Govt should be scientific about boundary issue

January 6, 2011
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

Expressions of blind patriotism and childish acts are the problem, not a solution for the boundary disputes Thailand is having with its neighbour, Cambodia. This issue should really be solved by scientific methods, not nationalist sentiment or military means.

Yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid and his group are clearly using the wrong approach. Their idea of putting pressure on the government to use force to kick Cambodians off the land believed to be under Thai sovereignty would trigger serious problems and cause trouble for residents on both sides.

Last week, Veera, Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth and other members of the Santi Asoka group ended up in the Prey Sar prison for nothing except more conflict with Cambodia. Whether the seven men are in prison or not, the boundary issue in Sa Kaew province's Ban Nong Chan area remains unsolved, while the government uses the taxpayers' money to rescue them.

Veera and his group tried several times to call attention to the boundary issue by showing up in the disputed area and provoking arrest. In August, Cambodian authorities detained Veera for trespassing, but he managed to get out shortly afterwards thanks to help from the Thai border police. Nobody paid attention then.

This time, however, he's been making headlines, especially since he dragged someone like Panich, a government MP, along to call attention. Also, Cambodian PM Hun Sen is reportedly furious over Veera's second attempt at trespassing.

A Phnom Penh court has charged the seven Thai nationals of illegal entry and unlawfully entering a military base. The two charges could have them in prison for 18 months if they are convicted.

Previously, the Cambodian court sentenced three Surin residents to 18 months for illegal entry after they crossed the boundary by mistake while hunting. After four months in jail, they obtained a royal pardon to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

This time though, Panich and Veera's defence team has no excuse because a leaked video clip shows that the group knew they were trespassing when they were arrested. Information from the Royal Thai Survey Department indicates the group had gone 55 metres deeper into Cambodian territory, according to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

One can only hope the Cambodian court rules on the case quickly and hands them a lenient punishment.

However, this court trial could have some consequences on boundary negotiations in the future because it is as if Thailand is admitting the area is actually under Cambodian sovereignty.

The boundary area there has been under dispute for years since Cambodians started fleeing civil war to settle on the border three decades ago. They settled in and are refused to move out even though war is over.

In fact, the boundary in that particular area was demarcated more than a century ago. Unfortunately the boundary pillars 46, 47 and 48 that were there to indicate the boundary line have either been destroyed or removed. The two countries have kept no records as to exactly where the pillars were and where the boundary line runs. Advance geographical techniques and peaceful negotiation could help settle this problem, though nothing has been done.

All patriotic figures should know that the only way of settling the boundary conflict and securing the territory permanently would be to let the joint boundary mechanisms continue working. Otherwise, it's difficult to see this problem ever getting solved.