|
Thai-Cambodia relations have been in the headlines lately as tensions between the two have flared over border disputes. The Asia Media Centre takes a quick look at the context.
On May 28, Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged gunfire in the area between the Preah Vihear province and Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province. One Cambodian soldier was killed.
Both countries have laid the blame on each other for the incident and have since been engaging in tit-for-tat punitive measures - like Thailand threatening to cut electricity to Cambodia, or Cambodia considering banning Thai produce exports into the country.
Overall, both countries share a friendly relationship – but historic tensions over patches of ‘no-man’s land’ along the border mean clashes are not uncommon.
Parts of the 820 kilometre-long Thai-Cambodia border have been in dispute for decades, a legacy left from ambiguous border agreements between then-Siam (Thailand) and colonial France in the early 20th century.
Some of these ambiguous areas cover land on which ancient temples sit. Often, these temples date back to well before modern-day Southeast Asian nations were established, muddying current ownership - and providing flashpoints for disagreements.
The 11th century Preah Vihear temple and its surrounding land, where this recent clash took place, is a particular point of contention - amongst three other locations.
Back in 1954, Thai troops claimed Preah Vihear temple, which Cambodia considered to be linked to the country’s Angkor Wat complex.
In 1959, Cambodia took the dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), asking the court to determine the ownership of the temple and order Thai troops withdrawn from the area. In 1962, the ICJ ruled in Cambodia’s favour, saying the temple was in Cambodian territory.
In 2008, tensions flared again, as Thai troops entered the Keo Sikhakirisvara Pagoda territory, only about 300 metres from the Preah Vihear temple. At the time, the temple was being added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site – as part of Cambodia.
This sparked a series of border clashes over the next three years culminating in a conflict that displaced at least 36,000 people in 2011.
This latest clash over the contested area has strained relations between the two countries yet again. Efforts have been made to reach a resolution without violence - although talks over the weekend had no clear conclusion and Cambodia has asked the ICJ to intervene again. More talks have been scehduled for September.
- Asia Media Centre
|
