Thai, Cambodian leaders meet in wake of clash

[Coventina]

Source: Reuters

PATTAYA, Thailand (Reuters) - The prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia met briefly on Friday, a week after border clashes killed two Thais, and expressed sorrow over the incident, but a Thai official said there may be future "hiccups".

Soldiers from the two Southeast Asian countries exchanged rocket and rifle fire last Friday on a disputed stretch of their border, the latest flare-up in an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Preah Vihear Hindu temple.

"We don't expect to solve the problem in the next few days, or the next few weeks. Occasionally there will be certain hiccups," Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told reporters after the meeting.

"What we have to do is make sure that the security agencies and forces in the area, that are in and out of the area all the time, understand each other."



Read more: http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-38986520090410

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Uh, Thailand, you can prevent future "hiccups" by moving your troops away from the border. You didn't need to put them there in the first place!!

[Lucky Luciano]

1. So you suggest the Cambodian soldiers stick around

and Thailand cede the land to Cambodia?

I would probably be biased towards the land going to Cambodia primarily because the disputed temple is Hindu and the empire of Cambodia 800 years ago was Hindu based (The empire that built Angkor Wat - which I must say was one of the best places I ever visited!). I am just talking out of my ass though and don't know enough about the dispute to say who should get the land.

[Coventina]

2. The ICJ ruled in the 1960s that the temple is in Cambodian territory.

Thailand is still sore about it, and when UNESCO deemed it a World Heritage Site last year, Thailand rushed troops to the area. Cambodia (naturally) responded by rushing their troops into the area, and there's been a tense stand-off ever since.

It makes absolutely no sense for Thailand to be taking this attitude. As you point out, culturally, the temple is Cambodian. The Hague determined it is on Cambodian land. AND since it is right on the border, and at the top of a mountain, the easier approach is actually from Thailand. This means that Thailand actually BENEFITS from tourists coming to the temple, because they need to pay for entrance to Thailand to get to the temple (unless the tourists want to make a more difficult climb from the Cambodian side). PLUS, since it belongs to Cambodia, Cambodia shoulders the expense of maintaining and preserving the site. It's really a win-win for Thailand if they weren't being so stupid about it.

[Lucky Luciano]

3. ok...you sold me. Seems silly what the Thais are doing based on your comment. nt