Monday, 6 October 2008

The need for a temple deal

The Bangkok Post
Monday October 06, 2008

The political crisis in Bangkok has caused several unfortunate consequences that were not foreshadowed. At the top of the list is the danger that the simmering Preah Vihear temple dispute might get out of hand. Last Friday, Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged gunfire which caused casualties on both sides before cooler heads stepped in. There are differing versions as to what caused this extraordinary exchange of hostile fire, and a full investigation should be held quickly. But it is far more important that the government focus more diligently on this and other matters of national interest which it has lately ignored.

That matter of national interest turned into a nasty matter of national security on Friday. According to the Foreign Ministry, Cambodian troops "were definitely inside Thai territory" and opened fire. The initial story from Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith agreed that Thai troops were in Thailand, but said they fired the first shot - a grenade which wounded two Khmer soldiers. Reports also agree the exchange of fire lasted less than two minutes, and a Thai soldier also was hit by Cambodian gunfire.

This is the danger of troops facing each other across a disputed, semi-jungle border. Any tiny misunderstanding or accident can cause a serious incident that can easily escalate. As history tells us, minor events have caused major wars.

A number of happy circumstances make war unlikely here. Both governments understand that an escalation of violence is in no one's interest. Similarly, senior military officers in charge of border security are in regular contact. Troops try to communicate any unusual movements to their counterparts across the frontier to avoid misunderstanding.

There is a vacuum, however, in top-level contact and negotiations. For a while, Khmer elections and post-poll formation of a new government left Cambodian without a foreign minister. Then, for the past three months or so, Thailand has lurched through four foreign ministers and a startling court case which has changed the shape of foreign policy. Since the resignation of Noppadon Pattama over the Preah Vihear temple issue, top-level relations with Cambodia have fallen into limbo.

None of the three ministers who followed Mr Noppadon has been able to focus on the important question of relations with Cambodia. Professional diplomat Tej Bunnag held a meeting with his Cambodian counterpart in Siem Reap which was little more than a formality. Saroj Chavanavirat, another professional, barely had time to move into, and then out of, his office when his prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, was disqualified by the Constitution Court. Current Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat has spent most of his working time at the United Nations.

The Preah Vihear temple issue is a top priority for several reasons. Peace and national security, territorial integrity, historical pride and international tourism are a few of them. The dispute over the land around the temple is well-known, but represents a festering sore. The neighbours have agreed that their foreign ministers should discuss and try to heal this wound. It is vital that they get down to it, before another military incident or ultra-nationalists further inflame the problem.

Mr Sompong and his ministry have a full plate of issues. But Cambodian relations, particularly discussions of the overlapping 4.6 square kilometres around Preah Vihear, should be at the top of the agenda. If the foreign ministers can get to work, they can make it clear that Friday's brief firefight is the last.

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