai government in chaos, as partisan sides protested, and, in one case, ousted, the government.
“Thai parliament approved the negotiation framework to allow the Thai government to discuss all problems with its neighbors, particularly the border issue with Cambodia,” said Koy Kong, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. “In the past, Cambodia has waited for approval from Thai parliament allowing the Thai border commission the right to continue discussions with the Cambodian side.”
The new vote would allow discussions “as soon as possible,” he said. “The Cambodian side needs to resolve the border dispute sooner and sooner.”
Var Kimhong, head of Cambodia’s border committee, said the two countries have so far approved more than 30 of 73 sites where markers need to be placed along 805 kilometers of frontier.
The General Border Committee, led by defense ministers of both nations, and the Joint Border Commission, led by the foreign ministers, met in late July, while the top commanders of respective militaries met in August—all in talks aimed at diffusing tension along the border, which saw at one time a build-up of thousands of troops and led to to several skirmishes and at least seven dead soldiers.
Over the past year, those skirmishes threatened to spill over into larger battle, as soldiers fired machine guns, rockets and mortars at each other, while heavy infantry and artillery were stationed nearby. A Cambodian market was destroyed, Preah Vihear temple damaged and hundreds of residents near the 11th-Century temple forced to evacuate their homes.
The standoff was sparked by the July 2008 listing of Preah Vihear temple as a Unesco World Heritage site, subsequent protests in Thailand and on the border and the occupation of disputed land near the temple by troops from both sides.
The two sides are expected to discuss border demarcation near the temple of Preah Vihear, which has been at the center of a military standoff for more than a year. The approval follows the withdrawal of some troops by both sides in recent weeks.
In a closed-door session between the Thai upper and lower Houses, lawmakers voted 306-6 to engender talks, the Nation newspaper reported. Earlier attempts to negotiate a border settlement have been scuttled by a Thai government in chaos, as partisan sides protested, and, in one case, ousted, the government.
“Thai parliament approved the negotiation framework to allow the Thai government to discuss all problems with its neighbors, particularly the border issue with Cambodia,” said Koy Kong, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. “In the past, Cambodia has waited for approval from Thai parliament allowing the Thai border commission the right to continue discussions with the Cambodian side.”
The new vote would allow discussions “as soon as possible,” he said. “The Cambodian side needs to resolve the border dispute sooner and sooner.”
Var Kimhong, head of Cambodia’s border committee, said the two countries have so far approved more than 30 of 73 sites where markers need to be placed along 805 kilometers of frontier.
The General Border Committee, led by defense ministers of both nations, and the Joint Border Commission, led by the foreign ministers, met in late July, while the top commanders of respective militaries met in August—all in talks aimed at diffusing tension along the border, which saw at one time a build-up of thousands of troops and led to to several skirmishes and at least seven dead soldiers.
Over the past year, those skirmishes threatened to spill over into larger battle, as soldiers fired machine guns, rockets and mortars at each other, while heavy infantry and artillery were stationed nearby. A Cambodian market was destroyed, Preah Vihear temple damaged and hundreds of residents near the 11th-Century temple forced to evacuate their homes.
The standoff was sparked by the July 2008 listing of Preah Vihear temple as a Unesco World Heritage site, subsequent protests in Thailand and on the border and the occupation of disputed land near the temple by troops from both sides.
15 comments:
They can open whatever they want, I will stick my d!ck in their mouth. Just follow what was written in 1962 and quit bending over to the Viets and the Thais, Hun Sen!
How many Border talks are they going to have ? Stop playing game with Thai and take the case to the UN if Thai still insist..
Yes, please stop playing the game.
Ask ICJ to implement the final decision on the Preah Vihear case and also get UNSC to involve in monitoring the border.
i know, cambodia and khmer people can only agree with the 1907 treaty map and the 1962 icj verdict in accordance to international law only. we cannot accept siem's unilateral map. no can do, sorry!
siem cruel people were taking full advantage of cambodia and khmer people during choatic and internal civil conflict in cambodia. that is not right, to say the least because when we have properity and peace again, siem people will be in trouble with us. we cannot accept siem taking advantage of cambodia!
Ahhhhhh FUCK THAILAND,
land of fucking AUT.
I knew nowaday Khmers in Cambodia learn a lot about the law by sueing each other to win a case, such as a simple defaming case for an example and I wonder why this Preah Vihear border case that have no thai's tage in it and why our smart Cambodian gov-ment not use the international law to clear it out. Do it one time for our Khmers generation to come and living in peace.
We are living in the 21 century not in the cave...aren't We?
There's no such thing "WHITE ZONE" on the border line? why cambodia has white zone???? Thailand still taking advantage on cambodia every fucken time!!!!
there ought to be an international law that punish those siem thieves for stealing and taking advantage of the civil war in cambodia by stealing territories and lands from cambodia. we all know siem did this to cambodia; and youn and liev too, they all will pay for this sooner or later! we all know that sooner or later the law will catch up with them for violating the international treaty and international law that govern international boundary lines, etc... that was exactly what siem thieves and other thug-like neighboring countries are doing to cambodia; they all took advantage of cambodia at war! that aren't right, to say the least! god bless cambodia.
the treaty of 1907 map can't lie; there were concrete evidence of this border area in accordance to the 1907 map above. we cannot accept siem's unilateral map because not only it was illegal, they violated the international law, period! no excuse is good excuse for siem thugs, you know! respect cambodia!
this map don't lie like the siem's unilateral map, you know!
if we compare this map to any siem's unilateral map, we can see clearly that siem thieves are stealing from cambodia. it's as simple as that. try it!
cambodia must use this map as the baseline map because a baseline map supersedes all other new maps, partly it indicates clear the disadvantage of cambodia which khmer people can never accept!
keep in mind this map was officially ratisfied by both countries then. siem can't try to claim that they were at under pressure to sign or whatever. if that the case, look at how siem took advantage of cambodia's civil unrest when siem draw their unilateral map. siem must be on drug to think like this, because they often forget they they are the real thieves that stole and took advantage of cambodia during cambodia's dark age! and siem is complaining? that is so hypocritical of them! see my point!
8:05am,8:20am are right! cambodia must use 1907 map!! that's a final...
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