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By Ling Shuo, Xinhua
KHAO PREAH VIHEAR, Thailand: The Thai-Cambodian
border dispute on the controversial area around the Preah Vihear
Temple, an 11th-century built Hindu temple that was historically
claimed sovereignty by both countries, is now puzzling the outside,
though it is never a new issue between them.
The United Nations Security Council, at the
request of Cambodia, was to discuss the dispute between Thailand and
Cambodia in its emergency session. However, the Thai government also
has sent a letter to the UN, expressing the wish to discuss and
solve the problem in bilaterally.
With the soldiers of both countries now engaged
in a standoff at the border around the Preah Vihear mountain, is the
situation dangerous to the extent of an “imminent state of war”
as claimed by Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong?
“I don’t think a war could happen, since we
believe both the countries could solve the problem in a peaceful
way,” Apichart Bunsak, a Thai Army captain based in the disputed
area, told Xinhua.
Now, fearing possible military confrontation,
the Cambodia authority has closed the temple, which the
International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled to belong to Cambodia.
While the Thai military has sealed off the area below the temple,
which is the only practical access to the temple since the Cambodian
side of the temple is a cliff.
Reports said there are about 2,000 troops, from
each side, stationed at the border around the temple, about 500
kilometers northeast of Bangkok. But according to some Thai local
media reports, rumors now circulating among Cambodians by cell-phone
text messages said that up to 10,000 Thai soldiers have gathered,
patrolling and beefing up security along the Thai-Cambodian border.
Local newspaper also showed some pictures of heavy weapons that have
been dispatched to border by the Thai army.
A Thai military official, who asking not to be
named, dismissed the rumors about the number of Thai soldiers along
the border. He said Thai army only sent several hundreds of soldiers
there, while the Cambodia has a total of several thousands soldiers
along the border.
However, a Cambodia military officer told Xinhua
that the Thai soldiers’ number now based in the disputed area is
more than that of Cambodia.
Anyway, in the disputed area, no signal of
intensity was evident, though soldiers from both countries were
stationed there and heavy weapons, such as rocket launchers, were
also seen from both sides. They sometimes smiled or chat with each
other despite different languages.
Gen. Jiradaj Kotcharat, assistant
commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army who visited to the
disputed area on Thursday, said the number of soldiers is not a main
issue since both sides have already promised not to use force to
solve the border dispute during Monday’s special meeting of the
Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee, though the meeting failed
to reach any breakthrough except for the oral no-force promises.
Therefore, both the countries have to maintain the force along the
border, waiting for future assignments.
The dispute over Preah Vihear flared up again
earlier this month after Cambodia applied the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) for
listing the temple compound, without the disputed 4.6 square
kilometers around it, as a World Heritage Site. The application was
approved on July 7, despite Thai opposition.
Thailand has suggested Cambodia apply for
listing the temple and some surrounding establishments as a World
Heritage Site under the names of both countries, but Cambodia was
awarded the honor on its own as the Unesco based its judgment on the
ruling of the International Court.
Shortly after that, three Thais, including a
Buddhist monk, were briefly detained by Cambodian soldiers after
surreptitiously crossing into the disputed border area on July 15.
The trio were released the same day but refused to leave the
disputed area adjoining the temple complex.
During Monday’s border meeting, both countries
cited legislation and legal technicalities as main obstacles in
reaching any agreement on the issue. But local analysts said they
need more time as both the governments are now at a sensitive time
as Cambodia is having a general election today, and Thailand’s
coalition government is preparing a reshuffle, if not a step-down
under pressure.
After the newly fixed governments of both sides
are born, more talks are expected to be held between them. Then, the
military standoff could be eased.
But another possibility is that the Cambodia
government could pass the issue to the International Court again as
it did 46 years ago. As to it, Thailand’s Supreme Commander
Boonsang Niampradit on Wednesday called on Thai leaders to
consider that scenario carefully.
He said the Thai leaders should be extra careful
about this as there were lessons learned in the past. But he hinted
that Thailand has the right to decide whether to go to the court.
Moreover, Thai ambassador to the UN Don
Pramudwinai said earlier that the government would wait and make its
new plan to solve the issue after the decision of the
15-member-meeting of Security Council.
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