Chara G. Garmon
10/16/08
SOC 202
Global Crime
12:10 AM
On Wednesday, in the dispute at their border, for control of a 900-year old temple, Cambodian and Thai soldiers got into a confrontation that cost the lives of two Cambodian soldiers. Rocket and rifles fired into the air for more than an hour. Many more were wounded on both the Cambodian and Thai sides. This dispute initially began in July. Cambodia requested for this ancient temple to be named a World Heritage Site, a request that was approved by the United Nations agency, Unesco. The two countries have claimed this temple for decades, which is named Preah Vihear. The International Court of Justice awarded Cambodia the rights to the temple in 1962, based on a map created by French rulers. Thailand officials have prepared an evacuation plan of 1,500 people living in Cambodia as a result of the tensions rising between the two countries. The Thai government does not want any riots to occur in their country as they did during a separate incident in 2003. In which Thai businesses as well as the Thai Embassy were set on fire by Cambodians. The Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen has stated, “At any cost we will not allow Thai troops to invade this area, I would like to be clear about this. It is a life-and-death battle zone.” In the efforts to resolve this dispute, Thai and Cambodian military commanders are scheduled to talk Thursday. Ten Thai soldiers just recently surrendered to Cambodians.
In reading this article, I was a bit confused as to why Thailand felt that they had any rights to claim this temple. I guess I can see it because it’s on the border. There was actually another incident that involved a temple that was clearly located in Cambodia, in which Thailand fought for unsuccessfully. I do not really understand how this is logical. I’m not calling any one of the parties illogical; I’m just stating my opinion on how I see this predicament from the outside looking in. Preah Vihear is probably religiously significant to both parties; I really hope that they find a solution to this confrontation. The death of these soldiers was so unnecessary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/world/asia/16cambo.html?ref=world
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