Preah Vihar Temple: Cambodia & Thailand Agree to Joint Patrols

Posted by Mari Nicholson Oct 17, 2008

The Preah Vihear Temple on the border with Thailand and Cambodia and just 543 Km. north of Phnom Penh, is still making news, most of it unsettling. Occasionally, the voice of reason can be discerned trying to be heard above the arguments on both sides.

On October 14th, the Thai government sent de-mining experts into the area to investigate whether these mines were old or ones recently deployed. Cambodia insists that these are the remains of mines left over from three decades of war. Yesterday, Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said that this unilateral action by Thai soldiers was a deliberate contravening of the agreement made by both sides in the past.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said on Wednesday that Cambodia had been forced to bypass ASEAN to seek an impartial mediator because the chair is currently held by Thailand. As Chair of Asean (The Association of S.E. Asian Nations, Thailand is particularly sensitive to claims by Cambodia that it's exercise of this post is biased. Hor Namhong accused Thailand of provoking Wednesday's firefight and he hinted that the association chair may be taken away from them.

Now news is filtering through that both countries have agreed to joint patrols of the disputed border areas, after senior military officers from both sides held a meeting in Thailand. Uoint patrols will be set in place in order to avoid any further gunfights, as patrolling individually leads to misunderstandings.

The USA, the UN and the EU have all called for restraint but little progress has been made on the issue of withdrawal of troops or heavy weaponry from the area around the 11th-century Khmer temple, but both governments say they are seeking to calm the situation. Indonesian President, Susilo Vambang Yudhoyono, has said his country will act as mediator if required, but as both Thailand and Cambodia continue to deny that they started Wednesday's firefight which left two Cambodians dead and two injured, and seven Thai soldier's wounded, he may have to wait a long time before he is called upon to serve