Samleng Yuveakchon Khmer (Voice of Khmer Youth)
Translated from Khmer by Anonymous
"Today's Comment"
Following the 12-hour meeting from 10 A.M. to 10 P.M. on 28 July, the Thais won another round over Hun Sen's diplomacy of dragging his feet behind Thailand. This means that Cambodia again has agreed to another Thai demand from the meeting between Foreign Minister Hor Namhong (Cambodia) and Tej Bunnak (Thailand) in Siemreab.
Cambodia announced that it has agreed to withdraw Cambodian troops from Cambodian territory in the vicinity of Preah Vihear temple occupied by Thai troops and even from Preah Vihear temple itself, which was recognized as an ancient Khmer shrine by The Hague International Court of Justice on 15 June 1962. Any Cambodians with conscience and good judgment would be concerned and surprised why Hun Sen ordered Hor Namhong to agree to the demand of the Thais to pull Cambodian troops from Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple. What does this mean? What is its purpose?
All this shows that the diplomatic stance of Hun Sen and his government is extremely weak in the face of the incursion and violation by Thailand's armed forces. Just agreeing to withdraw Cambodian troops from the patch of Cambodian land at Kev Sekkha Kiri Svara pagoda, also known as Prasat Preah Vihear monastery, which has been held by more than 500 Thai troops, already shows a big and ugly diplomatic and strategic blunder of the Hun Sen administration, let alone agreeing to pull out our troops from the compound of Preah Vihear temple proper.
During the meeting of the senior Cambodian-Thai military officers of Tie Banh (Cambodia) and Bunsang Niampradit (Thailand) in Aran, Sakev province, Thailand, on 21 July the Thais already imposed so many conditions on the Khmer side. This was topped by the remark of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who said that Thailand would not withdraw from the territory in which hundreds of Thai troops had been deployed because, according to this Thai prime minister, it belongs to Thailand.
This infuriated Hun Sen and made him announce that he would put the problem on the table of the UN Security Council. However, just a few breathers later, it turned out that what Hun Sen said was just an empty threat. This is because right after Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said that Cambodia should not bring the complaint to the United Nations, Hun Sen listened to the Thais again. The fact that Hun Sen has been obeying the biddings of the Thais all along is the cause of the big problem in which hundreds of Thai soldiers have been sent in to occupy Cambodian territory near Preah Vihear temple.
As a matter of fact, the Thais referred to the map of the Preah Vihear temple compound newly drafted by Hun Sen's Cambodian Peoples' Party [CPP] government and given to the Thais in early June 2008 when they said that Cambodia inscribed only the temple with just a 30-meter periphery in the list of World Heritage Sites. Therefore, the Thais claimed that the land outside the fence 30 meters from Preah Vihear temple, including the land at Prasat Preah Vihear monastery, was recognized by Cambodia as territory jointly owned by Cambodia and Thailand. This was why the Thais sent their troops in and set all the conditions to strangle the Cambodians, using Hun Sen's flaccid hands.
Now after the Thais had committed such a glaring aggression against Cambodia, they still demanded that Cambodia withdraw all Cambodian troops from the Cambodian monastery and from Preah Vihear temple itself, which the Thais have recognized as belonging to Cambodia; and Hun Sen's CPP government again complied with the Thais' request. If we keep obeying the Thai orders like this, in the future when they want to pressure Cambodia to do something for them, the Thais would only need to send hundreds of their troops to occupy Cambodian land in any other locations and impose conditions on Cambodia to withdraw its troops. In this way, will Cambodian territory not keep shrinking?
Concerning the Thai troops agreeing to pull back and Hun Sen's CPP government telling the Thais that it also agreed to withdraw troops even from Preah Vihear temple, although no date has been fixed yet, it would be better if Hun Sen just smarts up. This is because the Thais are afraid because they have sent troops to brutally invade and occupy Cambodian territory; they are afraid that the UN Security Council would look into this case. Therefore, Cambodia should take a position in which we must put pressure on the Thais to pull back their troops from Cambodian territory. It should be the Thais who must withdraw their troops, not Cambodia withdrawing its troops from Preah Vihear temple. Hun Sen must wise up and listen to the message of King Father, the former King of Cambodia. On Saturday the ex-King said that he thanked Thaksin Shinawatra (Hun Sen's buddy) for planning to spend billions of dollars to develop Koh Kong province and the Preah Vihear temple region that the Thais have always dreamed of grabbing from Cambodia. Hun Sen should stop being a strongman only with his fellow Cambodians but a wimp before the Thais.
Cambodia announced that it has agreed to withdraw Cambodian troops from Cambodian territory in the vicinity of Preah Vihear temple occupied by Thai troops and even from Preah Vihear temple itself, which was recognized as an ancient Khmer shrine by The Hague International Court of Justice on 15 June 1962. Any Cambodians with conscience and good judgment would be concerned and surprised why Hun Sen ordered Hor Namhong to agree to the demand of the Thais to pull Cambodian troops from Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple. What does this mean? What is its purpose?
All this shows that the diplomatic stance of Hun Sen and his government is extremely weak in the face of the incursion and violation by Thailand's armed forces. Just agreeing to withdraw Cambodian troops from the patch of Cambodian land at Kev Sekkha Kiri Svara pagoda, also known as Prasat Preah Vihear monastery, which has been held by more than 500 Thai troops, already shows a big and ugly diplomatic and strategic blunder of the Hun Sen administration, let alone agreeing to pull out our troops from the compound of Preah Vihear temple proper.
During the meeting of the senior Cambodian-Thai military officers of Tie Banh (Cambodia) and Bunsang Niampradit (Thailand) in Aran, Sakev province, Thailand, on 21 July the Thais already imposed so many conditions on the Khmer side. This was topped by the remark of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who said that Thailand would not withdraw from the territory in which hundreds of Thai troops had been deployed because, according to this Thai prime minister, it belongs to Thailand.
This infuriated Hun Sen and made him announce that he would put the problem on the table of the UN Security Council. However, just a few breathers later, it turned out that what Hun Sen said was just an empty threat. This is because right after Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said that Cambodia should not bring the complaint to the United Nations, Hun Sen listened to the Thais again. The fact that Hun Sen has been obeying the biddings of the Thais all along is the cause of the big problem in which hundreds of Thai soldiers have been sent in to occupy Cambodian territory near Preah Vihear temple.
As a matter of fact, the Thais referred to the map of the Preah Vihear temple compound newly drafted by Hun Sen's Cambodian Peoples' Party [CPP] government and given to the Thais in early June 2008 when they said that Cambodia inscribed only the temple with just a 30-meter periphery in the list of World Heritage Sites. Therefore, the Thais claimed that the land outside the fence 30 meters from Preah Vihear temple, including the land at Prasat Preah Vihear monastery, was recognized by Cambodia as territory jointly owned by Cambodia and Thailand. This was why the Thais sent their troops in and set all the conditions to strangle the Cambodians, using Hun Sen's flaccid hands.
Now after the Thais had committed such a glaring aggression against Cambodia, they still demanded that Cambodia withdraw all Cambodian troops from the Cambodian monastery and from Preah Vihear temple itself, which the Thais have recognized as belonging to Cambodia; and Hun Sen's CPP government again complied with the Thais' request. If we keep obeying the Thai orders like this, in the future when they want to pressure Cambodia to do something for them, the Thais would only need to send hundreds of their troops to occupy Cambodian land in any other locations and impose conditions on Cambodia to withdraw its troops. In this way, will Cambodian territory not keep shrinking?
Concerning the Thai troops agreeing to pull back and Hun Sen's CPP government telling the Thais that it also agreed to withdraw troops even from Preah Vihear temple, although no date has been fixed yet, it would be better if Hun Sen just smarts up. This is because the Thais are afraid because they have sent troops to brutally invade and occupy Cambodian territory; they are afraid that the UN Security Council would look into this case. Therefore, Cambodia should take a position in which we must put pressure on the Thais to pull back their troops from Cambodian territory. It should be the Thais who must withdraw their troops, not Cambodia withdrawing its troops from Preah Vihear temple. Hun Sen must wise up and listen to the message of King Father, the former King of Cambodia. On Saturday the ex-King said that he thanked Thaksin Shinawatra (Hun Sen's buddy) for planning to spend billions of dollars to develop Koh Kong province and the Preah Vihear temple region that the Thais have always dreamed of grabbing from Cambodia. Hun Sen should stop being a strongman only with his fellow Cambodians but a wimp before the Thais.
