Cambodian Buddhist monks are seen after a ceremony praying for peace at Preah Vihear temple compound on the top of Dang Reak mountain, 245km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 16, 2008. (REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea) By Nopporn Wong-Anan
July 17, 2008
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand and Cambodia moved on Wednesday to ratchet down tensions on their border where hundreds of troops faced off over a disputed ancient temple.
Senior Thai and Cambodian officials were trying to negotiate an end to the stand-off, triggered by Thai protests against the listing of the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site earlier this month, Thailand's Supreme Commander, Boonsrang Niumpradit, told Reuters.
"Please be calm and patient. We are talking with the senior people in Cambodia and we hope the situation will ease up in a few days," he said.
However, tensions might get worse on Thursday when Thai protesters plan to rally near the border "to protect our sovereignty," a protest leader said.
About 200 Thai soldiers and 380 Cambodian troops faced each other a day after three Thai activists were detained for several hours after trying to plant a Thai flag on the temple site.
Cambodian officials say Thai troops are occupying a patch of land on the border that belongs to Phnom Penh. The Thais deny this, and have accused the Cambodians of allowing illegal settlements on "disputed territory."
"I just do not understand why they are still stationed there," local Cambodian military commander Chea Mon said after the three Thais were released on Tuesday.
"Everyone has weapons, but I don't think there will be violence. No one would stand around like this if we were going to shoot at each other," Chea Mon told Reuters.
In Phnom Penh, government spokesman Khieu Khanarith said they wanted the Thais to withdraw to their positions before the incident. He said Prime Minister Hun Sen had appealed for calm and urged the media not to "inflame the issue."
DECADES-OLD DISPUTE
The only casualty so far was a Thai paramilitary ranger who lost part of his leg after stepping on a landmine near the border, which is littered with mines after decades of fighting.
Perched on top of a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary between Cambodia and Thailand, Preah Vihear was off-limits for much of the 1970s to 1990s when it was a jungle outpost for Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrillas.
Built by Khmer kings in the 11th century, it has been a source of tension since the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the Hindu temple belonged to Cambodia, a decision that still rankles Thais.
Thailand's initial support for the temple's heritage listing has been used by anti-government groups to stoke nationalist fervor and protests against the government in Bangkok.
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a coalition of royalists, activists and businessmen which has led a nearly 2-month campaign against the government, called a rally for Thursday on the Thai side of the border.
"We want to tell the Cambodian government to withdraw trespassers on Thai territory or we will exercise our rights under the constitution to protect our sovereignty," PAD leader Veera Somkwamkit told Reuters.
Groups opposed to ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have accused the pro-Thaksin government of selling out Thailand's heritage to help his business interests in Cambodia.
Phnom Penh and Thaksin have denied the charge, but the controversy forced Thailand's foreign minister to quit after a Thai court ruled Bangkok's support for the listing violated the constitution.
The political uproar in Thailand has raised fears the spat could turn into a major diplomatic row five years after a dispute over another Cambodian temple, Angkor Wat, resulted in a nationalist mob torching the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.
(Additional reporting by Ek Madra in PHNOM PENH) (Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by David Fogarty)
July 17, 2008
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand and Cambodia moved on Wednesday to ratchet down tensions on their border where hundreds of troops faced off over a disputed ancient temple.
Senior Thai and Cambodian officials were trying to negotiate an end to the stand-off, triggered by Thai protests against the listing of the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site earlier this month, Thailand's Supreme Commander, Boonsrang Niumpradit, told Reuters.
"Please be calm and patient. We are talking with the senior people in Cambodia and we hope the situation will ease up in a few days," he said.
However, tensions might get worse on Thursday when Thai protesters plan to rally near the border "to protect our sovereignty," a protest leader said.
About 200 Thai soldiers and 380 Cambodian troops faced each other a day after three Thai activists were detained for several hours after trying to plant a Thai flag on the temple site.
Cambodian officials say Thai troops are occupying a patch of land on the border that belongs to Phnom Penh. The Thais deny this, and have accused the Cambodians of allowing illegal settlements on "disputed territory."
"I just do not understand why they are still stationed there," local Cambodian military commander Chea Mon said after the three Thais were released on Tuesday.
"Everyone has weapons, but I don't think there will be violence. No one would stand around like this if we were going to shoot at each other," Chea Mon told Reuters.
In Phnom Penh, government spokesman Khieu Khanarith said they wanted the Thais to withdraw to their positions before the incident. He said Prime Minister Hun Sen had appealed for calm and urged the media not to "inflame the issue."
DECADES-OLD DISPUTE
The only casualty so far was a Thai paramilitary ranger who lost part of his leg after stepping on a landmine near the border, which is littered with mines after decades of fighting.
Perched on top of a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary between Cambodia and Thailand, Preah Vihear was off-limits for much of the 1970s to 1990s when it was a jungle outpost for Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrillas.
Built by Khmer kings in the 11th century, it has been a source of tension since the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the Hindu temple belonged to Cambodia, a decision that still rankles Thais.
Thailand's initial support for the temple's heritage listing has been used by anti-government groups to stoke nationalist fervor and protests against the government in Bangkok.
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a coalition of royalists, activists and businessmen which has led a nearly 2-month campaign against the government, called a rally for Thursday on the Thai side of the border.
"We want to tell the Cambodian government to withdraw trespassers on Thai territory or we will exercise our rights under the constitution to protect our sovereignty," PAD leader Veera Somkwamkit told Reuters.
Groups opposed to ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have accused the pro-Thaksin government of selling out Thailand's heritage to help his business interests in Cambodia.
Phnom Penh and Thaksin have denied the charge, but the controversy forced Thailand's foreign minister to quit after a Thai court ruled Bangkok's support for the listing violated the constitution.
The political uproar in Thailand has raised fears the spat could turn into a major diplomatic row five years after a dispute over another Cambodian temple, Angkor Wat, resulted in a nationalist mob torching the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.
(Additional reporting by Ek Madra in PHNOM PENH) (Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by David Fogarty)
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