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Heng Sinith/AP
Cambodian villagers pray to stone naga heads at Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear
province, Cambodia. (AP)
Cambodian villagers pray to stone naga heads at Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear
province, Cambodia. (AP)
Thailand, Cambodia Suffer Border Tensions Over Ancient Temple
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Hundreds of troops are facing off over a land dispute triggered by the United Nations' designation of a Cambodian temple as a global landmark.
30-Second Summary
Senior Thai and Cambodian government officials were trying to negotiate a standoff on Wednesday, Thailand's Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niumpradit told Reuters.
Cambodian officials say that about 200 Thai soldiers have crossed the Thai-Cambodian border since Tuesday. Thailand's military action followed the detainment of three Thai activists who tried to plant a Thai flag on the Preah Vihear temple site in Cambodia, which was recently designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Thais have been protesting the UN's recognition of the site, saying that land near the temple located close by the Thai-Cambodian border, is "disputed territory," while Cambodian officials say Thai troops are currently occupying their land.
Although a ruling by the International Court of Justice gave Cambodians ownership in 1962, the 11th-century temple has been an ongoing source of tension.
Kenneth T. So says that he is "incensed" that Thailand is protesting a decision made 46 years ago. "As history has recorded, the ICJ sided with Cambodia and recognized that Preah Vihear was located within Cambodia. Thailand had accepted the ICJ decision," So said in a letter to the Phnom Penh Post.
Bangkok Post reader P Que comments that "it is interesting to see the nationalist hysteria being evoked over the listing of the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site, an action which has no effect on the existing border demarcation between Cambodia and Thailand, and which so far has not caused any injuries or deaths."
Cambodian officials say that about 200 Thai soldiers have crossed the Thai-Cambodian border since Tuesday. Thailand's military action followed the detainment of three Thai activists who tried to plant a Thai flag on the Preah Vihear temple site in Cambodia, which was recently designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Thais have been protesting the UN's recognition of the site, saying that land near the temple located close by the Thai-Cambodian border, is "disputed territory," while Cambodian officials say Thai troops are currently occupying their land.
Although a ruling by the International Court of Justice gave Cambodians ownership in 1962, the 11th-century temple has been an ongoing source of tension.
Kenneth T. So says that he is "incensed" that Thailand is protesting a decision made 46 years ago. "As history has recorded, the ICJ sided with Cambodia and recognized that Preah Vihear was located within Cambodia. Thailand had accepted the ICJ decision," So said in a letter to the Phnom Penh Post.
Bangkok Post reader P Que comments that "it is interesting to see the nationalist hysteria being evoked over the listing of the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site, an action which has no effect on the existing border demarcation between Cambodia and Thailand, and which so far has not caused any injuries or deaths."
Headline Links: Temple row ensues at Thai-Cambodian border
"We are talking with the senior people in Cambodia and we hope the situation will ease up in a few days," Thailand's Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niumpradit told Reuters on Wednesday. About 200 Thai and 380 Cambodian soldiers have gathered in the disputed area, reports Reuters.
Source: Reuters
Cambodian officials, who have deployed hundreds of troops to the border, say that Thai officials have encroached on their territory. Thai officials claim their soldiers are simply patrolling the border, and that they are not on Cambodian land.
Source: Voice of America
Background: Protestors launch impeachment effort
On Tuesday, protesters in Thailand led by the opposition party People's Alliance for Democracy filed impeachment proceedings against their government over the temple issue. The protestors have been demonstrating for months against Thai Prime Minister Samak Sudaravej, whom they accuse of being a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Source: International Herald Tribune
Opinion & Analysis: 'Nationalist hysteria'
Reader P Que says that while the Preah Vihear incident has sparked "nationalist hysteria," the return of insurgent violence to southern Thailand in 2004 has not yet inspired any citizen action. "There have been no demonstrations in Bangkok to protest these occurrences, no hunger strikes to stop the slaughter, and no impeachment proceedings to hold the government accountable. Is there a double-standard in play?"
Source: The Bangkok Post
Reader Kenneth T. So is points out that a 1907 French-Siamese map used by the International Court of Justice in its 1962 ruling clearly marked Cambodia's borders. "Why, after all these years, is Thailand objecting to Cambodia's use of the joined commission map agreed by both France and Siam in 1907? This map was used at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on June 15, 1962."
Source: The Phnom Penh Post
Related Topics: New landmarks added to UN list ; South Korea and Japan fight over islands
The UN agency added Preah Vihear to its list of World Heritage Sites earlier this month during a meeting in Quebec City, Canada. Other additions included a collection of tombs in Saudi Arabia, a monarch butterfly reserve in Mexico, and an island off the coast of Iceland.
Source: findingDulcinea
Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, South Korea and Japan are embroiled in a territorial dispute over a long-contested set of small islands that is threatening to upset diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Source: findingDulcinea
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