We Should Do A Deal Over Preah Vihear: Hun Sen

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PREAH VIHEAR CONTROVERSY

We should do a deal over Preah Vihear : Hun Sen

By Mayuree Sukyingcharoenwong

The Nation

Phnom Penh

Thailand and Cambodia should not have a dogfight over the historic Preah Vihear temple at the World Heritage Committee but should make a deal to resolve problems before the annual meeting in Bahrain next year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has said.

The two countries have been at odds over the listing of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site. At a meeting in Brazil, Thailand moved to block Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear because of fears Phnom Penh would lay claim to disputed areas adjacent to the temple.

The World Heritage Committee decided to postpone consideration of the plan for another year. Both countries claimed victory after the row.

The Thai government declared it would never settle the case with Cambodia unless the two countries resolved the disputed boundary at the site.

Hun Sen said he had asked his deputy Sok An to have informal meetings with Thai Natural Resource and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti over the issue before the next World Heritage meeting in Bahrain.

"We should not have any conflict in the World Heritage and Unesco meeting. The best way is that we should reach agreement ahead of the meeting," Hun Sen told Thai reporters in a group interview in Phnom Penh.

The PM's interview with Thai reporters was rare. Hun Sen spoke on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Thailand and Cambodia.

Relations between the two countries are getting back to normal since former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra resigned as an economic adviser to Hun Sen in August. The Thai government under Abhisit Vejjajiva downgraded ties when Hun Sen appointed Thaksin in October 2009.

Hun Sen admitted Thaksin's appointment caused negative consequences to relations with Thailand.

"I'm still a friend of Thaksin. That is my merit. A friend is still a friend, but as long as I, as head of Cambodia's government, have to work with Abhisit, I will distinguish between these two matters," he said.

Cambodia's relations with Thailand were similar to the relationship of teeth and tongue - they cannot be split away from each other, he said.

"We might bite our own tongue sometimes but if we remove the teeth it would be really painful. So we have to let them live together peacefully," he said.

"The border areas, in particular, are poor and people fear a war, so we have to develop the border areas and turn them from a war zone to a trade zone."

-- The Nation 2010-12-22

[asiawatcher]

Why this cant be mutual ground such as 'no-mans' land between borders, is beyond me. Agree to have the temple accessible from both sides and secure it to stop people jumping the border both ways. It's not that difficult unless they deliberately want the conflict to continue! Certainly not worth losing teeth over but biting the tongue metaphorically seems the right thing to do - what a stupid comment and comparison from Hun Sen.

[LomSak27]

It should be a mutual access But as this has ALWAYS been considered Cambodia. The Thai goverment had the right to officially complain 50 years ago and DID NOT! Just because the Yellows used it to inflame nationalistic sentiments in their crusade against Thaksin does not mean you can throw out history and decades of border agreements.

This is not about Thaksin. it is about relations with a neighbor and requires something more serious than yellow shirt and their expat suppporters blather.

[Siam Simon]

It should be a mutual access But as this has ALWAYS been considered Cambodia. The Thai goverment had the right to officially complain 50 years ago and DID NOT! Just because the Yellows used it to inflame nationalistic sentiments in their crusade against Thaksin does not mean you can throw out history and decades of border agreements.

This is not about Thaksin. it is about relations with a neighbor and requires something more serious than yellow shirt and their expat suppporters blather.

the daft thing is, it's a minor cash cow for both countries that's been laid to waste by the extremist nutters for several years.

[Credo]

I hope they get this issued settled soon.  It seems more like fuel for nationalistic groups than a border dispute, per se.  

[whybother]

It should be a mutual access But as this has ALWAYS been considered Cambodia. The Thai goverment had the right to officially complain 50 years ago and DID NOT! Just because the Yellows used it to inflame nationalistic sentiments in their crusade against Thaksin does not mean you can throw out history and decades of border agreements.

This is not about Thaksin. it is about relations with a neighbor and requires something more serious than yellow shirt and their expat suppporters blather.

This area hasn't always been considered Cambodia. It was considered Thailand for a long time until a new border was established with the French in 1904/1906.

The new border was to follow the "watershed" line, which, as I understand it, puts the temple in Thailand. For some reason on the "official maps" the border veers off the watershed line around the temple, putting the temple in Cambodia.

Thailand has been officially complaining for decades, which is one of the reasons the problem went to the world court in the 60's. The world court ruled in favour of Cambodia mainly based around the "official maps". Thailand hasn't accepted that the "official maps" are correct and have been complaining about it since the world court made their decision.

[junglist]

If they cannot take the middle path then nether country should have clams. They simply will never understand Mind all the understand is Money.

Edited December 22, 2010 by junglist

[colinscarr]

The 1904 French map may be inaccurate, as Thailand claims, but it has been accepted by the World Court. Thailand could have challenged that 1960s ruling but didn't - presumably because they didn't think they would win their case. So Thailand is NEVER going to win. That being the case, it makes far more sense to accept the status quo - that Preah Vehaar is in Cambodia, and the approach steps to the north are in Thailand. Hun Sen is right, the two countries should do a deal which would make the area more accessible to tourists - thus bringing in more money for both nations.

BUT, this got tangled up in the Yellowshirts v the Samak government domestic political sh*t stirring. So don't expect a sensible solution any time soon.