Aerial view of Preah Vihear temple.
Sanjib Kr Baruah,
Hindustan Times
New Delhi, March 09, 2011
With tension palpable along the Thai-Cambodia border, regional grouping ASEAN has proposed a meeting between the two countries on March 24-25 to resolve the vexed border issue that centers around the stunning 900-year-old stunning Preah Vihear temple complex dedicated to Shiva, one of the trinity of Hindu Gods. It is a temple that architect Divay Gupta helped restore.
Understandably Gupta is a worried man. "I was there in January last year and have been going there on and off for the last five years. I have heard there has been some damage on the temple. It is already very fragile and there is threat of the entire structure collapsing," he told HT.
As an international expert under a UNESCO project, Gupta had helped prepare the management plan for the temple complex. The effort led to the listing of the monument as a world heritage site on July 7, 2008, sparking off a decades-long dispute that led to Thai and Cambodian troops exchanging machine gun and artillery fire that has resulted in many deaths—both of soldiers and civilians—besides leading to the displacement of thousands.
Heavily landmined in the aftermath of the decades-long war in Cambodia, the border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated.
The present dispute has its roots in 2008 when anti-government protesters in Thailand vehemently criticised the Thai regime for backing Cambodia's bid to list the site as a world heritage site.
Contending claims to the Shiva temple and its surrounding area have stirred nationalist passion in the two countries for generations.
More than a decade ago, the 11th century temple area was under the control of the remnants of Pol Pot's guerrilla army, the Khmer Rouge. It predates the famous Angkor Wat temple complex by more than 100 years.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice had awarded the 4.6 sq km area comprising the temple and its precincts to Cambodia, irking Thailand no end, whose military regime had organised a fund-raiser where every citizen donated 1 baht to pay for the Thai legal effort at The Hague.
Situated on a hillock, the temple is mainly accessible from the Thai side as it was land-mined from the Cambodian side by Khmer Rouge guerrillas besides being a very steep 600-metre climb.
The descent from the temple has a bloody history with thousands having been blown to bits in 1979 when Thai soldiers forced some 45,000 refugees to climb down the mined precipice to Cambodia.
With tension palpable along the Thai-Cambodia border, regional grouping ASEAN has proposed a meeting between the two countries on March 24-25 to resolve the vexed border issue that centers around the stunning 900-year-old stunning Preah Vihear temple complex dedicated to Shiva, one of the trinity of Hindu Gods. It is a temple that architect Divay Gupta helped restore.
Understandably Gupta is a worried man. "I was there in January last year and have been going there on and off for the last five years. I have heard there has been some damage on the temple. It is already very fragile and there is threat of the entire structure collapsing," he told HT.
As an international expert under a UNESCO project, Gupta had helped prepare the management plan for the temple complex. The effort led to the listing of the monument as a world heritage site on July 7, 2008, sparking off a decades-long dispute that led to Thai and Cambodian troops exchanging machine gun and artillery fire that has resulted in many deaths—both of soldiers and civilians—besides leading to the displacement of thousands.
Heavily landmined in the aftermath of the decades-long war in Cambodia, the border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated.
The present dispute has its roots in 2008 when anti-government protesters in Thailand vehemently criticised the Thai regime for backing Cambodia's bid to list the site as a world heritage site.
Contending claims to the Shiva temple and its surrounding area have stirred nationalist passion in the two countries for generations.
More than a decade ago, the 11th century temple area was under the control of the remnants of Pol Pot's guerrilla army, the Khmer Rouge. It predates the famous Angkor Wat temple complex by more than 100 years.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice had awarded the 4.6 sq km area comprising the temple and its precincts to Cambodia, irking Thailand no end, whose military regime had organised a fund-raiser where every citizen donated 1 baht to pay for the Thai legal effort at The Hague.
Situated on a hillock, the temple is mainly accessible from the Thai side as it was land-mined from the Cambodian side by Khmer Rouge guerrillas besides being a very steep 600-metre climb.
The descent from the temple has a bloody history with thousands having been blown to bits in 1979 when Thai soldiers forced some 45,000 refugees to climb down the mined precipice to Cambodia.
17 comments:
Thank you Mr. Sanjib Kr Baruah for revealing the facts.
Big thanks Mr Sanjib for your text of the truth on past history, and it is different from exaggeration by current bloody Siam politicians,
Bye
Att
Thank you very much the author!!!!!
What u wrote is fair.
"In 1962, the International Court of Justice had awarded the 4.6 sq km area comprising the temple and its precincts to Cambodia, irking Thailand no end,"
MY COMMENTS: Thank you Hindustan Times for reporting the truth. You are the first news to come out straight. All Thai news media, i.e. Bankok Post and The Nation in every articles writen on Cambodian's Preah Vihear Temple they always mention the 4.6km as a "dispute" area. They want to keep it that way to instill the ideas in everyone's mind. But the world is no fools. There is no 4.6km dispute area. The land belongs to Cambodia -- the access to her very own temple Preah Vihear from her side of the border.
ដើម្បីបញ្ចប់រឿងប្រាសាទព្រះវិហារ យើងគួរជួយខ្មែរ សុរិន ខ្មែរបុរីរម្យ និងស៊ីសាកេត ឱ្យទទួលបានឯក រាជ្យដាច់ចេញពីសៀមទៅ។
To all Khmer who;s ahve a better life...dont forget where we had come from!
I remember the refugee camp! Thais treated us khmer like shit or animal
Remembrance! During the 1980s Thai had killed thousand of Khmers along the border Khmer-Thai. Thai still hate KHmer because Thai sees Cambodia is growing and jelouse with Khmer Angkor Wat temple and Khmer culutres. Thai worsen then Vietnamese.
Too bad Thai hates Khmer, Khmer can speak Thai languague easy, because Thai imitated Khmer languague. To Cambodian who like to learn Thai, I suggest you should try it, it's so easy. I can speak Thai, I learn by myself by watching Thai movies. Some Thai asked me why I can speak Thai, I told them that Thai language came from Khmer, it the same words.
At least there is someone out there with a fair mind and speak out the truth.
Thanks you.
I am proud to be Khmer-dark skin.
do not mix government policies with individual people.
Not all Thai hate Khmer. When Khmer refugees are hauled away to dump in DaungRek mount, many Thai give rice, candle, incense, to Khmer. they feel sorry for Khmer but they are just the people.
also, many khmer are in Thailand , but they are Thai citizens . do not hate them
i'm khmer white skin, and i don't have anything against khmer dark skin, you know! for me, what is more important is the love of cambodia, knowing khmer language, keeping khmer identity alive, and speaking legible khmer language, etc, etc, ok! who cares about your look, really!
I don't care light or dark skin as long as you have khmer blood you are KHMER.Don't you see Ah KWOAK skin ?YES AH HUN SEN IS KHMER EAT DDOG REAL KHMER DON'Y EAT DOG.
Dark skin or white skin why shit guys dont talk about blood it is diivided or not? Now world no race discrimination but u guy should be minizied ur thnking. Thanks ur article for giving the truth.
The 4.6 skm has always beens Cambodia's. Khmer people has been this land for centuries, not to mention most of Thailand. Khmers have also been living there ever since until the Thai trouble maker acting up. They think it is better to claim something than nothing, even though it is not their at all. Some medias and world organizations has fallen to their false claim. It is about time the world body find justice for little countries who have always been casted aside and bullied by the big countries. What Thailand has done is setting a bad example for chaotic world.
I was one of those refugees, and I never forget what the Thai did to me and my people. Thailand is ruthless country. If I have my day to revenge, I will.
Excellent article!
It tells the fact on the 4.6 square kilometer area surrouding the Preah Vihear Temple.
Anet Khmer
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