With good intent, broken fences are not beyond repair

via CAAI

Editorial Desk

The Nation (Thailand)

Publication Date : 24-12-2010

 

Thailand and Cambodia can make progress on resolving territorial disputes if discussions are held in the right forum and in the right spirit

The Thai and Cambodian leadership wants us to believe that they have basically kissed and made up and decided to move toward stronger cooperation in all areas, including diplomacy, joint investments and border disputes. Judging from the kind of trash talk they have been directing at each other this past year, it's amazing how these grown-ups could so easily turn over a new leaf. Third-graders tend to hold longer grudges, but at least they are more honest about their feelings and intentions.

But there are other considerations here than personal or official viewpoints. As national leaders, they must take into consideration the national interest. Still, one can't help but notice the childish behaviour in all of this.

The 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries was a good occasion for the issue of an important announcement, and it should be welcomed by anyone who considers themselves a friend of Thailand and Cambodia.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has pardoned three Thai men serving jail terms in Cambodia for illegal entry. This is a gesture of goodwill and a gift to commemorate the 60th anniversary of our bilateral relations.

Hun Sen told a recent news conference that the relaxed atmosphere between the two countries came about after the resignation of his long-time friend, former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser to his government.

But what Hun Sen probably wanted to say was that Thaksin has served his purpose, which was to slam the current Thai administration for its unwillingness to endorse Phnom Penh's effort to improve the heritage status of the 13th-century Hindu temple, Preah Vihear, which lies in a disputed area on the Thai-Cambodia border.

But this wasn't a one-way effort. Thaksin also needed Hun Sen, to remind Thailand of the kind of damage he is willing to inflict upon Thailand from abroad, even to the point of irking the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which prides itself on its policy of non-interference and mutual respect.

But with a new page turned, perhaps it's time for Thailand to rethink the entire approach toward the dispute over the ownership of Preah Vihear and the territory around it.

First of all, the disputes over the ownership of Preah Vihear Temple and the sovereignty of the adjacent area are two separate issues, and they should be treated as such.

One prevailing theory among ultra-nationalists in Thailand is that any move on the temple - including United Nations endorsement for Unesco World Heritage status - will strengthen Cambodia's hand over the disputed 4.6 square kilometres of land that straddles the border. Besides the disputed territory around the temple, Thai nationalists argue that Unesco status for the temple will also increase Phnom Penh's leverage over maritime disputes in the Gulf of Thailand and the islands that fall into overlapping territorial claims.

Perhaps it's time to come to terms with the past. While it is understandable that Thai policy-makers are concerned about a possible Cambodian hidden agenda, this shouldn't mean that they have the green light to sabotage every move that our neighbour makes. The Abhisit government should have accepted the invitation to sit on Unesco's International Coordinating Committee (ICC). If we are confident in our position over the disputed territory, then accepting the invitation should not be an issue. After all, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti had accepted and signed the World Heritage Committee's Decision 34 COM 7B.66, which basically endorses Cambodia's position on the ICC.

In the final analysis, Thailand should not demand anything far beyond the protection of its right to the disputed area adjacent to the temple. We need to disconnect the discourse between the border dispute and the temple. The border dispute should be handled by a joint boundary committee. Unesco and the World Heritage Committee are not the places to discuss this matter. Once the land border dispute is settled, we can move on to the ocean, where a wealth of resources awaits the two countries if and when the overlapping claims are settled.