June 26, 2013
BANGKOK — The United Nations top court is
expected to rule later this year on Cambodia's request to determine
ownership of disputed territory on its border with Thailand. The
International Court of Justice in the 1960s declared an ancient temple
around the border to be Cambodia's but did not decide on land around the
temple. A clear ruling on the land risks renewing tensions between the
neighbors that, in recent years, has led to deadly military clashes.
Thai nationalists two years ago demanded the United Nations cultural
office de-list a Cambodian temple as a World Heritage site.
They view the recognition as a loss of Thai sovereignty stemming from a 1962 decision by a top U.N. court.
The International Court of Justice ruled on the ownership of the temple
but, until this year, refused to decide who owns the land around it.
At Bangkok's Institute of Security and International Studies, Thitinan
Pongsudhirak says it would be best if the court left ownership
ambiguous.
"I'm hoping that this time we will see a similar ambiguity which forces
Cambodian government and Thai government to sit down and work things
out. Because now we have two governments that seem to be able to talk,"
he said.
Tensions over the issue led to sporadic clashes along the border that
killed 20-some people and sent tens of thousands of villagers fleeing
for safety.
The 900-year-old Khmer Hindu temple, called Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Phra Viharn in Thailand, was damaged in the fighting.
The border dispute was fueled by opponents of exiled former Thai prime
minister Thaksin Shinawatra, says political analyst Thitinan.
"Politicization of the temple listing has been a function of domestic
Thai politics. At the same time, the Cambodian side, Prime Minister Hun
Sen, also did not help by taking sides in this division in Thailand, by
taking the side of Thaksin Shinawatra," he said.
Indonesia sought to mediate the dispute, but the Thai military refused to allow monitors on the border.
Nonetheless, relations improved after Thaksin's sister, Yingluck
Shinawatra, was elected prime minister and the Thai army became more
hesitant, says political analyst Thitinan.
"There are no backing, direct backing, from other sources to agitate,
to aggravate, stimulate the army to go on the march again. So, much more
conducive than 2011 for the Thai army to abide by whatever decision
that comes out of ICJ," he said.
Regardless of the court's decision, locals who live along the border
want peace to prevail over politics so life and trade can continue as
normal.
3 comments:
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By Supulak Ganjanakhundee
for the past 50 yrs, the Thai authorityes have never dared use Article 60 to as the ICJ for clarification of the meaning or scope of its ruling. Such action may have caused further loss of territory, because in making its original decision, the court referred to a French-made map that swallowed up a large swathe of so-called "overlapping" area in Cambodia's favor. The whole mountain and Surin and Buriram where Dangrek Mounts and temples stand may now be under Cambodian sovereignty.
thailand, never has land, bangkok also belong to cambodia
u can read history via google,,,,
khmer, needs to claim back all lands,
khmer governments, needs to bring adhisit admn to un war crimes by incited war n destroyed world heritage preah vihear,,
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