Thailand & Cambodia at War

[Pineapple]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12381052

[bioshock]

Are you serious, I thought this was old news from last year, but I guess things are starting to heat up again. Aren't the two countries fighting over an ancient temple or something? Crazy Buddhists!

[Pineapple]

Are you serious, I thought this was old news from last year, but I guess things are starting to heat up again. Aren't the two countries fighting over an ancient temple or something? Crazy Buddhists!

I don't think they're really fighting over a temple.  I don't understand Thai, but my mother does.  She was telling me that the land area about 500,000 acre (maybe less, not too sure) of Thailand is now being claimed by Cambodia.  Cambodia started sending their military troops to that area because lots of Cambodia refugee people reside in that area.  Any Thai officials or soldiers who step in that land (even though it belongs to Thailand) will get arrested. 

Lots of Thai citizens who used to live in that area before the Cambodia came, still have their documents that states their property in the area, but they can no longer go back into that land.

I guess Thai citizens including scholars, professionals, doctors, and citizens are coming out to Thai's Prime Minister regarding this issue because he's not doing anything...suc h as protecting their country.  Lots of Thai historians also have films and documents of the time when the Cambodian refugee stepped inside Thailand when Cambodia was having a civil war.   

Some people are saying this is the work of Thaksin (the former Prime Minster of Thailand) because he had a very good close relationship with Cambodia.  They're blaming Mark (the current Prime Minister) that he is only school smart but has no love for Thailand. That he only has interest in his position as well as the wealth because he sent his representative and some other Thai people to check on that area and got arrested by Cambodian soldier.  Mark didn't do anything about it.  Mark still blamed them for crossing the border to Cambodia.

Lots of Thai citizens are wanting Prime Minister Mark out of the office.

[bioshock]

Um, Cambodia has its side of the story too. IDK which to believe. Thais are saying that the Cambodian PM Hun Sen is playing the victim card by crying to the UN and international community that Thailand is bullying his country. Which may or may not be true. I think most of this fighting is because of Preah Vihear temple. The int'l commuity granted the land and temple to Cambodia (which Cambodia plans to make a tourist UNESCO heritage site attraction, generating money from visitors) but Thailand isn't happy about it so they're fight over it. The countries are very similar in customs, culture and traditions almost like Nplog and Thaib so it's like watching two siblings fight. Will be interesting to c if war does break out. I highly doubt it thou.


Cambodia appeals to UN over temple 'war'

By Southeast Asia correspondent Zoe Daniel

Posted 1 hour 27 minutes ago
Cambodian soldier at Preah Vihear temple.

Both countries have vowed to protect their sovereignty over the Preah Vihear temple. (REUTERS: Adrees Latif )

Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen has called on the United Nations to intervene in an ongoing and deadly dispute with Thailand over the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

The Cambodian government says the latest round of fighting, which broke out on Friday, has killed several people, including a local tourist who was apparently taking photos of the temple.

Hun Sen has described the clashes between troops on the Thailand-Cambodian border as "a big skirmish or a small war" and claims Thailand is trying to capture the disputed 4.6 square kilometres around the border temple.

He says the UN should send peacekeepers to provide a buffer between the two nations to prevent further fighting.

The temple was ruled Cambodian territory by an international court in the 1960s, but when it was declared a World Heritage site in 2008, a long-festering disagreement flared about its ownership and the territory around it.

Since then, opposing troops have been stationed there, with both countries vowing to protect their sovereignty.

Thailand will now ask UNESCO to take it off the World Heritage list.

A group of Thai nationalists rallying in Bangkok over the issue has demanded Thailand withdraw from the World Heritage committee.

Cambodia says the temple has been heavily damaged in the fighting, but Thailand says that claim is "propaganda".

[sweet_luvin]

bout time...