Saturday, June 25, 2011

On the borderline

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx7WoY_MTC8

An ancient temple on the border between Thailand and Cambodia is at the heart of a deadly territorial dispute.

25 Jun 2011
101 East

An ancient temple on the border between Thailand and Cambodia is at the heart of a deadly territorial dispute, creating some of the fiercest fighting in southeast Asia for years.

Twenty-seven people have been killed since February in clashes along the border, while many more have been injured and tens of thousands of villagers have been forced to flee.

Both governments claim ownership of the 4.6 square kilometres of land surrounding the temple. But some say nationalism and domestic politics are the real driving forces behind the conflict.

On this edition of 101 East, we go to both sides of the borderline to look at the fight for Preah Vihear.

Who suffers the most from the conflict?


By Ou Virak, the president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights

The hostilities over Preah Vihear and other border temples have become a rallying point for nationalist sentiment in both Cambodia and Thailand. While uncertainty remains as to the cause of the recent clashes, nationalist forces in both countries have used the issue to score political points.

The extents to which both governments have gone to paint the other as the cause of these tensions have been to the detriment of civilians on either side of the border who have borne, and who continue to bear, the brunt of this cynical and politicised conflict.

The clashes, which were previously confined to the area surrounding Preah Vihear temple, spread in pockets in April and May this year along a 150 kilometre stretch of the shared border. Given the fragility of the peace between the two countries, hundreds of thousands of civilians on either side of this stretch of the border now live in constant fear of displacement resulting from any resumption of hostilities.

As the geographical scope of the clashes increased, so too did their intensity and the resulting humanitarian fallout. While a clash at Preah Vihear in April 2009 resulted in the temporary relocation of 1,660 civilians on the Cambodian side of the border, it is reported that as many as 85,000 civilians on either side of the border were displaced as a result of the most recent series of clashes.

Of even greater concern are the nefarious tactics and weapons that have been used. When hostilities broke out in February this year, Cambodia shelled a residential area 10 kilometres inside Thai territory killing one civilian and damaging seven homes and a school. In response to this attack, Thailand fired shells 27 kilometers into Cambodian territory and resorted to the use of cluster munitions – justified, according to Thai sources, on the basis of Cambodia's resort to indiscriminate shelling.

The widening geographical scope of the conflict is such that its consequences are being felt by an ever greater number of civilians. The use of indiscriminate tactics places these people in the firing line. While civilians have returned to their homes, they live in constant fear of a resumption of hostilities. It is only when the Cambodian and Thai governments put their people before politics and resolve this issue peacefully and conclusively that any semblance of normalcy can return to civilian life at the border.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

i think it's not going to solve anything talking with siem, we need to seriously get the UN security council to get involved in solving this international issue, especially the redemarcation of the old borderlines. you have to understand the borderlines have already existed since the international treaty of 1907, so that was the only acceptable international borderline to cambodia, any other map used by siem is just their unilateral or secret map they want to keep from view. and it sounds that this current conflict is stemmed from that siem unilateral map more than anything. it doesn't make sense to hear siem foreign minister talks here because he sounded so bias and of course have only siem interest in mind! this siem diplomatic is not really a diplomat, he's more like a siem pad thug put there for making trouble with cambodia, you know!

cambodia cannot allow siem to use their international aid to influence cambodia to give up our preah vihear temple and lands, etc, really! we have to tell siem that none of their international assistance can be used to gain cambodia favor, especially when it comes to khmer national sovereignty, period! international aid is should be a separate issue between two friendly nations, and shouldn't be used to win favor or influence, you know! there are more to cambodia than this siem guy thinks, really!

Anonymous said...

how long is this evil siem administration going to last? as we know, siem gov't changed all the time, almost like yearly, really! so, it's a matter of time to new one, hopefully a more friendly one is in place to work cooperative and diplomatically withh cambodia by respecting the international law, etc! apparently this current siem administration is less than friendly and respecting the international law, etc. only respecting the international law will solve or win cooperation, dialogue, etc with cambodia, you know!

Anonymous said...

so sad....

www.khmeroldies.info

Anonymous said...

Please the temple is call Prasat Preah Vihear. Not any other names. Again it is Prasat Preah Vihear.

Anonymous said...

The Khmers need to find a way to work together and stop fighting among themselves if they really want to protect the Preah Vihear Temple.

The UN can't do anything much to help you if you cannot even help yourself!

The fighting among Cambodians is everywhere even in this forum.

People simply cannot disagree with each other in a nice manner without calling each other Youn or Siem and most of them live in America or the western countries where they are supposed to have learned the real meaning of democracy, free expression of opinion or freedom of speech and tolerance of one another.

If you already curse another Khmer who has a different opinion from you in such a cruel manner or even want to break his head/neck and you are supposed to be a democrat, how can one then believe that you can be different from Hun Sen or his CPP officials when you are in power?

Remember that you are not the only person on this planet who wants to see Cambodia prosperous and survive into the future.

Anet Khmer

Anonymous said...

TALKING TO THE SIAMESES NEVER GET
ANYWHERE. THEY ARE FAMOUS IN MAKING
LONG SPEECHES BUT NEVER SAY ANYTHING. THEY " TALK THE TALK " BUT NEVER " WALK THE WALK ". THEY
NEVER KEEP PROMISES, EXCUSES AFTER
EXCUSES TO TRY TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLES.
THE HUN SEN ADMINISTRATION ALWAYS TALKS BIG BUT NEVER CAN DO MUCH WITH NEIGHBORS. HANDICAPPED WITH
BIG MOUTH.

Anonymous said...

from history, remember when sihanouk race card for south vietnam which then backed by america, he blindly only think about that, thus lost focus. i mean, of course, khmer people do not trust youn or siem, but we have to think logically and not over use that as an excuse to politically blind ourself, really! it's almost become obscess with the race card, and lost focus because of it; that's become stupid, when one are too obscess with the thing they dislike and lost focus. it's like promoting your enemy instead of isolating or condemn them, etc. i think people need not to lose focus on whatever they do! that's all!

Anonymous said...

ថៃ និង យួន ជា ប្រទេសនិងជាជនជាតិបៀត
បៀនប្រទេសនិងជាតិខ្មែរ។ពូជសាសន៍ទាំងពីរ
នេះមិនឈប់បៀតបៀនខ្មែររហូតទាល់ខ្មែរ
ក្លាយទៅជាជនជាតិចាម ទើបវាឈប់បៀត
បៀន។
ដើម្បីទប់ទល់នឹងអំពើយួនសៀម ខ្មែរត្រូវ
មានសាគ្គីភាពឲយបានរឹងប៉ឹង មុតមាំ
អង់អាចក្លាហានមុះមុត សុខចិត្តស្លាប់ខ្លួន
កុំឲយស្លាប់ជាតិ និង បាត់បង់ទឹកដី។

Anonymous said...

I am sad to hear Khmer commentator or anlysis say, Preah vihear issue is stired by domestic politics at Cambodian side as well. Preah vihear belong to Cambodia, we request UNESCO to register as world heritage is our right. Thailand opposes and its army invade that area. This is real issue. It is not because Hun Sen register Preah Vihear as World Heritage, It is solely Thailand domestic politics, ignorance and greedy for what belong to Khmer. It is a big mistake for those Khmer commentor that cause misunderstanding to internatioal. Preah Vihear belong to Khmer, there is not need to stir nationalism, We love the temple from the begining that is why we built it.

Anonymous said...

Samaky? The broken glasses and we are the people try to put back by piece and piece? Cambodia is the country that called the broken country,this country need the leaders like Israelis leaders if we can't find them the GRAVES are still await until no more people that called khmers exist.

Anonymous said...

Bullshit half news, where is the news about the vietnam border issue?

Anonymous said...

Its ALL political, the thai government gains, Hoon Xen gains, Hanoi gain.

Khmer loses!

Anonymous said...

If ah motherfuckers CPP wanted Khmer to united together first of all you must stop slavery to ah Yuon first and then make term limited for president. Then I bet Khmer people will be united together again.

Anonymous said...

Who is that female reporter? Is she Khmer? She looks exactly like Khmer but her accent is of the british one. She raised tough questions to the Thai foreign prime minister who got angry at her questions at times and then continue to label Cambodia as the "Third World Banana Republic". Lol. That dude lost it big time. In addition, he even said that Thailand has always been the one who gives so freely and contribute to the prosperity conditions for the people of Cambodia. Lol. Thais are world documented killers of the Khmer people through the ages. Thais need to move back to their ancestral home in Nanchao. The entire Thailand is of the former Khmer territory. Thais need to go back to their ORIGINAL home. Thailand can never win over Cambodia because Cambodians have a much more HIGHER SPIRIT than the Thais who are NOT the originals of Southeast Asia. The Khmer are the people of Southeast Asia. The Thais need to go back and reclaim their ancestral territory from the Mongol Hordes. Lol.

Anonymous said...

Ah Kashit is a big liar. I do not believe Khmers are shooting or stir up trouble first. If Thais not hiding anything to the world, they would allow thirty Asean soldiers to guard at both side of Thailand and Cambodia border. Then these soldiers will find out who shoot at each other first. The Cambodians agree with Asean and the Thai side not agree with Asean. So who is lying to the world? Yes Preah Vihear is the blue print of Cambodians and the small land around belong to Cambodians.

Anonymous said...

Of course the Preah Vihear Temple is more or less a political survive for the politicians from both sides.
Not just the politicians but also some people like Mr. Ouk Virak also used the Preah Vihear temple for his own purpose. His opinion went not to the problem, but personaly again Mr. Hun Sen and Hun Manet. We all not CPP or like the today internal politic of our governemnt. But in our national interest, not agree what he said. If not Mr Hun Manet took care or leaded the front in fighting again the Thai aggressors, sure someone else will do this job in protecting our country.
Mr. Ouk Virak thought, that other Khmer or our soldier at the front are so stupid have the same political view as he believed and we Khmer just let the Thai dictated us and invaded our country.

Anonymous said...

I am Khmer and I do not support this fighting between Khmers and Thais created by Yuon Hanoi, so to send their sleeping army into Cambodia.
I think inside Thai politicians there are Yuon spies among them (Yellow Shirts) too.
Why do we not care to look at the eastern of Cambodia instead of only western.

Anonymous said...

Phay Siphan is Yuon who speaks fluently Khmer like many other Yuon who sent to Cambodia to do the job.

Anonymous said...

We all don't like the situation on the eastern side with Vietnam.
But in the mean time we should concentrate of the border situation on the western side, because we have all proves and have the international support and documents from the French authority and the UN-court again the aggressor Thai.

11:39 AM

Mr Phay Siphan lives, speaks, reads and writes Khmer and also protects the interest of our country. He is a Khmer. We also have Chinese, Cham Khmer, etc...
All these people are very proud to be Khmer.

Anonymous said...

7:00 PM
Citizen of Cambodia are Cambodians, but Cham people are not Khmers, they are only Cambodian citizen. Cham people have their country just wiped out by Ming Mang in 1800's after million Cham were silently massacred.
If we allowed Cham to be called Khmer islam or Cham Khmer then Yuon get their wishes by saying "See Cham are just a minority group with no country." Yuon want to persuade the whole world that Cham people have no country and that Yuon are the owner of Champa? No.

This earth is about 5.4 billion years, and the earth has shifted for so many time, Champa will again reborn, like an old saying "no empire will last for every".

You fall to Yuon tactics again just like in 1600's, 1700's 1800's, 1900's and today 2000's.

Anonymous said...

Ah PHAY MONI SISOVANN chkae lourk kbarl oy ah kror torb orb krortin noeuk mam,ah jornray yo .$$$$$$$$$$$$$ US min chng'anh doch luy Dong yuon.

Pe anh