A New Mandala reader has sent through these thoughts on two territorial disputes that appear to have been resolved:
The often frosty Thai-Cambodia border has experienced some international attention as UNESCO accepted Cambodia’s bid to have the Preah Vihear temple listed as a World Heritage site. Historically, Thailand has argued that the 4.6 km surrounding Preah Vihear has been Thai territory, but on 6 June 2008 this issue was resolved with Thailand having proposed that only Preah Vihear be listed and not the 4.6 km of disputed territory surrounding the temple, which Cambodia has accepted. However, that it has taken since 1962 to reach this agreement (even if there was a ferociously cold world championship chess game going on for a great deal of time) only serves to highlight the transience of sovereignty in Southeast Asia. My sceptical opinion is also fueled by some discussions on that border, where many locals claim that either they’d still like to be fighting each other (Cambodians and Thais) or that they don’t know where Thailand or Cambodia begin and end. The excellent Durham University Boundaries Research Unit alerted me to this and the next issue.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently ruled over a 28 year old border dispute between Singapore and Malaysia over the island Pulau Batu Puteh and the ‘Middle Rocks’. Both places are smaller than football pitches, never really harmed their bilateral relations and were used interchangeably over the past half century by the two nations yet it took 16 ICJ judges over 4 years to come to a decision about who had sovereignty when it would have been more cost effective to sell the islands to a well off loafer and send the judges to Cambodia on the money received from the sale?
2 responses so far ↓
1 Colum Graham // Aug 9, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Despite agreement reached on 29 July on the redeployment of Cambodian and Thai troops away from the area surrounding the Preah Vihear temple, Cambodia has accused Thailand of having occupied a second temple along the common border. Situated 130 kilometres west of the Preah Vihear temple, the 13th century Ta Moan Thom temple has become another source of dispute between the two states.On 3 August, Maj. Sim Sokha, a Cambodian border protection unit deputy commander, was reported as saying that since 31 July some 70 Thai soldiers have been deployed in an 80-metre radius around the temple and have prevented Cambodian troops, who have always been allowed into the temple for religious purposes, from entering it. In response to these allegations, on 4 August a spokesman from Thailand’s foreign ministry Tharit Charungvat denied that any unusual military build-up has occurred at Ta Moan Thom and said that while all visitors were welcome, access has been denied to armed Cambodian soldiers on the grounds that tension between the neighbouring states was still high around the Preah Vihear temple. He also added that Thai soldiers have always been deployed around the Ta Moan Thom to monitor the border area and the temple which, according to Thai authorities, lies within its territory. As the director of Thailand’s Fine Arts Department Kriengkrai Sampatchalit explained, Ta Moan Thom is located “just about 100 meters from the border in Thai soil” and was registered with the Fine Arts Department in 1935. Since then the temple has been renovated and open to the public with Cambodia raising no questions about its location in Thai territory. The head of Thailand’s armed forces Gen. Boonsang Niampradit invited Cambodia to withdraw their soldiers from the border area around Ta Moan Thom. However, Cambodian defence minister Tea Bahn said that with access to the temple denied, Cambodian troops will remain in the area.The events at Te Moan Thom temple do not help ease the tension between the two neighbouring states that has so far focused on the temple of Preah Vihear. Despite the joint statement of 29 July according to which the two countries committed in redeploying their troops away from the Preah Vihear complex, no further steps towards resolution have been undertaken. The Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers are expected to meet soon for the second round of talks aimed at easing the growing military tension along the border.Sources: ‘Cambodia, Thailand in standoff over second temple’ Associated Press Newswires, 3 August 2008; ‘Border Dispute – New Cambodia allegation’ Bangkok Post, 4 August 2008; ‘Thailand in wrangle with Cambodia over second disputed border temple’ SINA English, 4 August 2008; ‘Thailand asks Cambodia to withdraw from second temple’ Agence France Presse, 4 August 2008; ‘Thai commander claims ownership of land at temple near Cambodian border’ BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific, 4 August 2008. Again from DUBRU
2 Colum Graham // Oct 7, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged gunfire along their common border a few kilometres west of the Preah Vihear temple leaving two Thai troops and one Cambodian soldier injured.Tensions at the border between Cambodia and Thailand rose in July when Cambodia succeeded in having the Hindu temple listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO and when the decision was met with some protests in Thailand.
http://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/news/ibru_news/?itemno=7034
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