Radio Netherlands
By Johan van Slooten
03-04-2009
Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand have flared up after heavy gunfire was exchanged in the disputed border area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple. Killing two Thai soldiers and injuring six others, it was the latest in a series of incidents since October 2008, when two Cambodian soldiers were killed.
The Preah Vihear area is a top tourist attraction which was listed as a World Heritage site by Unesco last year. This listing reignited a decades old dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over which country actually owns the small piece of land. According to Thai journalist Marwaan Macan-Markar, the official border was never properly marked when Cambodia gained independence from France. "Since then, it's been a no man's land", Mr Macan-Markar explains. "But since the Unesco announcement, tensions have flared up because both countries realised how much tourist money it brings in".
Gunfire
Last summer, both Cambodia and Thailand moved soldiers into the area and since then, tensions have been high, occasionally leading to exchanges of gunfire. Earlier in the week, a Thai soldier tripped on a landmine, leading to fresh fighting, with the two deaths on Friday as a result.
Mechanism
The timing of the fighting is remarkable, as the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is about to visit Thailand next week as part of the ASEAN summit. According to Mr Macan-Markar, Preah Vihear will be one of the topics on the agenda. "There's been a lot of tough rhetoric from Cambodia, but both countries have developed a kind of mechanism to resolve these disputes".
Also, an earlier planned meeting of a special joint border committee will go ahead next week. "If the past is the indicator, there's no room for optimism that they will resolve the problem", says Mr Macan-Markar. "But at least the problem is discussed".
03-04-2009
Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand have flared up after heavy gunfire was exchanged in the disputed border area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple. Killing two Thai soldiers and injuring six others, it was the latest in a series of incidents since October 2008, when two Cambodian soldiers were killed.
The Preah Vihear area is a top tourist attraction which was listed as a World Heritage site by Unesco last year. This listing reignited a decades old dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over which country actually owns the small piece of land. According to Thai journalist Marwaan Macan-Markar, the official border was never properly marked when Cambodia gained independence from France. "Since then, it's been a no man's land", Mr Macan-Markar explains. "But since the Unesco announcement, tensions have flared up because both countries realised how much tourist money it brings in".
Gunfire
Last summer, both Cambodia and Thailand moved soldiers into the area and since then, tensions have been high, occasionally leading to exchanges of gunfire. Earlier in the week, a Thai soldier tripped on a landmine, leading to fresh fighting, with the two deaths on Friday as a result.
Mechanism
The timing of the fighting is remarkable, as the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is about to visit Thailand next week as part of the ASEAN summit. According to Mr Macan-Markar, Preah Vihear will be one of the topics on the agenda. "There's been a lot of tough rhetoric from Cambodia, but both countries have developed a kind of mechanism to resolve these disputes".
Also, an earlier planned meeting of a special joint border committee will go ahead next week. "If the past is the indicator, there's no room for optimism that they will resolve the problem", says Mr Macan-Markar. "But at least the problem is discussed".
No comments:
Post a Comment