Preah Vihear news updates Jul 21
#01
At top ASEAN ministers’ talks over dinner, Cambodia and Thailand promised to “exert utmost efforts” to find a peaceful solution to their standoff, Singapore’s Foreign Minister George Yeo said (AFP, 21 Jul 08; The Earth Times, 20 Jul 08). However, a top Cambodian general said he had little faith in the talks (Agence France-Press, 20 Jul 08). Also, a survey conducted nationwide by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University revealed more than half of Thai people are not optimistic, either (Bangkok Post’s Breaking News). Some 40 percent of the respondents said they were “uncertain” about Thai govt’s attempts to defuse the temple tensions.
Note that THAILAND and Cambodia sent troops and heavy guns yesterday to their disputed border, where hundreds of soldiers faced off for a fifth day over an ancient Hindu temple (The Brunei Times, 20 Jul 08).
“In tussel over Cambodian temple, religion suffers,” The Earth Times wrote for its Jul 20 headline. Preah Vihear local Sor Sarom went to the pagoda on the first day of Buddhist Lent as she always does, and found herself being held at gunpoint by a man dressed in black. “It brought all my memories of the Khmer Rouge back. I was terrified. He just came out of the shadows inside the temple,” the 50-year-old said.
#02
AFP announced, “Cambodia-Thailand standoff talks start” in Aranyaprathet district, about 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of the disputed land.
As the talks are still going on in closed door under the lead of Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit on the Thai side and Defense Minister Gen. Tea Banh on the Cambodian, no outcome has been reported. However, Boonsang told Xinhua earlier he could not say whether the Thai troops stationed near Preah Vihear will be withdrawn as requested by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last week in a diplomatic note sent to his Thai counterpart while Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Cambodian cabinet, warned the Thai troops in the disputed area through his speaker in Khmer and translated in Thai that Cambodia would have to use force “if unavoidable” (ABC Radio Australia, 21 Jul 08 [Khmer]).
Meanwhile, The Jarkarta Post reported that ASEAN, who wished to get upaded about the situation, would be disappointed as Thailand at present does not have a foreign minister and therefore would probably send its deputy prime minister and Cambodia had no plan to send its foreign minister either.
In its small coverage of the story, The New York Times today quoted Chris Baker, British historian of Thailand, as saying, “[t]he Democrats have used this quite dishonestly to get at the current government.” “This of course is a very dangerous game. A troop buildup is a very dangerous game. It’s a very stupid way for Thailand to deal with an important neighbor,” he added, speaking of the main opposition party.
#03
Standoff didn’t get solved, according to Reuters and RFA audio report in Khmer (2008/07/21 – 19:80). No info as to when the delegations would meet again, but troops were told to remain calm and to refrain from use of force and the two pledged not to deploy more troops. [Download and listen to RFA report in Khmer at http://www.rfa.org/khmer/audio . The report file is 2008/07/21 - 19:30, you can find to the top right corner.]
Meanwhile, Khmer-Americans in the US are preparing a petition against Thailand to be submitted to the UN, (RFA, 21 Jul 08).
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