Cambodia To Reopen Thai Border Crossing To Preah Vihear Temple: Official

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Cambodia to reopen Thai border crossing to temple: official

PHNOM PENH, November 29, 2010 (AFP) - Cambodia plans to reopen a border gate with neighbouring Thailand at a disputed temple this weekend, officials said Monday, indicating a thaw in relations between the two countries.

"I hope the gate will be opened very soon," said general Chea Tara, a Cambodian deputy commander-in-chief who oversees the troop operation at the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

Cambodian and Thai troops were working "on a good solution to resolve the problems along the border", Chea Tara told AFP by telephone.

Cambodia closed the gate after Thai protesters rallied near the ruins in June 2008, but an official at the Preah Vihear authority, a government-run agency managing the temple, said there was a plan to open the gate on Sunday.

The official, who asked not to be named, told AFP the move came after the redeployment of both Cambodian and Thai soldiers away from the border.

He said the tense situation there had eased and troops from both sides had covered up their bunkers in the area.

Ties between the neighbouring countries have been strained since July 2008 by a series of deadly border clashes over land surrounding the temple after it was granted UN World Heritage status.

The Thai-Cambodia border has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, although its main entrance lies in Thailand. The exact boundary through the surrounding grounds remains in dispute.

Relations between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva appear to have improved in recent months following a series of meetings held on the sidelines of international and regional summits.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2010-11-29

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Cambodia to Open Preah Vihear Gates on December 5

An international news agency is reporting that Cambodia is preparing to reopen the gates leading to the disputed Preah Vihear Temple now that tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have eased.

International news agency, AFP, reported that the Cambodian commander responsible for security at the Preah Vihear Temple area, General Jia Dara is preparing to reopen the border area surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple as both the Thai and Cambodian Armies are in the process

of resolving their border dispute.

AFP also mentioned that an unnamed Cambodian Army official said that if both Cambodia and Thailand agree to withdraw their troops from the disputed area and tensions relax, Cambodia is planning to reopen their gates at Preah Vihear Temple this Sunday.

This information was also found on the website Khmerization, where a report from the Cambodia News Express Agency was mentioned, stating that the border gates leading to Preah Vihear Temple will reopen this Sunday if Thai-Cambodian diplomatic relations improve.

According to reports, the border gates leading to the Preah Vihear Temple were closed when Thai troops encroached on the Temple premises on July 15, 2008, one week after the Preah Vihear temple was registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The undisclosed Army Official went on to say that since relations between the two countries have improved and Thailand has agreed to reduce the number of troops posted at the Sikka Kiriawara Temple, Cambodia has decided to reopen temple gates.

-- Tan Network 2010-11-30

[SantiSuk]

Great - good news for our local economy in Kantaralak - the nearest town with full (ish) tourist facilities. The temple is not Angkor Wat or Sukothai as far as quantity of antiquity goes, but it is an atmospheric temple in a great hilltop setting. I'm happy for you too, Bergen, given that your small resort hotel down there will get some more business back.

Today's Cambodian press reports that the underlying issues have not gone away and the comment is that it will not go away until Abhisit can politically afford to take a less nationalistic line in face of his own party. But both countries are prepared to put any territorial dispute on ice for now.

Nice to see a bit of sanity in this crazy region for once.

The Cambodian press also reports that the 'international border crossing' will reopen later too (the implication being that any such reopening is some months away). It would be nice if they opened that border for falang, but I suspect they will stick to the previous format of allowing Thais and Cambodians only (Vietnamese and others? not sure).

If anyone was wanting to go visit Preah Vihear you might want to know that Angkor Wat in Cambodia could be accessed from Kantaralak. Agree with a local hotel to look after your car for a couple of days and take a taxi (or local songthaew first to a town closer to the border). Go thru the Choam Sa Ngam border and hire a taxi for 1,500 baht to make the fast 90 minute journey to Siem Reap.

[bergen]

Thanks for the kind words SantiSuk!

I will cross my fingers, and hope that it soon will get back to "normal".

Edited November 30, 2010 by bergen

[bangon04]

December 5th is always a very auspicious day in the calendar to open things......

Are there any other (useful) things due to be opened on December 5th? Onnut skytrain extension perhaps? 3G in Thailand?

Edited November 30, 2010 by bangon04

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UPDATE

Cambodia delays opening Thai border gate to temple: official

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