Saturday, February 5, 2011

Uneasy calm on the border between Cambodia and Thailand

The dispute around the Thai-Cambodian temple of Preah Vihear is poisoning relations between the two kingdoms since 2008, year of registration of the building of the eleventh century on the World Heritage List. Each camp had last week strengthened its military positions in the disputed border area. The tension rose a notch last twenty-four hours of clashes that have already killed four people.
With our correspondent in Phnom Penh, Stephanie Gée
A cease-fire has restored a fragile peace in the scope of Preah Vihear, poorly demarcated border. Cambodia and Thailand continue to blame the incidents. Phnom Penh continues to have used "self defense" to protect its territory. Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that the attacks damaged the neighboring temple and has already filed a complaint with the Security Council of UN.
The clashes, which have killed four people, comes at the end of an ultimatum by the Thai prime minister to withdraw the Cambodian flag floating above a Khmer pagoda in the disputed area. An application deemed "insulting" by Cambodia that were once firmly rejected.
The clashes also occur three days after the conviction by a court of Phnom Penh, two Thai nationalist activists to six and eight years in prison. They were found guilty of illegally entering a military zone and espionage.
The powerful People's Alliance for Democracy, which they were members, continue to pressure from Bangkok to arrange for their release. Cambodia seems to be, once again, the cost of strife in Thailand.

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