NO MORE BILATERAL TALKS THAI GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF INTERNATIONAL MECHANISM

10 February 2011
Waddhana P
Senior Analyst and Researcher on Cambodian-Thai Relations
Institute for International Affairs, Cambodia

A “real war” is imposed on us by Thailand

Four days of “real war” that Thailand had imposed on Cambodia from February 4 to February 7, with provocative and threatening shelling from time to time days after, and especially the massing of new tanks and fresh troops closer to the boundary under the pretext of an ordinary and pre-scheduled military maneuver are enough evidences on the grounds that Thailand will implement its strategy of full-scale aggression in the area of the Temple of Preah Vihar. Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia is on top of the game when dealing with Thailand’s military activities. His order is in place. The Cambodian armed forces know what to do even under a full-scale aggression by Thailand. The Cambodian people have been assured, and they trust entirely the wise leadership of Samdech Hun Sen, that not a single square inch of the Cambodian territory will be lost by act of war imposed on Cambodia by her neighbors. The pouring of donations to support the front line in the defense of national sovereignty and territorial integrity brings the warmth to the pounding heart of our troops even during the cold nights of vigil on top of the Dangrek mountain range and the surrounding areas.

Cambodia and Thailand are two boxers, therefore a referee is required

It will be no more bilateral talks with Thailand, but the negotiations to achieve peace and security along the border between Cambodia and Thailand with the participation of a third party, be it the ASEAN, the UN or any other established International organization of renown are the formula that Samdech Hun Sen has put forward. Thailand’s deceptive tactics have stalled the demarcation of the land boundary. Thailand created the “internal legal processes” as the plunging of the hard sticks across the turning wheel to slowdown and then to stall the demarcation process. Abhisit Vejjajiva has begged Samdech Hun Sen to allow “Thai internal legal and parliamentary processes to work their ways,” however more parliamentary processes have been set up and more delays in ratifying the three (3) last agreements by Cambodian and Thai JBC negotiations, and the first of those three dated back to 2008, while Abhisit Vejjajeva and Kasit Pyromya spoke highly about JBC, only to be disseminated by the media as a propaganda ploy and to foul the international public opinion about the “goodwill” of Thailand that has proven to be simply a campaign of intoxication of the international public opinion. Samdech had firmly and publicly said that without the ratification of the three JBC agreements by Thailand, no next negotiation on the demarcation of land boundary under the JBC framework is permitted by him. What for, if after spending time, money and wasting human resources time, Thai parliament sits on it? Confident of its trickery, sure about the effectiveness of its delay tactics until the right moment to take advantages of “poor and naïve” Cambodia, Thailand had not heed the wise warning of Samdech Techo.

The unprecedented arrogance of Thailand

The clear intention of Thailand to damage “a world heritage” has prompted Unesco Director General Irina Bokova to dispatch a team of experts to the Temple of Preah Vihear for an on-site examination and assessment, to be arrogantly warned by Thailand that UNESCO members must ask permission from Thailand when coming on official mission to the Temple of Preah Vihear, as reported by The Nation dated 9 February. Last year Thailand had resorted to the same type of warning. Thailand’s arrogance is directed against Cambodia, UNESCO, and the rule of international law. (i) Against Cambodia: This is a moral and political encroachment of Thailand on the sovereignty of Cambodia, because Thailand knows and accepts that the Temple of Preah Vihear is under the sovereignty of Cambodia. The ASEAN and the UN would take note about this flagrant encroachment by Thailand. (ii) Against UNESCO: After the inscription of the Temple of Preah Vihear on the World Heritage List on 7 July 2008 under decision 32 COM 8B 102, the Temple carries the status of “a world heritage” and Article 6 of the 1972 Convention states that: “…such heritage constitutes a world heritage for whose protection it is the duty of the international community as a whole to co-operate.” And UNESCO represents the international community in this matter and under this particular circumstance of the heavy armed shelling on the Temple by Thailand. (iii) Thailand openly defies the international rule of law and behaves like a thug, an outlaw and an anarchist. The ASEAN and the UN would take note of Thailand’s behavior. Thailand has withdrawn itself from the community of nations by its behavior as a thug, an outlaw and an anarchist. Thailand, by this behavior is moving closer to the brink of becoming international terrorist.

Thailand must sit on the bench of the accused party for “war crime against humanity”

Preliminary survey by the Cambodian Mine Action Center confirmed reports that Thailand fired cluster munitions at the Temple. Thai forces loaded M42 and M46 munitions onto 155mm and other long range weapons’ shells and by design some cluster munitions explode on impact on the Temple grounds and other do not, but those which do not explode will claim lives years and decades after the fighting ends. This is “Thailand’s war crimes against humanity and Abhisit Vejjajeva must be responsible,” for three simple reasons, (i) Thailand conducts a brutal war of aggression against a sovereign nation, members of the UN with the intention to cause damages to properties and lives, (ii) Thailand fires at “a world heritage,” which is a property of all human kind, and (iii) Thailand fires cluster munitions which is a horrible criminal act now, and also a horrible criminal act in the future when the munitions explode, maim and kill people and destroy properties. The UN and the International Criminal Court would take note that Thailand would be summoned by the Court to sit on the bench of the accused party for “war crime against humanity.

“War, we don’t want it because it kill and destroy indiscriminately,” said Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia. But now that a “real war” is imposed on Cambodia by Abhisit Vejjajiva, he had no choice, but to accept Thailand’s brutal war to the end. As a peace lover, Samdech Hun Sen insisted that Cambodia will use international mechanisms as much as possible such as asking UN to convene urgent meeting, and sending UN peacekeepers or UN observers to Cambodia." He added: "Thai government should not be afraid of international mechanism."