By Peter Janssen and Robert Carmichael
DPA
Hun Sen might also be under pressure to speed up the Thai-Cambodian border conflict for budgetary reasons.
Bangkok/Phnom Penh - The UN Security Council might think twice before getting too involved in the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia over land around an ancient temple on their border.
The confrontation, which has claimed the lives of three Thais and five Cambodians this month and forced more than 25,000 people to flee their homes, is steeped in recent history and murky domestic politics.
The conflict surrounding Preah Vihear, an 11th-century Khmer temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, is a powder keg for nationalistic sentiments on both sides of the border.
Firstly, many in Thailand never accepted a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice that said the temple compound belonged to Cambodia.
The French, the former colonial masters of Indochina, delineated the Thai-Cambodian border in 1904, using the watershed along the Dangrek mountain range as one of the landmarks. Although Preah Vihear is rather clearly on what is now the Thai side of the cliff, on the French-composed map, the temple was inside Cambodia.
Because Thailand had never officially objected to the French map, it lost Preah Vihear to Cambodia.
'Preah Vihear was not a big deal to Thailand 100 years ago,' Thai historian Charvit Kasetsin said. 'They just wanted to have peace with France and preserve Siam's independence.'
Expansionism became more popular in modern-day Thailand under its later military dictators.
'I think we are still suffering from the ultra-nationalist sentiments which have been propagated by Thai governments since World War II,' Charvit said.
The Preah Vihear issue has been taken up by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a Thai nationalist movement that has vowed to topple Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for his poor handling of the border.
'We want a new government that will protect our territory and our motherland,' PAD spokesman Panthep Wongpuaphan said.
The PAD helped exacerbate the recent flare-up when six of its members were arrested for illegally crossing into Cambodian territory in December. Two remain imprisoned.
Abhisit's PAD problems are somewhat mirrored in Cambodia by the opposition Sam Rainsy Party's hounding of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The party accused Hun Sen of neglecting land controversies in the border demarcation process with Vietnam while highlighting the confrontation with Thailand.
'He is trying to avoid the border issue with Vietnam,' said Chhaya Hang, executive director of the Khmer Institute of Democracy, a Phnom Penh-based non-governmental organization.
'If you look at the score - what he is doing on the Thai border and what the political opposition is doing on the Vietnamese border - it is one-all,' he said.
Hun Sen might also be under pressure to speed up the Thai-Cambodian border conflict for budgetary reasons.
With local elections set for next year and a general election in 2012, the economy could take a hit if the fighting drags on.
'When the smoke clears and we go into the number crunching, the military will ask for more cash, and the people will want to see how [Hun Sen] is faring with the budget,' Chhaya Hang said.
Preah Vihear has long been a thorn in the side of the two nations. The sovereignty spat first flared up more than five decades ago, prompting a suspension of diplomatic ties in 1958.
Both governments agreed to take the dispute to the International Court of Justice. While the temple went to Cambodia, the court's ruling stopped short of defining where the common border lies.
The current confrontation is not over the temple itself but a 4.6-square-kilometre plot nearby, which is claimed by both sides. Both Cambodian and Thai troops are in the disputed zone.
Bangkok blames UNESCO for escalating the conflict in 2008 when it designated Preah Vihear a world heritage site despite Thai objections.
Several borders skirmishes followed. The latest broke out Friday and lasted four days.
It remained to be seen whether the United Nations would move swiftly to help Hun Sen, who has asked it to intervene in the Preah Vihear squabble.
He has long been abrasive with the world body, even as recently as November when UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was in Phnom Penh.
'He hasn't got many political friends at the UN,' Chhaya Hang said, 'but he's certainly trying to get the body to act.'
12 comments:
U.N. should never help this bastard he a thugs,a gangster leader, a thief, a mafia. He has threaten and abuse the U.N. secretary Ban Ki Moon and special representative envoy
in the past. Instead U.N should help overthrow motherf**ker now! He is nothing but a threaten to our country, our people, and his neighbor Thailand. If he really wanted to protected our land, he should look to the east, that where are crucial lost of our territory. Because we should worry more about the east. Viet has move border marker far inside Cambodia. Until Hun thug do something about the east, than I will support his stand against Thai on border issue in Preh Vihear.
First Hun bullied Thai now that Thai kick his ass, he is crying for U.N help what a thug! He alway be strong against his own people who has no army and police, but now that he is bullying Thai who has arm force and weapon, than this thug ( Hun sen)is not strong any more, he crying for U.N help. Shame! shame! shame! Hun thug.
Look! please help DAP how to use khmer word.
http://dap-news.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18305:cemoahrbmedn-efviikmenin-gnkebik-emilekhtmbfr-di-eg-pi-eligdlcag-knohlanerkog&catid=1:local-news&Itemid=50
Peter Janssen and Robert Carmichael
should study the ICJ ruling of 1962 before writing this article. The court clearly settled the dispute of ownership of the temple and the surrounding land. But the Thais never accepted the ruling and made a unilateral map of their own after the ruling, with the watershed line to their advantage. Because Thailand is a UN member and never respected the ruling, some kind UN peace-keeping intervention is needed to stablize the area.
The problem is slightly different. The French never agreed to use the Dangrek mountains as a whole (as it is) as watershed, they agreed to use the watersheds on the Dangrek mountains, in fact alongside the whole border.
They did this an the basis of a joint agreement with the Thais.
The agreement was that the frontier should be exactly halfway between the sources alongside the southern frontier between Siam and Indochina, also on on the Dangrek mountains, between creeks flowing to the south and creeks flowing to the north.
The problem was that it took them a long time to map those watersheds on the Dangrek. The mountains were very inaccessible and heavily forested and they had to use triangulation. They forst map of the PV area is from 1953.
They French did exactly what they were supposed to do. The outcome was a zigzag frontier. If you look at the French map of 1953 of the region around PV(which I have), you will see that the frontier is precisely where it is supposed to be, halfway he creek. That is why the frontier between Thailand and Cambodia is at the beginning of the staircase of the PV temple is in Cambodia, and the north.
See for a copy of the map Twitter. Search there for logos53
In other words The French, the former colonial masters of Indochina, delineated the Thai-Cambodian border in 1904, using the watershed not along the Dangrek mountain range, but on them as one of the landmarks. Although Preah Vihear is rather clearly on what is now the Thai side of the cliff, on the French-composed map, the temple was inside Cambodia.
Cambodia has to solve this problem with Thailand as soon as possible. Cambodia should resist the pressure from Asean to bring the problem back to solve bilaterally with Thailand. There are a lot of problem, Cambodia need to do to improve people living standard and freedom.
I can't beleive that some of you think this is an easy problem.
It hasn't been a negotiation. It is always about what Thai Gov. wanted and that depend on who in charge of Thailand.
At this time, all khmere need to leave the politic aside and focus on who right who wrong here. There are document that can prove who right and who wrong. So the only way you can do that is to go to court. If Thai think they are right and have the document to prove it, why are they so afraid to go to court ?????
You don't need education to figure this one out !!!!!!
Instead of using justic system they use guns to inforce their will on Cambodian. The people around the world can see that.
Abasit do not want to go to court because he is afraid he is going to loose.
As arrogant as he is, do you think he would stay still if he think he is going to win ?????
Thai will kill Cambodian in a heart beat to get what they want if no body stop them. It already proved in the past history and the clash along the border.
Abhisid is a barbarian,he donot know how to live with peace in this century,the people near the border,they do not want him make the war and donot him invade cambodia,the people live near the border need to live wth peace.Stop to make the war barbarian Abhisit.
France offers old maps to help resolve Thai-Cambodia spat
PARIS - FRANCE offered on Wednesday to help resolve a festering border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia by providing maps it made at the start of the last century when it ruled Indo-China.
French officials made the maps in preparation for the Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907, which delimited the area over which the two countries are squabbling.
Foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told reporters that Paris was happy to provide the documents 'to any country that asks us to consult them or to make a copy of these documents'. At least eight people have been killed in four days of cross-border violence between Thailand and Cambodia around the ancient temple of Preah Vihear, which forced thousands of families to flee on both sides of the frontier. -- AFP
If the so called foreign experts or specialists continue to put a spin on Cambodia-Thailand border conflict base on some speculations and assumptions in favor of Thailand at the expense of Cambodia then there won't be peace and justice because Cambodia can't afford to be victimized twice and force to be a fucken looser! No way! Cambodia is a country with proud history and culture!
If United Nations, the ASEAN leaders, and the so called foreign experts fail to tell Siem leaders of what is right and what is wrong then it will only encourage Siem leaders to behave more thuggish and promoting more conflicts!
The Siem leaders must be told of what is right and what is wrong just like a five year old child!
Abhisid is a barbarian ,he should not a thai leader in this century.
I am totally agree with this report. This war has been the war of a criminal and traitor sadam hun sen. he start the war.
Post a Comment