Cha-am, Thailand - Thailand and Cambodia Tuesday agreed to
resolve a dispute over the 11th century Preah Vihear border temple
with talks rather than military might and to consider adding joint
claims over the 13th century Ta Moan temple to the bilateral
discussions.
Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart,
Hor Namhong, met at the Thai beach resort of Cha-am, 110 kilometres
south-west of Bangkok, to discuss long-term solutions to the dispute
over the ancient Hindu temple Preah Vihear, which sparked a tense
military standoff between the two neighbouring countries last month.
'This is the 21st century. We are beyond the stage of resorting to
military confrontation,' Hor Namhong told a joint press conference.
He added that Cambodia would remove all its troops from the
disputed area around the temple, leaving only police to guard the
temple. The Thai side said it would need to consult the military
about a similar complete withdrawal.
'If we can solve this problem the temple will be reopened to
tourists soon,' he said. It has been closed to the public since
mid-July.
The two sides agreed to hold further border committee-level
meetings on the Preah Vihear on August 29 and in early October, after
which there will be another foreign ministers meeting.
'Both sides agreed to consider raising the issue of Ta Moan at the
next foreign ministers meeting,' said Tej, reading a joint statement.
Ta Muan, a 13th century temple also on the Thai-Cambodian border,
is also claimed by the two countries. It was not discussed at
Tuesday's meeting.
Preah Vihear is located about 400 kilometres north-east of
Bangkok and 300 kilometres north of Phnom Penh on a cliff that
defines the border between Si Sa Khet and Preah Vihear provinces in
Thailand and Cambodia, respectively.
Over the weekend, both Thailand and Cambodia withdrew hundreds of
troops from around Preah Vihear, each leaving 30 soldiers posted in
the contested zone.
The two foreign ministers last met July 28 to try to defuse the
temple spat, which was then in danger of turning into a military
conflict.
Separate claims on the area surrounding Preah Vihear turned into a
military standoff after UNESCO agreed to name the Hindu sanctuary a
World Heritage Site.
Tensions built after the border temple of Preah Vihear was awarded
Cambodian World Heritage status by UNESCO on July 7 despite Thai
objections, and three Thai nationals were arrested in the disputed
zone around the temple on July 15.
The threesome were released but both sides sent hundreds of troops
to the border area, raising fears on a military showdown.
Although Thailand has long accepted a 1962 ruling of the
International Court of Justice that granted Cambodia sovereignty over
the temple, it has disputed Cambodia's claim to the area surrounding
the temple complex.
Many Thai historians and academics refute The Hague court's
ruling, claiming it was based on a faulty 1907 border map drawn up by
the French, who were the colonial masters of Cambodia at the time.
The court ruled that since Thailand had not officially objected to
the border demarcation placing the temple in Cambodia, it had
forfeited the temple, but the court stopped short of ruling on the
legitimacy of the French-drawn map's border.
Thailand claims that a 4.6-square-kilometre plot of land adjoining
the temple is still disputed.
In fact, the 798-kilometre-long Thai-Cambodia border still has
many areas claimed by both countries, with Preah Vihear being just
the most controversial to date.
The temple dispute has stoked nationalistic sentiments on both
sides on the border.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story