Opinion by Khmerization
17th October 2008
The fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops in the vicinity of Preah Vihear temple on Wednesday the 15th of October has taught Thailand one lesson, that Cambodia’s patience has its limits and that Thailand’s bullying and standover tactic can result in deadly consequences.
The fighting, which surely provoked by Thailand’s continued encroachments on Cambodian sovereignty and territorial integrity, have left 3 Cambodian soldiers dead and two wounded and, if the Cambodian claims are to be believed, at least between 5 to 12 Thai soldiers were killed, 5 wounded and 13 captured.
In any wars, it is the fighters on the ground who will bear the greatest brunt and their bereaved families who will be scarred for years to come. Their deaths are always regrettable but, in this case, they died as heroes because they were fighting to defend their nation against foreign aggressors.
Coming back to the fighting, although I regretted that it has happened, I also applaud the actions of the Cambodian fighters who have put their life on the lines to defend the Cambodian nation. They have sacrificed their life protecting their country against foreign invaders. The Thai need to be taught a good lesson. Without any kinds of reactions, actions or resistance, the Thai would just step on our heads. Thai troops have encroached on Cambodian territories in many areas since July. If these sorts of actions were taken by the Cambodian leadership and the military in July, the Thai would not have occupied the Preah Vihear until today. And one would wonder why, after the area has been re-occupied by Cambodian troops after the Wednesday fighting, that the Thai are allowed to re-occupied it again is beyond comprehension. Is it because the Cambodian leaders have been intimidated by the superiority of Thai military and therefore are terrified of them?
After those clashes on Wednesday I bet that the Thai would not dare to mess around with Cambodia any longer as they have done in the past. They have looked down on the Cambodian troops, they have psychologically, and even physically, intimidated them. There is a saying that a dog, when cornered, will bite back. This was the case with the Cambodian soldiers on Wednesday. They have been provoked, intimidated with artilleries and aircrafts reconnaissance and even with troops numbers. And because of their military superiority, the Thai have provoked a fight by crossing the borderlines into Cambodian territories. The Cambodian soldiers have been provoked, cornered and so they were left with no choice but to fight back.
I am not an advocate of wars in order to resolve conflict. I am for peaceful resolution. But I would advocate that in the future, if Thai troops continue to cross into Cambodian territories, these sorts of encroachments must be vehemently met with armed resistance. Defending one’s own nation is a noble cause and therefore using armed resistance to deter foreign invasion is acceptable. And the Thai must be taught a good lesson for their bad boy and bullish behaviours.
The clashes on Wednesday was a victory for Cambodia. Even though the clashes might be considered as a Pyrrhic victory for Cambodia due to three deaths, but Cambodia has achieved its aim, and that is to deter future Thai encroachments. Mission accomplished!//
17th October 2008
“The Thai need to be taught a good lesson. Without any kinds of reactions, actions or resistance, the Thai would just step on our heads. Thai troops have encroached on Cambodian territories in many areas since July. If these sorts of actions were taken by the Cambodian leadership and the military in July, the Thai would not have occupied the Preah Vihear until today.”
The fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops in the vicinity of Preah Vihear temple on Wednesday the 15th of October has taught Thailand one lesson, that Cambodia’s patience has its limits and that Thailand’s bullying and standover tactic can result in deadly consequences.
The fighting, which surely provoked by Thailand’s continued encroachments on Cambodian sovereignty and territorial integrity, have left 3 Cambodian soldiers dead and two wounded and, if the Cambodian claims are to be believed, at least between 5 to 12 Thai soldiers were killed, 5 wounded and 13 captured.
In any wars, it is the fighters on the ground who will bear the greatest brunt and their bereaved families who will be scarred for years to come. Their deaths are always regrettable but, in this case, they died as heroes because they were fighting to defend their nation against foreign aggressors.
Coming back to the fighting, although I regretted that it has happened, I also applaud the actions of the Cambodian fighters who have put their life on the lines to defend the Cambodian nation. They have sacrificed their life protecting their country against foreign invaders. The Thai need to be taught a good lesson. Without any kinds of reactions, actions or resistance, the Thai would just step on our heads. Thai troops have encroached on Cambodian territories in many areas since July. If these sorts of actions were taken by the Cambodian leadership and the military in July, the Thai would not have occupied the Preah Vihear until today. And one would wonder why, after the area has been re-occupied by Cambodian troops after the Wednesday fighting, that the Thai are allowed to re-occupied it again is beyond comprehension. Is it because the Cambodian leaders have been intimidated by the superiority of Thai military and therefore are terrified of them?
After those clashes on Wednesday I bet that the Thai would not dare to mess around with Cambodia any longer as they have done in the past. They have looked down on the Cambodian troops, they have psychologically, and even physically, intimidated them. There is a saying that a dog, when cornered, will bite back. This was the case with the Cambodian soldiers on Wednesday. They have been provoked, intimidated with artilleries and aircrafts reconnaissance and even with troops numbers. And because of their military superiority, the Thai have provoked a fight by crossing the borderlines into Cambodian territories. The Cambodian soldiers have been provoked, cornered and so they were left with no choice but to fight back.
I am not an advocate of wars in order to resolve conflict. I am for peaceful resolution. But I would advocate that in the future, if Thai troops continue to cross into Cambodian territories, these sorts of encroachments must be vehemently met with armed resistance. Defending one’s own nation is a noble cause and therefore using armed resistance to deter foreign invasion is acceptable. And the Thai must be taught a good lesson for their bad boy and bullish behaviours.
The clashes on Wednesday was a victory for Cambodia. Even though the clashes might be considered as a Pyrrhic victory for Cambodia due to three deaths, but Cambodia has achieved its aim, and that is to deter future Thai encroachments. Mission accomplished!//
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