military leaders from the Thai and Cambodian armed forces declared an official end to hostilities on the border at Preah Vihear

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009082527970/National-news/peace-at-preah-vihear-army.html

Peace at Preah Vihear: army
Tuesday, 25 August 2009 15:03 Sam Rith

Army brass from both nations say temple hostilities are over for good.

SENIOR military leaders from the Thai and Cambodian armed forces
declared an official end to hostilities on the border at Preah Vihear
on Monday, stating the shared goal of "peace and solidarity".

In a pivotal meeting between the neighbouring countries, staged at the
headquarters of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, commanders from both
sides said they drew a definitive line under the territorial dispute
that has been simmering for decades.

Addressing an assembled crowd of military dignitaries, representatives
of the once-feuding forces - seven of whom have been killed in
skirmishes since the conflict entered its most recent phase in July
2008 - heralded a new spirit of cooperation.

General Songkitti Jaggabatra, supreme commander of the Royal Thai
Armed Forces, said the historic border dispute at the site of the 11th-
century temple would no longer be allowed to jeopardise diplomatic
relations between the two nations.

"I would like to clarify again that there will be no more problems
between Thailand and Cambodia," he said. "The border will not be the
cause of any further disputes."

In response, RCAF Commander Pol Sareoun insisted that Thailand and
Cambodia shared a vision for the future.

"We have the same view," he said. "Our goal is to achieve peace and
solidarity with each other as siblings."

The meeting was held after Prime Minister Hun Sen's announcement on
Saturday that he plans to slash the number of Cambodian troops
stationed at the border. The move was a response to Thailand's
decision to reduce the number of its soldiers in the area to just 30.

Speaking during a visit to Pursat province on Saturday, the prime
minister said: "Having too many troops up there is not really good. We
have a plan to change the deployment a little. If anything happened,
it wouldn't take long to send our troops up again, but I hope there
won't be any fighting there."

The opposition, however, was less optimistic. Speaking to the Post on
Monday, Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Son Chhay insisted the
meeting signified nothing new.

"I don't believe the border dispute can be solved through such a
meeting," he said.

Son Chhay said such disputes were best resolved via the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and international law. Solving border
conflicts of this scale and intensity, he said, should be left to the
International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.

"As we already know, we cannot defend our territory by simply
negotiating with Thailand," he said.

"Thailand depends on their military power and resources, and they're
just delaying this issue as long as possible so that they can
eventually demand more of our territory.

"We're waiting for the government to use diplomatic institutions, the
legal system and international agreements, such as the 1991 Paris
Peace accords, which promised to guarantee our territory." Continuing
negotiations with Thailand could, he said, use up valuable financial
resources and further jeopardise the stability of Cambodia's faltering
economy.

Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers
Association, echoed Son Chhay's reservations. "We don't have any faith
in Thailand's promise," he told the Post. "We have not seen any
positive solutions yet."

Rong Chhun, whose organisation had earlier demanded that Thai troops
withdraw from the area, said Bangkok was trying to buy time.

He said that despite previous promises made by Thailand to withdraw
its troops, many of its soldiers remained stationed on Cambodian
soil.

"We have had a lot of meetings, but we have no results," he said. "Our
leaders should make the right decision: Don't believe Thailand's
promises."
The temple and the territory around it have long been a source of
tension between the two countries.

French colonial surveyors in 1907 drew a map showing Preah Vihear
perched along the Dangrek mountain range inside Cambodia. Thailand
does not regard that map as valid, arguing that an earlier agreement
showed the temple alongside a Thai mountain.

Thai troops occupied Preah Vihear in the 1950s, but were forced to
leave in 1962 after the World Court accepted Cambodia's ownership
claim. Mass demonstrations in Thailand followed the ruling.

Cambodia began the process to have the temple granted heritage status
years ago and on July 8, 2008, it was added to UNESCO's World Heritage
List.

The move again enraged Thai nationalists, who marched on the temple
complex and also blamed their government for handing Thai territory
over to Cambodia, adding to the political turmoil already engulfing
Bangkok.

Shortly after its inscription as a World Heritage site, Thai troops
were accused of invading Cambodian land near the temple, sparking the
largest buildup of troops and military equipment along the border in
years.

In April 2009, more than 319 families were left homeless when a market
at the foot of the Preah Vihear temple was destroyed during fighting
that razed 264 stalls. The government demanded US$2.1 million in
compensation from Thailand, but has yet to receive an official
response.
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