Thai-Cambodia ceasefire comes amid Church calls for peace
This handout photo taken and released by the Royal Thai Army on July 29, (Photo: AFP)
Thailand and Cambodia's ceasefire on July 28, five days after hostilities broke out along their shared border, came amid calls for peace from various groups, including Catholic bishops in both countries.The 'unconditional ceasefire' came into effect at midnight on July 28, as Catholic communities and bishops in Cambodia and Thailand pleaded for peace in the predominantly Buddhist nations.'In recent days, we have seen many of our brothers and sisters flee their villages on the border to seek refuge in camps,' said a message for peace issued jointly by the three bishops of Cambodia on July 26.
The three bishops — Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, Bishop Pierre Suon Hangly, Administrator of Kampong Cham and Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, and Bishop Enrique Figaredo, Apostolic Prefect of Battambang — also invited Catholics to generously help those displaced by the fighting, in collaboration with Caritas Cambodia, the Church's social service wing. During the July 27 Sunday Angelus in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV recalled 'those who suffer because of conflicts and violence in the world' and particularly prayed for the victims of the Thailand-Cambodia conflict, 'especially for the children and displaced families.'Pope Leo also urged 'everyone to seek dialogue and reconciliation" to bring back peace.
Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondarattana of Bangkok, president of the Thai Bishops' Conference, said border conflicts 'are a source of deep concern. As a Church, we are called to resist ideologies that divide and to build bridges of brotherhood.' In an interview published by the Italian Catholic news agency agensir.it on July 26, the Thai prelate emphasized that the local Church views the border tension 'with deep concern,' and 'through the prism of the Church's social doctrine, which emphasizes human dignity, peace, and justice.'
A long-standing dispute
The dispute dates back more than a century. Cambodia considers the colonial maps of 1907, drawn up by France, legitimate, but Thailand disputes them.
The dispute over the border and sovereignty claims primarily concerns three temples located on the common border.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia, a decision confirmed in 2013, but that did not resolve the tensions.
Incidents between 2008 and 2011 around the disputed border areas had already led to deadly clashes.
On Feb,13, tensions flared again when Thai forces prevented Cambodian tourists from singing their national anthem at the Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple.
On May 27 and 28, a clash occurred in Chong Bok, the border triangle between Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, resulting in the death of a Cambodian soldier, worsening the situation.
Unconditional truce
Thailand accused Cambodia of laying illegal mines, in violation of the Ottawa Treaty, on July 23, after a Thai soldier lost a leg after stepping on an unidentified mine. But Cambodia denied the allegation.
However, fighting intensified the next day as Thailand launched F-16 air strikes and closed all border posts.
At least 35 people died in the five-days of clashes, with 22 perishing on the Thai side and 13 on the Cambodian side.
The truce was reached during a meeting between the leaders of the two countries, organized in Malaysia on July 28, supported by the United States and China.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the current president of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), brokered the peace and announced an 'immediate and unconditional' ceasefire, according to some local reports.--ucanews.com
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