Politics Not To Derail Border Progress, Observer Says

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCsF4nTf_zk

Boundary issue [with Thailand] likely to be stalled

September 28, 2011
Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

The boundary between Thailand and Cambodia was delimited and demarcated more than a century ago, when the neighbouring country was still a French colony. Most of the 800-kilometre boundary is marked with pillars with the exception of areas near the Preah Vihear Temple.

No matter who ends up leading the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), the task of demarcating the border between the two countries will never be completed if the Kingdom is unable to de-politicise the issue.

The opposition Democrat Party started campaigning against the reshuffle of the JBC once it learned that Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul had replaced the previous government’s man, Asda Jayanama, with career diplomat Bandit Sotipalalit.

Asda was made JBC chief in much the same way as Bandit, when Kasit Piromya, foreign minister under the Democrat-led government, had him replace career diplomat and legal expert Vasin Teeravechyan last November. Kasit never explained why the move was made and Vasin never complained about the move being unfair.

While Asda was in charge, the JBC only held one meeting in Indonesia this April and made no significant progress on demarcating the boundary or easing the strained relations with Cambodia.

Border disputes likely to remain highly volatile

July 6, 2011
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

Restoration of bilateral relations with Cambodia will be an uphill task for the new government as ties have been seriously damaged and the party which won the election on Sunday could face a lot of difficulties and obstacles in trying to fix them.

Relations between the two neighbours have been trapped by bruised nationalism over the past years, mostly because of domestic political conflict.

Nationalism was used as an instrument to attack political enemies in a domestic context - but the consequences "spilled over" to damage relations with Cambodia.

As long as domestic conflict remains, the new government won't be able to make a simple U-turn in the policy toward Cambodia to restore relations. This would spark fierce resistance from ultra-conservatives and Thai nationalists.

Thai leader accused of using Cambodia temple row for election gain

Abhisit Vejjajiva attempting to rally nationalist sympathy with Preah Vihear temple dispute before Sunday's polls, say analysts

Friday 1 July 2011

Tania Branigan in Srisaket, Thailand

guardian.co.uk

The corrugated roof gleams, the paintwork is bright and pink-flowered curtains float at the windows. Somrith Sanbradap's house was completed just two days ago, but she shows no sign of pleasure in the achievement.

The Thai farmer's last home went up in flames in February, destroyed by Cambodian shelling as a long dispute over Preah Vihear – the 11th-century temple a few kilometres away – flared up again. At least seven people died and thousands fled homes on both sides of the border. Now residents fear another clash is imminent.

"I lost everything … I don't want this to happen again and the way things are going now, watching the news brings back very bad memories," Somrith said tearfully.

This week, the Thai military said Cambodia was moving in reinforcements – a claim denied by Phnom Penh – after Bangkok announced it was leaving the World Heritage Convention over the dispute.

But analysts believe the row is driven by Sunday's general election in Thailand. "In this very critical week for Thai politics, [the temple dispute] has appeared again as a political weapon," said Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun of the Institute of South-East Asian Studies in Singapore.

Who does the Preah Vihear temple belong to?

When the Preah Vihear Temple was granted World Heritage status in 2008, Thailand's citizens were angered by Cambodia's claim to the ancient site [GALLO/GETTY]

Thailand-Cambodia conflict over ancient temple site sparks debate over borders and historic rights.

04 Jun 2011
Tom Fawthrop
Al Jazeera

The magnificent ruins of this ancient Hindu temple, a World Heritage site since 2008, have become a bitter cause of serious border skirmishes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers. The skirmishes come amid conflicting claims over sovereignty and age-old historic rivalry.

This Hindu-inspired 11th century temple, spectacularly perched atop a mountain escarpment, hugs the border between Cambodia and Thailand.

According to Sanskrit inscriptions, the temple was once called Sri Sikharisvara, meaning "Glorious Lord of the Mountain", a dedication to the Hindu god Shiva.

Tanks and artillery have been mobilised only a few kilometres from these archaeological treasures. During an outbreak of hostilities twice this year, heavy shelling resulted in 17 dead and more than 50,000 people forced to flee on both sides of the militarised border.

[PAD Thai] Yellow-shirts set to end rally

7/05/2011
Bangkok Post

The People’s Alliance for Democracy will put to an end to its anti-Cambodia protest at Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge near Government House after the end of the meeting of the World Heritage Committee, PAD co-leader Chamlong Srimuang said on Saturday.

“The meeting of World Heritage Committee is likely to take place in late May or early June. Whatever the meeting results will be, the yellow-shirt protesters will definitely disperse after the meeting ends,” Maj Gen Chamlong insisted.

From now on until the meeting outcome is made known, the retired general said, the yellow-shirts will continue to put pressure demanding the Democrat-led government to refrain from accepting Cambodia’s plan to list the ancient Preah Vihear temple as a world heritage site.

The PAD has started holding a peaceful rally in late Jan to press for the government to respond to its demands.

The Battle of the Temples

2011-05-06
Thitinan Pongsudhirak
Project Syndicate

Though the Thai-Cambodian border battles have involved tanks and heavy artillery, they are unlikely to degenerate into open, large-scale warfare. The ASEAN framework acts as a safety net and mutual commercial interests should ultimately prevail. But sporadic shooting and verbal antagonism between the two sides will continue, as Thailand’s powers-that-be close ranks in a right-wing turn towards the symbols and institutions of royalism, entangling Hun Sen, who should have stayed on the sidelines, in the endgame unfolding in Bangkok.

BANGKOK – The military skirmishes between Thailand and Cambodia that have claimed more than two dozen lives, caused scores of injuries, and displaced tens of thousands of people since February are primarily attributable to domestic politics in both countries. Rooted in ancient enmities and the legacy of the colonial era, the fighting is damaging the entire region. So virulent is the dispute that even a short-term settlement will require third-party mediation. A secure peace will depend mainly on how the endgame to Thailand’s domestic political crisis plays out in the coming months – and on Cambodia’s willingness to stay out of this process.

At issue in the conflict is 4.6 square kilometers that adjoin a millennium-old Hindu temple known as “Preah Vihear” to Cambodians and “Phra Viharn” to Thais. Cambodia insists that the disputed land has been under its territorial sovereignty since a landmark case decided by the International Court of Justice in 1962. In its 9-to-3 verdict, the ICJ ruled that Cambodia’s map, drawn up by French surveyors in 1904-1907, put the temple area in Cambodia, and that Thailand (known as Siam until 1939) had not objected previously. During the hearings, Cambodia asked the ICJ to rule on the adjoining land, but the judges confined their decision only to the temple, as Cambodia originally requested.

The French-made map became the core of the dispute, because it manipulated natural geographic divisions. Thailand rejects the map, which contravenes a Franco-Siamese agreement in 1904 stipulating a demarcation along a watershed line separating the two countries. Moreover, the French mapping effort took place just a decade after Siam ceded a clutch of territories – much of today’s western Cambodia – to France, which was then perched above Indochina as the colonial master At that time, a vulnerable Siam was compelled to sign a host of unequal treaties with European powers in exchange for maintaining its independence.

Thai-Cambodian Border Clash Largely a Manufactured Conflict

04 May 2011
Guy Taylor
World Politics Review

The brief flare-up of fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops that killed 10 people last month was largely portrayed as a dispute over which country rightfully controls a Hindu-Buddhist temple that has stood along the border between the two for nearly a millennium.

Close observers of the region, however, explain that the recent troop buildups and violence are actually the product of a primarily manufactured conflict driven by nationalists scrambling to maintain a hold on power in both countries.

"Basically what you have here is a war of convenience between two governments that would both benefit from a skirmish that has almost no potential to escalate into a full-blown war," says Ernest Z. Bower, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic International Studies in Washington.

Bower, who spoke with Trend Lines earlier this week, said the situation is being driven by domestic politics, predominantly in Thailand, where the government is "trying to appease the military because of recent political tensions."

Time for ASEAN Peacekeeping Force

May 2, 2011
By Fuadi Pitsuwan
The Diplomat

The latest clash between Cambodia and Thailand has underscored the need for a regional peacekeeping force. Indonesia should push for one now.

The latest clash between Thai and Cambodian troops over a disputed area surrounding the ancient Preah Vihear temple along the two countries’ border should be a wake-up call for ASEAN.

Years of negotiations have proved ineffective in resolving the crisis as Thailand’s insistence that the issue is a bilateral one has been sharply rejected by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Hun Sen’s response has been to call for UN peacekeepers to be deployed to the area, a call that raises an interesting question—is it time for ASEAN to seriously consider a peacekeeping force?

Ad hoc ceasefire agreements reached after each clash have been too fragile and prone to being breached by both sides—every time a skirmish has broken out, each side has been quick to blame the other.

Political efforts to find a solution, meanwhile, have been complicated by the domestic politics of both countries. Hun Sen has been accused by his political opponents of exploiting the border dispute to maintain his tight grip over his country, while Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is expected to dissolve the Thai parliament in early May, is loathe to appear weak heading into an election. All this is complicated by the close relationship between Hun Sen and the de facto leader of the Thai opposition, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Hun Sen's war calculations

May 3, 2011
By Sebastian Strangio
Asia Times Online

Hun Sen has also clearly welcomed the ongoing conflict with Thailand as a chance to rally support and further marginalize his political opponents.

PHNOM PENH - Fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border continued over the weekend after two agreed ceasefires broke down last week. At least 17 people have been killed and 50,000 evacuated on both sides of the border since the latest round of armed skirmishes and diplomatic salvos commenced on April 22. Some analysts now wonder whether the sustained armed clashes could eventually escalate into full-blown war.

As with past clashes, both governments have accused each other of instigating the conflict. In a statement on April 27, the Cambodian Council of Ministers denounced Thailand for its "naked and blatant aggression" that had resulted in "immense misery and suffering" for the Cambodian people. A day earlier, the Thai cabinet passed a three-point resolution authorizing "retaliatory military action" to push Cambodian troops out of disputed areas.

While it may be impossible to know who fired the first shots, many analysts agree that the conflict is an outgrowth of political turmoil in Thailand, reflecting an attempt by the Royal Thai Army to cement its position at the center of Thai politics ahead of elections set to be held by July. What is less clear are the factors driving decision-making on the other side of the border, where Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) have long maintained a stranglehold on domestic politics.

Since the military coup that overthrew former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006, Cambodia's strongman has played a cameo role in Thailand's unfolding domestic drama, alternatively courting and sniping at a succession of Thai leaders.

Thailand: Deny! Falsify the fact! Deny! Pointing finger! Deny!

Source: http://www.mfa.go.th/web/35.php?id=27237

[Thai] Press briefing on the current Thai-Cambodian issues

April 30, 2011, 9:00 am

On 28 April 2011, Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Director-General of the Department of Information and Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, together with Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd, Spokesperson of the Army, gave a press briefing to the media on the current Thai-Cambodian border situation. Gist as follow:

1. Historical records have shown that Ta Kwai Temple and Ta Muen Temples, situated around 140 kilometers from the Phra Viharn Temple, are in Thailand, and that they have both been listed as Thailand’s national heritage sites since 1935. Also, since the early 1990s, the Thai authorities have been renovating the Temples complex. Cambodian reports that Thailand has been shelling these temples therefore make no sense.

2. The fact is that Thailand has never initiated clashes with Cambodia. The country has no reason or rationale to do so, considering its trade with and investment in Cambodia as well as what the country has been doing to enhance cooperation, to assist and to promote the creation of an ASEAN Community.

Domestic issues fuel Thai-Cambodian spats

Papa Xen's future dick-tator Hun Manet

Apr 30, 2011
By Nelson Rand
Asia Times Online

NONG KUN NA and BANGKOK - Fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops along their disputed border continued on Friday for an eighth consecutive day despite reports the day before that a temporary ceasefire had been reached.

Since armed hostilities resumed on April 22, at least 16 people have been killed, over 50 injured and at least 50,000 displaced on both sides of the border. Strategic and political analysts foresee sustained sporadic fighting, though the chances of the clashes escalating into full-scale war still seem slim.

"Thailand's and Cambodia's relationship is fragile and fighting will likely erupt again," said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a Thai political scientist at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. "The dispute has been too politicized that it will take a long time before ties will be healed," he added.

"I doubt that a ceasefire will hold because the border tensions are now being driven by their own dynamic," said Marc Askew, a senior fellow at the University of Melbourne who specializes in Thai politics and security issues and who is editor of the recently published book Legitimacy Crisis in Thailand.

The latest bout of fighting is centered around a disputed hill near the ancient temples of Ta Krabey and Ta Moan, representing an expansion of previous hostilities that centered on the contested Preah Vihear temple. Although both countries have long laid claim to these ancient ruins and border territories, most analysts believe the conflict is being driven more by domestic politics in both countries.

"[The border conflict] is a function of the two states' domestic politics, and especially Thailand's civil and military relations in the midst of a major political transition," wrote Stratfor, a United States-based private intelligence firm, in a recent analysis of the conflict.

"On the Cambodian side, nationalism is always a way to boost Prime Minister Hun Sen's leadership, and Cambodia is no doubt willing and ready to exploit a neighbor consumed by intense factional politics," Stratfor wrote in a separate analysis.

Thailand, Cambodia Spat Gets Ugly

April 30, 2011
By William Lloyd-George
The Diplomat

According to Michael Montesano of the Institute of Southeast Asia Studies in Singapore, the temple dispute all came about as a result of ‘cheap politics’ by the People’s Alliance for Democracy – otherwise known as the Yellow Shirts – in 2008 to reduce support for then Prime Minister Shinawatra Thaksin.

Domestic politics could be pushing leaders of the two countries to more intense conflict as thousands flee border fighting.

PRASAT, THAILAND – It was a typical night for Wanchai Jongkot and his family. After working all day in the paddy fields, he sat down with his wife and two daughters to eat dinner – the main meal in his household. Before he could take his first bite, flashes illuminated the night sky, followed by deafening explosions.

‘We had no idea what was going on, we just ran to take cover,’ says Jongkot, a wiry man in his late 50s. ‘We were so shocked we almost fainted.’

In the midst of the bombardment the eldest daughter saw her sister rolling in agony and yelled out that she had been hit. When the fighting had subsided, they took the injured daughter to the local hospital where they discovered she had a broken arm and hip.

Jongkot and his family are some of around 80,000 civilians who have been affected on both sides of the Thai-Cambodian border by recent clashes between the two nations.

The latest conflict is the most serious fighting in decades and stems from a demarcation carried out in the 1950s by an international court, which awarded Cambodia the land. Thailand continues to disputes this ruling.

History points to negotiation as the only answer [-That's NOT true, the last time it happened, the ICJ has to decide in the case]

30/04/2011
Kamol Hengkietisak
Bangkok Post

The continuing fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops along the porous and ill-defined border causes trouble and inconvenience for ordinary folks on both sides, not counting the deaths and injuries inflicted on soldiers, noted a Thai Rath editorial.

Thai Rath said folks on both sides had been living in peace with each other for a very long time. An example is Nong Chan village, Khok Sung district, Sa Kaeo province where villagers grow rice and raise animals peacefully on a common field with Cambodian farmers even though a definite border demarcation has yet to be settled. Village chiefs on both sides have pledged that once a definite border demarcation is established, any farm land that may extrude through the border line will be cut off from the original plot and taken possession of by the other side willingly without any protest.

It is true that the border disputes occur because both sides rely on different maps and thus claim ownership of disputed areas. When both sides allow politics to dictate their actions, it is inevitable that peaceful settlement is hard to reach. As long as definite demarcation is not implemented, border disputes can always occur, but they should not necessarily lead to skirmishes. Diplomatic means are still the best choice, advocated Thai Rath.

Cambodia Seeks Court Ruling on Dispute With Thailand

Ron Corben, VOA
Bangkok April 29, 2011

Cambodia has called on the International Court of Justice to review a 1962 judgment over a disputed ancient Hindu temple along the Thai border. The move follows renewed fighting that broke an hours-old ceasefire.

In a submission to the International Court of Justice, Cambodia calls for an interpretation a 50-year-old ruling that gave the 11th century temple to Cambodia.

Cambodian Foreign Affairs Spokesman Koy Kuong announced the move Friday in Phnom Penh.

The spokesman says his government wants the court to interpret the 1962 decision that gave Preah Vihear to Cambodia. He says that ruling was based on a map that is recognized by the international community.

Thailand-Cambodia border clashes fueled more by domestic troubles than territorial dispute

Thursday, April 28, 2011
By Todd Pitman
The Associated Press

BANGKOK — They waged deadly artillery duels for a week across a disputed jungle frontier dotted with ancient temples. But the bloodiest clashes to hit Thailand and Cambodia in years were probably more about domestic politics than territory, analysts say.

Both sides agreed to a tentative cease-fire Thursday, a deal many hope will hold after seven days of fighting that killed 15 people and displaced 50,000. Similar accords in the past have failed to secure an end to the conflict, and many believe it's not over yet.

"Key constituencies in both nations are benefiting too much from the border dispute to allow it to die out completely," Joshua Kurlantzick, a Southeast Asia fellow at the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, wrote on the organization's website.

More troops sent to Thai-Cambodian border as fighting goes on [-Abhisit admitted Thailand cancel ceasefire meeting]

Cambodian villagers forced to leave their village near the Thai border in Oddar Meanchey province on Wednesday. Photograph: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images

Peace talks cancelled and prime ministers of both countries engage in war of words

Wednesday 27 April 2011
William Lloyd George
guardian.co.uk

At a surprise visit to Koke Klang temporary refugee camp – home to more than 3,000 villagers who have escaped the fighting – Thailand's prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, blamed Cambodia for the postponed meeting.

"We are ready to have talks with Cambodia, they said they wanted to, but then they continued to attack Thai troops so we had to cancel the meeting," he told refugees as they sat around on straw mats in the school-cum-camp.

Military reinforcements, including heavy artillery and trucks packed with soldiers, poured into the area along the Thai-Cambodia border as fighting between the two countries entered into its sixth day with neither side showing signs of backing down.

Shelling and mortar fire between the two sides has led to tens of thousands of refugees evacuating to border camps with at least one civilian and 13 soldiers reported killed in the firefight.

The conflict is the most serious fighting between the two nations in decades and stems from a demarcation carried out in the 1950s by an international court which left the 12th-century Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples and surrounding jungle areas in Cambodian territory.

Early on Wednesday morning mortar fire could be heard near the temples after fighting broke out at 5.15am and lasted nearly an hour. The fighting destroyed seven homes and injured more than 40 civilians.

Thailand needs to reconsider its position

April 27, 2011
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

So, if Thailand has nothing to hide, having foreign observers at the border to monitor a cease-fire should not be a worry.

The latest border skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia at Ta Mouan Thom temple is solid proof that Abhisit Vejjajiva's foreign policy and diplomatic skill towards Cambodia are absolutely wrong and have failed to help bring peace with its neighbour.

Many soldiers and civilians have lost their lives in recent years since Thailand opposed Cambodia's plan to get World Heritage listing for the Preah Vihear temple in 2008.

The latest clash at Ta Mouan and Ta Kwai (known in Cambodia as Ta Krabei), some 150km west of Preah Vihear, is just an extension of the conflict in February, which was caused by Cambodian disappointment at Abhisit's policy.

The issue became complicated and very difficult to resolve as the current Thai government mixed everything up. Thailand and Cambodia's conflict these days are a combination of boundary issues, military arrangements at the border, management of the World Heritage plan, as well as local and international politics.

Renewed fighting on Thai-Cambodian border

By John Roberts
27 April 2011
World Socialist Web Site

Thai and Cambodian troops have exchanged artillery and small arms fire for the past five days in disputed border areas. The clashes erupted last Friday near the ancient temples of Ta Kwai and Ta Muen, about 160 kilometres west of the Preah Vihear temple, where fighting took place in early February.

According to a Thai army statement on Monday, five Thai soldiers have been killed and 35 wounded. Some 25,000 civilians have been evacuated from Surin province and 4,500 from Buri Ram. The local Thai commander claimed that Cambodian forces had fired 10 artillery rounds into the village of Ban Nong Khan Na on Sunday.

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan reported on Monday that six of its soldiers had been killed, with 13 injured and that thousands of civilians were being evacuated from the area. Phnom Penh has accused the Thai military of using gas-filled shells and cluster munitions—a claim the Thai military denies. Phay also implied that Thailand was escalating the conflict, with Thai F-16 fighters carrying out mock attacks on Cambodian positions.

Yesterday fighting spread to the Preah Vihear temple area, where Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged artillery and automatic rifle fire. “It’s the longest fighting today, now it has been going on for more than 7 hours, and it’s still continuing,” a local Cambodian official told the Chinese newsagency Xinhua on Tuesday night. No casualty figures were available.

Both sides blame the other for the clashes.

An exciting time to be a conspiracy theorist

April 27, 2011
By Tulsathit Taptim
tulsathit@nationgroup.com
The Nation

Okay, it's conspiracy theories time. I'm not here to discount or inflame any of them, and will only share with you information and speculation passing through our newsroom.

You can choose what to believe. All I can guarantee is that while there seem to be hidden agendas everywhere else, here we don't have any ulterior motive. You will be getting our honest assessments of the situations.

The question on everyone's mind is, "Why now?" Why the gunfire, artillery fire and bombs rattling the Thai-Cambodian border again all of a sudden? To that, nobody has the real answer, and even Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa knows this much for certain: Abhisit Vejjajiva and Hun Sen had better hurry. The two leaders must talk now before it's too late.

I'd like to add that if Abhisit and Hun Sen don't want to do so for peace's sake, then it should be for sanity's sake. The latest claims emerging from the Thai yellow shirts' camp - that the border clashes are a conspiracy to draw Thai troops to the border so they will be too pre-occupied to stage a coup - have been bettered by Noppadol Pattama's reaction. As if it was necessary, the close aide to Thaksin Shinawatra has come out to publicly deny that his boss was in Cambodia to command Cambodian troops at the border.