 |
| Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, left, shaking hands with his Indonesia counterpart Marty Natalegawa before Thailand-Cambodia Joint Commission on The Demarcation Land Boundary (JBC) meeting at the State Palace in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia on Thursday. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) |
April 08, 2011
Ismira Lutfia
Jakarta Globe
As host of bilateral talks between Thailand and Cambodia over its border dispute, Indonesia on Thursday praised the progress of the discussions, although plans for sending observers to the conflict zone were yet to be finalized.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Thursday that the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission had so far agreed to focus on a diplomatic solution as opposed to use of force to resolve the border dispute.
“Today’s meeting represents yet another important step to underscore that diplomacy is the preferred means to solve problems,” the minister said.
“That’s the main message of the meeting.”
The JBC meeting began on Thursday and was set to conclude today.
It was originally conceived as a parallel discussion to the General Border Committee, but that meeting was vetoed by the Thai military over a proposed plan to deploy unarmed Indonesian Armed Forces personnel as observers to both sides of the border in the disputed area.
Marty said despite the apparent setback, he and his Cambodian counterpart, Hor Namhong, had followed up on the outcome of the Asean Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting in Jakarta in February, during which a regional plan was formulated to send Indonesian observers to ensure a cease-fire agreed to by the two countries was respected.
Both Thailand and Cambodia at the time had agreed to accept observers, a decision Marty said reflected the regional bloc’s confidence in Indonesia playing a role in conflict mediation.
Indonesia has laid out its proposed terms of reference for the observer mission, laying out the mandate for each team — comprising 13 unarmed military personnel and two civilians from the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry — to be stationed on each side of the border.
Marty said talks on Thursday morning with the Cambodian foreign minister had ended well with positive feedback on the observer mission.
“But at the same time, we have to recall that the observer issue is only an instrument to an end — the end being the continuation of the cease-fire and stability of the border area, and that fact has so far held up,” Marty said.
He said the disputed area has so far remained calm despite observers not being there to supervise the cease-fire. “So we need to maintain that peace and stability,” he added.
12 comments:
The island's history is as old as any Asian mainland. An 1856 record mentions the island: "... King Ang Duong (of Cambodia) apprise Mr. de Montigny, French envoy in visit to Bangkok, through the intermediary of Bishop Miche, his intention to yield Koh Tral to France (cf. “The Second [French] Empire of IndoChina”)". Such a proposition aimed to create a military alliance with France to avoid the threat of Vietnam on Cambodia. The proposal did not receive an answer from the French.
While the war between Annam, France, and Spain was about to begin, Ang Duong sent another letter to Napoleon III to warn him on Cambodian claims on the lower Cochinchina region: the Cambodian king listed provinces and islands, including Koh Tral, under Vietnamese occupation since several years or decades (in the case of Saigon, some 200 years according to this letter). Ang Duong asked the French emperor to not annex any part of these territories because, as he wrote, despite this relatively long Vietnamese occupation, they remain Cambodian lands. In 1867, Phu Quoc's Vietnamese authorities pledge allegiance to French troops just conquering HaTien.
After Cambodia gained independence from France, sovereignty disputes over the island were raised since there was no colonial decision on the island's fate. Dating back to 1939, the Governor-general of French Indochina, Jules Brévié had drawn a line to delimiting the administrative boundaries for islands in the Gulf of Thailand: those north of the line were placed under the Cambodian protectorate; those south of the line were managed by the colony of Cochinchina. Brévié made the point that the decision merely addressed police and administrative task, and that no sovereignty decision had been made. As a result, Phu Quoc remains under Cochinchina administration.
Phu Quoc has been a sleepy historical backwater most of its life. The temple on Cau rock was built in 1937. During the Vietnam War the island housed South Vietnam's largest prisoner camp (40000 in 1973, cf. Ngo Cong Duc, deputy of the Vinh Binh province, quoted in "Le régime de Nguyen Van Thieu à travers l'épreuve", Etude Vietnamienne, 1974, pp. 99–131).
After Mainland China fell under the control of the Chinese Communist Party in 1949, General Huang Chieh led 30,000 Republic of China Army soldiers to Vietnam and they were stationed at Phu Quoc Island. Later, the army moved to Taiwan in June 1953. There is currently a small island in Kaohsiung, Taiwan's Chengcing Lake that was constructed in November 1955 and named Phu Quoc Island in memory of the fleeing Chinese soldiers in 1949.
In 1967, during the Sangkum Reastr Niyum, Norodom Sihanouk aimed to make the border internationally recognized; in particular, in 1967, the North Vietnamese government recognize theses borders. As written in an article from Kambudja magazine in 1968 (and quoted in the Sihanouk website), entitled "border questions", this border definition recognize that Phu Quoc island is in Vietnamese territory, even if Cambodian claims have been made later.
On May 1, 1975, a squad of Khmer Rouge soldiers raided and took Phu Quoc Island, but Vietnam soon recaptured it. This was to be the first of a series of incursions and counter-incursions that would escalate to the Cambodian–Vietnamese War in 1979.
By Dr. Hun Manet,
Hor Namhong is very old and dumb. He is Vietnamese and only serves his Vietnam's interest. I don't trust his guy, a CPP Yuon member.
All High Rank Officers in CPP goverment are truely vietcog who can speak and write khmer very well. They are trying very hard to brain wash new generation khmer children about their own Cambodian's history and thinking!
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,
Indonesia counterpart Marty Natalegawa, please sir, just spit your hand and shake this bad ass Hor Namhong, a traitor of Vietcong CPP.
Hor Namhong is very old and useless CPP Official who illegally settled in Cambodia. He created the bad foreign policy with his own Vietnam Communist Hanoi, letting illegal Vietnamese/Yuon folks to enter and live in Cambodia.
Yes Kos Tral is the best topic for real khmer people but Kos Tral is poison to Vietcog ears. Isn't it Vietcog Bitches?
In respone to Dr. Hun Manet by Ms. Rattana Keo,
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.
To Dr. Hun Manet (Dr. Yuon Evil):
Your comment indicates that you are a Vietnamese person using Dr. Hun Manet as a scapegoat. You had to write this comment to the gullible readers and bloggers who know very little about your fake Vietnam history and real Cambodia history.
So, Vietnamese people like you can feel confidential and comfortable with your rewritten fake history to include Koh Tral (Vietnam called it "Phu Quoc"). That is ridiculous. Vietnam always cheated and renamed Koh Tral to be Phu Quoc on the world map and Google map after 1979. Vietnam has been very active to create and rewrite the fake Vietnam every where on the international community websites like Wikipedia, Google Earth, etc, trying to speed up to cheat the readers, viewers and even bloggers in the world. Vietnam is very aggressive every second, trying rewrite and rename the land, sea or islands, etc before they kill any people live there.
Cont'd from 6:15 PM
To Dr. Hun Manet (Dr. Yuon Evil):
People, people and people of Khmer/Cambodia including Laos, Hmong, Hill Tribes in the regions, please watch out. I have seen how dirty the Vietnamese crooks. Many of Vietnamese people abroad are technical and computer programmers to cheat the story. I will tell the international communities and UN that Vietnamee people always keep cheating and being aggressive to rewrite the fake Vietnam history everywhere on the international community websites to trick the gullible readers, tourists, travelers, viewers, bloggers, researchers to confuse. Vietnamese people need to stop such their motivations and aggression.
I know that Vietnamese people always used Khmer people as unthinkable and forgotten people of their own people. What on earth are the Vietnamese people doing to Cambodian people in order to steal the land and islands? Vietnamese people have done terrible things to Laotian people, Hmong people and Hill Tribes in Southeast Asia region.
Cont'd from 6:15 PM
To Dr. Hun Manet (Dr. Yuon Evil):
It tells me that there are some Vietnamese spies and visitors exploring inside and around Cambodia, making sure the history books of Cambodia and Khmer Empire were destroyed and burnt down and that there was no name of Koh Tral in history books. It is not too late or no way that Vietnam can rewrite the fake Vietnam history to include Phu Quoc, The Cambodia/Khmer biggest island called Koh Tral in the gulf of Siam. I have studied the geography and history in high school Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 1979 when I was 12 years old. I remember Koh Tral, Koh Ses, Koh Kut, etc. I was very shocked that Vietnam rewrote the history history to include Koh Tral by calling it Phu Quoc to part of Vietnam. My relatives and friends who are older than me are not surprised to hear about Koh Tral.
I will show this comment to my relatives and friends about Koh Tral has been recently taken by Vietnam. You are making all up about Vietnam history by including Koh Tral (Vietnam called it Phu Quoc). It is not right!!!
I don't think it is appropriate that rewritten Vietnam history after 1979 to include Koh Tral, the biggest island of Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand.
I feel very stunning when you wrote this comment for readers and bloggers that you pretend to be Dr. Hum Manet. What are you doing? Brainwashing young Khmer kids?
Border violation by VietCong is important too and must be resolved
1:06 Am It is very very important must bring to world justice
Post a Comment