Hun Sen reiterates Emerald Triangle is Cambodian territory

The Star

3 days ago

Then Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife (centre), visiting the disputed area in 2009, clad in camouflage. - SHS via PPP/ANN
PHNOM PENH: Former Prime Minister Hun Sen has reiterated that the 'Emerald Triangle' is Cambodian land and invited both countries, Thailand and Cambodia, to bring internationally recognised maps to The International Court of Justice in The Hague to end the dispute.
Cambodia and Thailand have both dispatched additional troops to the border, following a brief May 28 clash at the at Mum Bei area, in Preah Vihear province's Choam Ksan district. The short exchange of fire left one Cambodian soldier dead.
Hun Sen, now president of the Senate, posted several pictures of himself in camouflage during a 2009 visit to the area. He noted that Cambodian troops have been stationed there since before the Paris Peace Agreement (October 23, 1991) — 13 or 14 years before the 2000 memorandum of understanding was signed. He suggested that the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) might be able to serve as a witness.
'If things are still unclear, Cambodia and Thailand could agree to bring this issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, using internationally recognised official maps (not self-drawn maps meant to claim land), to end the matter,' he said.
'This is not to stop the smoke, but to put out the fire completely for the happiness and unity of future generations, and to prevent the same thing from happening again,' he added.
According to Hun Sen, following the incident, some Thai 'extremists' have commented on his Facebook page to post 'insults and offensive comments', with the intention of damaging the good relationship between the governments and people of both countries. He believed that they were trying to stir tensions that could lead to military conflict between the two countries.
He added that some Thai individuals are demanding that Cambodia withdraw its troops from an area currently held by Cambodian forces, demands which will never be met.
'Cambodia cannot withdraw its troops from its own territory just because Thailand demands it. This same tactic was used by former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who told me in front of the President of Indonesia in 2011 that both sides should withdraw their troops from the Preah Vihear temple area,' he said.
'I told Abhisit clearly that I cannot pull Cambodian troops out of our own land, and that he should unconditionally withdraw his invading forces. What happened in the Emerald Triangle area three days ago is just another episode of a recurring scheme to grab land from Cambodia, driven by lower-level commanders and supported by extremist Thai groups,' he added.
Referring to the photos of him, his wife and colleagues at the area over 15 years ago, he said it clearly demonstrated that the area is Cambodian land.
'There's no way I could have worn a military uniform and taken photos on Thai or Lao territory in that area. At that time, I was receiving Lao soldiers at a ceremonial hall there; the hall burned down a few years ago,' he noted. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN