Border issues with Thailand require patience and determination, says Cambodian PM
PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times): Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated that resolving border issues is complex and must be approached with patience and persistence and through legal and diplomatic channels.
On Saturday (May 31), he spoke to about 1,600 Cambodians living, working, and studying in Tokyo, Japan.
The Prime Minister emphasised that border demarcation should be managed by the countries' designated border committees rather than through military conflict.
Referring to the clash that occurred on Wednesday, he warned that if the situation had not been addressed quickly, the death toll could have risen from one to potentially one hundred, and the conflict could have spread along the entire border.
He also indicated that taking border disputes to international court should be considered only as a last resort, stating, 'Once it reaches the court, negotiations will no longer be possible.'
Furthermore, the Prime Minister strongly disapproved of opposition claims suggesting that the Royal Government allowed the Thai army to fire on Cambodian troops in order to distract the public from online crime issues. He condemned attempts to demoralise Cambodian forces during this sensitive time.
'This is a moment for national unity,' he said. 'We must support and uplift our soldiers who are risking their lives to protect the territorial integrity of our homeland,' questioning the opposition's intentions behind their efforts to sow division between army generals and frontline soldiers.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed the Royal Government's commitment, alongside the Ministry of National Defence and the Cambodian Armed Forces, to peacefully resolve border disputes and to safeguard Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. - Khmer Times
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
ICJ bid to end border row
The nation will file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over border disputes with Thailand, Prime Minister Hun Manet said, after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a recent frontier clash. 'Cambodia hopes that the Thai side will agree with Cambodia to jointly bring these issues to the ICJ... to prevent armed confrontation again over border uncertainty,' Hun Manet said yesterday during a meeting between MPs and senators. Military clashes between the South-East Asian neighbours erupted in 2008 and have led to several years of sporadic violence, resulting in at least 28 deaths. The most recent occurred last week, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a location known as the Emerald Triangle – a joint border area between Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. The day after, Cambodia's Foreign Ministry sent a letter to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh demanding 'an immediate and thorough investigation' into the 'unprovoked attack'. Describing the incident as 'a violation of Cambodian sovereignty', Phnom Penh said it remained committed to resolving the issue through 'peaceful and diplomatic avenues'. Prime Minister Hun Manet said that even if the Thai side did not agree on bringing the issue to the ICJ, Cambodia would still file the complaint. He added that the dispute was being 'incited by small extremist groups in both countries', which could lead to further clashes. Cambodia's military had said they were attacked first in Wednesday's incident, while the Thai side said their soldiers were responding to gunshots. The Thai and Cambodian militaries met the following day, agreeing to ease tensions. Thailand says a Joint Boundary Committee will meet in the next two weeks to resolve the issue. Another is Ta Moan Thom Temple, the backdrop for a video posted on social media earlier this year showing a woman singing a patriotic Khmer song which led to Bangkok lodging a formal protest to Phnom Penh. Cambodia and Thailand have long been at odds over their more than 800km-long border, which was largely drawn during the French occupation of Indochina. The 2008 military clashes erupted over a patch of land next to Preah Vihear Temple, a 900-year-old structure near their shared border. This led to several years of sporadic violence before the ICJ ruled the disputed area belonged to Cambodia. — AFP
The Star
13 hours ago
- The Star
Cambodia says it will seek World Court ruling on border disputes with Thailand that led to clash
Cambodian General Mao Sophan (front, left) and Royal Thai Army commander-in-chief General Pana Klaewplodthuk (front, right) during a meeting on May 29 near the Thai-Cambodian border after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a frontier clash. -- PHOTO: EPA-EFE via The Straits Times/ANN PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP): Cambodia's government says it plans to seek a ruling from the UN's International Court of Justice over border disputes with neighboring Thailand, one of which triggered a fatal military clash last week. Cambodia's National Assembly, where Prime Minister Hun Manet's ruling Cambodian People's Party holds all but a handful of seats, voted on Monday to support the government's decision. A 1962 ruling by the same court, awarding to Cambodia the disputed territory on which a historic temple is located, rankled Thailand and to this day remains a major irritant in bilateral relations. Thai officials did not immediately respond to Cambodia's intention to seek a ruling from the court, which is located in The Hague in the Netherlands and also known as the World Court. Thailand's Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Sunday that Thailand's actions at the border were proportionate and in line with domestic and international law. He said the situation at the border remained calm, and that both sides agreed to find solutions to ease the tension as soon as possible. The brief May 28 clash near Morokot village, in Cambodia's northwestern province of Preah Vihear, in which one Cambodian soldier was killed, began when Cambodian troops were conducting a routine patrol along the border when the Thai side opened fire, the Cambodian side says. The Thai army says that Cambodian soldiers entered a disputed patch of land and opened fire when Thai soldiers approached them to negotiate. Hun Manet in social media posts on Sunday declared that his government will ask the court to rule on the demarcation of several disputed areas, including where the centuries-old Hindu-style Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Toch and Ta Kro Bei temples are located. In February, Cambodian troops and their family members entered the Ta Moan Thom temple in disputed territory and sang the Cambodian national anthem, leading to a brief argument with Thai forces. After last week's flare-up, both sides quickly called for calm and talks to ease their differences, while reserving the right to use military action to safeguard their sovereignty. On Thursday, the two countries' army commanders met to discuss how to avoid more clashes. On Monday, Hun Manet called for the two countries to have their Joint Border Commission continue the work of border demarcation, as well as having the World Court take up the issue. Hun Manet's announced intention to appeal to the World Court may touch a raw nerve in Thailand, because the 1962 ruling awarding the major Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia is a touchstone issue for Thai nationalists. and wielded in domestic politics. Last year, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinatwatra's government was attacked on nationalist grounds for proposing to resume talks with Cambodia on demarcation of maritime territory believed to hold profitable hydrocarbon resources. In 2008, there were several deadly clashes between Cambodia and Thai forces at the Preah Vihear promontory, an area on which sits a 1,000-year-old temple that was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site that same year. In 2013, the World Court reaffirmed its 1962 ruling. Hun Manet, speaking Monday to Cambodia lawmakers, said his government would take the cases of the other disputed areas to the World Court to determine ownership even if Thailand did not join in the appeal, in order "to end this problem and extinguish it once and for all so that there is no further confusion.' "In particular, let's not fall for the incitement of a handful of extremist groups in Cambodia and Thailand, and let's not fall into the problem of confrontation by armed forces of the two countries," he said. -- Associated Press writer Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Free Malaysia Today
18 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Cambodia to file complaint with ICJ over Thai border dispute
Cambodia and Thailand have long been at odds over their more than 800km-long border. (EPA Images pic) PHNOM PENH : Cambodia will file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over border disputes with Thailand, prime minister Hun Manet said today, after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a recent frontier clash. 'Cambodia hopes that the Thai side will agree with Cambodia to jointly bring these issues to the International Court of Justice… to prevent armed confrontation again over border uncertainty,' Hun Manet said during a meeting between MPs and senators. Military clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted in 2008 and have led to several years of sporadic violence, resulting in at least 28 deaths. The most recent occurred Wednesday, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a location known as the Emerald Triangle – a joint border area between Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. The day after, Cambodia's foreign ministry sent a letter to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh demanding 'an immediate and thorough investigation' into the 'unprovoked attack'. Describing the incident as 'a violation of Cambodian sovereignty', Phnom Penh said it remained committed to resolving the issue through 'peaceful and diplomatic avenues'. Prime minister Hun Manet said that even if the Thai side did not agree on bringing the issue to the ICJ, Cambodia would still file the complaint. He added that the border dispute was being 'incited by small extremist groups in both countries', which could lead to further clashes. Thailand's ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP. Cambodia's military had said they were attacked first in Wednesday's incident, while the Thai side said their soldiers were responding to gunshots. The Thai and Cambodian militaries met the following day, agreeing to ease tensions. Thailand says a joint boundary committee will meet in the next two weeks to resolve the issue. The Emerald Triangle is among the areas that will be named in the ICJ complaint, Hun Manet said. Another is Ta Moan Thom Temple, the backdrop for a video posted on social media earlier this year showing a woman singing a patriotic Khmer song which led to Bangkok lodging a formal protest to Phnom Penh. Cambodia and Thailand have long been at odds over their more than 800km-long border, which was largely drawn during the French occupation of Indochina. The 2008 military clashes erupted over a patch of land next to Preah Vihear Temple, a 900-year-old structure near their shared border. This led to several years of sporadic violence before the International Court of Justice ruled the disputed area belonged to Cambodia.
