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| Sacravatoons no 1932 : " The Fight " Posted: 11 Feb 2011 06:37 PM PST   |
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KI Media: “With alternatives like these, Let's try ping pong for peace” plus 24 more |
| With alternatives like these, Let's try ping pong for peace Posted: 12 Feb 2011 04:00 PM PST 13/02/2011 Voranai Vanijaka Bangkok Post Opinion ...if it looks like a Hindu, was built by a Khmer and has all Cambodian characteristics, it definitely must belong to Thailand, most definitely. After three weeks that saw deaths, injuries and destruction, the rain of bullets, the dropping of bombs, and thousands of Thai and Cambodian borderland villagers turned into refugees, at the moment all is relatively quiet on the eastern front. Reports say villagers are returning home. But reports also say that both sides are amassing tanks and troops at the border, with F16s flying overhead. Is this the quiet moment before the storm? Who knows? But the question we may first ponder is: What ignited this current round of conflict? Nope. It's not over who invaded whom first. It's not over who shot at whom first. It's not about some map drawn by the French a hundred years ago. (And please, Thai people, stop picking on and blaming the French. Leave that to the English and the Americans. We Thais already have the Laotians and the Cambodians.) Furthermore, it definitely is not about who Preah Vihear and that 4.6 square kilometres of dirt belongs to. Those are mere propaganda tools, baits if you will, used by the puppet masters to stir up nationalistic sentimenets among their flocks of sheep and clueless bystanders, who in turn -jolted by innate fanatical fervour, and the lack of a constructive hobby (like ping pong) - cry for ownership and vengeance, spewing hellfire and brimstone, baying for blood and war. All of this from the comfort of their air-conditioned homes, while poor Isan boys get shot at and innocent Isan villagers have their homes blown to bits. Because, you know, if it looks like a Hindu, was built by a Khmer and has all Cambodian characteristics, it definitely must belong to Thailand, most definitely. They also have their fair share of fanaticism on the other side of the border. Remember in 2003 when soap actress Suvanant Kongying allegedly said Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand? The Cambodian people went on a rampage and destroyed the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh. That was over an alleged remark by a soap starlet. Face it, Thais and Cambodians, we are overly melodramatic peoples, probably because Thai soap operas are popular in both countries. Here's another glimpse of melodrama. One of the five captured Thais released by Cambodia is a member of the Santi Asoke sect. He has taken the name Tainae Mungmajon. The literal translation? First name: ''Dead for Sure''. Surname: ''Determined to be Poor''. The name change has to do with the sect's mantra. Would you invite him to your birthday party? So here's the point of this conflict, the cause that ignited the current round of insanity. The government's retirement pension of 500 baht per month may be attractive to some, but not Major General Chamlong Srimuang. He's not ready to retire. He doesn't want to be unemployed. Ask the experts and they will say that the Democrats are a shoo-in for the next general election. The cake has been divided and all has been prepared - the right people in the right place, as could only happen in a developing-world democracy. The Democrats will be in power for the next four years at least, so say the experts. The red shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), with their endless flow of funds and the Puea Thai Party as their political arm, can and will continue their fight as the main opposition. On the other hand, the yellow shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), and the New Politics Party (NPP), which no one expects to win more than a handful of seats at best, will just fade into political irrelevance. They simply don't have the financial lifeline or the political muscle. Street muscle, however, is another story. Ladies and gentlemen, why do we fight? It's because Maj Gen Chamlong is simply trying to keep his job. This may be the last hurrah. Desperation, if you will. But please, do not underestimate him. Under his generalship, the PAD is 2-0 against Thai governments, the administrations of Thaksin Shinawatra and Somchai Wongsawat. Maj Gen Chamlong himself went toe-to-toe with the military and General Suchinda Kraprayoon in 1992, and it ended in a tie. He took on the military and came out with a tie! Chew on that one, people! Thaksin should fire Jatuporn Prompan and hire the good general. The UDD, with all their money and popular support, are 0-2. One may wonder how this border conflict could lead to the NPP winning the general election. It doesn't have to. Neither the Thaksin nor the Somchai governments were brought down by general elections, were they? As I'm writing this, all is relatively quiet on the eastern front. What are the possible scenarios that could play out? Here are some choices. a) Thai troops attack, Blitzkrieg-like (but of course, we'll tell the world they attacked first, so keep this one hush-hush, OK?), routing the Cambodian army and capturing Hun Sen's son, Hun Manet. Cambodia, shaken and humiliated, sues for peace and exchanges ownership of Preah Vihear and the 4.6 square kilometres of dirt for Hun Manet's return. Thais dance naked in the streets and the Democrats win the election in a landslide. b) The Cambodian troops attack, Blitzkrieg-like (but of course, they'll tell the world we attacked first, so keep this one hush-hush, OK?), routing the Thai army. Thailand, shaken and humiliated, relinquishes all claims to Preah Vihear and the 4.6 square kilometers of dirt. Cambodians dance naked in the streets, Abhisit Vejjajiva resigns in disgrace, a military regime takes over to ''strengthen and unite the nation in time of crisis''. There's no election. c) Allow the PAD to spread the plague of fanaticism, whipping the sheep and the clueless into an uproar, creating internal chaos and dissension, using the lives of innocents on both sides of the border for their political ambitions, to the point that the military goes, ''Blimey, look at this mess. [Sigh]. We are going to have to step in and clean it up, lads.'' No need for an election. A national government is appointed. PAD leaders get lucrative spots, because they have friends in ''high places''. Preah Vihear is no longer an issue as Maj Gen Chamlong successfully negotiates his employment contract. d) The Domino Effect. As happened prior to World War I _ both sides huff and puff and before anyone realises it, Total War. Untold death and destruction. The UN sends in peacekeepers. Hollywood makes a movie about it, starring Steven Segal as a former bone-breaking CIA operative and current customer of the month at a Patpong go-go bar, unwittingly caught in the conflict, and eventually saving the day. e) Let keyboard warriors make war in cyberspace (yes, there are fanatical Thais and Cambodians screaming murder on web boards from the comfort of their air-conditioned homes, instead of, you know, adopting a more constructive hobby like ping pong). Let them spew curses and engage in the infantile and fruitless exercise of tracing what belonged to whom first and who wronged whom first all the way back to the Stone Age. Meanwhile, the two kingdoms have it out with Unesco, like educated, civilised nations would, and accept the verdict, like educated, civilised nations would. Or appeal over and over again, like educated, civilised nations (that refuse to just give up and play ping pong instead) would. Then come election time, those who hate Mr Abhisit can try to kick him out and those who love him can try to keep him in, the democratic way, like educated, civilised people would. f) Relinquish claims to Preah Vihear and the 4.6 square kilometres of dirt in exchange for a casino in Koh Kong. Use the revenue to build schools, improve infrastructure, develop the country and enrich the lives of ordinary citizens. A true patriot can help his country in so many ways other than shooting at Cambodians. g) Blame the French and start calling french fries, farang fries. Dear readers, we ridicule the ridiculous. Examine the choices. Take your pick. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact Voranai Vanijaka via email at voranaiv@bangkokpost.co.th  | ||
| Thai-Cambodian Clash Requires Intervention Posted: 12 Feb 2011 03:51 PM PST  | ||
| Cambodia to boycott joint talks Posted: 12 Feb 2011 03:48 PM PST GOVT PUSH FOR BILATERAL SOLUTION TO BORDER ROW TAKES EARLY HIT 13/02/2011 Bangkok Post Thailand's attempts to solve its border dispute with Cambodia through bilateral means have hit a snag after Cambodia said it would not attend a Joint Boundary Commission meeting. The meeting had been tentatively scheduled for the end of this month but Var Kimhong, president of Cambodia's JBC, was yesterday quoted by the Xinhua News Agency as saying: "There will be no meeting of the JBC later this month. Now, bilateral mechanisms cannot resolve the issue". The last JBC meeting took place in 2009. They were shelved amid deteriorating relations between the two nations. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong talked during the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission (a separate body) meeting in Siem Reap earlier this month. Both sides agreed to revive the JBC meetings and tentatively scheduled the next one for late February. Since the border skirmish erupted on Feb 4, Thailand has stood firm in its stance that the dispute be resolved through the JBC, but Var Kimhong's remark could shut the door on Thailand's attempts to use the channel. Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the foreign minister, yesterday said the ministry had not received official notification from Cambodia that it would not attend the JBC meeting, although he conceded there were signs that it would not take part. But Mr Chavanond said Bangkok stands firm in its determination to hold the meeting as efforts to settle the border dispute continue. He said the matter would be decided after Mr Kasit returns from the United Nations Security Council's meeting on the Thai-Cambodian issue in New York tomorrow. Hor Namhong and Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, as the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, will also attend the New York meeting. Second Region Army chief Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon said Cambodia might be opposed to the JBC meeting taking place because it wants to internationalise the matter. "Such a stance [to derail the JBC process] is not beyond our speculation," he said. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday said he welcomed Mr Marty's plan to hold a meeting of all Asean foreign ministers to discuss the Thai-Cambodian border dispute. The invitations for the meeting, set for Feb 22, were sent out on Friday. Mr Kasit has received his invitation and confirmed he will attend. However, Mr Abhisit said the meeting must give priority to the bilateral framework between Thailand and Cambodia. Indonesia, as Asean chair, should only work as a facilitator to support bilateral talks, he said. "We have confirmed our position that the border conflict must be solved bilaterally," added Mr Abhisit. However, he said he pinned his hopes on the UNSC meeting to help Thailand clarify what had happened in fighting between troops on the Thai-Cambodian border to the international community. Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan yesterday said Mr Marty had kept Asean informed during his recent "diplomacy shuttle" between Phnom Penh and Bangkok as he tried to defuse the situation. "We are encouraged to hear the willingness of both parties to allow Asean to offer our good offices, conciliation and mediation as required by our Asean charter," Mr Surin said in Jakarta. "It will be a first for Asean to get involved directly and intimately in a conflict between member states. "But we will have no choice if the UNSC throws the case back to us after its meeting in New York." Mr Surin said the Asean Secretariat is ready to lend support for Thailand and Cambodia to find their own amicable solutions. "What the multilateral forum of the Asean FMs can do is provide moral support and encouragement for both parties to exert maximum efforts to find their own way out of their bilateral conflict," he said.  | ||
| West Seattle/White Center protest highlights Cambodia/Thailand dispute Posted: 12 Feb 2011 03:41 PM PST   In West Seattle news, White Center West Seattle Blog... You've heard a lot about what's going on in the Middle East – but have you heard about what's going on in Southeast Asia? A border clash between Cambodia and Thailand is about to come to a head in front of the United Nations, and today Cambodian-Americans came to West Seattle and White Center for a demonstration aimed at bringing it to your attention and demanding the U.S. government get involved. West Seattle Blog/White Center Now contributor Deanie Schwarz noticed the protest, took these photos and talked to spokesperson Sokmakara Hang, who explained that the demonstrators came from all over the state, and came here because this area has the state's highest concentration of Cambodian-Americans. They stood on corners all around 16th/Roxbury: Also on hand was Meach Sovannara from the Khmer Post Media Center in Long Beach (Calif.). The dispute is over a border area near the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site that is more than a millennium old. The Cambodian-Americans say the most recent skirmishes killed Cambodian soldiers, and are demanding that the Thai government stop what they call an "invasion." They want United Nations intervention as well as President Obama and the rest of the international community. According to this story from the Bangkok Post, this issue will be brought to the UN Security Council on Monday, and reportedly Cambodia will claim it's at war with Thailand. There's more background on the century-long conflict over the temple in this Jakarta Post story.  | ||
| ASEAN to discuss Thai-Cambodia dispute Posted: 12 Feb 2011 03:35 PM PST JAKARTA, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has scheduled an emergency meeting to discuss the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who currently chairs the group, said the invitations went out Friday, the Bangkok Post reported. The meeting is set for Feb. 22 in Jakarta. While the invitations only mention discussion of "regional and international issues," ASEAN sources told the Post the border dispute is clearly the item on the table. Cambodia has asked the United Nations to set up a buffer zone in the disputed area, while Thailand says the two countries should negotiate a solution on their own. The two countries' foreign ministers have been invited to attend a U.N. Security Council meeting Monday. Marty, as head of ASEAN, was also invited.  | ||
| Posted: 12 Feb 2011 03:32 PM PST Feb 11 2011 By Johnathon Menzies Stirling Observer Friday (UK) FORMER Stirling High School student Nicholas Burton has spoken of his shock as tensions flared between Thailand and Cambodia recently. At least five people were killed and thousands left the area after troops clashed in-and-around the 11th-Century Preah Vihear temple. The initial trouble began on Friday, February 4, and lasted for four days but the fall-out continues to be felt. The following is a first-hand account of Nicholas's thoughts and feelings during his time in Kantharalak, a town approximately 25 miles from the clashes. IT IS now Tuesday evening, and things have calmed down considerably. Throughout the day, traffic around Kantharalak was non-stop. The majority of it consisted of families fleeing the town for the perceived safety of the north. I spoke to two refugees, a local shopkeeper, a soldier, two Thai journalists and a foreign reporter. Although their attitudes and concerns differed considerably, two major themes ran through what they told me. In complete contrast to the dozens of pick-ups racing out of town laden with families' entire worldly possessions, all seven agreed that Kantharalak was perfectly safe. The journalists reckoned the Cambodians didn't want Kantharalak, and were only interested in the temple and the disputed border area around it. The soldier, shopkeeper and refugees were certain that the Cambodians couldn't reach Kantharalak if they tried, citing the constant stream of Thai reinforcements seen going through town in the direction of the war zone as proof. On this point the Thais sounded more convinced than the visitors from overseas, giving far less credence to the abilities and effectiveness of the Cambodian army. Everyone except the visiting reporter was certain of this – the Cambodians were the aggressors, and they were, to a man, hated. Hearing a refugee who has been forced from their home – and quite possibly shelled – referring to the Cambodians in such strong terms was not unexpected. But it was rather surprising to find well-dressed Bangkok journalists wearing the same grim mask and spitting their words with equal venom. Although my Thai does not yet cover too many swear words, the anger in their voices and hard-set expressions more than conveyed their feelings. Before the conflict began every school in the region had students of Cambodian descent. At least two of my own students are, and teachers at the local high school, Kantharalak-Vittya, say the same about theirs. Kids being kids, 'Cambodian' was openly used as a kind of mocking term, as almost universally Cambodians are poorer than Thais. However, there was no real malice behind it. This is probably owing to the fact that quite a few families here in the borderlands actually speak Cambodian or Laos better than they do Thai. The area is very much a 'melting-pot' of these three main ethnic groups and, as far as we could tell as outsiders looking in, everyone more or less got on okay. So you can imagine it is something of a shock to hear that within five days the Thai attitude has gone from slightly snobbish to one marked by passionate anger. It is very unlike them to speak with such force, especially in the company of people from overseas. I believe the change in attitude stems from the fierce nationalism which pervades Thailand, which is far more integral and important than in most Western nations. The Thai people are very, very proud of their history, and in particular the fact that their sovereignty and independence have been successfully defended for hundreds of years. So it's perhaps understandable why a foreign force – especially one thought of as generally poorer – allegedly launching this assault might well cause locals to turn on each other. I cannot help but wonder what will happen after this crisis is over. Will the Cambodian population of Kantharalak return? Will they be welcome? Will the 'melting-pot' society here ever be the same again? On one hand, it is well-noted that, in Issan, even the most serious of matters is usually met with a laid-back attitude. But, conversely, it's difficult to imagine them forgetting this conflict any time soon. The passion and venom with which the Thais I spoke to today decried Cambodia leads me to think that the latter, sadly, is the most likely outcome.  | ||
| Worries loom as [Thai] locals go home Posted: 12 Feb 2011 03:19 PM PST
13/02/2011 Wassana Nanuam & Nopparat Kingkaeo Bangkok Post More than 21,000 villagers evacuated to shelters along the border with Cambodia last week are returning home despite the risk that violence may recur. The Si Sa Ket villagers, who took shelter at 55 migration centres after the most recent Thai-Cambodian fighting erupted on Feb 4, started returning home yesterday, but with mixed emotions. Some residents will go back to homes damaged in the fighting by gun and missile fire. Many are worried that fighting will erupt again. "I don't know whether I can sleep because I don't know whether Cambodia will open fire again," said Supin Kaewloy, 41, a resident of Ban Phum Srol in Kantharalak district, which was hit by heavy weapons fire from over the border. Her house was damaged by a missile, while Ban Phum Srol school and the office of tambon Sao Thong Chai administration organisation were hit by artillery shells. But despite the risk of further violence in the neighbourhood, Ms Supin said she was glad to go home. "I don't want the fighting to recur. I did not enjoy fleeing," she said. Si Sa Ket governor Somsak Suwansujarit and 2nd army commander Thawatchai Samutsakhon yesterday saw off half the displaced villagers from a migration camp near Kantharalak district office. Soldiers helped take villagers' belongings to waiting vehicles, as officials prepared to repair and reinforce bunkers at border villages and build between 200 and 300 new bunkers. Ban Phum Srol residents need stronger bunkers because Cambodia was using powerful weapons, said Boonlue Swaengsai, head of a community cultural group in tambon Sao Thong Chai. Lt Gen Somsak said soldiers would train villagers in how to look out for irregularities in their neighbourhood, because Cambodia might send people to spy on them. Navy chief of staff Thakerngsak Wangkaew said the navy would close border passes in Chanthaburi and Trat if it needs to stop Cambodian undercover agents from infiltrating the provinces. The navy has joined the army in reinforcing troops in border provinces. Officers under the Marine Corps have been sent to Chanthaburi and Trat. In Surin, border trade at Chong Jom border pass in Kab Choeng district resumed yesterday after a five-day lull. About 100 out of the 400 shops normally trading there reopened yesterday after the fifth consecutive day of ceasefire. The border market can pull in 50 million baht on a good Saturday. Meanwhile, Thai gamblers are still crossing the border to try their luck at Cambodian casinos, though their numbers have dropped.  | ||
| Cambodia to shun bilateral dialogue Posted: 12 Feb 2011 03:01 PM PST February 13, 2011 By Nanthida Puangthong The Nation on Sunday Foreign Ministry's letter to Thai Embassy says JBC mechanism cannot resolve border dispute Cambodia has indefinitely postponed a boundary panel meeting with Thailand scheduled for later this month, shattering Thai hopes of settling the border conflict bilaterally. The Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh received a letter from the Cambodian Foreign Ministry, saying Cambodia was not prepared for a bilateral meeting under the framework of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Committee (JBC), according to a source. In their letter dated Thursday, the Cambodian authorities said that they wanted the JBC meeting, earlier scheduled to take place in the last week of this month, to be postponed indefinitely, a source at the Thai Foreign Ministry revealed. President of the Cambodian JBC, Var Kimhong, said yesterday that no meeting of the joint panel to define the land boundary would be held later this month, China's Xinhua news agency reported from Phnom Penh. "There will be no meeting of the JBC later this month. Now, the bilateral mechanism cannot resolve the issue," he was quoted as saying, referring to the border conflict between the two countries. Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, said in a telephone interview yesterday that the ministry had not received any official notification from Cambodian authorities that they would not attend the meeting. He said Thailand insisted on settling the border dispute with Cambodia through talks and peaceful means. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said earlier yesterday that Thailand intended to take part in the JBC meeting in a bid to settle the dispute with Cambodia bilaterally. "We [both countries] have a mechanism to settle the problem, but Thailand and Cambodia have to work together to make the bilateral mechanism function," he said. Cambodia has succeeded in internationalising the spat over the common border, particularly over the disputed area adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear Temple. The border conflict led to a new round of armed clashes early this month. Both states accuse the other of firing first. The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold a meeting behind closed doors tomorrow on the border clashes. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong, and Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who has been trying to mediate in the dispute, are expected to speak to the council. Spokesman for the ruling Democrat Party, Buranaj Smutharaks, said yesterday that Kasit would present facts to the Security Council regarding Cambodia's firing at civilian targets during the armed clashes. The foreign minister and Thai JBC chief, Asda Jayanam, met senior officials of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in Paris on Friday, according to the spokesman. Thailand presented photos showing Cambodian troops stationed at Preah Vihear to prove its claim that Cambodia had violated a treaty that bans the use of a World Heritage Site as a shield in a military conflict or for housing soldiers and storing weapons. Meanwhile, the Cambodian newspaper Kampuchea Thmey Daily ran a caricature of Abhisit on the front page yesterday, depicting him as a war-mad dictator. The caricature showed Abhisit with Hitler-style hair and moustache in military uniform with an armband featuring a Nazi swastika. The PM was shown holding an assault rifle and balancing on a rope above a fire. It was the latest effort by the media in Cambodia to paint Thailand in a negative way. Earlier, some Cambodian radio stations reportedly claimed Thai troops intentionally fired at Preah Vihear temple.  | ||
| Cambodia to claim 'war' with Thailand [-Bangkok insists on "STALLING" as usual] Posted: 12 Feb 2011 02:57 PM PST UNSC TO MEET WITH BORDER RIVALS AND ASEAN CHAIR 13/02/2011 Bangkok Post Cambodia will argue that it is at war with Thailand and that intervention from a third party is needed when it presents its case to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) tomorrow. A senior source in the Cambodian government also said they would produce evidence that the Thai military had been the aggressors during the border clashes and had used banned weapons, including cluster bombs and poison gas. The source also said Cambodia was willing to let the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) play the third-party role, but he insisted that bilateral approaches employed since July 2008 to resolve the border dispute surrounding Preah Vihear temple had failed. The chair of Asean, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, has invited all the association's foreign ministers to a meeting in Jakarta on Feb 22 to discuss the dispute. The Cambodian source said there were two reasons for the UN to intervene - its successful running of elections in Cambodia in 1993, and as Preah Vihear was heritage-listed, it is the responsibility of Unesco to protect it. "We have all the documents, all the evidence," he said. "The role of the United Nations is to stop any war in the world, and this is a war between Cambodia and Thailand. It's not a small clash. "So we'll present the case to the United Nations, we'll present the case to Unesco to show the damage to the temple. If necessary we can go to the International Court of Justice again," he said. The UNSC meeting, which will be attended by the foreign ministers of Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, is expected to be informal and to take place behind closed doors. The council consulted twice on the issue last week after letters were sent first by Cambodia and then Thailand. However, member nations have already expressed support for mediation efforts by Mr Marty. National Security Council secretary-general Thawil Pliensri said concerned agencies, including the NSC, had prepared evidence for the UNSC meeting. He said he was confident that Thailand will be able to defend itself against Cambodia's charges, adding that there were some platforms, such as Asean, where the parties could work to resolve the problem. Other Thai officials and diplomats said that "technically" Thailand should succeed in meeting Cambodia's challenge at the meeting. "If the council on Monday merely listens to the three [foreign ministers] and urges Thailand and Cambodia to continue their negotiations, perhaps with Asean's or Indonesia's assistance, then we'll have time to continue the negotiations with Cambodia although with more parties looking over our shoulders," said a seasoned diplomat. However, he added that if the council were to do otherwise, Thailand had to be very careful, as its decision was binding on all UN members. A Bangkok-based diplomat from one of the UNSC's five permanent members said the most likely outcome was "no statement, no vote, and discussion that urges the two countries to work together to resolve the disputes bilaterally". Another Bangkok-based European diplomat said Thailand had become more isolated in the international arena since the 2006 coup and the subsequent political turmoil which had diminished its traditional role as a hub to develop regional consensus. "Thailand was always a voice to be listened to, a stopover for major powers to seek consultations on regional issues," the source said. "Now they choose to deepen more links with Indonesia." One retired diplomat expressed concern that Thailand's "technical" arguments might be undermined by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's appeasement of the People's Alliance Democracy (PAD), which may have weakened the Foreign Ministry's case. "Abhisit usually says it's a matter for the foreign ministry, but when the PAD pushed for a harsh nationalistic tone, he silenced the ministry's legal experts," said the diplomat.  | ||
| Posted: 12 Feb 2011 09:34 AM PST January 29, 2011 By Adam Boutzan Asia Times Successful rebellions are inherently unpredictable. The middle-class revolt that recently toppled the Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali regime in Tunisia can only be explained in retrospect; hardly anyone, apparently, saw it coming. Analysts now are pointing to the combustible mix of too many educated young people and too few jobs, a "kleptocratic elite", and the failure of the state security apparatus to defend the regime when the chips were down. Other analysts are debating whether the Tunisian example will be replicated in neighboring Arab nations, including Algeria, Egypt and Yemen, and if so, how ought the world's democracies respond to the turmoil. Foreign ministries from Washington, London, Tokyo to Paris and Berlin are trying to guess what posture is most likely to preserve their governments' ability to find common ground to work with whoever ends up on top of the heap if a revolt succeeds, yet not upset current relationships if the incumbents weather the challenge. If they are wise, they won't just look at the Arab world. The revolt in Tunisia looks a lot like the protests that rocked the mullah-cracy in Iran a little more than a year ago. It wasn't about Islam but rather about social justice and personal freedoms. And if that is true, analysts ought to be considering its relevance to all nations, Islamic or not, in awkward stages of development. In many developing nations education and digitally driven social networking have made young, urban populations aware of what they haven't got. In some places, they haven't got the stuff someone can buy if he or she had a steady job. In other places, they haven't got the right to say what they think or change their leaders, let alone their system. Vietnam falls into this second category. Since 1991, the Communist Party elite has done remarkably well at putting stuff into the hands of its citizens. A population that is still haunted by the memory of the abject poverty engendered by the failure of Vietnam's attempt to build real socialism (1975-1986) is happy with what a US$1,200 per capita income brings: better housing, enough to eat, a motorbike, TV, and money to spend on occasional luxuries. The Forbes Magazine-sponsored Happiness Index survey regularly finds the Vietnamese to be among the most optimistic that life will keep getting better. Yet a handful of Vietnamese persist in complaining in blogs, on Facebook and its ilk that material wealth is not enough and that elemental political freedoms are lacking. So far, the great majority of Vietnamese regard such people quizzically, if at all, as oddballs who haven't learned to color within the lines. They shrug when these malcontents are beaten up or jailed for such crimes as "using the Internet to promote a multiparty system and democracy". The political passivity of most Vietnamese can't be explained by ignorance of the outside world. The livelier newspapers have reported frequently and without apparent censorship on the events in Tunisia and now Egypt since the Ben Ali regime was toppled in mid-month. And, just as when the riots that rocked Bangkok a year ago were daily media fare, the prevailing sentiment seems to be "thank God that doesn't happen here". In a nation that was once officially egalitarian but where ostentatious displays of new wealth are now common, a lot of young, educated city people simply aspire to achieve the same degree of vulgarity. Almost all citizens believe that with hard work and a little luck, they'll lead better, easier lives. The Legatum Institute's "Prosperity Index", a meta-analysis published on January 26, reported that Vietnam had jumped 16 places in the last year and is now 61st of 110 nations surveyed. Tunisia ranked 48th in the same "global assessment of wealth and well-being". A Vietnamese Communist Party congress has just renewed the nation's political elite, promoting some and retiring others. Often heard through the fog of white noise that pervades such events was emphasis on the importance of continuing to deliver economic growth. Not just quantitative growth, but qualitative growth as well - the sort of investments and policies that can lift Vietnam out of the ranks of the exporters of raw materials and sweatshop goods. That's a promise that the Hanoi regime may not be able to deliver. Perhaps party members understand that the legitimacy of their rule now depends intimately on delivering ever higher living standards and will act accordingly. However, it seems just as likely that reformers within the ruling party will continue to be hobbled by a sclerotic system characterized by patronage, pervasive corruption and local fiefdoms. If Vietnam's quarter-century economic advance were to stutter or stall, trouble may well follow. There are millions of youth on motorbikes, each with a 3G mobile phone - anyone who has seen celebrations of football victories by Vietnam's national squad can imagine this same energy turned to political agitation. And if as in Tunisia the mood turned decidedly ugly, if a minor clash or two produced martyrs, if tens of thousands were to challenge the powers that be, can the regime depend on its protectors, the People's Police? Vietnam, a nation of 86 million, has 1.2 million police according to an estimate by respected security analyst Carl Thayer. Collectively they are a corrupt, abusive, ubiquitous presence that ordinary people avoid insofar as possible. Individually, most police are - as reportedly is the case in Tunisia - lower middle-class people who regard a police career as a way to get ahead. Specialized police units excel in monitoring and squashing Vietnamese who share their seditious opinions with others. Internal security officials regularly warn that Vietnam's enemies aim to launch an East European-type "color revolution". The police are aided by laws that prohibit the establishment of independent advocacy groups, the sinews of civil society in most nations. Vietnam's political dissidents appear to be marginalized and few in number, and as long as that's the case no match for the police. And yet, suppose economic growth did stutter or stall? And suppose a young Vietnamese with a university degree, unable to find steady work, set up a sidewalk business vending watermelons? Suppose several policemen busted him for vending without a permit and confiscated his wares? Suppose he protested to the powers that be and was ignored or humiliated? These things happen often in Vietnam. And suppose that the young educated vendor then dowsed himself with gasoline in front of a local party headquarters and lit a match? Adam Boutzan, a pseudonym, is an independent writer.  | ||
| Cambodia willing to attend ASEAN meet on border dispute with Thailand Posted: 12 Feb 2011 09:27 AM PST PHNOM PENH, Feb. 12 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The Cambodian government said Saturday that it has expressed its readiness to attend the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting to be held in Jakarta on Feb. 22 on the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand. Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong told Kyodo News that Cambodia replied to Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who is also the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on the proposed meeting. In the letter dated Friday, Marty proposed to ASEAN member states to hold an "Informal Meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers" in Jakarta on Feb. 22 in the afternoon. The letter proposed that the topic for discussion will be "regional and international issues," which is in reference to the current border row between Cambodia and Thailand -- both members of ASEAN. If the meeting is accepted by all member states, especially the key party concerned, Thailand, it will be the second time with a third party's participation in the border conflict, which Cambodia insists upon. At the appeal of the Cambodian government, the United Nations Security Council will convene its first meeting on the issue in New York next Monday. The foreign ministers from the two nations are on the way there along with Marty Natalegawa. Thailand has been insisting that the border resettlement will be continued at the bilateral level, but Cambodia said this mechanism will never work out, saying it had already failed despite many rounds of talks over the past two years. The border row stemmed from the use of two different maps, and tension has heated up again recently, leading the situation to armed clashes, or even "real war" as Cambodia called it, following the latest four- day fighting that only ended on Monday. It resulted in the loss of at least eight lives and nearly 100 others injured including civilians from both sides. The dispute occurs at the area near Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple which was registered as a World Heritage Site in July 2008.  | ||
| Cambodia builds bridge to link ASEAN highway Posted: 12 Feb 2011 09:20 AM PST February 13, 2011 PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) - The construction of Neak Loeung Bridge, a part of ASEAN's highway, will play a vital role in boosting the development of Cambodian and regional economy, said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday during a ground breaking ceremony for the bridge construction. The Neak Loeung Bridge across the Mekong River along the National Road No. 1 will link the western part of Kandal province and the eastern part of Prey Veng province to Vietnam. The bridge will be the biggest and longest one in Cambodia. It will be 13.5 meters wide and 2,200 meters long, and as high as 37 meters from the water surface, according to the master-plan. The Neak Loeung Bridge, being constructed by contractor Sumitomo Mitsu Construction of Japan, will be completed by 2015. The cost was estimated at $131 million under the grant aid from Japan. "The bridge will be hugely contributed to the development of Cambodian and regional economies because it will link the ASEAN highway and Great Mekong Sub-region highway," the premier said. The construction of the bridge will also respond timely to the implementation of the bilateral transport agreement between Cambodia and Vietnam, he added. In a message from Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto to congratulate the ground breaking ceremony for the bridge, he said that the bridge construction demonstrated closer confidence and cooperation between Cambodia and Japan. "I firmly hope that this bridge will contribute to the development and progress in Cambodia and Mekong region," Kan Naoto wrote in the message and was read at the ceremony by Yutaka Banno, state secretary Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the figure from the Cambodian Ministry of Economy and Finance, Japanese grant to Cambodia is about $130 million a year for rehabilitating and developing physical infrastructures such as roads and bridges, and human resources. Since 1994 to the end of 2010, Japanese's grants to Cambodia mounted to $1.9 billion. The ASEAN countries consist of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.  | ||
| Construction starts on 3rd Japan-donated bridge in Cambodia [-Neak Loeung Bridge] Posted: 12 Feb 2011 08:52 AM PST PHNOM PENH, Feb. 12 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Construction on a third bridge in Cambodia to be built with Japanese economic assistance began Saturday on a route crossing the Mekong River to Vietnam. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said the bridge, at 2,240 meters, will be the longest and "most beautiful" in the country. The structure, 37.5 meters above the river at its highest point, will provide a direct transportation link to Vietnam. The new bridge is at the Neak Loeung River Crossing, 56 kilometers southeast of Phnom Penh. Construction is expected to take until February 2015. Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Yutaka Banno, Japan's secretary of state for foreign affairs, said, "This bridge will not only link the two sides of the river, but link all countries in the region, tying Cambodia today to the future, linking Japan to Cambodia and this bridge will become a popular symbolic tie for our two countries." At the request of the Cambodian government, Japan in 1992 began rehabilitating the 710m Chroy Changwar Bridge, later named the Cambodia-Japan Friendship Bridge across the Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh. It was completed in 1994 at a cost of $23.2 million. The Japan-financed Spien Kizuna Bridge is a 1.3 km traverse of the Mekong in Kompong Cham Province, 125 km northeast of Phnom Penh. It cost $57 million. Hun Sen, at the ground-breaking at Neak Loeung, said Japan is the biggest grant donor to Cambodia, offering about $130 million a year.  | ||
| [Taiwan] Foreign ministry issues travel alert for Thai-Cambodian border Posted: 12 Feb 2011 08:49 AM PST 02/12/2011 Radio Taiwan Int'l The foreign ministry has issued a red travel alert for the disputed border area between Thailand and Cambodia. In a press release issued late on Friday, the ministry advised that Taiwanese citizens not to travel to the area, as Thailand and Cambodia have had several violent clashes. The Thai government has evacuated about 10,000 villagers living near its border with Cambodia. The Thai government has also closed several border checkpoints.  | ||
| China Pledges to Work with Int'l Community to Resolve Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict Posted: 12 Feb 2011 08:46 AM PST 2011-02-12 Xinhua China on Saturday said it would work with the international community in the hope of resolving the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict. "China supports mediation efforts by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to ease Cambodia-Thailand tensions and would like to work with ASEAN and the international community to play a constructive role in resolving the conflicts," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement. Armed clashes between Cambodia and Thailand from Feb. 4 to 7 had killed at least eight people and injured 67 others. Tens of thousands of villagers nearby the disputed areas had fled their homes. China was paying much attention to the clashes, Ma said. Stressing that Cambodia and Thailand are China's friendly neighbors, Ma said China has kept in close contact with both countries since the clashes began. Ma called on the two nations to stay calm and exercise restraint, put an end to military confrontation, prevent the situation from escalating and resolve disputes through consultations. The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated. Although the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that an 11th century temple itself belonged to Cambodia, the row over the 4.6-sq-km territory around the temple has never been resolved.  | ||
| Posted: 12 Feb 2011 08:44 AM PST BANGKOK, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- Thai Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti is scheduled to visit France next week to meet the secretary-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the director-general of the World Heritage Centre under UNESCO in Paris to explain border rows between Thailand and Cambodia related to the ancient Preah Vihear Temple, a world heritage site, to the UN authorities. Suwit said on Saturday he would clarify before the UNESCO authorities that Thailand did not invade Cambodia, and that a spate of clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops along the border near the Preah Vihear Temple were, instead, Thailand's attempts to protect national sovereignty, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported. Suwit revealed that Thailand will also seek a review of the World Heritage Committee's listing of the Preah Vihear Temple for Cambodia, as Thailand has maintained its opposition to the unilateral listing based on the fact that the 11th century temple stands on an unsettled area of Thailand and Cambodia and that a world heritage site management plan proposed by Cambodia covers its vicinity which includes Thai territory. The Thai minister said that Thailand will, therefore, ask the World Heritage Committee, at its next meeting in Bahrain in June this year, to postpone its consideration of the Cambodian management plan until Thailand and Cambodia conclude their border re-demarcation. Suwit has met parties concerned in Thailand, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Thai Survey Department, the Fine Arts Department and the Thai World Heritage Committee to gather information in preparation for his trip to Paris next week.  | ||
| Thai Border Villagers Returning Home Posted: 12 Feb 2011 08:38 AM PST SI SA KET, Thailand, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- Local villagers in Kantharalak District of Thailand's northeastern Si Sa Ket Province have continued returning home gradually, from temporary shelters provided by provincial authorities, as the situation along the Thai-Cambodian border near the province has remained calm over the past couple of days--in the wake of a spate of clashes, from February 4-6, between Thai and Cambodian soldiers. The returning Thai villagers have been safeguarded by soldiers from Thailand's 2nd Army Area Command; while bomb disposal experts have continued surveying border areas on the Thai side to ensure that there are no hidden explosive devices for the sake of public safety, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported. Meanwhile, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban denied alleged reports that Thailand had flown some F-16 jet fighters over Ban Pum Srol area along the border in the Thai side to threaten Cambodia, insisting that Thailand does not need a show of force. Suthep, who oversees national security, said that the Royal Thai Air Force has normally flown its F-16 jet fighters as part of its regular training.  | ||
| ASEAN to discuss Thai-Cambodia skirmishes over shrine dispute Posted: 12 Feb 2011 08:34 AM PST By Jaishree Balasubramanian Kuala Lumpur, Feb 12 (PTI) As tension continues to simmer on the Thailand and Cambodia border over a 11th century Hindu Shiva temple, a concerned Asean grouping has asked all its foreign ministers to meet for an urgent conclave to discuss the Preah Vihar shrine dispute. The invitations to the foreign ministers have been sent by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the current Asean chair and the meeting is set to be held on February 22. While Cambodia has sought an urgent Security Council meeting calling for a UN buffer force to be put in place, Thailand has said the dispute should be resolved bilaterally. Meanwhile, Thailand has said that more than 20,000 soldiers will be deployed on the Thai-Cambodian border as part of a national defence plan and an incident action plan approved by the army commander, ''Bangkok Post'' quoted army sources as saying today. The plan is to remain in effect till March 30. The main entrance of the Shiva temple known as Preah Vihar is officially on the Cambodian side but most of the other parts of the temple spill over to the Thai side. Officially the foreign ministers have been invited to discuss "regional and international issues," but the purpose of the meeting is clear, senior Asean officials told the Bangkok Post. The Indonesian foreign minister has met both Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers so far. He has said that Asean''s role is one that supports bilateral efforts to resolve the conflict. Recent reports after the border clash a couple of weeks back had said that parts of the temple had been damaged in the recent skirmishes between the two neighbours after Cambodian troops used the shrine as a military base to fire on the Thai soldiers. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has sent a letter to the UN Security Council saying Thailand''s action during the clashes last week with Cambodia was appropriate and is in line with international principles. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged both the countries to come up with mechanisms to solve their disputes and end armed confrontation as soon as possible. US has also called for Thailand and Cambodia to exercise restraint. The construction of the first temple at the site began in the early 9th century and continued in the following centuries dedicated to Shiva in his manifestations as the mountain gods Sikharesvara and Bhadresvara, online reports said. The earliest surviving parts of the temple dates from early 10th century, when the empire''s capital was at the city of that name. In the wake of the decline of Hinduism in the region the site was converted to use by Buddhists. In 1954, Thai forces occupied the temple following the withdrawal of French troops from Cambodia. Cambodia protested and turned to the International Court of Justice which later ruled in 1962 that the shrine belonged to Cambodia.  | ||
| " Pritika Real-daal Denh Kbaal Chun Pdach Kar" a Poem in Khmer by Nore Yutt Posted: 12 Feb 2011 04:03 AM PST   | ||
| Posted: 12 Feb 2011 01:18 AM PST Place me like a seal over your heart,
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| Since Thailand can't have Preah Vihear temple, they have to build a make-believe one Posted: 11 Feb 2011 10:48 PM PST  | ||
| China's view on the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand Posted: 11 Feb 2011 10:44 PM PST [Excerpt from] Foreign [China] Ministry Spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu's Regular Press Conference on February 10, 2011 On the afternoon of February 10, 2011, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu held a regular press conference. Ladies and Gentlemen, Happy Spring Festival! Welcome to the first press conference in the Chinese New Year. We have the first snow this winter today in Beijing. A timely snow promises an auspicious year. Wish you good luck in the coming year！ This year is the Year of Rabbit, a friendly, peaceful, speedy and smart animal. I sincerely hope you will report on China faster and better in the coming year. My colleagues and I will spare no efforts to provide you assistance and convenience. Q: Cambodia and Thailand engaged in armed conflicts in their border area lately. What role has China played in easing the tension? It is learned that the Security Council will hold a meeting on 14th to discuss the border situation between Cambodia and Thailand. Cambodia hopes the UN will send troops to the border area. What is your attitude on the involvement of the Security Council and the UN sending peace-keeping troops to the border area? A: Both Cambodia and Thailand are friendly neighbors of China. Since the start of the conflicts, China has stayed in close contact with both sides and pushed for settlement of the dispute through consultation between them. China calls on both sides to keep calm and exercise restraint so as to avoid further escalation of the situation. On your second question, we have taken note of the reports and will stay in communication with all relevant parties.  | ||
| Temple dispute and ASEAN conflict settlement Posted: 11 Feb 2011 10:37 PM PST Sat, 02/12/2011 Bambang Hartadi Nugroho, Jakarta The Jakarta Post While all eyes are directed towards affairs in Tunisia and Egypt, another urgent situation stemming from a rather neglected issue is occurring in our own backyard. A scuffle between Thai and Cambodian forces occurred along the border between both countries, near the Preah Vihear Temple, on Feb. 4. The origin of the conflict over Preah Vihear is a century old. According to a border settlement between Cambodia's French colonial government and the Kingdom of Siam, the temple and the area surrounding it was Cambodian territory. Yet, in 1938 the Thai government reclaimed the area and occupied it until 1958 when both sides held a series of negotiations to resolve the issue. They did not come to an agreement. In 1959, the countries brought the case to the International Court of Justice. The Court decided in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia and that Thailand should withdraw its forces and return any objects to the temple that might have been removed. The decision was accepted by both parties and became the status quo. Meanwhile, the recent incidents have basically been driven by domestic pressures for a firm policy on Preah Vihear. In 2008, Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej supported the temple's nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a policy that soon drew strong criticism from opposition parties that argued that it would weaken Thailand's claim to the territorial border near the temple. Cambodia, on the other hand, was about to hold an election, leading Prime Minister Hun Sen to take a firm stand on the issue in order to obtain support from his people. Since that time, a fresh series of disputes over the temple have occurred, remaining unsettled until now. From a regional perspective, the Thai-Cambodian dispute is only the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of other territorial disputes among Southeast Asian countries and most are handled through bilateral mechanisms. However, the Thai-Cambodian conflict is a particular blow for ASEAN for two reasons. First, the exchange of fire clearly violated ASEAN's principle of not using force and settling disputes peacefully. Such principles have become the basic code of conduct for many regional organizations, particularly ASEAN. Second, Cambodia's plea to the UN Security Council for a peaceful settlement undermines ASEAN's role as the group that maintains regional security, whether or not Cambodia realized it. From a regional perspective, the question should be: Where does ASEAN stand? And more broadly, what can be done by the group to resolve this case and other similar cases among its member states? These questions are not really new, but have always been the main concerns of experts regarding the development of the organization. For decades ASEAN has remained passive when it came to conflicts involving its member states. This is partially due to the lack of adequate regional mechanisms for resolving conflicts. The 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) does mention that the organization can, when needed, form a High Council to work under the mandate of the disputing parties to settle conflicts. However, this mechanism has never been employed by any ASEAN member due to several limitations in the treaty and for the council itself. The treaty is limited because there are no proscriptions for how the council may act in disputes. Further, the parties are not required to accept the mediation of the other members of the High Council. There are other weaknesses that make the treaty ineffective. First, the treaty does not specifically note that members of the council should be lawyers, which would ensure that dispute solutions were legal. Members would not trust a council that consists of politicians because they distrust each other regarding borders because almost every country has a border problem with its neighbor. Second, the council can only be empowered if the parties have failed to reach a solution after direct negotiations. Last but not least, the disputing parties are not obliged to use regional mechanisms as a means to resolve conflicts; they can always choose other mechanisms. Regardless of the treaty's weaknesses, a new prospect for regional dispute settlement mechanisms may come from the signing of the ASEAN Charter. The charter provides other mechanisms such as good offices, conciliation, mediation and arbitration. But, the charter still seems to emphasize political solutions for disputes, as seen in Article 26, which says that whenever a case cannot be resolved through other mechanisms, it "shall be referred to the ASEAN Summit for its decision". That article can be considered a setback for the charter, which already provided many alternatives because the use of a summit as the ultimate mechanism to resolve conflicts does not guarantee a legal solution for the disputants. What is needed by the member states in the long run is to form a permanent mechanism, preferably in the form of an arbitration body, which can handle the many disputes among them. A permanent dispute settlement body will better serve the interests of the member states rather than ad hoc mechanisms, because it will be more established and will have a more rigid set of rules compared to the ad hoc ones. This, in turn, may also increase member trust in the regional mechanism and increase ASEAN's institutional capacity in the eyes of its member states. Indonesia's effort as the current ASEAN chair by sending the foreign minister to open the path towards peace talks between Thailand and Cambodia through "shuttle diplomacy" is a positive sign. Historically, the chair has acted as the initiator of settlement efforts many times. However, institution wise, it would be better if in other cases the responsibility was given to the ASEAN Secretariat or to a permanent arbitration body to guarantee the sustainability of such mechanisms. As a regional political entity, ASEAN must provide a formal regional instrument for settling conflicts that really functions, despite the fact that ASEAN members are allowed to choose any peaceful settlement mechanism that suits them. By providing formal settlement mechanisms, ASEAN would be making another step towards a politically secure community. The writer is an assistant lecturer in international relations at the University of Indonesia in Depok, West Java.  | ||
| No Cambodian-Thai border commission meeting in later Feb: official Posted: 11 Feb 2011 10:32 PM PST PHNOM PENH, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian border chief said Saturday that no meeting of the Cambodian-Thai Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) would be held later February. "There will be no meeting of the JBC later this month," said Var Kimhong, president of JBC. "Now, bilateral mechanism cannot resolve the issue." Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Thai Foreign Minister, said on Feb. 7 that the JBC was scheduled to meet in the last week of February. The United Nations Security Council is to hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the Cambodian-Thai border conflict. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya will report to the meeting about the issue. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, whose country is the current chairman of the ASEAN, will also attend the meeting. The latest clashes between Cambodia and Thailand on Feb. 4-7 had killed at least 8 people and injured 67 on both sides, and tens of thousands of the two countries' villagers nearby the disputed area fled for safe shelters. The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated. Although the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that an 11th century temple itself belonged to Cambodia, the row over the 4.6-square-km territory around the temple has never been resolved.  | ||
| UNESCO designates special envoy for Hindu Khmer temple damaged in border clashes Posted: 11 Feb 2011 10:26 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Friday designated a Special Envoy to address the Preah Vihear Temple which was damaged during recent border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand. Koichiro Matsuura, former Director-General of UNESCO, was named Special Envoy and will visit Bangkok and Phnom Penh to discuss the safety of the Hindu temple inscribed on the World Heritage List. Matsuura will examine with both Cambodia and Thailand how to lessen tension between the two sides as well as promote dialogue for the preservation of the 11th century temple. On Tuesday, UNESCO announced that it would send a mission to assess the damage caused by the recent armed clashes between the two South-East Asian neighbors to the temple. The Preah Vihear Temple was inscribed on the World Heritage List in July 2008. Cambodian-Thai tensions first escalated in 2008 following the build-up of military forces near the temple, which dates back to the 11th century and is located on the Cambodian side of the border. Last week, fighting erupted between Cambodian and Thai soldiers along the border between Thailand's Si Sa Ket province and Cambodia's Preah Vihear province. One Thai soldier, one civilian and at least three Cambodians were reportedly killed Friday and Saturday in exchanges of small arms and artillery fire. On Saturday, Thailand and Cambodia agreed on a ceasefire both the fighting resumed on Sunday. Each side blamed the other for initiating the shooting. The fire exchange has already caused severe damage to Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called both sides for restraint as clashes resumed on Monday and have continued in recent days. UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova called for calm as well. The Hindu temple was dedicated to Shiva and is composed of a series of sanctuaries linked by a system of pavements and staircases over an 800-metre-long axis. The temple dates back to the first half of the 11th century AD. The site is exceptional for the quality of its carved stone ornamentation and its architecture, adapted to the natural environment and the religious function of the temple.  |
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