By Michael Hayes
COMMENT
When I was publisher and editor-in-chief of the Phnom Penh Post I was sued once by then-Second Prime Minister Hun Sen, accused of spreading disinformation and trying to create political instability. Over the years, several Cambodian government officials even accused me and my newspaper of attempting to “destroy the nation”.
At the very least I’ve never been called a spin doctor for the Cambodian government. But on the issue of the current border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand surrounding Wat Preah Vihear I’m as angry as all Cambodians are at what we perceive as a Thai-initiated conflict of grossly unjust proportions.
We are not alone. Since this issue flared up two years ago, I have not met one Asian or Western diplomat, one foreign aid worker or one expatriate businessman in Phnom Penh who disagrees. Even a few Thai friends have sheepishly expressed support for the Cambodian side on this spat.
The nagging question that perplexes us all is why Thailand is trying to export its domestic political problems and dump them on poor Cambodia? The sentiment here is that if the Red Shirts and the Yellow Shirts want to fight it out, do so somewhere in Thailand, but don’t use Cambodia as a scapegoat.
The view from Cambodia is simple: the issue of sovereignty over the temple was decided back in 1962 when the case was submitted to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
If Thailand didn’t want to abide by the court’s ruling then why did it agree to submit the case in the first place? And why are they groaning now and firing artillery shells at the temple almost 50 years later?
Moreover, when Thailand says: Well, we controlled the temple in the 1800s and before, the Khmers have a simpler reply: Yeah, but WE BUILT IT! We started construction in the early 9th century, modified and improved it for 250 years and then continued to pray there and celebrate our Gods for another three centuries until you guys stole it after you sacked and looted our capital at Angkor Wat three times between 1352 and 1431. Thank you very much. End of story.
Cambodia has no interest whatsoever in another protracted violent conflict with anybody. The Kingdom is still trying to recover from 30 years of civil war, Pol Pot madness and the ensuing guerilla conflict in the 80’s and 90’s that in total cost the lives of over 2.5 million Cambodians and left the country in ruins. Every dollar spent on the military conflict there is a dollar lost for building desperately needed roads, schools and hospitals.
The Thai accusation that Cambodia has had some secret plot to steal Thai land along the border is also seen as ludicrous.
Everybody knows that since 1970 Cambodia has been too consumed with domestic strife to take even one meter of land from any of its neighbors. In fact, foreign aid officials who worked on the Thai border in the 80s will readily admit that border creep worked in reverse. It was Thai farmers living in peace—and I’m not accusing the Thai government of some orchestrated campaign here—who took the opportunity to plant a few extra hectares in disputed border areas while internally Cambodia was in complete disarray.
If there is one thing that is clear, it is that the entire border needs to be systematically surveyed and demarcated, step by step, once and for all.
As for the disputed 4.5 square kms just north of temple, why not consider this: Turn the area into the Cambodian-Thai International Friendship Park and set it up as a jointly managed enterprise by both countries’ Ministries of Tourism. Invite in hawkers, entrepreneurs, whatever from both sides of the border to set up businesses to cater to the millions of tourists who will want to visit the site in the coming decades and beyond. Tax revenues could be shared by both nations equally. Everybody wins.
It could also be a model for other border disputes around the globe.
If the Thais want a protracted, bloody fight on their hands over the temple, they’ve got one. In the 20 years I’ve been in Cambodia the Preah Vihear issue is without question the only one I’ve seen that has united the entire nation. Cambodian TV stations have been running fundraisers off and on with donations large and small pouring in from all quarters for two years. Even the normally truculent Sam Rainsy Party and others in the opposition are fully on board.
It’s clear from a visit to the temple last week that the Cambodian military has dug in for the long haul. New heavy tanks, armored personnel carriers and ammunition “donated by friendly countries” are evident all over the base of the escarpment. Battle-scarred veterans, no doubt from all of Cambodia’s four previously warring factions and including ex-Khmer Rouge who controlled the temple from 1975 to 1998, are now all operating under one flag. And yes, of course there are Cambodian soldiers with weapons bunkered around the temple. If they weren’t there the Thai military could literally walk in and take control of it in five minutes. What government in Phnom Penh could allow that?
If this dispute goes real hot, relations between Cambodia and Thailand will be ruined for years, hundreds on both sides will die needlessly and the economic costs to the two countries will be astronomical.
Cooler heads need to prevail but rest assured the Cambodians will never, no matter what the price, give up control of Wat Preah Vihear.
Why should they? It’s theirs.
Michael Hayes co-founded the Phnom Penh Post in 1992 and was Publisher & Editor-in-Chief from 1992 to 2008.
20 comments:
there will be more problem between the two nations along other part of the border, if thailand really moved the border marker inside Cambodia as stated in this article. I have heard the rumor from aid workers along the border saying that too. There is no doubt that Thai Deputy Prime Minister was so afraid when hearing French Foreign Ministry offers map to settle the border problem.
In Thailand's political chaos it is more expendable to
use Cambodia for it's internal problems. Why not abuse
the weaker, poorer neighbor Cambodia to resolve internal
madness.
I'm willing to guess the US sided with the Thais
during the UN Security council vote, despite
knowing the Thais are in the wrong.
After all the Thai extradited the Russian arms dealer
to the US last year even though Russia strongly protested
the decision.
Now the US, long time ally to Thailand, is compelled to
return the favor, a tit for tat. Cambodian Americans should
call Obama to protest the US current foreign policy in
Thailand, in light of Thailand's aggression.
I'm willing to guess the US sided with the Thais
during the UN Security council vote, despite
knowing the Thais are in the wrong.
After all the Thai extradited the Russian arms dealer
to the US last year even though Russia strongly protested
the decision.
Now the US, long time ally to Thailand, is compelled to
return the favor, a tit for tat. Cambodian Americans should
call Obama to protest the US current foreign policy in
Thailand, in light of Thailand's aggression.
Thanks for the great article. It was high time that someone pointed all this out.
wow read through your written very nice word. But I would like to ask you, if you own a house, would like your house be share with other or co-manage Mr. Michael?
Preah Vihea and the area is belong to Cambodia. How can we share with Siem?
Thanks for fair analysis.
Thank you Mr. Hayes for taking the time to analyze a fair viewpoint that worths to be labeled as "Phnom Penh Post."
The Bangkok Post, on the other hand, is a fascist all out Thai government mouthpiece without substanace and truth.
I agree with Michael on the idea of a Thai-Cambodia joint Preah Vihear National Park...but cannot be at the 4.6km2 alone at Cambodia's expence. The Thai side must set adjacent area equally to the 4.6km2 totalling altogether 9.2 km2 as a Khmer-Thai friendship park and enlisted as a joint World Heritage management area. I think is idea is fair on both sides.
The temple is itself cannot be joint manage because it is entirely in Cambodia's sovereignty according to the ICJ 1962.
The Thai logic goes on as to say that the PV entrance is on their side is completely false. The Thai border is 500 meters away from the PV entrance.
If the Thais are honest Buddhists they should not be worried about the UN or international observers to secure a complete ceasefire.
Khmer and Thai are Buddhists...they should not destroy Buddhist temples...as seen recently in the Thai bombing of Wat Keo Sekkha Kiri Savarak and bullet ridden Buddha's images inside the temple.
It is a known fact that "the Thais sign with with hands and erase with their feet."
Good article but...
when a person named for examples: John, Mike or Steve write an article which suits to khmer readers style, it gets praised.
When a person named for example: Sok, Sambath, or Soy writes any thing it receives "F" and/or "S" or "MF"
This is typical norm of a khmer altutude toward a Khmer after thousand years of inferior learnnig curve.
What would you do when you have a problem with your neighbor, reguarding the fence around the house ??????
This is a simple question !!!
1- You need to get the servey done, then go to court to prove where the boundary line located.
It is as simple as that !!!!
Thai Gov. acted like there is no map to prove where the boundary line is !!!!!!
The world know that there is the map in the UN or France that you can use to settle the case, but Thai choose not to settle the case.
Thai have a thick skin !!!!!
They can lie and steal stuff from you then they act like nothing has happened. Even though, they caucgt red handed, they still deny it !!!
Thank you for hitting the point:
"And yes, of course there are Cambodian soldiers with weapons bunkered around the temple. If they weren’t there the Thai military could literally walk in and take control of it in five minutes. What government in Phnom Penh could allow that?"
I was going to say this for a long time. But now even best to hear the full article.
Khmer soldiers and
Khmer people never
and never,and never
give up Preah Vihear
and 4.6 square km
land to Thailand,but
Hun Sen and CPP give
up few miles along
Vietnam Khmer border,
Koh Trol to Vietnam.
Million Vietnam
immigrants and Viet
soldiers hiding in
seven rubber plant
fields in seven provinces in Cambodia with 99 yrs contracts.
How many Viet soldiers are working
in thousand and thousand hectares.
Are Khmer becoming
like Khmer Krom?
After Chey Chetha II
giving few provinces
for Vietnam soldiers
to train soldiers;
and now it became
Vietnam province.
What's up!
If Khmer people stand up,they must
stand up against
them both Thai and
Vietnam.
Khmer should not fight with Thai and
let Vietnam take what she wants.
Khmer should look both eyes and hear both ears.Then keep
our mouths to fight
them both.
who is wrote aticle above fuck you there is no 4.6 km square joinning with thailand. all land is khmer lane. i wonder did you read khmer map on 1904 or 1907 if you do you shoud know there is no 4.6 km square it is belong to khmer. if you do not read it go and read also ask franch about the map.i wonder did you share your wife with your friend? or your personal property with you freind if you don't then stop to say non sense. dig the truth before you wrote the article about 4.6 square km. this non exist in thai part.
Abhisit and his group ,they never hurt from the war ,so now they want to know how the war hurt them .
Dear Michael,
Thank you for your fair and timely input.
As a alongterm Cambodia resident and observer, I'm sure you have seen it all over the years.
As you mentioned, whilst editor-in-chief you ran into trouble with the Cambodian authorities over your editorial direction. The more thoughtful among the Post's readers often detected its precarious balancing act by giving due space to all sides without giving up on its professional obligation towards its readership. Nevertheless, when compared to a number of Thailand's press publications like the Bangkok Post and the Nation, Cambodia's foreign-owned newspapers have been some distance behind their Thai counterparts in putting across to national and international audiences Cambodia's version of events and grievances over a range of regional and international issues, of which the Preah Vihear case is a prime instance.
Those of us who turn to online news blogs like KI Media are used to being served with Bangkok's jaundiced views of the world, particularly, over the current Preah Vihear conflict, and this largely one-sided channeling of news and opinions may be contributing to the obfuscation of the actual backgrounds and causes that lay behind this conflict in terms of how the world at large (and the world media, in particular) perceive it.
Your call for the so-called 'disputed' region to be transformed into a jointly managed development project (Friendship Park!) in part reflects this skewed agenda and logic of the Thai elite through its largely biased press and media community and if, put into effect, will only go towards meeting that agenda at expense of Cambodia's ultimate humiliation and pain.
If the Thais feel so strongly about this dispute, why are they so shy of any suggestion to have it resolved through presumably proper mechanisms such as the Franco-Siamese treaties of 1904/7 as well as the UN Security Council?
Remember how long Cambodia has been conned into wasting time with endless series of futile 'bilateral talks' or dialogues? Even Phnom Penh's recommendation that Asean should post its observers or monitors to the border areas in question draws opposition from the Thais. One likewise recalls the Thais trying to block Unesco from dispatching its envoy to Preah Vihear to verify the claimed damages caused to the temple by the Thai military in recent outbreaks of fighting there, arguing that the Unesco party coming from the Cambodian side will have to trespass disputed area, according to, of course, the Thais' own unilaterally drawn map!
A similar unilateral map has also been used to stake claims over vast maritime territory which had historically been within the Khmer nation's boundary. Cambodia, at this point in time, has neither the navy nor the resources to defend its off-shore boundaries against such coveting claims by her neighbours.
As I suggested previously, both Thais and Khmers, not least, those living near the Preah Vihear area, could stand to reap benefit from the site's economic development without Cambodia having to compromise on her territorial integrity. There is no law that will likely prevent Thai citizens from engaging in trade or business with their Khmer neighbours, and I understand that Asean is erecting highways and bridges across this region, easing border control restrictions etc. towards this end.
However, the issue and principle of sovereignty is a separate matter altogether that should not and must not be subject to compromise.
I believe the Thais would never have put forward the idea of 'joint-development' in the first place had they sincerely believed the temple or the surrounding areas were located within the remit of Thai national boundary.
Is this underhand scheme of the Thais not obvious?
"I believe the Thais would never have put forward the idea of 'joint-development' in the first place had they sincerely believed the temple or the surrounding areas were located within the remit of Thai national boundary. "
11:06
Good point!!
Just in case anyone needs Sithy Sieng's email:(sithysieng@yahoo.com).
Knowledge is nothing without proper execution!!!
KI Media and Khmer IT Team, it's time to get rid of the oppressors.
Best of Luck and long life for all true Khmers!
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