Politicising Phrea Vihear issue could make things worse

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
Published on March 26, 2009

The opposition and red-shirted protesters should not "politicise" the Thailand-Cambodia border issue for their own benefit in the battle against the government, since such a move could spoil the on-going border settlement efforts.

This country has already learnt from previous episodes of power struggle that nationalism and politicised border conflict can worsen relations with its neighbour.

The red-shirted Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) should not repeat this mistake because it would not bring any good to the country, only problems and trouble.

The yellow-shirted People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters employed the notion of bruised nationalism to politicise the border dispute at Preah Vihear to shoot down Noppadon Pattama from his post as foreign minister last year.

The PAD and its allies in Parliament accused Noppadon of claiming lost sovereignty over the disputed areas adjacent to the temple. The attack not only toppled Noppadon but also brought on a border skirmish in October 2008, which killed four soldiers on both sides.

Former foreign minister Tej Bunnag spent every minute of his one month in office fixing the problem. He reinstalled the Thai-Cambodia Joint Commission on Demarcation of the Land Boundary (JBC), a mechanism of negotiation for demarcation and provisional arrangement to handle the disputed areas.

The JBC is now working hard to lay out fundamental plans and infrastructure to demarcate the boundary and settle the dispute.

However, the task is still at an early stage and the boundary is not yet clear. Some disputes still remain since both sides have not stopped developing the border for economic benefit. Cambodia has built a new road to the Preah Vihear through an overlapping area, prompting diplomatic protests from Thailand.

Of course, making any change in the overlapping area is against the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both countries in 2000, but such a violation should not lead to a major conflict between the two sides.

The JBC could handle the issue. It can use diplomatic negotiation and technical methods to settle the problem provided the issue is not over-politicised.

Unfortunately, the opposition Pheu Thai Party during the censure debate last week borrowed the PAD and Democrat's tactics to turn the tables, using the Thai-Cambodian border issue to attack Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. The opposition, together with DAAD, accused Kasit of losing 250 metres of territory as he ignored Cambodia's road construction in the overlapping area. They demanded that Kasit adopt the very same rhetoric he used when he joined the PAD protest last year.

They know, like Kasit and the PAD, that nationalism is nonsense in this context and never helps settle a border dispute with a neighbouring country; it could even worsen the situation. A worse border situation would mean trouble for the government in domestic political affairs.

The JBC is scheduled to have the next round of meetings in Phnom Penh on April 6-7 to continue negotiations on boundary demarcation and a provisional arrangement for the disputed area near Preah Vihear. Political pressure at home could jeopardise the talks.

The JBC has some differences to overcome in the next meeting - seeking a common term to call the Hindu temple on the cliff, which Thailand wants to call Phra Viharn while Cambodia prefers Preah Vihear. They also need a single name for a security unit to take care of the area.

Vasin Teeravechyan, head of Thai JBC, said he could not expect the next meeting to yield a breakthrough, since both sides have no point of compromise.

As long as terms for the temple are not settled, the minute of agreement could not be signed and other tasks could not be started, he said.

However, negotiators and technicians could find a solution eventually, he said, as long as politicians and protesters don't pressure the talks.

"I always say that the boundary demarcation is time-consuming work. If we rush to get the result, we will lose everything," he said.