BANGKOK (The Nation/ANN) -- The most worrisome situation from the viewpoint of security, in the aftermath of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict on the Preah Vihear Temple, is the internal political conflict, rather than any military reaction from Cambodia, security sources said.
The Hindu temple of Preah Vihear has been sitting at the core of the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia for a long time.
JUDGEMENT DUE NEXT MONDAY
The ICJ's judgement, due on November 11, has raised concerns among government officials that it could ignite further conflict between the two neighbouring countries if the court failed to offer a compromise solution.
The government rushed to reach out to Cambodia to ensure that the verdict would not create an undesirable situation, leading to a military clash again.
Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong met last week at the Poi Pet-Aranyaprathet border.
Hor Namhong conveyed a strong message from Prime Minister Hun Sen that Phnom Penh had instructed its troops along the border with Thailand to exercise utmost restraint and maintain stability in their areas.
A military source said some security agencies had contacted Cambodia's opposition leader Sam Rainsy, urging him not use the Preah Vihear Temple as a political issue to spark conflict.
Thailand and Cambodia have a joint working group to take care of demilitarisation determined by the court since July 2011. The mechanism is still active.
The military has already anticipated the likely scenarios of the ICJ judgement and its implications, a source said.
The Supreme Command had reported to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on how the military would react in different scenarios, the source said, adding, "But we don't need to publicise the military plan."
The military had also studied how countries, which had cases in the court, had complied with the ICJ judgement.
"Many countries have complied with the ICJ decision, but they did not do it immediately after the verdict. Sometimes it would take years," the source said.
However Lt-General Paradorn Pattanathabutr, National Security Council secretary-general, said because of the internal political conflict, some might use the Preah Vihear case to create trouble on the border areas for their political purpose.
UNKNOWN ARMED FORCES MIGHT PROVOKE CONFLICT
There are possibilities that unknown armed forces might provoke conflict or create a situation for misunderstanding between the two countries, he said.
The authorities are keeping a close watch on the movements of all parties along border areas to assess whether any particular group would ignite a conflict, he said.
"Local people along the border don't want war, so we ask them to inform authorities if anybody from outside tries to create instability," he said.
However a military source said the military was not lowering its guard along the border in order to ensure a timely response.
2 comments:
it thailand rights, it her freedom to express.
thailand can't cross the red lines,that, has been set up by UNSC. set&forth by UNSC in 2012
17miles square away from Preah Vihear
This is just an interpretation and clarification of a decision that has been made a long time ago by the International Court of Justice. It is going to be the same.
Post a Comment