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Sunday, July 20, 2008
Time for extreme restraint from both sides
Posted by Veera Preteepchaikul
As the July 27 election in Cambodia is only a week away, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appears intent to play the Preah Vihear temple card to the fullest for his political gains despite the high risk of further straining the tense relations with neighbouring Thailand.
The Cambodian complaint to the United Nations Security Council over the weekend alleging Thai interference on its oil in the ancient temple area represents Phnom Penh’s latest diplomatic blitz which was suspected to be part of the political strategy of the Cambodian government or, in other words, the Cambodian People’s Party of Mr Hun Sen, to whip up national sentiments of the Cambodian electorate ahead of the election. A few days earlier Mr Hun Sen demanded Thai troops to be withdrawn from the area adjacent to the temple, claiming that it is Cambodian soil. This was already rejected by the Thai government.
Aside from protesting to the UNSC, the Cambodian government also arranged for staff of the United States, China, France and Vietnam emgassies based in Phnom Penh to be flown to the temple area for an inspection trip. This came a day ahead of the meeting scheduled Monday July 21 in Thailand’s Prachin Buri province between the military top brass of the two sides. The meeting was aimed to head off any untoward incidents which could spark off an armed conflict between the two armies which have recently built up their forces around the temple site.
All the diplomatic activities by Phnom Penh clearly indicated that the Hun Sen government wouldn’t care less if such activities would impact heavily on the good neighbourly relations between Cambodia and Thailand. Also, it appeared that they were carefully planned. Which was sharply in contrast with the Thai government which has always appeared to be on the defensive. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, for instance, kept on blasting the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and blaming everybody else but himself for undermining the Thai-Cambodian relations instead of spending more time and concentrating on how to deal with Cambodia on the temple issue more wisely.
The border row over the Preah Vihear temple between Thailand and Cambodia should not have happened in the first place had the Cambodian government or the CPP not chosen to politicizing the issue ahead of the July 27 issue. The Samak government, too, deserves to be blamed for playing along – for reasons which were not properly explained by the government – by rushing to endorse Cambodia’s unilateral listing of the temple as World Heritage site only to back off afterward due to protests from the Thai public and the opposition. How the row will be resolved and whether it can be resolved peacefully is anybody’s guess. I only hope that the anti-Thai riots in Phnom Penh some years ago which resulted to the burning and plunder of Thai properties in the Cambodian capital, including the Thai embassy, will not be repeated. If that is repeated, the Thai-Cambodian relations will never be the same.
The current troop buildup on both sides of the border near the temple is indeed disturbing. If my memory is right, the last time that Thailand was in a state of war with Cambodia was during the 80s when Cambodia was occupied by Vietnam. Thai troops clashed with Vietnamese forces on various occasions. The biggest fight was when a regiment of Vietnamese forces crossed the border into Thailand to crush Cambodian resistance forces. An armed conflict over the temple issue between Thai and Cambodian forces will be very saddening for both countries. It should be avoided at all costs.
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date : 21/07/2008 time : 08:02
The 3 illegal immigrant should have rights to have a lawyer represent their case, not the Thai soldiers who acted as their Lawyer??
date : 22/07/2008 time : 12:09
date : 23/07/2008 time : 09:23If the fight were to break, be sure that the Prea Vihear is leveled to ground, then the land will be absolutely remained yours. And this is the most crucial and critical plan for all of you. If Cambodian think that they could climb up the cliff, then make them do the hard way.
date : 24/07/2008 time : 01:40fighting each other for joint ancient heritage.Thailand has neglected Cambodia for long time. Thailand know very well the future of Cambodia and Lao, but Thai were reluctant to help and to heal these two unfortunated people from misery of destruction instead of siding the unwanted friend of Cambodian.The continous look down on Cambodian has made Thai the primary enemy of Cambodian.Thai Senator Choonavan is right,Thai should change their policy and practices that Cambodian and Lao are truly their brothers and sisters whose custom religion are very identical.Thai should rehabilitate their minds and heart Cambodia, Lao and Thai are brother and sister and we were the descendents of Angkor together.
date : 24/07/2008 time : 12:52
date : 24/07/2008 time : 22:56I see your point relating the border issue to the political gain in the coming election in Cambodia of Prime Minister Hun Sen. However, i would say I don't fully agree with the point. (According to my recent reading and listening to news from multi-media from both side)it seems that most Cambodians are in favor if Hun Sen urges the UNSC to involve in the issue rather than trying to find the bilateral agreement.
In my opinion, I would like very much that both countries, in whatever way, find solution to the issue as soon as possible. I can now see fear and worries of both peoples.
First of all, I am 100% concurred with your sentiment and/or your statement. As Cambodian-American, I want to tell you that regardless of my ethnic background and place of birth, I am very neutral in this matter. War is not the answer for both Thais and Cambodians. We have built so many bridges to connect ours people in term of tourism, trades, and investments, and if we burned this one, it will take many more years to build new ones.
On the issue of disputed Khmer’s Preah Vihear temple, I drawed my judgment base on the International Court of Justice 100%. I do not want to distort the true color of right and wrong. The Khmer temple was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 base on mitigating evidence and circumstances, whether Thai and Khmer like it or not.
Right now Thai people want the temple back because you believe that you lost the temple to Cambodia unfairly and unjustly. Some Thais want it back by militarily. Some dream and hope someday they can get it back by legal means. This is boiling to the point of war.
With the same hope and dream, all Khmers hope someday that they will get all the land back from Siam, Vietnam, and Laos. There are about 12 million Khmers living in South Vietnam known as Khmer Krom. There are many ethnic Khmer living in Thailand in all the Eastern provinces along the Thai-Khmer border. There are many ruining temples in Lao that are remnants of Khmer Empire. I truly believe that if Khmer is militarily strong and is able to defeat Thai, Lao and Vietnam, Khmer would invade all three countries the same. But right now, Khmer is weak and feeble. So at this moment, Khmers are just playing diplomacy and politic. Thais are playing military might and power.
In conclusion, I pray that we don’t go to war each other. Imagine Bangkok is bombed by suicide bombers from the South and Khmer Muslim from Cambodia.
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- Name: veera
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The current tension is not a result of Cambodia politicians to politicize the Preah Vihear issue, it is because of SPILL OVER of Thai domestic political issues. Preah Vihear case would be closed when it was listed as WH, if there is no extremists in your country play the nationalism card to overthrow the SAMAK government by provoke military to stage a coup. The movement of Thai troop crossing the border and station in Cambodian pagoda has created more tension.
You said that Thailand has never been in the state at war with Cambodia, since after the VN troop widrawal from Cambodia. How about the Thai soldiers that kills Cambodian civilians without asking questions whenever those innocent civilians across the border illegally to work in the Thai fields? Is it the act of soldier during the war time? Or media in your country never disclose these killings?