A Change of Guard

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Tuesday 22 July 2008

Mediation offer in Thai-Cambodia dispute

By Raphael Minder in Singapore

Published: July 21 2008 17:17

International mediators could be forced to step in after Thailand and Cambodia on Monday failed to solve a spat over an ancient Hindu temple that has inflamed nationalist sentiment in both countries and sparked a military stand-off.

The impasse in talks in Thailand between defence officials from the two countries coincided with a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations in Singapore. The 10-nation Asean urged both countries to show “utmost caution and restraint” and offered to help resolve the dispute. Still, in a sign that the regional group is in no hurry to test its abilities as a regional peace broker, Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general, told the Financial Times on Monday night that the two countries “should find their own solution and I think that they are determined to find one”.

The border stand-off comes after a UN decision to list the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site belonging to Cambodia, overriding 11th-hour objections from the Thais, who had initially backed the listing.

Cambodia has accused Thailand of violating its territory by allowing soldiers to cross the border, but Thailand has rejected the accusations, saying its military had been trying to contain Thai protesters threatening to storm the temple.

Last week, Cambodia also approached the UN, accusing Thailand of violating its “sovereignty and territorial integrity.” But Cambodian officials have since insisted they were not seeking UN intervention at this stage.

The Thai government’s handling of the issue has already forced the resignation of its foreign minister and threatened to weaken further the coalition government of Samak Sundaravej.

Mr Samak’s temple headache, on the other hand, has strengthened the likelihood that his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, will win another five-year term from voters this Sunday.

In the run-up to the Cambodian election, the World Heritage decision was celebrated last week at a rally in Phnom Penh’s main stadium, allowing the government to focus voter attention on a national victory at a time of economic worries.

Last week, soldiers reportedly pointed guns at each other across the long-disputed temple grounds, with both prime ministers writing to each other warning against a more serious confrontation. Following an earlier dispute, the International Court of Justice had ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia. Monday’s meeting, however, ended in disagreement over what maps should be used to end the military stand-off.

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