Cambodia's Deputy Premier and Defense Minister Gen. Tea Banh, left, is shown the way by Thailand's Army Chief Gen. Anupong Paochinda after the General Border Committee meeting in the Thai-Cambodian border town of Aranyaprathet, Thailand Monday, July 21, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia say troops from the two countries will remain near a disputed temple, in what appears to be a failure to resolve the nearly weeklong dispute.
(AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)
Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsrang Niampradit, right, leads Cambodia's Deputy Premier and Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh, left, shortly after the latter one arrives for a meeting in the Thai-Cambodian border town of Aranyaprathet, Thailand, Monday, July 21, 2008. Thailand and Cambodia agreed to hold talks to avoid military action after they have massed troops on their disputed border region surrounding an 11th century temple.
(AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)ARANYAPRATHET, Thailand (AFP) — Talks between Cambodia and Thailand to resolve a military stand-off on their joint border ended Monday without a solution, defence officials from the two nations said.
After nearly eight hours in closed-door meetings in an eastern Thai town, the two sides agreed only that force must not be used to resolve the nearly week-long crisis over disputed land near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple .
"We both have legal problems of which we have informed our seniors to discuss," said Thai Supreme Commander General Boonsrang Niumpradit.
"We will both bring back the problems to our governments."
More than 500 Thai and 1,000 Cambodian troops are stationed around a small Buddhist pagoda on disputed land on a mountain slope leading to Preah Vihear, which is owned by Cambodia.
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Khmerization's Note: Which country will benefit for an impasse over the conflict in Preah Vihear? Undoubtedly Thailand. The longer the impasse, the longer their military force can stay in the "disputed zone". This has been the Thai tactic to stall the meeting to buy time for its military force to continue to occupy the invaded zone. I wonder if Gen. Tea Banh had demanded the Thai to withdraw or he just went to the meeting just for the sake of going there but did not have any agenda to put to the Thai side. I believe that if Thailand refuse to withdraw their troops soon, Cambodia would have to embark on a diplomatic and legal crusade to force Thailand to withdraw their troops. The longer Cambodia wait, the better Thailand will legitimise its occupation in the eyes of the international community and that would make it hard for Cambodia to keep the momentum, the international community will lose interests and the Thai occupation will become a fait accompli.
2 comments:
Gen Tea Banh was ordered and given a task by his superior to attend the meeting, and strongly believed that has demanded for the withdrawal of Thai troops from the disputed area and Cambodia territory but the Thai would simply not want to bend itself and meet the demand.
This [build up of troop along the border] is caused and fuelled by the Thai domestic political affairs which put tremedous pressures on the current administration to act swiftly or otherwise would see the tanks roll in the heart of Bangkok again which resulted in coup d'etat some 2 years ago - the overtrown of former Thai PM Thaksin.
Cambodia and the current administration has raised the issue with the UN security council but yet to ask for any intervention - this is the 1st step of legal crusader and made the world know about the problem, and definitely not the be last one. Cambodia will definitely raise the issue again during the ASEAN ministerial and foreign minister summit [ Singapore already had it say and concern on the build-up of troops, other members will no doubt raise the issue when they meet].
If Thai choose to flex its military muscles and continues its occupation of the desputed area and Cambodia territory, they will not gain anything out from this act but facing the condemnation by the world community - it would not be too long before China and USA will have some say in the issue.
Thai has had already stretching their military and police force at all frontiers, to the Burmese border, to the Laos border, the unrest in the south bordering to Malaysia and of course would not want to escalting what they can't simply afford to fend off themselves.
I totally agree with your note. Thank you. Imagine we Khmer did this to them even one inch, they wouldn't shoot us to pieces.
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