By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
11 February 2010
Sean Pengse, a Cambodian border expert living in France, said the International Court in fact used the 1904-1908 map when deciding on Preah Vihear temple, thereby legitimizing Cambodia’s claims to the area.While Bangkok continues to insist that a 4.6 kilometer stretch of land near Preah Vihear temple belongs to Thailand, Cambodian officials and border experts say the issue should be put to rest.
Phnom Penh claims the stretch of land, west of the 11th-Century temple, rightfully belongs to Cambodia, according to surveys and maps made in 1904 and 1908, when the country was under French protection. Thailand maintains that its own mapping of the area puts the strip of land under its possession.
The impasse over the area has stirred nationalistic sentiment on both sides, which have sent thousands of heavily armed troops to adjacent positions, leading to several skirmishes over the past 19 months and the deaths of at least eight soldiers.
Neither side has been able to diffuse the situation, while rhetoric between prime ministers Abhisit Vijjajiva of Thailand and Hun Sen of Cambodia has escalated in recent days, culminating in Hun Sen calling Abhisit “stupid” and “crazy” on Monday.
The Thai News Agency this week quoted Abhisit saying the Thai government will not give up the contested strip of land.
The news agency also reported that Thailand would petition Unesco to review a map submitted by Cambodia in 2008, when Preah Vihear temple was award World Heritage status under Cambodian ownership.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan told VOA Khmer Tuesday such claims showed a misunderstanding of the law by Thai officials.
“Unesco does not have any jurisdiction to make a judgment over land at all,” he said.
Cambodian officials have said Thailand lobbied Unesco using its own map. Thailand may petition again, officials said, because representatives of the UN body, which protects cultural heritage, have changed.
Cambodia’s map was recognized by the International Court of Justice in 1962, when it ruled that Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia, Phay Siphan said.
However, Thai spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said Tuesday that the 1962 decision did not include the 4.6 kilometers of land now claimed by both sides.
Sean Pengse, a Cambodian border expert living in France, said the International Court in fact used the 1904-1908 map when deciding on Preah Vihear temple, thereby legitimizing Cambodia’s claims to the area.
The Thai authorities “can do whatever, but the decision is legitimate and uses this French map,” he told VOA Khmer.
Cambodia failed a chance to resolve the matter when it did not immediately file a complaint with the UN Security Council when Thai troops occupied a pagoda in the disputed area in July 2008, sparking the standoff.
Panitan said Tuesday both sides remained committed to solving the problem bilaterally and asked that other countries not interfere. Thailand was pleased with Hun Sen’s commitment to bilateral talks, he added.
The problem will be solved ahead of a Unesco World Heritage meeting scheduled for later this year, he said.
The committee is scheduled to meet July 25 through Aug. 3 in Brasilia, Brazil. Cambodian officials say they will submit a plan for the conservation of Preah Vihear temple at the meeting.
20 comments:
Bangkok's claim is groundless and the law is on Cambodia's side for 48 years!...There is no need for arm's conflict over this naked Thai aggression. All Cambodia need to do is go to the world court and UN security council (which our Samdech Hun Sen should have done the first day when the Thais attacked Cambodia)...We have at least 3 permanent UN members on Cambodia's side if not more, namely China, France and Russia.
--Khmer Surin
The spirit of our Khmer Kings and ancestors will safeguard our beloved Preah Vihear temple for Khmers to cherish and enjoy for eternity...it will never fall into the hands of the thief ever again!
Cambodia Town
Long Beach, Ca
We Khmer want to bring the case of Preah vihear Temple area to International Court of justice, we hope, Samdech Deycho Hun Sen accomplish our majorities vote.
New Phally
"The problem will be solved ahead of a Unesco World Heritage meeting scheduled for later this year, he said."
We hear the above statement after Cambodian PM threaten to restart the case with the World Court.
When can you guys "Thai" stop lying and dirty trick to your own people?
How do you, Thai hooligans like that? Do you think that Thailand above international laws?
Let's make it short, Thailand should know the fact of their histories where they originally came from, Thailand formerly Campucha, Campucha's territories. All temples in Thailand proved that it were Khmer territories, the temples built by Campuchean, Khmer Kings at that era. Present day Thailand.
AK KM
siam can say whatever they want to its media, to gain suuport from its pple. but don't try to pass accros khmer border in prah vihear, khmer are ready for welcome the invasion.
Khmer Surin,
Thank you for your insight, showing that you are highly educated, you are a real scholar.
I wish we had more Khmer Surin like you and Lok Chey Mongkol. When I was in Sakeo and Kao I dang camps, many Siam soldiers were Khmer Surin were nasty toward their own Khmer people.
This guy New Phally at 5:09AM is irrelevant!
Agreed with 6:04AM, he is acting Achey Thleak Tuk - Hey Eh Hey Eh.
Or like dog barks for food.
needless to say, siem pad thugs show us they disrespect the icj verdict and also show contempt of court. they kep saying that the court did not rule the 4.6 sq. km area surrounding the khmer temple. that is so bullshit of siem to say like that. it's like saying the temple belongs to cambodia, but the easy accessway, the stairsways, the entrance, etc. did not come with the temple. that is so illogical thinking by the siem pad thugs illegal claim to insinuate that the icj did not know what they were doing. never hear of such verdict. icj knew better in making their decision based on the map of 1904-1908 which is the official map used by both countries at that time. all other maps we see today are unilateral maps of thailand which cambodia can never accept as international map of cambodia. again, typical of siem pad thugs illegal claim and stealing of khmer territtories! this border issue must be settled once and for all before any type of bilateral agreement can be talked about with cambodia. cambodia will not let thailand and their child-like gov't continue to violate the international law and icj verdict like this! the question should be the siem's unilateral map which cambodia will not accept! that is the rude of all the problems with cambodia right now, really! cambodia will always stick and use only the 1904-1908 map because both countries officially accepted for a good reason of the time when the map was made and agreed up. this map was created, according to the border experts, with sound decision because cambodia exchanged for our lost provinces of trad, chanborei, surin, boreirom, nokor phnom, etc, etc in exchange for the borderlines of 1904-1908. so, thailand must respect this map because, as old as the map may be, it wasw an internationally recognized map, not the siem's unilateral map, you know!
yes, the issue is, apparently, siem disrespect and violated the icj verdict, so it is cambodia's right to have icj and world and UN security councils verify the icj verdict. we cannot let siem continue to make this illegal claim at the expense of cambodia's territory, etc...!
Why Xen beam kdor Thaksin
Thailand is trying at her best prolonging the demarcation and claiming land along the border as disputed territory, especially around Preah Vihear, in an attempt to catch opportunity looking into any gap they could stealth Cambodia land thru what it call jointed development of the area. Cambodia side it would be a naive to concede Thailand land's aim of joint development. Thailand have no authority at all. don't allow Thailand get into Preah Vihear by any means.
1- They loss nothing if they loss Preah Vihear while there is not Thai territory but they gain if they get it. so that is why they tries.
siem must not use their unilateral map to negotiate with cambodia! the map must be internationally and lawfully recognized by cambodia!
Short life King Bhumibul Adulyadet!!!!
I wish to appeal to all thai people that always pay respect, greatful to our thai royal. Please wake up now to see that some thai people especially yellow shirt group, Abhisit government and our king bhumibul as well are looking down to our royalty in term of igoning the legitimacy of our former king's Choulalongkorn and the prince of Damrong, minister of foreign affair who all acknowledged the treaties of french-siam in 1904 and 1907 regarding damarcation between cambodia and thai of whcih specified that preas vihea temple and 4.6 km² area sourounding the temple is belong to cambodia.
God prediction:
1) Bangkok will be collapsed (political instability in the southern of thailand, the new movement of people in the northern of thailand, a surge of red T-shirt groups and against with the yellow T-shirt groups and a prediction of thai professor regarding the earthquake that will be happened in thai soon at Bangkok city etc...)
2) Phnom Penh was dissolved (already happened during 1975 - 1979: every thing gone).
3) Saigon (Preynokor in khmer name) of south vietnam destroyed (already happened from 25 April 1975 by occupation of vietcong/north vietnam and changed the Saigon city name to be Hochi Minh city).
4) Happiness in Angkor Watt (ongoing developing).
I thinkd some khmers leaders are so stupid including the king, these idiot animals always gave khmer land to Ah Youns and Ah Siems. Whyyyyy?
What ever happen to Khmer, maybe it suppose to happen? Maybe we have to wait until one successor rise up and bring back all glory to Cambodia.
12:00Pm NO! we all should stand up and be a real democracy!
FUCK THE SUPERMAN!
No "Overlapping" or "Disputed" 4.6 km2 Area...It's all within Cambodia!
ไม่มีพื้นที่ 'ทับซ้อน' หรือ 'โต้แย้ง' ๔.๖ ก.ม.๒...เป็นดินแดนในกัมพูชาตลอดมา!
The delineation of boundary between Cambodia and Thailand by the mixed French-Siamese commission was not a mere coincidence. It was done on the agreement that the French position in Indochina gave up Chanthaburi and Trat provinces; and Siam returned Siem Reap, Kampong Thom, and Battambang provinces, which it had conquered and occupied for over two centuries back to Cambodia. It's a misconception for Thais to think that the Franco-Siamese treaty of 1904-07 was an unfair treaty while France was a super power at the time. King Sisowath considered the treaty a major accomplishment during his reign by regaining Cambodia's most important historial land back. On the other hand, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) of Siam believed it was to the best interests of Siam for gaining Chanthaburi and Trat provinces from the French possession and safeguarding their major core country from being a colony of the west. Chanthaburi and Trat provinces proved to be a great bargain for Thailand today with a vast area of the Gulf of Thailand, islands, and large oil and gas deposits beneath the sea floor. This land trade off also gave Bangkok a more proportional distance away from Cambodia, roughly 120 miles from the border. The Franco-Siamese treaty of 1904-07 showed Annex I map with a clear and finite boundary line between Thailand and Cambodia. There were no so-called "overlapping" or "disputed" 4.6 km2 between the two kingdoms. The Annex I map was subsequently being used by the Royal Government of Cambodia under the leadership of then King-Father Norodom Sihanouk in the World Court case regarding Preah Vihear in 1962, in which the court ruled by a vote of 9 to 3 that Preah Vihear Temple and the adjacent areas was in the territory of Cambodia.
---Khmer Surin
---ชาวแขมร์จังหวัดสุรินทร์
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