Original report from Phnom Penh 08 September 2008 |
Cambodian political analysts are worried that bilateral border talks with
Critics of bilateral talks say
Independent analysts Chea Vannath, founder of the Center for Social Development, said in a recent interview that bilateral talks should never have taken place and are unlikely to bring results now.
"Under the present circumstances of political turmoil, I don't think the Thai government can make a proper decision," she said. "We have enough legal grounds from
Cambodian and Thai troops have been deployed on the border in several provinces, following an incursion by Thai soldiers into a pagoda claimed by Cambodian near Preah Vihear temple in July.
Opposition protesters are demanding the Thai prime minister, Samak Sundaravaj, step down, and last week the second foreign minister in two months resigned. At least one demonstrator has been killed in political violence in
Thun Saray, president of rights group Adhoc, said that in such an environment,
"The government should take different opinions from all Cambodian circles, from within and outside the government, as well as civil society," he said. A lobby campaign with diplomats should "explain that
Without a strong lobbying campaign with international diplomats, complaints will produce little results, he added. Nor will relying on
Prolonged deployment of soldiers along the border will mean increased tension, as soldiers begin to feel bored, or if an accidental explosion occurs, he said.
"We have waited long, so if it will take another year and another, what can we do?" he said. "We should think really hard."
Many of the soldiers along the border are former Khmer Rouge fighters, with strong nationalist tendencies and "boiling hearts," Chea Vannath said. Such conditions run a high risk of serious danger, she said.
Chaturont Chaiyakam, first secretary of the Thai Embassy, declined to comment.
However, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith expressed optimism with bilateral negotiation so far and said he didn't expect the UN to take any action other than to tell both sides to settle the matter among each other.
"If we complain to the United Nations or the United Nations Security Council, what would the reply be?" he said. "They will say, 'Both sides, please be tolerant and continue negotiations and solve the problem peacefully.' That's all."
"We already know about it, so why should we do that and get them to admonish us?" he said. "We know the UN's principles. In supporting
Both sides have already withdrawn most troops from the pagoda at the center of the standoff, which lies just west of Preah Vihear temple, Khieu Kanharith said, adding that border issues are complicated and have gone unresolved for more than 100 years.
Negotiations over border demarcation move slowly, he said, but they must continue little by little, settling demarcation posts and avoiding armed conflict. He also acknowledged that
Council of Minister spokesman Phay Siphan also said bilateral talks had been encouraging so far. The government recognized the democratically elected prime minister, he said, and was working to show good faith before seeking multi-lateral solutions.
"We are trying our best," he said. "This work is enormous, an international issue. Even national issues, such as a civil case in a national court, sometimes take more than a year. We have worked on this just more than a month, but we have worked quickly."
Not everyone is as optimistic.
Opposition lawmaker Son Chhay said recently the talks had failed time and again, allowing for the border dispute to spread, from Preah Vihear into other provinces, including the Ta Moan temple complex in Oddar Meanchey province.
"The longer they have negotiated with us, the more rights they have claimed on territory," he said. "Moreover, we see continuing negotiations make no sense, because it seems the [Thai] government will collapse before long. So we should seek as many experts as possible to bring the case to UN."
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