By Daniel Ten Kate and Anuchit Nguyen
Bloomberg
Thailand will start talks with Cambodia to withdraw troops from a disputed area surrounding an ancient temple to comply with a demilitarized zone drawn up by a United Nations court, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said.
The UN-backed International Court of Justice yesterday ordered both countries to immediately withdraw military personnel from an area surrounding Preah Vihear temple. Cambodia, granted sovereignty over the temple by the court in 1962, had asked for measures to prevent more clashes while judges interpret the previous ruling.
Battles between the neighbors near border temples have killed more than two dozen people since 2008, when a Thai court ordered a government linked to ex-leader Thaksin Shinawatra to withdraw support for Cambodia’s bid to list Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site. His allies, set to return to power next month after winning a July 3 election, have pledged friendlier relations with Cambodia.
“It’s a good ruling that both sides have to retreat,” Pavin Chachavalpongpun, visiting research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said by phone. “The court ruling complements the changing political situation in Thailand and should bring some stability.”
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who last month threatened to withdraw from the World Heritage Convention over the temple dispute, saw his Democrat party lose the election by more than 100 seats to a party led by Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra. Thailand’s 500-member Parliament is scheduled to meet in early August to pick a new prime minister.
‘Fair’ Decision
“We will urgently initiate negotiations with Cambodia for the troop withdrawal,” Kasit, a member of Abhisit’s administration, told reporters in Bangkok via phone from The Hague, Netherlands. “The decision is fair for both parties.”
The withdrawal of troops may wait until Thailand forms a new government, Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said by phone yesterday. Both countries kept soldiers stationed near the temple immediately after the ruling, Tawatchai Samutsakorn, a Thai army commander who oversees the region, said by phone.
“Cambodia wants to see the conflict resolved through peaceful means,” government spokesman Phay Siphan said by phone yesterday from Phnom Penh, its capital, after the ruling. He declined to comment further on the decision.
The 1962 court decision refrained from demarcating 4.6 square kilometers of disputed land around the temple, which has fueled the recent fighting. Abhisit’s administration has opposed the World Heritage Committee’s consideration of Cambodia’s management plan for the temple on grounds that it infringes Thai sovereignty.
Indonesian Observers
The court yesterday unanimously rejected Thailand’s request to dismiss the case and said it should not obstruct Cambodia’s access to the temple. The ruling also said both countries should allow observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations access to the demilitarized zone, a proposal from bloc member Indonesia that Thailand had previously resisted.
The court decision was “in line with the Thai government’s demand for the withdrawal of Cambodian military personnel in the conflicting area,” Kasit said. “We will urgently request Indonesian observers to observe the withdrawal.”
A Thai-Cambodian committee created to demarcate their 803- kilometer (499-mile) land border hasn’t met for two years. The countries have yet to divide 26,993 square kilometers (10,422 square miles) in the Gulf of Thailand that may contain oil and gas reserves.
Thailand’s $264 billion economy is more than 26 times the size of Cambodia’s. The Cambodian army spent $191 million in 2009, compared with $4.9 billion for the military in Thailand, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at dtenkate@bloomberg.net
5 comments:
The stupid ding bat bitch who voted against Cambodia in all counts was Judge Joan e. Donoghue who joined the icj panel in September 2010...she either got bribed by the Thai government or got laid by a Thai lady boi in Pattaya to have such an arrogant biased view regardless of the facts.
The rooky always makes wrong decision. Her knowledge of the international laws is so green. She needs to take some world history classes.
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 30,000 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 30,000km2 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 30,000 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 30,000 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, President Ms. Rattana Keo,
បងប្អូនខ្មែរការសម្រេចរបស់តុលាការអន្តរជាតិនេះពិត
ជាត្រឹមត្រូវ។ ការដែលតុលាការសម្រេចឱយកងទ័ពនៃប្រទេសទាំងពីរដកចេញពីតំបន់ព្រៈវិហានោះគឺជាការមួយល្អណាស់សម្រាប់ប្រទេសខ្មែរ។ ពួកអាក្បត់ ហ៊ុន សែននិង
យួនមានការខកចិត្តជាខ្លាំង ពីព្រោះការសម្រេចរបស់
អន្តរជាតិនេះធ្វើឱយស្ទៈដល់ផែនការចាក់រុកឱយខ្មែរនិងថៃឈ្លោះគ្នា។ យួនបានចាប់យកប្រាសាទព្រៈ
វិហាមកធ្វើជាចំណាត់ខ្មាំងបង្ករឱយមានជម្លោះដើម្បីបញ្ជូនកូនខ្មែរអ្នកស្នេហាជាតិឱយទៅស្លាប់នៅ
ក្នុងសមរភូមិ ដោយពួកវានិយាយបោកបញ្ឆោតថាថៃឈ្លានពានខ្មែរ ដូច្នេះយើងជាខ្មែរត្រូតែយកជីវិតទៅការពារទឹកដីយើង ការពារតែខាងលិចតែខាងកើតវិញចូលតាមចិត្ត។
សូមកូនខ្មែរមើលឱយបានជ្រៅ សព្វថ្ងៃព្រំដែនយួនភាគខាងកើតជាប់និងខ្មែរនោះវារំកិលមកដល់ជាប់នឹងព្រំដែនថៃខាងលិចរួចបាត់ទៅហើយបងប្អូន ដីខ្មែរថៅកែយួនរួចបាត់ទៅហើយ ពេលនេះបើខ្មែរ
មិនខំនាំគ្នារើរបំរៈទេ ខ្មែរង៉ាប់អស់ហើយ។
I just drop my jaw when I read that Cambodia pull back the military too! This is to show that Preah Vihear temple doesn't belong to Cambodia and not under Cambodian sovereignty! If Preah Vihear under Cambodian sovereignty and why Cambodia has to withdraw their military!
The next move is that the Thai will find loophole in the law to wrestle the Preah Vihear into their hand!
This is a very sad day for all Cambodian people!
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