Stepping back from chaos
On Monday, Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang, 2nd region army commander, threatened to close the Surin-based temple for at least seven days if tensions in the area keep rising. While it remains unclear if the planned closure will also include the Cambodian side, this cannot be good.
Ta Muen Thom, as well as the nearby Ta Kwai, are the centre of competing territorial claims after Cambodia included the temple in a petition to be filed with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), following a border clash at Chong Bok in Ubon Ratchathani late in May.
Since then, locals from both sides have headed to the temple to flaunt their claims and face down the other side. The number of visitors has increased lately, particularly after nearly two dozen buses from Phnom Penh turned up over the weekend. The Thai side has reciprocated with locals turning up to taunt the other side.
There are reports some Thai influencers will turn up at the end of this week. The rivalry on social media is intense, as netizens exchange curses and press their claims.
Given its strategic location, Ta Muen Thom temple is under the army's jurisdiction. Yet suspended PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra's phone conversation with Cambodian strongman Hun Sen has thrown the border into sharp relief after details were linked to the media in which she appeared keen to appease Hun Sen, also a family friend.
Ms Paetongtarn was suspended from the top job by the charter court but has yet to show political responsibility for putting the country, including the army, in such a difficult situation.
The mistake has also exposed Pheu Thai Party's poor leadership on the Cambodia issue. It has been playing second fiddle while the army takes the lead.
The military alone may not be able to get relations back on a stable footing, as suppressing any confrontations at the border is likely to have repercussions. It's time those involved started thinking about diplomacy, allowing it to work to ease tension, and getting the two countries to the negotiation table.
This, of course, requires cooperation and goodwill from Cambodia which may not be easy to obtain.
Hun Sen's family has been successful in playing the nationalist card against Thailand as the Vietnam issue -- Cambodians' anger over an alleged land grab by Hanoi which haunts Hun Sen and his son -- has effectively disappeared. They have also drawn the spotlight away from Sam Rainsy, the opposition leader in exile.
At the same time, tight media control has resulted in huge popularity for Hun Sen and his son's government as mainstream media channels play along, portraying Thailand as the enemy, sometimes through disinformation, if not blunt distortion.
However, the Hun family needs to rethink whether such tactics are justified given the potential long-term damage to the relationship.
Restoring damaged ties between the neighbours will not be easy, given the competing claims over the ancient temple and the recent landmine explosion at Chong Bok.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bangkok Post
6 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Government grilled on border relief gaps
Opposition leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut has criticised what he described as slow, uneven and unclear compensation measures for people affected by the recent Thai–Cambodian border clashes. Speaking in the House of Representatives on Thursday, the People's Party leader urged the government to streamline its relief schemes through a one-stop service centre and revise regulations to ensure payments are made fairly and cover all households. He cited complaints from residents that they returned from evacuation centres only to find utility bills waiting at their homes despite the government's pledge to waive water and electricity charges. Others reported delays in receiving compensation for lost income, while families whose homes or vehicles were damaged were left uncertain about the procedures required to claim assistance. The opposition leader also called on the government to address the welfare of frontline personnel, including village defence volunteers and health workers, many of whom continue to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and cannot fully perform their duties. Responding on behalf of the prime minister, Deputy Interior Minister Theerarat Samrejvanich insisted the government has been providing continuous assistance since the clashes began on July 24 clashes. She said 100 million baht had already been allocated to seven border provinces to expedite relief. Evacuees, she said, received immediate support through local budgets, while those returning home were provided with essential supplies. Reviewing housing damage, Ms Theerarat said repairs were already under way. In Surin, 58 of 107 damaged homes had been repaired, while in Ubon Ratchathani, 129 of 137 had been restored. Buri Ram reported 14 of 16 homes fixed, and in Si Sa Ket, 134 of 445 homes had been repaired. In addition, she noted, private donors had provided prefabricated houses for families whose homes were destroyed. Regarding water and electricity bills, Ms Theerarat explained that the waiver applied only from early July, and some households may have received backdated bills from June or early July. The Provincial Electricity Authority had been instructed to offset those payments against future bills, she said. The deputy minister also noted that affected areas had been formally declared disaster zones in 42 districts across seven provinces, which allowed targeted relief to continue in phases: immediate, medium-term and long-term.
Bangkok Post
8 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Court wraps up hearing in PM's phone call case
The Constitutional Court on Thursday finished hearing testimony from Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra about her leaked phone call with Cambodian strongman Hun Sen, and confirmed it would announce its ruling on Aug 29 as scheduled. However, it ordered Ms Paetongtarn and the complainants — a group of 36 senators — to file their written closing statements on Monday, instead of next Wednesday, so that judges would have more time to prepare their ruling. It scheduled oral statements, discussions and voting as originally planned for Aug 29 starting at 9.30am, with the reading of the ruling set for 3pm. The judges on Thursday heard from two witnesses: Ms Paetongtarn and Chatchai Bangchuat, secretary-general of the National Security Council. If found guilty, Ms Paetongtarn would become the third member of the Shinawatra family to be removed from office. Her father Thaksin was toppled in a 2006 coup, while her aunt Yingluck was ousted by the Constitutional Court in 2014, weeks before a military coup. Ms Paetongtarn's immediate predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, was also dismissed by the court in 2023 for an ethics violation after he appointed a minister with a criminal past. If Ms Paetongtarn is removed from office, the cabinet would also have to step down, setting off a new round of political instability. Thursday's hearing came a day before another key court ruling — this one involving Thaksin. He is charged with lese-majeste in connection with remarks he made in a 2015 interview about the coup the previous year. Ethics complaint The senators who filed the complaint against Ms Paetongtarn believe she violated constitutional provisions related to ethical behaviour of ministers with her handling of the phone call with Hun Sen. An audio clip of the conversation about the border dispute between the two countries was released to the media on June 18, and Ms Paetongtarn was immediately put on the defensive. She told a press conference that during the conversation she intended to take a gentle approach to dealing with Hun Sen as a negotiating strategy, for the protection of Thailand's sovereignty. However, the complainants viewed that she failed to act properly in her capacity as prime minister. Her talk of personal and family relationships with Hun Sen gave the appearance of siding with Cambodia, they said. She also described the tough-talking commander of the Second Army Region as an adversary, and indicated she was ready to meet Cambodia's demands, the senators said. The court suspended Ms Paetongtarn as prime minister on July 1 pending a ruling in the case. Time of tension The controversial phone call was made at a time when Thailand was restricting border crossings with Cambodia after a skirmish in a disputed area in Ubon Ratchathani in late May, which followed Cambodian incursions that started in April. In early June Thailand cut border opening times and banned some groups from crossing, while Cambodia continued to accuse Thailand of invading its territory and opening fire on its soldiers. Phnom Penh subsequently said it intended to bring border issues to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which Thailand opposed. Cambodia brought its claims to the ICJ on June 15, the same day of Ms Paetongtarn's phone call in which Hun Sen repeated his demand that border crossing restrictions be lifted. Four days earlier, Ms Paetongtarn called on security agencies to match operating hours at border checkpoints with those of Cambodia to ease problems for border-crossers.
Bangkok Post
14 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Paetongtarn arrives to face court
All eyes are on suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra as she appears before the Constitutional Court on Thursday over a leaked audio clip featuring herself and former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen. The suspended premier arrived at the court at 9.30am but made no comment to reporters before going inside. She was accompanied by her husband Pitak Suksawat, sister Pinthongta Shinawatra Kunakornwong, and Prommin Lertsuridej, secretary-general to the Prime Minister. A monitor with a video feed from the courtroom was set up outside the chamber for reporters to watch the proceedings. Ms Paetongtarn had stayed out of the public eye on Wednesday, the day before she and a key witness were due to testify. National Security Council secretary-general Chatchai Bangchuad has been named as the witness. Ms Paetongtarn was suspended from duty by the court on July 1 over the leaked recording of a private phone call between her and Hun Sen. The conversation, which emerged on June 18 as border tensions flared into open hostilities, captured Ms Paetongtarn criticising the commander of the Second Army Region and appearing conciliatory towards Hun Sen's demands. The clip, leaked by the Cambodian side, caused an uproar, with many Thais questioning her loyalty. On Aug 14, it was confirmed Ms Paetongtarn had submitted her defence to the court, in which she claimed the remarks she made to Hun Sen in the phone call were part of her negotiating technique, not an improper offer of favours. Ms Paetongtarn's absence from public functions on Wednesday sparked fresh speculation. In the morning, she did not attend any activities in her capacity as culture minister, while later in the day, she was not seen at the ministry as scheduled. On Tuesday, she took leave from the cabinet's weekly meeting for the second consecutive week. Jatuporn Prompan, a leader of the United Front to Defend Thai Sovereignty and one of Ms Paetongtarn's most vocal critics, said a decent person would face the allegations head-on. Quoting a Thai saying, Jatuporn said, 'Genuine gold won't be damaged by fire.' He also dismissed rumours the court ruling in the case, due on Aug 29, had already been settled in her favour by a 5–4 judges' vote. Jatuporn warned, however, that both this case and the lese-majeste trial of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, with a ruling due on Friday, will inevitably reshape the kingdom's politics.
