Thailand Seeks To Adjust Preah Vihear Demilitarised Zone

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THAI-KHMER TIES

Thailand seeks to adjust Preah Vihear demilitarised zone

Panya Tiewsangwal

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Thailand is planning to propose that the International Court of Justice-determined "demilitarised zone" near the controversial Preah Vihear Temple be adjusted, Supreme Commander Thanasak Patimapakorn said yesterday.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday approved the setting up of a working group to comply with the court order, he said, noting that the panel would discuss the idea with its Cambodian counterpart.

"The world court has marked the demilitarised zone, but now that both countries have good relations, we think we can discuss the matter first," he said.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) marked the 17.3 square kilometres adjacent to the Hindu temple as a demilitarised zone to prevent further clashes between the two nations while it works on interpreting the 1962 ruling on the temple as requested by Cambodia.

Phnom Penh is seeking a clarification on who owns the area upon which the temple complex is situated.

In 1962, the court ruled that the temple was situated in a territory that came under the sovereignty of Cambodia, but Bangkok argues that Thailand owns the land in the temple's vicinity.

"We don't know who has set up the zone or who determines where the ABCD points are located. So if we can talk with Cambodia, we can live together peacefully. The world court also wants us to live together peacefully," Thanasak explained.

When asked if a team of observers from Indonesia was still necessary to monitor the situation, the commander said that in a recent meeting his Indonesian counterpart had said he wanted the two countries to reach an agreement on the matter first.

"If the two countries think observers are needed, Indonesia will send them in," he said, noting that the working group would discuss the matter with Cambodia.

"If the working groups can reach an agreement, it will be taken to the General Border Committee and the Thai Cabinet to be processed under the Constitution's Article 190," he said. "Everything will follow the procedure step by step. Nobody can make any decisions alone."

-- The Nation 2012-03-14

[RedNIvar]

This so far looks like a clear diplomatic approach to handling the matter. A step in the right direction, if you ask me.

[WackySomchai]

Smoke and mirrors. The fugitive made a private deal with his eternal friend in Cambodia a long time ago. Thailand will lose temple and land while the two dictators will laugh all the way to the bank.

[animatic]

Smoke and mirrors. The fugitive made a private deal with his eternal friend in Cambodia a long time ago. Thailand will lose temple and land while the two dictators will laugh all the way to the bank.

This pretty much sums it up.

Oil and Gas, plus gamboling rights in exchange for making face,

and a little land no one should care about except for those making an issue of it...

again over national face, not any pressing need to have the land.

Though I am sure some are trying to block it to block Thaksins scheme with Hun Sen,

Gamboling is cash in pocket now, and repatriating / keeping a large percent of Thai gamboling loses back in Thailand, even if lost in Cambo, is a cash cow not to be ignored.

But dividing the sea floor oil/gas rights lines and amicably getting extraction financing deals in place, is so much bigger , multi-national and long term huge money, that small scale war over it is not unexpected. Hun Sen doesn't have the credibility or cash to do it alone, he needs someone with too much money, no morals and a potential intense interest in it happening.

Edited March 14, 2012 by animatic

[Buchholz]

Further, there's an interesting article in the other paper concerning Supreme Commander Thanasak Patimapakorn agreeing to a development proposal for the area as a tourism location... a proposal made by the current de-facto Prime Minister Thaksin.

Additionally, it contains Abhisit comments regarding the real goal for Thaksin's oil/gas control in the area.

.

[animatic]

Further, there's an interesting article in the other paper concerning Supreme Commander Thanasak Patimapakorn agreeing to a development proposal for the area as a tourism location... a proposal made by the current de-facto Prime Minister Thaksin.

Additionally, it contains Abhisit comments regarding the real goal for Thaksin's oil/gas control in the area.

.

Saw that.

Yes you can see the worm turning daily.

[maidu]

18 countries have shared World Heritage Sites worldwide (shared administration, sites straddling shared borders). None are in Asia. No surprise to those who follow Asian affairs. Heck, there's not even the beginnings of discussions, within ASEAN, for a common SE Asian currency.

[volk666]

In that other paper they say Thaksin disagreed(!!!) with Noppadon's support for Cambodian bid which started all this recent mess.

Cambodian idea of sharing at that time was that the temple was Buddhist, built by Buddhists for the Buddhists living under the cliff and whoever built the staircase and came from the modern day Thai side (the aerial photo in the OP is taken form the Thai side) were impostors whose heritage does not deserve to be protected.

Noppadon then agreed to crop the area and list not the "site of Preah Vihear" but only the temple, as there was not much of a site left on the heritage maps.

And now they are doing it the Asian, informal way - ignoring the need to put their agreements on paper or follow ICJ decisions.

Looks like the clashes were manipulated specifically to make Democrat government look bad because absolutely nothing else has changed, nothing was signed and no new policies introduced.