Saritdet Marukatat
Bangkok Post
COMMENTARY
A small story sometimes has big implications. What is happening between Cambodia and Laos nicely fits this definition.
Cambodian Deputy Foreign Minister Long Visalo went to Vientiane last Tuesday. His mission to the northern neighbour was clear. The Cambodian government wanted to brief Laos about its dispute with Thailand.
In the Laotian capital, Long Visalo lectured some 200 Lao Foreign Ministry officials on the history of Preah Vihear, the ruling by the International Court of Justice in 1962 that the Hindu temple belonged to his country, as well as Cambodia's right to list it as a World Heritage Site under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in July 2008.
The Cambodian deputy minister also told his hosts about the border dispute between his country and Thailand, which started after the latter country made a U-turn on its previous stance which had been in support of Cambodia's attempt to list Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site.
The Cambodian campaign cannot be seen as anything but the start of its efforts to drum up backing from other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to help sort out the border conflict with Thailand for good.
And Laos will not be the only stop in this tactic. On the list, of course, are Burma and Vietnam (the latter is scheduled to take the Asean chair till December).
Phnom Penh's strategy is to turn the dispute over the overlapping land boundary of 4.6 square kilometres into a regional issue by trying to bring in the involvement of other Asean members.
Thailand thinks otherwise, with its intention to keep the matter as a quarrel between two neighbours which should be settled by the two neighbours only.
The more countries jumping in, the more difficult it will be to resolve the problem.
The talks in Vientiane did not cover the issue of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra - at least as far as the information made public shows.
But then again, the Thaksin issue is not a main factor at all for Cambodia.
Ending Thaksin's role as an economic adviser to Phnom Penh is Bangkok's condition for diplomatic normalisation with Cambodia. No country can stand seeing its citizen, who has been sentenced to jail, given recognition by another government.
But for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the root cause goes beyond last year when he added Thaksin to the long list of advisers to his government. It began right there on the border between Cambodia' Preah Vihear province and Kantaralak district in Si Sa Ket province.
The whole issue is about the temple and the land dispute in that area.
"You raise the issue of Thaksin, but you forget the issue of Preah Vihear," Hun Sen said in October, during one of his verbal onslaughts on Thailand.
It is not difficult for anybody to guess that there is no way in sight for the two countries to end the sour ties, given their vastly different positions which are beyond the reach of a compromise. But, as Asean members, they cannot leave relations festering this way, either. Other countries view what is happening between Thailand and Cambodia as an obstruction to Asean's attempts to bring unity into the club which, five years from now, is to become one single community. However, what can other Asean countries do but watch and hope that there will be a miracle to end the two neighbours' quarrel?
Another worry from the Thai-Cambodian spat is that it could spill over to poison ties between Thailand and other members in Asean who are very close to Cambodia. One of them is Laos. The history of their jungle warfare to drive out, first the colonialists and then the Western-supported governments, has made Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam brothers, who also have same positions on issues in Asean. As countries with Thailand as their immediate common neighbour, Cambodia and Laos have long been aware of the rising Thai influence in their country.
So far there are no problems in the relations between Thailand and Laos. But that does not mean everything will go smoothly. Problems still exist but they have been swept under the carpet by Vientiane over the past years because it needed help from Thailand to host the SEA Games last year.
Now the Games are over. Now the Cambodian deputy minister has visited Vientiane. And now the story of Thai-Laos relations in the post-SEA Games era begins.
Saritdet Marukatat is News Editor, Bangkok Post.
Cambodian Deputy Foreign Minister Long Visalo went to Vientiane last Tuesday. His mission to the northern neighbour was clear. The Cambodian government wanted to brief Laos about its dispute with Thailand.
In the Laotian capital, Long Visalo lectured some 200 Lao Foreign Ministry officials on the history of Preah Vihear, the ruling by the International Court of Justice in 1962 that the Hindu temple belonged to his country, as well as Cambodia's right to list it as a World Heritage Site under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in July 2008.
The Cambodian deputy minister also told his hosts about the border dispute between his country and Thailand, which started after the latter country made a U-turn on its previous stance which had been in support of Cambodia's attempt to list Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site.
The Cambodian campaign cannot be seen as anything but the start of its efforts to drum up backing from other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to help sort out the border conflict with Thailand for good.
And Laos will not be the only stop in this tactic. On the list, of course, are Burma and Vietnam (the latter is scheduled to take the Asean chair till December).
Phnom Penh's strategy is to turn the dispute over the overlapping land boundary of 4.6 square kilometres into a regional issue by trying to bring in the involvement of other Asean members.
Thailand thinks otherwise, with its intention to keep the matter as a quarrel between two neighbours which should be settled by the two neighbours only.
The more countries jumping in, the more difficult it will be to resolve the problem.
The talks in Vientiane did not cover the issue of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra - at least as far as the information made public shows.
But then again, the Thaksin issue is not a main factor at all for Cambodia.
Ending Thaksin's role as an economic adviser to Phnom Penh is Bangkok's condition for diplomatic normalisation with Cambodia. No country can stand seeing its citizen, who has been sentenced to jail, given recognition by another government.
But for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the root cause goes beyond last year when he added Thaksin to the long list of advisers to his government. It began right there on the border between Cambodia' Preah Vihear province and Kantaralak district in Si Sa Ket province.
The whole issue is about the temple and the land dispute in that area.
"You raise the issue of Thaksin, but you forget the issue of Preah Vihear," Hun Sen said in October, during one of his verbal onslaughts on Thailand.
It is not difficult for anybody to guess that there is no way in sight for the two countries to end the sour ties, given their vastly different positions which are beyond the reach of a compromise. But, as Asean members, they cannot leave relations festering this way, either. Other countries view what is happening between Thailand and Cambodia as an obstruction to Asean's attempts to bring unity into the club which, five years from now, is to become one single community. However, what can other Asean countries do but watch and hope that there will be a miracle to end the two neighbours' quarrel?
Another worry from the Thai-Cambodian spat is that it could spill over to poison ties between Thailand and other members in Asean who are very close to Cambodia. One of them is Laos. The history of their jungle warfare to drive out, first the colonialists and then the Western-supported governments, has made Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam brothers, who also have same positions on issues in Asean. As countries with Thailand as their immediate common neighbour, Cambodia and Laos have long been aware of the rising Thai influence in their country.
So far there are no problems in the relations between Thailand and Laos. But that does not mean everything will go smoothly. Problems still exist but they have been swept under the carpet by Vientiane over the past years because it needed help from Thailand to host the SEA Games last year.
Now the Games are over. Now the Cambodian deputy minister has visited Vientiane. And now the story of Thai-Laos relations in the post-SEA Games era begins.
Saritdet Marukatat is News Editor, Bangkok Post.
10 comments:
get the fuck out of Preah vihear area, stop the arrogant and ridiculous claim claim of the 4.6 km2, then propose that hun sen reverse the appointment of Thaksin as his economic advisor. come on Marukatat, show some sign of intelligence and fairness.
If the countries neighbor to Thailand are disgruntle over their aggression. For Cambodia, there is no other choice but to fight back even it means we have to go all out... You have to be in Cambodia's shoes to know...
Cambodia and Laos have long been aware of the rising Thai influence in their country. <-------- THIS IS HOW DUMB THAI PEOPLE ARE.............FUCK THAILAND..................FAKE FUCKS.............ALLL YOU THAIS ARE KHMER WANNABES........GO BACL=K TO CHINA AND DIE FROM THE O.G. MONGOLS MOTHERFCUKERS
The bastard whose wrote this aritcal need to take history class again.
Stop stealing from neighbors Thais thief..! your day is dooming!
Dear Sirs,
The normalisation of relationship between Tahiland and Cambodia is an easy issue if Thailand stops claiming for the erea of 4.6sqkm in the near-Preah Vihear Temple Land and respects the verdict of International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued in June 1962.
Please Thailand's Abhisit Vejjajiva's government stop the hunting down for H.E.Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra for his little weak point that would easily settled by both sides of the conflicting parties of red and yellow shirts.
If you chase for Mr. Thaksin this time and next time someone else will chase for you for your small issue which would be easily tolerated because all of you are a same race of human being. Please do not see someone tiny thing as big as mountain and see your big problem as small as a needle.
Every human has always mistake that can be forgotten by others.
The act of revenge is not a good way of solving trouble.Forgiveness
is a kindness which people should offer to his/her opponent.
Please follow the ways of solving problems through the teaching of our Lord Buddha. The middle path is the thing to adopt in nowaday's conflict in the Thai's internal tiny affairs.
If this internal affair of Thailand finishes relations with
Cambodia will be good as
before the invasion of Thai Armed forces in the Preah Vihear erea of the hilly slope of Cambodia and the 4.6sqkm's claimed land.
I am helping to offer this opinion free of charge and spend my time to send this blog to the real users.
With a full respect and a Happy New
Year.
Ly
It is time that the BANG-COCK POST stop referring Preah Vihear temple as a "Hindu temple"...it is a "KHMER TEMPLE."!!!
ThaT why cambodia should help the red shirt get rid of ahbhishit and install a new goverment,fuckin bullshit 21TH century it all about economic and friendship NOT FUCKIN INVADIND.
It is easy to blame and hate others rich countries when you are poor. Do not get jealous. You will hurt yourself. jealousy and hate will never do any good for you. You must think inward how stupid our prime minister is.How stupid and corrupted our leaders are. They oppress and rob poor Khmer people more than foreign countries like Viet and Siam. Our leaders are worst than Siam and Viet. They only think of themselves and their families and group.
We always think French, Viet, Siam, China or America are bad cos they try to influence Cambodia but I think differently. i think Khmer leaders are worst than these foreign countries. Non of our leaders is good. If they were good, we are not poor like today. Our leaders are ignorant and low education. They are good at talking and making us hate foreign countries and blame others cos they can not do good things for their people.
8:32pm,
I agree with you man. I've thought one time that no other nation want to control us or colonize over us other than us Khmer leaders colonizing its own citizen and made them slaves, poor, and scare the top rank officials.
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