SI SA KET, Aug 8 - Cambodian villagers are reluctant to cross the border to buy Thai goods at a Sunday market in this Thai border province where the disputed ancient temple lies.
The Sunday market in Si Sa Ket’s Phu Sing border district has been quiet since early Sunday as Cambodian villagers are fearful about crossing into Thai territory due to fears of tensions building up after learning that the Cambodian government has reinforced its troops along the border.
The chiefs of border checkpoints of the two neighbouring countries met to discuss the situation early Sunday in an attempt to cool down tensions centred on the historic Preah Vihear temple and its disputed environs.
Thai troops, meanwhile, are patrolling the border checkpoint round-the-clock to ensure that no violent incidents take place.
The uneasy situation came after Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said in a recent interview recently that his government was not interested in joining with Thailand to develop Preah Vihear temple, awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.
UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage site in 2008 after Cambodian applied for the status. UNESCO’s World Heritage Commission during its meeting in Brazil on July 29 decided to postpone a management plan, proposed by Cambodia, to its meeting in 2011 to be held in Bahrain.
Preah Vihear temple is located atop a 1,722-foot cliff in the Dangrek Mountains, about 150 miles north of the Cambodian capital. Reaching it by road is easiest from the Thai side of the border. The two countries area are disputing a 4.6 sq km area of scrub near the temple. (MCOT online news)
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