By Luke Hunt
The Diplomat
The UN’s damp squib offered Cambodia little, and it might be all the world body can afford Thailand.
The United Nations is apparently ‘deeply concerned’ about the latest dustup between Thailand and Cambodia along their well-defined border and the 1000-year-old temple at Preah Vihear. Well, it should be.
Veterans of the current dispute and the anti-Thai riots that tore Phnom Penh apart back in 2003 know only too well how fast a scenario like this border clash can escalate. Both sides are being economical with the casualty figures. It might be five dead, it could be as high as 50.
Some outside help would be welcome, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has asked for intervention from the UN Security Council, where his country can probably count on support from old allies China and Russia, France—who helped draw the boundary—and the United States.
But to date, all he’s received is a statement from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that had about has much clout as a damp squib: ‘The secretary general appeals to both sides to put in place an effective arrangement for cessation of hostilities and to exercise maximum restraints.’
Diplomats in Bangkok and Phnom Penh were no doubt shaking in their boots.The Thais were so bold as to say: ‘If there is a complaint, we are ready to explain.’
The United Nations has a long and illustrious history of appeasement that ends up solving little. Its efforts in Somalia, the Balkans and its inability to disarm the warring factions in Cambodia in the 1990s were among its less illustrious adventures. And its continued recognition of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge as the legitimate head of state in then-Kampuchea for more than a decade after their great atrocities were committed still sticks in the gullet of many Cambodians.
The problem for UN appeasement is the border area is well defined by internationally accepted maps and easily checked with global positioning systems or GPS. The Thais don’t like this. But no matter how Thailand argues its side, the Cambodians have several international agreements that date back more than 100 years, a decision by the International Court of Justice, history and common sense on their side.
Bangkok is going to find it extremely difficult to find any country willing to back it, particularly given the substance attached to The Treaty of Washington, written in the aftermath World War II when Thailand sided with Japan and invaded and occupied large parts of Cambodia and Laos.
Under the treaty, Bangkok agreed to withdraw to the pre-war boundaries as part of a deal that basically absolved it of any war crimes committed while it was aligned with the Axis powers. It wasn’t until 1954 that Thailand disputed Cambodian sovereignty over Preah Vihear for the first time. That went to the world court, which six years later ruled against Thailand.
From the late 1970s to 1990s, the temple was a favourite haunt of the Khmer Rouge, another charming bunch of characters the government in Thailand had aligned itself with, following Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia in 1979 that ended another well-documented madness.
Nobody in Thailand was remotely interested in challenging the already lost cause of the Hindu temple at Preah Vihear when the area was providing a handy a hideout for Pol Pot and his ultra-Maoists. However, problems at home and peace in Cambodia made an old chestnut out of Preah Vihear—a convenient excuse among extreme nationalists with a selective sense of history and a political agenda.
This was all the more so when UNESCO declared Preah Vihear a Cambodian World Heritage Site in July 2008.As a result, the latest bout of fighting has entered its fifth day and revealed one or two prejudices along the way, such as the few choice words from Thailand’s army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd.
In blaming the Cambodians for starting the attack, Sansern maintained the Thai response was proportionate, the defence minister and prime minister are well aware of the situation and that: ‘We are afraid of rumours that we are bullying an inferior neighbour because we have superior capabilities.’
The UN’s damp squib offered Cambodia little, and it might be all the world body can afford Thailand.
19 comments:
Cambodia will peace but your clan CPP are brutal against own peoples Khmer!
You say like this because you are not sure whether you can win Thailand or maybe your job will be remove by Thai forces, please don't underestimate with Thai forces my friend. What you said you are hoping the Vietnam forces to help you, We Thai not afraid from you at all, but we all respect the KHMER PEOPLE AS NEIGHBORING COUNTRY and ANYWAYS WE (THAI-KHMER) HAVE THE SAME KULTURE. Look how many khmer poor people are working in our country (Thailand)if those poor Khmers dislike us why they come to us? I must think yourself, if your brain is healthy!
We asked you?
How many Khmer people are working in Vetnam right now, Are Thai people take your job in Cambodia but what is with Vietnam in your own land. We Thai can tell you, first Thai people than foreigners, our army serve allways for Thailand interest and people. Opposite from your site first for foreigners than own rich people and poor. We don't do like your Govt. at all. Please think twice!!!!
Ayuthia
Good article.
Cambodian have to understand the situation. Do not mix up with the hatred sentiment toward the CPP or PM Hun Sen with the ongoing conflict with Thailand. I think PM Hun Sen does the right thing. Thailand does bully Cambodia over this matter. Thailand must accept the well define border map over 100 years ago.
Siem leaders used to be an ally of Hitler and they declared war on United States and United Kingdom during WWWII! Now Siem ally with United States and the Siem leaders declared war on Cambodia!
The Siem leaders are the bad of the bad but their badness o will stop in Cambodia!
i know, siem also allied with japan during world war II as well in order to steal from cambodia. you see, they will alley with any powerful country in order to steal from neighboring country like cambodia, etc! that is so true and was recorded in southeast asian history. i told you, we can see clearly siem's pattern of evil cleverness and evil intention and so on, really! eventual god will see to it and cause karma to catch up with siem's evilness toward cambodia, etc! they called that smart, i called it evil cleverness because it serves their narcissism. siem need to see psychiatrist to they can take medication to claim down their neurotic disfunction e.g. rankling, tantrum, dhad, etc, you know!
This is good news for Sam Rainsy.
Cambodian government needs to push more diplomatic action against Thailand at this point as the world is watching the ongoing conflict.
Last time when Thai military entered the surrounding area around Preah Vihear Temple and Cambodia government protested to UNSC, Singapore said it was overreaction and ASEAN pressured Cambodia to withdraw the complain. More than two years later, what can the ASEAN help to solve the conflict?
The Siem leaders also ally with Japan during WWWII to declare war on Cambodia to steal Khmer land too!
Really Ayuthia? You giving us Khmer advice on how to think twice? Give me a break. It is your people and your Thai Madness out break that should be re-examined and have brain checked over.
We Khmer and the Thai-Khmer people were living fine and trading fine until you "Ayuthia" people came along wearing your Yellow bandanas calling up a cry for "war" and demanding Khmer get out of our own land.
Think twice before you speak, Khmer may not have the army tools needed to eliminate Thai forces, but we still have the law and a side of humanity for us. We are not a bully stealing others stuff shamelessly, we are merely defending our rights to our temple and land.. can you explain why are you doing there in the first place?
ASEAN community is the joke of Asia.
At this point the organization is a dream in the sky.
It is clear the help Cambodia received so far from the UN is meaningless.
Cambodia needs to beef up military in the future. Get ready for the Thais. No one is going to help you.
This is what fair journalism is all about...Bangcock post writers should learn from Luke Hunt...once an idiot is better than twice!! Go reread the ICJ verdict on Preah Vihear of 1962 before printing on your stupid biased paper that make you incredibly and unworthy news...or simply fascists mouthpiece for the Thai government...
Why don't we helps our ancestors Khmer Surin to fight with ah Siamese to get our province back from the thieves instead we kills our own brother and sister. Just do like the South Muslim did, I knew alot of Khmer people live in the border just helps and encourage them rise up against ah Siamese so we can anex only one Khmer empire again.
Why don't we helps our ancestors Khmer Surin to fight with ah Siamese to get our province back from the thieves instead we kills our own brother and sister. Just do like the South Muslim did, I knew alot of Khmer people live in the border just helps and encourage them rise up against ah Siamese so we can anex only one Khmer empire again
ASEAN is toothless organization. Since established nothing achieved.I second motion for sending the case to UN.
Thai government and its army are the enemy of all Hindus and Hunduism in the world. they destroyed Preasvihear temple as a holy place of our greatest shiva.
May shiva bless cambodian soldiers and people.
I understand but if US run away from war it is mean simple lost war. US had used chemical warfare in Vietnam and Cambodia. US murdered 1000 thousands of innocent Cambodians life’s including babies, young kids, women, pregnant women, men, elderly... during at that period by B 52, chemical warfare. US must be a world lead who must take fully responsible for war crime against humanitarians and human right, if there is a real justice system is have.
Please America find justice for Cambodians people that US army murdered at that time. Where are human right group, united nation, and world court for that??
Its all started from Thailand first(4.6km) Why Thai want to do military drill next to 4.6km? The whole Thailand have so much of space?, they instigated the fighting, they used bulldozer making the road coming up to Pagoda, we ask them to stop! They start to shoot us first! We have no choice, but to defend ourselves...Why fucken UN/US hesitated? I hated UN?US they screwed cambodia up before....
I meant fucken US ran away and left us in the dark...Now they still doing the same shit by taken side with Thailand...still?
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