The Cambodian-Thai ‘Tit for Tat’ Row

To most casual bystanders, who aren’t Thai, it’s obvious Cambodia owns the temple. Not only was the temple built by the Khmer in Khmer style, it was also built on land that had always belonged to the Khmer until Thailand took it over in one of their incursions, into what is now Cambodia, a few hundred years ago.

Cassandra James, Associated Content

I ran into this commentary on the recent Cambodian-Thai spat and thought you guys might be interested.

According to CNN, Thailand has ordered its Ambassador to Cambodia to return home after it learned that deposed Thai ex-Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, had been named as an economic adviser to the Cambodian government. And, according to the Bangkok Post, the situation between Thailand and Cambodia is rapidly deteriorating, to the point that Thailand is now considering cancelling a memorandum of understanding on overlapping maritime boundaries in the Gulf of Thailand. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has also told the Foreign Ministry to take any steps necessary to downgrade dimplomatic relations with Cambodia. As this ‘tit for tat’ fight continues, how did this all happen and which country will back down first?

Preah Vihear Temple

To understand where the situation really began, you have to be aware of the ongoing dispute over an 11th century temple that sits squarely on land owned by Cambodia, but with the only access to the temple on land owned by Thailand. An agreement by Thailand saying Cambodia owned the land was made many years ago, so the Cambodians in all fairness probably felt the situation was solved. Things flared up again however last year, when Cambodia applied for the 11th century temple to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This sparked Thailand’s interest in the temple and a war of words, followed by a stand-off between the military of the two countries, occurred on the border of Thailand and Cambodia. To most casual bystanders, who aren’t Thai, it’s obvious Cambodia owns the temple. Not only was the temple built by the Khmer in Khmer style, it was also built on land that had always belonged to the Khmer until Thailand took it over in one of their incursions, into what is now Cambodia, a few hundred years ago. Ownership of the land went backwards and forwards, but has been held by Cambodia for much of the last century. Therefore, in the eyes of just about every international body, the temple belongs to Cambodia.Fast forward to 2006, when Thaksin Shinawatra the then Prime Minister of Thailand was kicked out of office in a bloodless coup. With talk of ‘immense corruption’ much of the country believed this to be the reason for the coup, only to find out later it was more likely as a result of Thaksin becoming too powerful, a fact the Thai military did not like.

Awkward Moment

Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, second left, urges Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, to move to a closer position for photo session as other Mekong river region leaders from third left to second right, Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, with Japanese business group Keidanren leader Fujio Mitarai, right, wait before their luncheon at a Tokyo hotel on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. The leaders are now here to attend the first Japan-Mekong summit meeting. (AP Photo/Yoshikazu Tsuno, Pool)

Leaders of Mekong river region, from second left to second right, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, pose with Japanese business group leaders, Fujio Mitarai of Keidanren, right, and Tadashi Okamura of Japan Chamber of Commerce, left, before their luncheon at a Tokyo hotel on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. The leaders are now here to attend the first Japan-Mekong summit meeting. (AP Photo/Yoshikazu Tsuno, Pool)

Cambodia-Thailand Rift: Ambassadors Recalled

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart, Abhisit Vejjajiva

And so, the Cambodia-Thailand diplomatic row continues following Hun Sen’s nomination of ousted former Thai prime minister Thanksin Shinawatra. Here is what I woke up to this morning:

Cambodia recalled its ambassador to Thailand Thursday, the deputy prime minister said, hours after Bangkok pulled its envoy in a row over Phnom Penh’s job offer to former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

“To reciprocate the recall of Thailand’s ambassador-designate, the Royal Government of Cambodia decided to recall its ambassador for the time being but regards this only as a temporary measure,” Deputy Prime Minister Sok An said.

Sok An told a news conference in Phnom Penh that the Cambodian envoy would be sent back to Bangkok “only after Thailand has sent its ambassador-designate to Cambodia”.

The Cambodian government announced the appointment of Thaksin as an economic adviser late Wednesday, riling Bangkok as it attempts to bring the billionaire tycoon home to face justice three years after he was ousted in a coup.

While I was kinda expecting this, I still find this very insane. I’m just sick and tired of this political drama. The two governments are worse than kindergarten kids, doing what they are doing. Let’s act more like grow-ups, please!