Phnom Penh Post
Thais and Cambodians joined together in Phnom Penh yesterday to urge their respective countries to end the violence that broke out on Friday and continued yesterday near the Preah Vihear temple.
“The main purpose of the meeting is to encourage the leaders of the two countries, Cambodia and Thailand, to stop fighting with each other at the Preah Vihear Temple,” said Ros Sotha, President of the Buddhist and Khmer Society Network.
Ros Sotha, who is also a representative of the Joint Committee for Khmer-Thai Reconciliation, said the meeting sought to “promote the respect of human rights along the border and create a culture of peace and friendship between the two countries in accordance with the teaching of Lord Buddha”.
Roughly 50 Cambodians and Thais attended the event, dubbed “Neighborhood Love and Peace without Violence”.
The government reported five Cambodians and two Thais dead in the clash yesterday. Interviews by Buth Reaksmey Konkea and photos by Pha Lina.
“The main purpose of the meeting is to encourage the leaders of the two countries, Cambodia and Thailand, to stop fighting with each other at the Preah Vihear Temple,” said Ros Sotha, President of the Buddhist and Khmer Society Network.
Ros Sotha, who is also a representative of the Joint Committee for Khmer-Thai Reconciliation, said the meeting sought to “promote the respect of human rights along the border and create a culture of peace and friendship between the two countries in accordance with the teaching of Lord Buddha”.
Roughly 50 Cambodians and Thais attended the event, dubbed “Neighborhood Love and Peace without Violence”.
The government reported five Cambodians and two Thais dead in the clash yesterday. Interviews by Buth Reaksmey Konkea and photos by Pha Lina.
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| Akkharaphong Khamthun Lecturer, Thammasat University “Mr. Abhisit [Vejjajiva] should stop playing politics inside Thailand because I have to say there is no PAD government in Thailand, and there are so many people who do not agree with him. It is the right of Cambodia to take Preah Vihear because according to the [International Court of Justice], it has already ruled [in 1962] that Preah Vihear was situated inside Cambodian territory.” | Chea Vannath Political analyst “As ASEAN member countries, Cambodia and Thailand should not use force to resolve the problem over the border issue. But they should resolve the problem via ASEAN’s mechanisms or a United Nations resolution. The two leaders should stop fighting each other from now on and should invite the leaders or country representatives of ASEAN and the UN to help find solutions for them.” | Phra Win Thai Buddhist monk “Cambodia and Thailand have almost the same culture and religion and they should not create problems with each other. They should be good neighbours and could live near each other well in a good community. We are Buddhists and we should not kill or fight each other over the border issue, but we should promote peace, security, development and progress for the two countries’ people who live along the border.” | Ros Sotha Buddhist-Khmer Society Network “Cambodian and Thai people are Buddhists who have strictly followed, practiced and respected the Buddhist religion. They should not fight each other and they should resolve the problems by following the teachings of the Dharma. We cannot use the gun to resolve the problem between the two countries. Therefore, I would like to appeal to the two leaders to settle the border issue by peaceful means.” |
5 comments:
Mr Akkharaphong Khamthun, thank for your statement but is this all you can say?
The conflict right now is about the surrounding land. Your PM once even said Khmer owed the rent of the land beneath Preah Vihear Temple.
Why Thai use different map and not honor French-Siam map?
Thank you for your comment!
I have to say that I gave the writer so many things including the negative sides of Cambodian politics, but he did't put them.
For one more thing, I wrote a book about the development of Cambodian-Thai Borderline in Thai language to explain how this line was drown.
Nationalism is good for al nation, but it is bad if you use it to destroy other nations.
I put the blaim to all parties that want to employ war and vilolence.
Thank you for your comment!
I have to say that I gave the writer so many things including the negative sides of Cambodian politics, but he did't put them.
For one more thing, I wrote a book about the development of Cambodian-Thai Borderline in Thai language to explain how this line was drown.
Nationalism is good for all nations, but it is bad if you use it to destroy other nations.
I put the blaim to all parties that want to employ war and vilolence.
Akkharaphong Khamkhun
Please visit our group statement.
http://charnvitkasetsiri.com/
The Santi-prachatham Announcement on Peace not War
between Thailand and Cambodia
5 February 2011
The Santi-prachatham group, consisting of professors, academics, and members of the public, who have a strong commitment to democracy and peace for Southeast Asia and the ASEAN Community, urgently request all parties involved to bear in mind the following considerations.
1. We urge the armed forces on both sides immediately to exercise patience and restraint, to preserve the lives and property of the people and the armed forces on both sides.
2. We urge the mutual withdrawal of armed forces from disputed areas as quickly as possible, in order to diminish tension and confrontations between those responsible for both countries' border security.
3. We urge both sides to cease the movement of armed forces into other areas under dispute, in order to prevent the spread of clashes elsewhere along the border.
4. We urge that the border disputes, especially those related to the Preah Vihear and its surroundings, be solved by bilateral negotiations, through the Joint Boundary Commission set up by the terms of the MOU of June 14, 2000.
5. We urge all sides to stand firm on the principle of ahimsa: non-violence, and to stop using the border problem for domestic and international political purposes, since this path will increasingly lead to a war that will be difficult to bring to an end.
Dear Prof. Akkharaphong Khamthun,
Thank you for a very sensible comment you've made here. You and your group like, Dr. Charnvit Kasetsiri, Supalak Kanjanakhundee of the Thai Nation newspaper, are very educated, not only in general knowledge, but about the Cambodian-Thai history also. Your views on the current Khmer-Thai conflict are very well balanced and based on facts, rather than driven by nationalistic emotions and fervors. The Thai yellow shirt people, the like of Veera Somkwamkid, Chamlong Srimuang and others are misguided by blind nationalism which is very dangerous for the two nations. The Khmer-Thai border dispute can only be resolved through historical documents and treaties like the 1907 treaty, 1908 map and the 1962 verdict of International Court of justice because these documents are internationally recognized and agreed by the two countries. The unilaterally Thai-drawn maps have no international legal weight and have not been accepted by Cambodia, therefore they can't be used to settle the issue.
If Thailand is sincere in resolving this dispute peacefully, Thailand must accepts the above documents and let border technical experts from both countries do their works in demarcating the borders. Both sides should allow international observers to be present so no one will claim later that the works are not done fairly. Your group's petition has been posted at the address below:
http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2011/02/petition-on-peace-not-war-between.html
An Open Letter for Peace and Preah Vihear
from Scholars of Southeast Asian Studies
Faculty of Liberal Arts,
Thammasat University
Siam/Thailand
July 2008
To Teachers, Parents, Mass Media, Students, and the People of Thailand and Cambodia,
The recent border dispute over the “Preah Vihear” World Heritage site has led to a series of highly emotional protests from some organizations and individuals in Thailand, leading to a situation of unwarranted hostility among them and between people of the two countries.
Scholars of Southeast Asian Studies, whose purpose is to contribute to knowledge about the Southeast Asian region, wish to emphasize that the root of this border dispute is in the historical and cultural legacies of Thailand and Cambodia. Facts and interpretations of historical evidences should be conducted with respect to the truth, and not to serve partisan political interests. Accordingly, we would like to propose the following:
1. In the case of ‘Preah Vihear’, we fully support the ruling of the International Court of Justice on 15 June 1962 at The Hague, Netherlands; that the sovereignty over the “Preah Vihear” belongs to Cambodia.
2. We support and promote vigorous debate over contentious issues, providing that knowledge should not be used to cause prejudice and antagonism between neighboring countries that may even lead to warfare.
3. We recognize that various countries in the region share a common history and culture. These commonalities should serve as the foundation of international cooperation to protect human dignity and for fraternity among nations, particularly in the face of increasing challenges to all countries in the region posed by globalization.
4. We recommend that the necessary steps should be taken to resolve this dispute through organizational mediation. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should initiate this process to achieve this goal.
We urge teachers, parents, mass media, students, and the people of Thailand and Cambodia to call for a peaceful solution to this dispute, based on respect for the integrity of all Southeast Asian nations.
Yours sincerely,
Signed (enclosed)
The Co-Signed
http://charnvitkasetsiri.com/OpenLetterSEAS%5B1%5D.htm
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