By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)
LONG BEACH - For the second time in as many days, members of the Cambodian community gathered at MacArthur Park on Sunday to protest what they see as recent incursions into their homeland by the Thai military.
About 30 members of various student groups in Long Beach chanted slogans in Khmer and waved placards written in Khmer and English urging Thailand to withdraw from a disputed border area near an 11th century Hindu temple.
Phang Bandeat, a local resident and protester, said the student groups were advocating for a peaceful solution to the recent disputes along the border that flared when Thailand sent troops to an area the two countries have been claiming for many years. Cambodia responded by sending troops of its own to the site of the Preah Vihear temple, which recently was named a World Heritage site.
"We want the United Nations to intervene to avoid a fight," Bandeat said.
On Saturday, about 50 to 100 community members also gathered to protest the Thai action.
Those groups staged a petition drive and took donations to provide humanitarian aid to residents in the area.
"We all want the same thing," said Sopheak Dos, a student at Long Beach City College.
The dispute revolves around a long-standing disagreement over 1.8 square miles of land along the northern Cambodian-Thai border. The disagreement was heightened when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization accepted Cambodia's application for the World Heritage designation for Preah Vihear.
Thailand sent troops to the border July 15 after anti-government groups in Thailand claimed support for Cambodia's application undermined Thai claims to nearby land.
The World Heritage designation could be an important step in turning the remote hilltop temple into a tourist site.
Foreign ministers from both countries are reportedly meeting in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap, according to The Associated Press.
Cambodia uses a French colonial map to mark the border, while Thailand relies on a different map drawn up later with American assistance. A ruling by the International Court of Justice awarded the disputed temple to Cambodia in 1962.
Cambodia, which held national elections Sunday,had asked for United Nations intervention in the dispute but withdrew the request while it engages in talks with Thailand.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
HOW YOU CAN HELP
TO CONTRIBUTE: People interested in making donations for humanitarian aid to residents of the Preah Vihear area can send checks to the Cambodian Cultural Arts Association, P.O. Box 5001, Long Beach, CA 90805. For information, call Bunsorng Tay, 562-716-2506; Danny Vong, 562-760-9000; Peter Long, 562-572-7407; or Sweety Chap, 562-400-8233.
About 30 members of various student groups in Long Beach chanted slogans in Khmer and waved placards written in Khmer and English urging Thailand to withdraw from a disputed border area near an 11th century Hindu temple.
Phang Bandeat, a local resident and protester, said the student groups were advocating for a peaceful solution to the recent disputes along the border that flared when Thailand sent troops to an area the two countries have been claiming for many years. Cambodia responded by sending troops of its own to the site of the Preah Vihear temple, which recently was named a World Heritage site.
"We want the United Nations to intervene to avoid a fight," Bandeat said.
On Saturday, about 50 to 100 community members also gathered to protest the Thai action.
Those groups staged a petition drive and took donations to provide humanitarian aid to residents in the area.
"We all want the same thing," said Sopheak Dos, a student at Long Beach City College.
The dispute revolves around a long-standing disagreement over 1.8 square miles of land along the northern Cambodian-Thai border. The disagreement was heightened when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization accepted Cambodia's application for the World Heritage designation for Preah Vihear.
Thailand sent troops to the border July 15 after anti-government groups in Thailand claimed support for Cambodia's application undermined Thai claims to nearby land.
The World Heritage designation could be an important step in turning the remote hilltop temple into a tourist site.
Foreign ministers from both countries are reportedly meeting in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap, according to The Associated Press.
Cambodia uses a French colonial map to mark the border, while Thailand relies on a different map drawn up later with American assistance. A ruling by the International Court of Justice awarded the disputed temple to Cambodia in 1962.
Cambodia, which held national elections Sunday,had asked for United Nations intervention in the dispute but withdrew the request while it engages in talks with Thailand.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
HOW YOU CAN HELP
TO CONTRIBUTE: People interested in making donations for humanitarian aid to residents of the Preah Vihear area can send checks to the Cambodian Cultural Arts Association, P.O. Box 5001, Long Beach, CA 90805. For information, call Bunsorng Tay, 562-716-2506; Danny Vong, 562-760-9000; Peter Long, 562-572-7407; or Sweety Chap, 562-400-8233.
