Postcards from Preah Vihear - By C.C.

By C.C.

A personal note about Prasat Preah Vihear. After seeing it up close for the first time and surveying the surrounding landscape, I feel that the Thai's claim to the land adjacent to the temple is ridiculous at best and aggressive at worst. There is clearly a gorge (small river) which separates the mountain on which Prasat Preah Vihear sat and the opposite mountain on which the Thai had already claimed as theirs. If we talk about watershed demarcation, the water that flows from both Preah Vihear Mountain and the other mountain on Thai side is eventually flowing down to Cambodia which should make the river in from of Preah Vihear Temple belonging to Cambodia, too. Also the new road which Cambodia built to reach Prasat Peah Vihear, it has been cut about 1 kilometer short of its destination because of the Thai's objection (in one of the pictures, it shows where the new road ended). I hope the UN court would rule in our favor so that we could complete that road and everyone could drive up to see Preah Vihear Temple without hindrance.

Press Release Outcome of the First Meeting of the Cambodia-T​hailand Joint Working Group (JWG)

http://www.box.com/s/651762209765de43ccea

Press Release

Outcome of the First Meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Working Group (JWG)

for the implementation of the ICJ’s order for provisional measures dated 18 July 2011

on 03-05 April 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand

The Cambodia Joint Working Group representing the Royal Government of Cambodia, lead by General Neang Phat, Secretary of State, Ministry of National Defense and Chairman of the JWG for the implementation of the ICJ’s order for provisional measures dated 18 July 2011 accompanied by representatives from the Office of the Council of Ministers, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Interior, Border Committee, Governor of Preah Vihear Province, Commander of Military Region 4, Commander of Intervention Division 3, representative from National Police held the first meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Working Group on 04 April 2012 at Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters with the following outcomes:

1. Both sides reaffirm their commitment to implementing the ICJ’s order dated 18 July 2011.
2. The Joint Working Group commits to implement the outcomes of the 8th General Border Committee (GBC) dated 21st December 2011 relating to the principles of redeployment of military personnel from Provisional Demilitarized Zone (PDZ) and invites the Indonesian Observers in line with the principle contained in the draft Terms of Reference (TOR) initiated by Indonesia.
3. Both sides agreed to continue discussion on the principle of redeployment of military personnel from the PDZ and invite the joint observers (Cambodia-Thailand-Indonesia) at the next meeting of JWG in Cambodia.
4. Both sides agreed to appoint the Liaison Officers (LO) for the JWG and encourage the existing mechanism to continue their coordination activities as Cambodia has already established which is the Coordination Team for Indonesian Cease Fire Observer Team (IOT-C).
5. The Joint Working Group represented by the Army of the two countries agreed to jointly identify and determine the points A, B, C and D in respect to ICJ’s Order and at the same time of instructing the respective technical demining teams to work on the technical task.
6. The Cambodia-Thailand Joint Working Group are in line with paragraph 69 (B) (4) of the ICJ’s Order and reaffirm their commitment to maintain and promote long-standing peaceful co-existence between the people of the two countries and to prevent any activities of extremists who use religion or nationalism as a tools to create tensions or confusions in the Provisional Demilitarized Zone (PDZ).
7. Both sides allow each of the Joint Working Group of the respective countries to report the outcomes of the JWG meeting directly to GBC and subsequently for Cambodia will be reported to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for its action to inform the ICJ.
8. Cambodia-Thailand Joint Working Group commits to comply with international law for the principle of long-standing peace, co-existence and security in ASEAN community.

UN calls for retreat by Thais, Cambodians

July 19, 2011
Associated Press

THE HAGUE - The UN’s highest court yesterday created a demilitarized zone around a 1,000-year-old temple on the disputed border between Cambodia and Thailand, and ordered the armed forces from both countries to withdraw.

Both countries said they were satisfied with the ruling by the International Court of Justice, meant to end clashes that have claimed about 20 lives in the last three years and have displaced tens of thousands of people from the area around the Preah Vihear temple.

But Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand said that Thai soldiers will not pull out from the disputed area until the military of both countries agree on the mutual withdrawal.

Kasit response to ICJ ruling Monday

17/07/2011
Bangkok Post

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya will make a long-distance call to give an interview on Monday after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has made a ruling on Cambodia's request concerning the Preah Vihear temple, Foreign Ministry's Information Department deputy director-general Jessada Katawethin said on Sunday.

Mr Jessada expected Mr Kasit to phone in at 5pm from The Hague, the Netherlands.

Cambodia asked the ICJ to make an interpretation of its verdict on the Preah Vihear temple in 1962 and issue an injunction for Thailand to withdraw its troops from the 4.6 square kilometre disputed area.

Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd, the army spokesman, said regardless of what the ICJ ruling may be the army will comply with an order from the government only.

He said this when asked what the army would do if the ICJ ruled as requested by Cambodia.

ICJ to hear Cambodia's request case on Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 May 2011

ICJ Hearing on Khmer Application on 30 to 31 May 2011
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/56031909?access_key=key-2680a9hdjjr16pv9cbjb

Khmer M'Chas Srok Wishes for the "New Year of the Tiger"

Click on each page of the article to zoom in

Hun Sen to Abhisit, the Valentine's version

February 10, 2010
By Tulsathit Taptim
The Nation Opinion

NOW, this is what happens when you come from an environment where even lame critics are sent into oblivion. Cambodian leader Hun Sen obviously has nobody in Phnom Penh to remind him that he can express his fetish fantasy involving his Thai counterpart Abhisit Vejjajiva in nicer ways. That task, I suppose, has to fall on me.

The devil is in the details, remember. Hun Sen can use love language and at the same time keep his key messages - that he wants Abhisit to be shot, electrocuted, run over by a truck, and have his neck broken by spirits - intact. Here's how it can be done:

My dearest Abhisit,

You hurt me. That we are drifting further and further apart doesn't mean that you have to lie about us. I have been truthful about the Preah Vihear Temple, about my feelings toward poor Thaksin Shinawatra, but all you have done is try to destroy me with your lies.

I may not be a great speaker like you, but I've been sincere, you know. I always speak from my heart, but you always use your Oxford tongue to cleverly discredit Cambodia. You know that if you push me smartly enough, I will break down and you will score political points. You know that if you pretend to act passively, people will buy it and the joke will be on me.

Shame on you, Mr Manipulator. You steer people away from the truth and let them focus on me crying over my wounds. With a deadpan face, you lied that Thai troops never encroached into Cambodia on July 15. You know whose side the public will take - a cute, young leader talking "principles", or an over-the-hill veteran whose credit you have undermined.

Since I have no other way to expose your lies, I'm praying to all sacred things in the world to help me, to be on my side. May the liar be in a plane that crashes. May he be electrocuted. May he be run over by a car. May he be shot. How does that sound, Mr Handsome?

Before I sign off, let me just say how you totally deserve the Valentine's Day gift thrown into your house the other day.

I will haunt you forever,

Hun Sen.

There. It fits the festival of love nicely, doesn't it? At least it won't make the Cambodian leader sound like a sadistic maniac hurling abuse and curses at somone he doesn't even know personally.

Anyway, how should Abhisit reply to this kind of message? I'm not his adviser, but why not shock everyone with some un-Abhisit-like jibe like this?:

Hi, Whiner,

Instead of resorting to superstitution, why don't you just run to your mommy and cry your heart out? After all, your behaviour indicates you have regressed to a time when "You swear? On your mother's name?" was the only way to catch a liar. And talking about liars, yeah, let them all burn in hell and be reborn as total losers who are never taken seriously.

That should be it. What? Why don't I say anything more? Well, this is a big waste of time already.

Abhisit Vejjajiva

P.S. This is odd, but I feel compelled to thank you for, well, being you. Every time you open your mouth, my domestic rating jumps.

Writer's note: To keep with the Valentine's Day spirit, I'd like to convey my love and sympathy to the staff at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, who always send protest letters to the newspapers at the slightest criticism of Hun Sen and his government. Their job is a bit more complicated now for obvious reasons.

The big boss has turned diplomacy upside down, which means the embassy's "polite" approach may need to be reviewed. For example, it used to be easy to invoke diplomatically acceptable words like "imbecile", "absurd" and "vulgar" to criticize newspapers; the embassy may have to find something harsher so as to not to lose touch with Hun Sen.

So, deploring Thai newspapers for "a complete lack of decent politeness, professional journalism, and truth" is surely too courteous. This is a new ball game and new tactics are required. It's no longer about Preah Vihear Temple exclusively. The row has gone from a "Khmer" temple that Thailand "claims" to a Thai fugitive that the Cambodians want to adopt, to one side challenging the other to an old-fashioned spitting contest.

How far will this go? I can only hope this is diplomacy's version of American wrestling. You know, some real blood but a big charade. But that's optimistically talking, by the way.

The "dumb" Abhisit: Hor Nam Hong

DAP news published this photo showing a Cambodian soldier (2nd from left) talking to his Thai counterpart. The background appears to be the stairway to the Ta Moan Thom temple (DAP)

Cambodia denies sending official to negotiate with Thailand on Ta Moan temple

08 Feb 2010
By Kim Pov Radio Free Asia Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

Hor Nam Hong, the Cambodian minister of Foreign Affairs, denied that the Cambodian government sent General Khan Savoeun, the secretary of state of the ministry of Interior, to go to Ta Moan temple to negotiate with Thailand to allow Hun Xen to visit the location.

In a hastily organized press conference held in the afternoon of 08 February, Hor Nam Hong indicated that Khan Savoeun’s trip the temple was his private business, and it did not involve Hun Xen’s visit to this same temple.

At the press conference, Hor Nam Hong also called Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai PM who recently declared Thailand’s opposition to the listing of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site at the upcoming July Worlbned Heritage meeting, as being dumb because the Preah Vihear temple had already been listed as a World Heritage since last year already.

Cambodia lectures Lao officials on temple dispute with Thailand

Wed, 06 Jan 2010
DPA

Vientiane - Cambodia's deputy foreign minister visited Laos to provide a background briefing on Preah Vihear, an 11th-century Hindu temple on the Thai-Cambodian border that has sparked a nasty diplomatic spat between the two countries, news reports said Wednesday. Long Visalo on Tuesday gave a lecture to more than 200 Lao Foreign Ministry officials on the history of Preah Vihear and the border dispute it has created between Laos' southern neighbours, the government-run Vientiane Times reported.

The ongoing diplomatic rift between the two countries has raised serious questions about the cohesiveness of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Cambodia, Thailand and Laos are members.

Cambodia has attempted to involve ASEAN in resolving the border dispute, but Thailand has refused, arguing that it is an issue that should be settled bilaterally.

Long Visalo noted that the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear was under the sovereignty of Cambodia and in July 2008 UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage Site.

Thailand objected to the UNESCO listing on the grounds that a plot of land adjoining the temple is still subject to a border dispute.

A diplomatic spat over the listing escalated into a tense standoff last year between the two countries' armies near Preah Vihear, which left several soldiers on both sides dead.

Cambodia To Pave Road To Preah Vihear Temple

PHNOM PENH, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Royal Cambodian Armed Forces ( RCAF) will begin paving the 80 km dirt road from Oddar Meanchey province's Anlong Veng district to Preah Vihear temple before Nov 25, China's Xinhua news agency reported, citing officials from RCAF as saying in a local media.

"We will begin pave the road by the end of the month. The total distance is about 80 km. It may cost about US$10 million and it will be finished by June 2010," Kwann Seam, director of RCAF's engineering department, was quoted by the Cambodia Daily as saying.

He said that his team would begin surveying the road after the Water Festival in Phnom Penh is finished.

By April 2010, RCAF will begin paving another 22 km dirt road, this time to Ta Moan temple from Kork Mon commune in Oddar Meanchey province's Banteay Ampil district, he said.

Seam said that the paving of roads in the area is part of a larger project to pave all northern roads in the country.

"We hope that by 2013, all the roads in the northern area will be paved," he said.

Major General Srey Doek, commander of RCAF Division 3, said that despite ongoing tension between Cambodia and Thailand over Preah Vihear temple, tourists should not worry about safety.

Political will needed on border

05-04-2009
Editorial Desk
The Nation (Thailand)

For much of this past year or so, Thailand and Cambodia have been at each other's throats over the overlapping claims along the common border near an ancient Hindu temple. It came about as Phnom Penh was seeking World Heritage Site status from Unesco for the 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple.

Bangkok's position has always been that both countries be the host of the Unesco bid as a way of depoliticising the overlapping territory. The idea of jointly registering changed when the Samak Sundaravej government endorsed Phnom Penh's unilateral bid and Unesco went with it even after a Thai court ruled the endorsement unconstitutional because Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama did not have Parliament's approval.

It was election time in Cambodia, and Thailand's feelings had to take a back seat to Hun Sen's political agenda. He had to look strong, and hence the uncompromising position.

But neither his election victory nor the Unesco-conferred prestigious status brought him peace of mind. The desired outcome was nowhere to be found as officials from both sides dragged their feet over the overlapping claims, effectively diminishing Cambodia's efforts to cash in on the World Heritage Site status of the temple.

Today there are other things on Hun Sen's mind than the affairs of his People Party, and this time around it appears to have got the better of him.

Cambodia watchers say Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge commander, is frustrated with the idea of putting more Khmer Rouge cadres on trial for crimes against humanity during the Pol Pot regime from 1975-9 and has been lashing out at everybody around him.

Last week Hun Sen told a gathering in Sihanoukville that the joint UN-Cambodian court could plunge the country back into civil war if more Khmer Rouge cadres were put on trial.

"I would prefer to see this tribunal fail than see war return to my country," Hun Sen said a day after the joint UN-Cambodian court resumed its trial of Duch, Pol Pot's chief torturer of the S-21 prison, where more than 14,000 people were put to death. He is the first of five ageing senior cadres to face trial.

The Phnom Penh government has denied meddling in the court, but rights activists said that some of that digging might unearth the horrific past of some of the people in Hun Sen's administration.

Hun Sen may be frustrated at the idea of digging up dirt from the past, or, as he claims, turning the clock back to a civil war. However, it doesn't help to lash out at everybody around him, including Thailand's Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

Last week, Hun Sen lashed out at Kasit over a statement he made several months ago during a street protest prior to taking up his current position. One cannot help but ask why he waited so long. Besides, all of us were led to believe that the two men had turned over a new leaf after Kasit's official visit.

Over this past weekend, troops on both sides of the border remained on high alert for fear of more clashes. The last one was much bigger than the October 2008 clashes that came after Hun Sen issued an ultimatum to Thai troops to back away from the overlapping areas.

Over the weekend, Hun Sen softened his tone quite a bit, telling veterans in his country that the clashes had resulted from a misunderstanding.

"We consider this an incident. I don't call it a war ... We are very sorry. We don't want Cambodian or Thai soldiers to die," Hun Sen said.

His spokesman added that the existing mechanism and channel of dialogue between the two countries would continue unabated and that the Cambodian leader and PM Abhisit Vejjajiva were due to take part at the upcoming summit between Asean and key regional partners.

But while the two sides try to pick up the pieces from last week's bloody clashes, they have made virtually no progress in real terms in solving the issue of overlapping territories.

Pride and ego continue to get in the way as officials of both countries argue over nomenclature - Pra Viharn/Preah Vihear - in spite of knowing that they are talking about the same thing.

Besides, one would think that the pulling back of troops would be the top priority after last year's clashes, but the shelling last week tells us that the two countries do not have the political will to do so, perhaps for fear of being seen as weak by their own peoples. So much for Asean unity. So much for the Asian Century.

A second phase of road construction to Preah Vihear temple

everyday.com
26th January, 2009
Translated by Khmerization

Mr. Kheng Someth, chairman of Prime Minister Hun Sen's Engineering Unit, said that the second phase of road construction to Preah Vihear temple has been 80% completed. The 20% works will be completed in the next few days.

Mr. Kheng Someth has been briefing Gen. Kun Kim, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, who visited the construction site recently.

Mr. Someth said that the old road, which was constructed by the ex-Phnom Penh Governor, Mr. Chea Sophara in 2003, covered more than 8,000 square metres.

Mr. Someth added that, according to the plans for phase one and phase two of construction, the works, which used funds from the Bayon TV Foundation, will cost more than 1.5 million US dollars.

However, Mr. Pa Socheatvong, Deputy Governor of Phnom Penh, who has recently visited the construction site, said that after phase one and phase two have been completed, phases 3 and 4 will begin. Phases 3 and 4 will involve the building of pipe systems, the erection of signs and guard rails along the bent section of the road.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry’s reply to Thailand’s protest

the 1907 map, which was used in the court case in 1962 in which Cambodia won the ownership of the Preah Vihear temple from Thailand, shows that the Preah Vihear temple and the sites of the clashes (red spots) on 15th October took place deep inside Khmer territories.

Radio Free Asia
By Mondul Keo
20th November, 2008
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 20th November has issued a diplomatic reply to an aide-memoir of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand which accused Cambodia of violating Thailand’s territorial integrity.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy PM Hor Namhong has told local and international media, after he summoned the Thai ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that Thailand is creating an issue with Cambodia after it’s recent unsuccessful attempt to block the listing of the Preah Vihear temple on the World Heritage List.

Mr. Hor Namhong added that all the Thai allegations are baseless. He said: “We have used 1:50,000 scale maps that the Khmer-Thai Technical Team had used to search for the 73 pillars along the borders. We based everything on those documents and we have told Thailand that those areas are located inside Khmer territories and we also told Thailand that, those areas were under Cambodian control since 1907, when those maps were produced. Only since the 15th of July, after Unesco has approved the listing of the Preah Vihear temple, that Thailand has raised one issue after another.”

Please note that, on the 7th of November, 2008, Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an aide-memoir to Cambodia claiming that a number of buildings in Poipet have been constructed on Thai territory. And on the 12th and 13th of November, the Thai Foreign Ministry has sent two aide-memoirs to Cambodia to protest against the raising of Cambodian flags, World Heritage flags and Unesco flags in Preah Vihear temple. Thailand has also protested Cambodia’s holding of a Kathen Ceremony inside Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak.

Mr. Hor Namhong said: “I have to tell you that I also don’t understand (why the Thai protested). This afternoon I told the Thai ambassador that, in the future, if Thailand wants to send a letter of protest, Thailand must examine the legal documents and maps clearly first before lodging the protest so that we won’t be wasting our time to reply. This is the first thing I told him. Secondly, because both sides have agreed to resolve the issue peacefully and cordially, we must allow the atmosphere to calm down in order to facilitate the peaceful negotiations. Please do not lodge a protest, one after another without any reasons and without any basis.”

Despite all of the wrangling, Deputy PM Hor Namhong still consider that complaining to the United Nations regarding the Khmer-Thai border disputes is the last resort.//

Hun Sen sets Tuesday noon as ultimate time for Thai troops withdrawal from border area

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks to the media after a meeting with Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen here Tuesday set 12:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) as the ultimate time for over 80 Thai troops to withdraw from the Veal Intry area, about 2,000 meters west of the Preah Vihear Temple.

Both commanders have been discussing the issue since 08:30 local time Tuesday at the area, the premier told the Fourth Asia Forum, which was attended by hundreds of foreign guests and diplomatic corps.

"If the talk fails, weapon conflict will break out. But we don't want to see weapon conflict occur," he said.

The Veal Intry area is a very important location for reaching the Preah Vihear Temple, he said, adding that the Thai troops want to cut the road to the temple.

"I told Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat yesterday in a candid talk that he has to tell Thai premier that the Cambodian side won't bear any loss of its land to Thailand," he said.

Thailand shouldn't treat Cambodia like this, because both are members of ASEAN and neighboring countries, he said.

Cambodia and Thailand used to have good cooperation with each other, especially in the field of fighting against terrorism, he said.

"The (usual) relationship between the two sides still continues normally at this minute," he added.

Here Monday, Hun Sen once asked Thailand to evacuate its troops from the Veal Intry area within 24 hours, and warned of war otherwise.

"The Veal Intry area is the dead or alive point for us," he told reporters at the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation after meeting with visiting Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat.

"The situation at the Veal Intry area is too hot. They have to remove tonight or tomorrow. If they don't remove from the Veal Intry area, war will be waged," he added.

The Veal Intry area is on the Phnom Trap hill side, approximately 2,000 meters from the west side of the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda, which is situated on the only way leading to the Preah Vihear Temple.

In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage status by UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.

The tension later turned into a military confrontation, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks. In mid-August, most troops evacuated and just a few dozen soldiers stationed near the temple.

However, bilateral talks to discuss withdrawing troops from around the temple were postponed late August amid political turmoil in Thailand.

In October at the border area, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during an exchange of gunfire, and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine.