UN called into Thai border dispute
PHNOM PHEN – The situation remains tense around the Preah Vihear temple as Cambodia and Thailand squabble over access to the UNESCO-listed site.
Cambodia has appealed for the United Nations Security Council to diffuse an “imminent state of war” on its border with Thailand, the BBC reports
Since last week the two countries have moved hundreds of troops into the area around the temple.
The 900-year-old ruined temple of Preah Vihear is perched on a frontier hilltop, and 1.8 sq miles of disputed jungle at its base.
In a letter to the UN, the Cambodian premier Hun Sen, said: “Thai behaviour gravely threatens peace and stability in the region.”
He also accused Thailand of “defying all principles of international law”.
On the Thai side of the border children were have been performing air-raid drills at school.
The BBC said Preah Vihear is no stranger to conflict. In a strong defensive position it was one of the last places in Cambodia to fall to the genocidal Khmer Rouge in the 1970s, and they held out there until a peace deal only 10 years ago.
Besides gorgeously carved stones, the area is also scattered with land mines and bunkers.
The true source of the crisis, analysts say, is the determination of conservative opposition groups to exploit almost any cause to topple the Thai government elected just six months ago.
Earlier this year, when Thailand supported Cambodia’s application to list Preah Vihear as a UN World Heritage Site, the opposition cried foul.
They accused the government of somehow ceding territory, although the UN said the listing had no territorial implications.
Nevertheless, the foreign minister resigned over the affair and there are plans to impeach the entire cabinet.
Now Thai soldiers have even re-occupied the temple itself, rubbing shoulders there with Cambodian troops, according to a Thai officer of the edge of the zone, which has been closed to civilians.
Ian Jarrett
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