PM Hun SenBy Ek Madra
Reuters
Published: July 17, 2008
PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Thursday a border row with Thailand was "worsening" and he urged the immediate withdrawal of Thai troops from a disputed ancient temple.
In a letter to Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, Hun Sen said the stand-off at the Preah Vihear temple was "very bad" for relations, but he still hoped to "resolve the problem through negotiations."
"The situation is worsening due to a continuing increase in the numbers of Thai military" and the presence of Thai protesters, Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander who faces a general election next week, said.
A political uproar in Thailand over Cambodia's listing of the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site has been stoked by groups seeking to oust Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's shaky ruling coalition.
It has raised fears the border spat could escalate, five years after a dispute over another Cambodian temple, Angkor Wat, saw a nationalist mob torch the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.
Several hundred Thai nationalists were blocked from protesting at the temple on Thursday by Thai police and local villagers angry at the loss of cross-border trade.
"Go home, go home, you troublemakers!," one woman shouted at members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is leading a nearly 2-month old street campaign against Samak, whom they accuse of being a proxy for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ousted in a 2006 coup.
TEMPLE TANTRUMS
The 900-year-old temple has been a source of tension for decades since the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia, a ruling that still rankles Thais.
The latest flare-up -- which has seen a buildup of troops on both sides of the border -- was sparked by Bangkok's support for the UNESCO listing, which the PAD said was tantamount to selling out Thailand's heritage.
Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama quit last week after a Thai court ruled the joint communique he signed backing Preah Vihear's listing was illegal because it was an international treaty that required parliament's approval.
The case has left Thai diplomacy in limbo, with Samak saying this week his cabinet ministers were afraid to sign any statements after a bilateral meeting.
The PAD seized on the court ruling, vowing to go after the rest of Samak's cabinet and step up a street campaign that has worried investors. The main stock index has dropped 23 percent since the protests began on May 25.
"Political temperatures will rise inexorably, and Thailand will become increasingly ungovernable, in the interim," Chulaongkorn University professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak wrote.
Thailand and Cambodia have accused each other of border violations and sent more troops since the stand-off began on Tuesday when three Thai activists were briefly detained on the Cambodian side for trying to plant a Thai flag there.
Despite the aggressive rhetoric from both sides, diplomatic efforts also appear to be underway to end the stand-off.
A joint border committee, set up years ago to resolve disputes between the fractious southeast Asian nations, will meet on Monday "so that both sides can discuss issues together in a spirit of neighbourliness," the Thai Foreign Ministry said.
Reuters
Published: July 17, 2008
PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Thursday a border row with Thailand was "worsening" and he urged the immediate withdrawal of Thai troops from a disputed ancient temple.
In a letter to Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, Hun Sen said the stand-off at the Preah Vihear temple was "very bad" for relations, but he still hoped to "resolve the problem through negotiations."
"The situation is worsening due to a continuing increase in the numbers of Thai military" and the presence of Thai protesters, Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander who faces a general election next week, said.
A political uproar in Thailand over Cambodia's listing of the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site has been stoked by groups seeking to oust Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's shaky ruling coalition.
It has raised fears the border spat could escalate, five years after a dispute over another Cambodian temple, Angkor Wat, saw a nationalist mob torch the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.
Several hundred Thai nationalists were blocked from protesting at the temple on Thursday by Thai police and local villagers angry at the loss of cross-border trade.
"Go home, go home, you troublemakers!," one woman shouted at members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is leading a nearly 2-month old street campaign against Samak, whom they accuse of being a proxy for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ousted in a 2006 coup.
TEMPLE TANTRUMS
The 900-year-old temple has been a source of tension for decades since the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia, a ruling that still rankles Thais.
The latest flare-up -- which has seen a buildup of troops on both sides of the border -- was sparked by Bangkok's support for the UNESCO listing, which the PAD said was tantamount to selling out Thailand's heritage.
Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama quit last week after a Thai court ruled the joint communique he signed backing Preah Vihear's listing was illegal because it was an international treaty that required parliament's approval.
The case has left Thai diplomacy in limbo, with Samak saying this week his cabinet ministers were afraid to sign any statements after a bilateral meeting.
The PAD seized on the court ruling, vowing to go after the rest of Samak's cabinet and step up a street campaign that has worried investors. The main stock index has dropped 23 percent since the protests began on May 25.
"Political temperatures will rise inexorably, and Thailand will become increasingly ungovernable, in the interim," Chulaongkorn University professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak wrote.
Thailand and Cambodia have accused each other of border violations and sent more troops since the stand-off began on Tuesday when three Thai activists were briefly detained on the Cambodian side for trying to plant a Thai flag there.
Despite the aggressive rhetoric from both sides, diplomatic efforts also appear to be underway to end the stand-off.
A joint border committee, set up years ago to resolve disputes between the fractious southeast Asian nations, will meet on Monday "so that both sides can discuss issues together in a spirit of neighbourliness," the Thai Foreign Ministry said.
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