Column: A Thai-Cambodian Mistake
Snowed under by the news about the Boston Bombers, the upcoming accession to the throne of Prince Willem A. te W. and the associated bells and whistles, not to mention the scornful draw of Ajax, which finally made Feyenoord champion of the Netherlands again (may one person no more dreams maybe?) a Cambodian/Thai mishap takes place within the walls of the International Court of Justice in the city of the Hague bakkie, The Hague.
The little thing concerns an old Hindu temple, Preah Vihear, once built by the Khmer, long ago, in the time when William of Orange was not yet born.
That temple, now an insignificant ruin, is located on the border between Thailand and Cambodia and in the past two years there has been a row about which country should actually claim this temple.
To make a very long story short, the two countries, which have so much in common in terms of language and culture, went to war in 2011 over the 4,6 square kilometers of land near the temple. Troops were stationed in the area, shots were exchanged, people were killed, mines were laid, and the leaders of both countries, Hun Sen (Cambodia) and Abhisit (then Prime Minister of Thailand) justified the actions of their armies with the time-honored children's playground/sandpit excuse: "he started".
What sucks about these kinds of political games - because that's what they are, only with blood on the wall - is that those who shout the loudest "attack!" often sit in a comfortable House of Commons chair.
I asked my students at the time what they thought about the whole affair. They all agreed that Cambodia “sucked” (The Thai propaganda machine apparently worked).
When I asked (16 and 17 year old students) if they would be willing to send their own children to the front in a war over a ruin.
"Never!"
There was an awkward silence when I stated that the fallen Thai and Cambodian soldiers were also children of fathers and mothers and that their love for the fatherland was therefore quite lacking.
Fortunately, the guns are now stowed away and the battle takes place in a building in The Hague where both parties are hitting each other with maps and where the Hungarian lawyer subtly pointed out to the judge that the map used by Cambodia was not used by any country. has been recognized (on my FB page hundreds of reactions from students calling for the lawyer to be appointed Prime Minister of Thailand, so the Thai propaganda machine is still working).
What do I think about this whole affair? The most practical would be for both countries to join forces, upgrade the temple to a tourist attraction – after the necessary restoration work – and share the proceeds fairly. No more teething about a ruin and a few football fields.
But who am I?
No politician, and we should therefore not expect such practical solutions that benefit both parties in the near future…
Cor,
As a judge you would cut a fine figure.
I also think that managing it together and sharing the income is the best solution. But you have to be careful with giving an opinion these days.
You will soon be put in the corner as ignorant. Not sufficiently aware of the situation and not enough understanding of international law.
Cor van Kampen.
@Cor, legally it is undoubtedly a complicated issue, all the more so one has to dive into the history books for an insight that is acceptable to one party and not to the other (and vice versa 😉
I've read Thai history books and they were really crazy. I wondered how long the noses of the writers of these works were. (I'll write a blog about that later)
On the other hand, I do not believe that Cambodians are now presented with such an unbiased mirror regarding the country's history. And nowhere in the Netherlands do we read that Jan Pieterszoon Coen was in fact a mass murderer who had the entire population of the Banda Islands exterminated by Japanese mercenaries in order to get hold of the spice monopoly. There are streets in the Netherlands named after that guy.
Once built by the Khmers, that says enough to whom this temple belongs, I think to myself.
Hi,
I do not know. Is it that clear?
If the area was Thai before?
or if I build a house on your land unsolicited? What are the rules then?
or, or , or, it can be quite complicated.
Gret Josh
I propose to nominate Cor1 and Cor2 to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, as additional judges in this case. They already have 12 so there can be 2 more.
Cor1's piece still needs to be translated into French and English. They don't speak other languages there. If that has happened, the matter should be resolved quickly:
Temple on Cambodian territory, environment Thai. Set up special Thai/Cambodian tourist police for the entire area. And appoint both Cor's as temple guards. Those ticket sales to tourists can yield quite a bit.
Think about it.
As a condition for dual exploitation of the temple, I do propose to allocate the toilets to Cambodia. Otherwise you will get these kind of prizes:
TOILETS
Thai: 5 baht
Farang: 50 baht
Khmer: 500 baht
Lol, chances are yes!
I suggest adding this:
Farang with Singha shirt, mat in the neck and gold chain: 5.000 baht
If the Russians or Africans claim Leidseplein in Amsterdam tomorrow for historical reasons, the whole of the Netherlands would also revolt (I think), even though it is only a small square.
So it is definitely about the history of this temple.
Of course I agree with everyone that this should never turn into a war, because the relationship between the small piece of land of this conflict and, on the other hand, the peace between two countries is fought out of proportion.
The solution lies in international border agreements and a ruling by the court in The Hague is a good example of case law for this. However, both parties must indicate in advance that they acknowledge this ruling before requesting a ruling.
I miss the history of this conflict in Cor Verhoef's article (including the international agreements that were already made about this area in the 60s), without this history it is easy to say that it is nonsense "that people come into conflict over such a temple, but for those reasons (in my opinion) this could also happen over Leidseplein.
The conflict in and around Israel can only be understood if you know the history and can only be resolved through international agreements on the recognition of areas.
The statement about the temple in The Hague will be widely supported (by many countries), but despite that, I fear that Thailand in particular will not accept a negative statement (remarkably enough this time by the yellow shirts)
Israel's problem is much bigger, because it lacks the broad support that has arisen in Israel's history. International agreements with broad support are therefore much more difficult for Israel and its environment.
International agreements that are widely supported are always the best solutions for these types of conflicts, provided that there are also sanctions, or action must be taken if the minority does not adhere to them.
I fear that the temple will not be recognized by a minority even after the ruling, so international action could then be taken... and that often does not happen or not enough, so that a minority can take over.
danny
Dear Danny,
The backgrounds and history surrounding the temple have already been described in detail in recent days in articles by Dick van der Lugt and Tino Kuis. The length of a column must remain somewhat manageable.
Both countries, Thailand and Cambodia, currently have a great need to divert public attention from real internal problems. And then a rather ridiculous discussion about a number of square kilometers of worthless land (without proper administration and management of the tourist attraction, the ruins) comes in very handy. It is also convenient that this is – apparently – the only 'policy item' on which the government parties and the opposition agree.
I estimate that the court in The Hague will once again confirm its 1962 ruling and - as in the past - will not rule on the border conflict. Which means the case is the same as before the lawsuit. Considering this, the lost lives of Cambodians and Thais in the border area and considering the costs of the lawsuit (a good lawyer at this level easily costs 2.500 Euro per HOUR = 100.000 baht) there are only losers…………
Dear Khun-Peter, what is your problem with a shingha shirt and tattoo? Are you from the year 1880 and are you wearing a dress suit or tropical suit from 1920 or are you naturally that short-sighted? Be crazy for once and buy a T-shirt, don't be afraid, you might look nicer Gr. G