Thanida Tansubhapol
Bangkok Post
Relations between Thailand and Cambodia are improving gradually, after they agreed to resume Joint Boundary Commission talks last week in Indonesia.
The two-day JBC talks in Bogor ended last Friday, with both sides still sticking to their original positions on how their border dispute should be settled.
However, the fact that the two sides agreed to resume the talks - held for the first time in a third country - is a step forward and holds out hope for an eventual end to their border row.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, current Asean chairman, called the meeting after Cambodian and Thai troops clashed around the Preah Vihear temple on Feb 4-7.
Thailand agreed to attend the Indonesia-facilitated meeting as the country wanted to tell the international community that bilateral mechanisms for solving border conflicts between the two countries were still working without the need for third-party intervention.
But Cambodia disagreed. It wanted third-party intervention at the meeting despite the fact it was Thailand's turn this year to host the JBC talks.
Cambodia has worked hard to persuade a third party to intervene in the bilateral problem to make outsiders understand that Phnom Penh and Bangkok could no longer sit and talk to resolve border issues on a bilateral basis.
Cambodia never gave up hope of having a third party at the JBC meeting. When the first day of the meeting arrived, the country demanded Mr Marty join the opening session.
Thailand disagreed, saying Mr Marty was there only to act as a facilitator to manage the meeting format.
Cambodia countered by asking that its Foreign Minister Hor Namhong attend instead.
Hor Namhong left Phnom Penh for Bogor in anticipation of being allowed to attend.
In the end, Cambodia gave up its first demand after Asda Jayanama, leader of the Thai delegation, threatened to boycott the meeting, saying it should not be chaired at the ministerial level.
On the second day of the meeting, the two sides disagreed over the record of their discussions which concerned three issues on border demarcation.
Cambodia tried to claim that the meeting was hosted by Indonesia while Thailand claimed it was able to convince Cambodia to recognise Indonesia as a mere facilitator.
Thailand also claimed it was a major financial sponsor of the meeting.
Phnom Penh asked Indonesia, as the current Asean chair, to help oversee the next meeting but Bangkok opposed the call.
Thailand argued the bilateral mechanism for fixing border conflicts between the two countries had returned to normal, but Cambodia told outsiders that the JBC meeting failed due to the absence of Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.
5 comments:
Preah Vihear, Province, Cambodia
We want Thais soldiers yellow shirts tug know that, our Cambodian troop were ready to protect our territory against Thais bandits invader.
Chea Dara, Deputy commader in chief RCG.
KAMPUCHEA KROM AT A GLANCE
Kampuchea Krom is composed of 68,965 square kilometers, 21 provinces and municipalities, two large islands - Koh Tral and Koh Tralach, 171 districts, 1,368 communes, 14,778 villages, more than 13 million Khmers, more than 567 Buddhist pagodas and more than 20,000 Theravada Buddhist monks.
99% of populations are Theravada Buddhists.
The Khmer kings, governments, regimes and citizens have never relinquish (give up) this part of their country to foreigners.
Kampuchea Krom has been under an ongoing colonial control since her division from motherland, Cambodia.
June 4, 1949 is the date that the Khmer Kampuchea Krom citizens grieve. The Khmer Kampuchea Krom people have organized Buddhist Service annually to honor the fallen Khmer Buddhist monks and heroes, who sacrificed their lives for Kampuchea Krom and Theravada Buddhism.
Colonial France divided, ceded and transferred Kampuchea Krom to colonial Vietnam on this date. The freedom of Khmer Kampuchea Krom has been mostly stripped by the Vietnamese ruling regimes and governments since. The French colonial administration committed injustice upon the more than 13 million Khmers of this beautiful fertile land.
Justice remains elusive for Cambodia, Kampuchea Krom and her citizens.
And...The struggle to regain freedom and human rights by the Khmers in Kampuchea Krom continues as long as injustice commits by the ruling Vietnamese regime(s) has not produced a fruitful result.
Koh Tral (Tral Island)
in Vietnamese - Phu Quoc island
circa 1939 Vietnamese encroached and conquered
Koh Tral Island has an area of 567 square kilometers; about 62 kilometers long and between 3 kilometers and 28 kilometers wide. The island physically is located closest to Cambodia's Kep seaside city. Visitors can see Koh Tral Island from the coastline of Kep. It is about a 30-minute motorized boat ride.
By Smart Khmer Girl, Ms. Rattana Keo
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 10,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 10,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 10,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 10,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
I don't know who you are Ms. Rattana Keo but I really appreciate your patriotism to Khmers. In Cambodia under Hun Sen regime, Khmer kids don't know anything about Koh Tral and Real Khmer History because CPP fully cooperates with Viet to brain washes Khmer kids after 1979 until present’s day.
The teachers at Cambodia can’t tell Khmer kids the true about their true history because they are being blackmail by the Hun Sen government. (“You want to be missing” that is the phrase CPP Viet spies’ tactic using every day at Cambodia school)
I would like Ki media educate Khmer people more about their own true history because majority of Khmer kids educated from 1979 till present day are big missing link to Cambodia real history.
We Khmers around the world must not accept the way CPP government brain wash Khmer kids today.
Maxx Blonde Low Carb,
stupid and ignorant to quote from the world's most biased newspaper, the bangcock post in evil siem country, you know!
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