As tension is flaring up along the border of our two nations, it has attracted a lots of attention of Khmers all over the world. Many of us have been wondering lately to how our government plans to resolve this Preah Vihear's dispute on Monday when they gather with their Thai counterpart. What will be the outcomes of the meeting? What kind of compromise, if there is one? Will Cambodia be at the short end of the negotiation in order to keep the peace? What measure or any contengency plans do our government have in dealing with this new Thai military agression? Thailand seems to believe in this notion that it has nothing to loose but to gain from provoking this conflict, and it is pushing the issue to its limit by sending troops into our land which it claims as its own. Now, it is a question for us of how far we are willing to go to defend our land and our rights which recognized legally and internationally since the decision in Hague 1962. Will we stand up in the face of this Thai's military threat, which we are doing now, or will we accept the idea of compromising our territorial integrity? It is a precarious moment in the two nation's history. Neither one will benefit from military conflict by playing along to a few groups of ultra-nationalist' s sentiment. At the moment it is Thailand that is doing the utmost provocation on the ground. Thailand has a lot to loose from this unecessary provocation, politically and economically. It should step back and reflect on past experience and how we manage to live rather peacefully side by side since the border has been drawn and agreed, accepted internationally since the last disagreement resulted in a decision of 1962.
Thailand is playing a very dangerous military game against its own neighbour, by disregarding past agreements, signed and sealed back in 1904 and 1907, the international court's judgment in Hague. It is taking a high risk by trying once again to set a very dangerous precedent for itself and for the region as a whole. Cambodia can in turn do the same by claiming its lost territory to Thailand way back and it could decide to go against Thailand militarily in the future at its own time of choosing. Where and when will it end? Do Cambodia wants, surin or Ayuthia back? It is absurd to even think of going through past and yet bloody conflicts of centuries ago? But it seems that Thailand is determined to start this conflict at its own convinience for political reason at home, perhaps at a much greater and yet unforseenable costs to both peoples.
PM Hun Sen has probably now come to a realization of the long hidden motive of his Thai counterpart. He is finding himself and his country in a very delicate position - a position of which Thailand has trapped him in. How he comes out of this mess in resolving this territorial dispute will determine his already weak legacy and political future down the road. Will Cambodia loose more land under his leadership? Or will he has the will to stand up to Thailand aggression and commit to defending our territorial integrity? What would be his exit startegy out of this conflict? It is encouraging that he is taking the issue to the UN at this moment, the right road to resolving this dispute.
The government of Cambodia should take agressive steps to enlist supports among our friends and the world community, especially the superpower such as France, China, to ensure that the decision of 1962 in Hague remain intact and must be respected by Thailand. It should not compromise in this regard and begin to take measure to resolve once and for all this lingering issue of Pheah Vihear with the help and support of the international community. Any Thai military personnels on our side of the border should be regarded and dealt with as such aggression and violation of our total territorial integrity according to international treaty and norms. We deserve the rights to protect and defend our legitimate land.
It is mutually beneficial for both countries to try to resolve this issue diplomatically. Having said that, it is important that the Cambodian government understood that the law is on our side, and that we are standing on legal ground when it comes to this dispute. We should not however, once again, falling into the trap by compromising or accepting any vague language or future treaty that could jeopadize our legal rights and ownership to this land.
It is time that the PM should vagorously consulted with the King's father and ask for advice in dealing with this issue. We must stick to what we have on our hand, the law and the judgment of 1962. Any deviation from that decision would result in a lost of land and it will complicate matter of the two countries in the future, not to mention the PM's political future, itself.
There is no winner in going to war over a piece of land which is rightly our own from day one. Thailand must be realistic and accept with grace of having own so much Cambodian territories already. We didn't want our empire back. Cambodia did not start this flame. Thailand has long understood that, war never brings anything good to its people or the nation. It has remained peacefully in the past, and I doubt that it wanted to start one now especially when its economy is relatively weak. They will take the most hit economically and the sign of economic stress is already there, political instability and possible war? Their stock market would take such a nasty hit and billions of dollars would be wiped out in a matter of days. I am sure Thailand is a lot more wiser than to embark on such a risky business. They would not subject their people and the country to a new sad realitiesd by starting military conflict with us. They surely have not tasted the biter of war in ages, we had, and it would be stupid to put decent Thai people through such a miserable experimentation. If they really want to start a war with us, they had a lot of chances in the past even days after the decision in Hague came down against them. They could have started a war with us then. Now do they really want one? Military confrontation is a dirty business. I think they are bluffing at best.
As Cambodian, we surely do not want war with our neighbour in the North, and we have eveidently restrainted ourselves to the best under the circumstance not to inflame the already boiling situation. Grace to the leadership of our troop commanders on the ground.
Let's observe on what would be the outcomes of the meeting and what steps would our government prepares to take next in the face of this national threat.
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