CCHR Media Comment – Phnom Penh, 25 April 2011
CCHR calls for internationally brokered and monitored peace deal to end clashes at the border permanently
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (“CCHR”), a non-political, independent, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect democracy and respect for human rights throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia, condemns the ongoing fighting in the area surrounding the Preah Vihear on the Cambodian-Thai border and calls for an internationally brokered and monitored peace deal between the countries.
The fighting at the border, which today entered its fourth day, is the second period of fighting this year. In May 2009 after a Thai attack resulted in the destruction of a village near the temple and damage to the temple itself, CCHR called upon the United Nations (“UN”) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (“ASEAN”) to intervene and meditate between the two sides. Two years on, the stand-off between the two nations is worse than ever and the human toll is rising, with as many as eleven soldiers killed and thousands of civilians displaced on either side of the border. As it is beyond any doubt that this issue cannot be resolved bilaterally, CCHR repeats our call for an international interlocutor to broker and monitor peace between the two countries.
Ou Virak, President of CCHR, commented:
“We have already seen eleven soldiers killed at the border and thousands of civilians have been displaced since the fighting has broken out again. This is the human cost of what appears to be a cynical political ploy on the part of both governments to satisfy nationalist sentiment. This most recent series of clashes is proof perfect that an international interlocutor is needed, both to broker a peace deal and to monitor it. The international community needs to stop flip flopping and to exert pressure on both sides to accept international assistance to end this farce.”
For more information, please contact Ou Virak via telephone at +855 (0) 12 40 40 51 or via email at ouvirak@cchrcambodia.org
Please find this media comment attached in English. A Khmer version will follow shortly.
Thank you and kind regards,
CCHR
2 comments:
Ou Virak is really mad for calling to international community to put pressure to both sides. Cambodia has fulfilled all our duty to ASEAN and keen to get Indonesian observers as soon as possible, but Thailand doesn't live up what they signed in Indonesia last February. So, why Ou Virak has appealed to International community to put pressure on Cambodia?
i think without international intervention, evil siem thugs will always take advantage to bully and cause suffering for cambodia and khmer people since ancient time, really! remember, history indicated to us that siem stole from cambodia and angkor by looting, waging war, etc, etc... they have not quit doing so, you know! obviously they are still living in the dark ages era, really!
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