SURIN, May 7 (MCOT)-- Clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops at the disputed border have stopped for the time being but heavy [troops] movements are seen on both sides over fears that a new round of fighting might erupt again if negotiations in Indonesia fail to make any headway.
No border clashes near Ta Kwai [Ta Krabey] and Ta Muen [Ta Moan] Thom temples at Thai-Cambodian border in Surin province took place Saturday but Thai villagers were warned not to tend to their rubber plantations near the border as a new round of fighting could erupt again.
Cambodian soldiers have made a new round of movement while Thai soldiers built more bunkers out of sandbags near Ta Muen Thom temple amid reports that fresh tensions could break out if no progress is made during negotiations between Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen while they attend a two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit which starts Saturday in Jakarta.
Soldiers of the two countries have fought near the two temples since April 22, forcing the Thai government to shut down border checkpoints.
Several border checkpoints have since been reopened but cross-border trade is still sluggish as many traders still do not know that they are now open, while few tourists and gamblers have been seen in the vicinity. Some traders said they were not ready to sell their wares as usual because the market has been opened only a few days and the overall situation is still gloomy.
A checkpoint set up by Suranari Task Force near the Preah Vihear ancient temple remains in force and people are restricted from passing through. (MCOT online news)
No border clashes near Ta Kwai [Ta Krabey] and Ta Muen [Ta Moan] Thom temples at Thai-Cambodian border in Surin province took place Saturday but Thai villagers were warned not to tend to their rubber plantations near the border as a new round of fighting could erupt again.
Cambodian soldiers have made a new round of movement while Thai soldiers built more bunkers out of sandbags near Ta Muen Thom temple amid reports that fresh tensions could break out if no progress is made during negotiations between Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen while they attend a two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit which starts Saturday in Jakarta.
Soldiers of the two countries have fought near the two temples since April 22, forcing the Thai government to shut down border checkpoints.
Several border checkpoints have since been reopened but cross-border trade is still sluggish as many traders still do not know that they are now open, while few tourists and gamblers have been seen in the vicinity. Some traders said they were not ready to sell their wares as usual because the market has been opened only a few days and the overall situation is still gloomy.
A checkpoint set up by Suranari Task Force near the Preah Vihear ancient temple remains in force and people are restricted from passing through. (MCOT online news)
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Thai ambitious to own Preah Vihear Temple
Thai ruling classes have never given up their ambitions to re-annex the Temple of Preah Vihear which was occupied by forces shortly after the departure of French from Cambodia in 1953.
In the late 1950s, facing their arrogant fait accompli and as a result of vehement protest from
Cambodia, they invited the latter to negotiate but at the same time they carried out various
forms of intimidation such as military manoeuvres next to the border and violent
demonstration in front of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Bangkok on 07 September
1958. As a matter of fact, it should be noted that during this demonstration, organized in
response to the call of General Praphat Charusathien, Minister of Interior, the demonstrators
held many banners which read: “Thai will ask ICJ to give them back the four provinces”
(Battambang, Siemreap, Sisophon and Koh Kong), “ Preah Vihear is ours” (Bangkok World
of 08 Sept 1958).
Then, after the release of ICJ verdict which was different from their high expectation to win
this case against Cambodia, Marshall Sarit Thanarat made a televised statement saying “the
government had no choice but to accept the ruling of the court”.
Later, on 04 January 1963, King Father Norodom Sihanouk, then Head of State, stated at
Choam Ksan in Preah Vihear province the following: “The Thais have finally, after much
prevarications and many delaying manoeuvres, evacuated Preah Vihear. That has not
unfortunately prevented them from making good the loss by further expansionism: they
have drawn a new frontier line, to our disadvantage in the neighborhood of Preah Vihear itself. In particular, they have laid barbed wire and set up military or police posts which in certain places encroach to a considerable depth on our territory, thus scorning the
judgment of the ICJ” (ref: letter dated 23 April 1966 from Prince Norodom Kantol, Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Royal Government of Cambodia to the President of UNSC).
This statement by King Father was justified by Sondhi Limthongkul’s recent interviews on
ASTV in which he alleged that “the loss of Preah Vihear was the fourteenth among the so-called Thailand’s Lost Territories”. Sondhi went on to say that while withdrawing from the
Temple, Thai military didn’t take off the flag but up-rooted the flag- pole as a symbol that
one day they could reinstall there again.
Not so long after the reoccupation of the Temple of Preah Vihear by Cambodia, Thai armed
forces re-launched from 14 to 22 April 1966 an open aggression against Cambodian positions
next to the Temple with heavy weaponry including F-105 fighter jets in an attempt to
re-occupy the Temple (ref: letter dated 17 May 1966 from H.E Huot Sambath, Permanent
Representative of Cambodia to the President of the UNSC-S/7305-18 May 1966).
Thai armed forces against Cambodia at Preah Vihear is a repetition of the history that follows the same pattern since 23 November 1940 when Thailand, being allied with the Axis Powers, re-annexed Battambang, Sisophon, Siemreap including Preah Vihear.
Now, it is becoming clear enough that Thai ruling classes whose many elements of the
residual spillover of the old‐cliché have never abandoned their expansionistic policy towards
Cambodia.
Abhisit revealed that his government opposed to the 1: 200.000 map.
This means that Thailand opposes to the ICJ verdict and is using instead military aggression
to force Cambodia to comply with its unilateral map in the same way as Hitler did.
It is also beyond beliefs of everyone that “Thailand argues that it owns the 4.6
Km2 ”. How bizarre it is! What does it mean?
It means that their self-image of superiority is directed not only towards Cambodia, but also
towards ICJ including judge Dean Acheson whose outstanding accomplishments have
convinced former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to consider him “as the most
historically respected Secretaries”. And as ICJ is part of the UN bodies, this arrogant
argument is seen as provocative also towards international community as a whole. Similarly,
they have hectored UNESCO’s leadership and threatened to withdraw Thai membership over
the inscription of the Temple of Preah Vihear as World Heritage.
This time, their tactics remain exactly the same as they did half a century ago: waging war of
aggression with support from on-going PAD protest which inflames ultra-nationalistic
sentiment and encourages heated rhetoric against Cambodia and its leadership while warning
any intervention of the third party to the negotiation including the UN. But, in this new era,
they cannot mislead the world body by their slanderous campaign of intoxication against
Cambodia, despite their dominant media.
For instance, following swift and opportune diplomatic action of Samdech Techo HUN SEN
in going to ICJ for clarification .
We are not in a position to speculate the outcome of the ICJ clarification that will definitive resolution to end this never-ending Thai hostility against Cambodia which has been always the victim for more than half a century and also to safeguard peace and stability in the region in line with the UN Charter and also with that of ASEAN.
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