A Change of Guard

សូមស្តាប់វិទ្យុសង្គ្រោះជាតិ Please read more Khmer news and listen to CNRP Radio at National Rescue Party. សូមស្តាប់វីទ្យុខ្មែរប៉ុស្តិ៍/Khmer Post Radio.
Follow Khmerization on Facebook/តាមដានខ្មែរូបនីយកម្មតាម Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khmerization.khmerican

Tuesday 5 November 2013

Preah Vihear ruling: brace for peace


Bangkok (The Nation/ ANN) -- Whatever the International Court decides next week, it will be an opportunity to forge closer ties with Cambodia.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgement on the Preah Vihear dispute next Monday should pave the way for Thailand and Cambodia to settle their long-standing conflict over the old Hindu temple peacefully. Any attempts to provoke conflict and violence between the two neighbors must be rejected by people of both countries. Whatever the judgement, no one should use it as a pretext to spark anger against the other side.

The court has several options in handling Cambodia's request for interpretation of the 1962 Preah Vihear judgement. Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul says it could reject the request, rule in favor of either Cambodia or Thailand, or merely give legal clarification for the old judgement.

Regardless, Cambodia has nothing to lose. If the court refuses to interpret the 1962 judgement, nothing would change, since both countries have complied with that judgement. If the court rules in favor of Thailand, again, nothing changes - it would simply be confirming what the Thai government did to determine ownership of the area adjacent to the temple. The boundary line has not yet been demarcated and the vicinity would remain in dispute until that happens.

Thailand might have something to lose if the court rules in favor of Phnom Penh, but not as much as many people in this country and in Cambodia expect.

Cambodia asked the court to interpret the 1962 judgement on the area around Preah Vihear based on the border's location on a colonial-era French map of 1:200,000 scale. Even if the court agrees with Cambodia, it does not necessarily mean the currently accepted boundary will match that shown on a map Cambodia produced for the court. It is difficult to translate a line on a century-old map into an actual boundary line marked out at the locale.

There is room for negotiation over the border, and Thailand maintains its right to protect what it claims as its sovereign territory. Any Thai territory lost to Cambodia would not be large, whatever the verdict. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong made that clear last week, saying the territory in question was quite small. Neither country should allow such a tiny piece of land to get in the way of our friendship, he said.

The Preah Vihear territory dispute is far from being the only problem or the most important issue in the long relationship between Thailand and Cambodia. The two countries have many other things on which to work together for the benefit of peace, stability and the prosperity of their citizens.

Viewed optimistically, the ICJ ruling could open opportunities for our countries to cooperate to develop the border area and secure peace for people on both sides.

No comments: