The long-drawn Thai-Cambodian border dispute seems to have taken a dreaded turn as Thailand launched an airstrike hours ago against Cambodia, even as two of their civilians were killed in a previous Cambodian shelling. The Thai military went on to strike at least two Cambodian provinces and evacuated dozens of Thai villages, as a preparatory move for the attack. A note has already been issued to Thais in Cambodia by the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh to evacuate immediately.
The Thai army remarked that weeks of tension at the border gradually escalated into clashes that killed two citizens. In retaliation, an F-16 fighter jet was deployed by Thailand’s military against Cambodian forces. The Thai army said, “Of the six F-16 fighter jets that Thailand readied to deploy along the disputed border, one of the aircraft fired into Cambodia and destroyed a military target.” Richa Suksuwanon, deputy spokesperson of the Thai army, said, “We have used air power against military targets as planned.”
A response was sought from Cambodia’s defence ministry regarding the confirmation of the airstrike, but it has not been issued yet. As armed shots rang across the border, both militaries accused each other of firing first. According to Cambodia’s former head of state, Hun Sen, two Cambodian provinces were targeted by Thailand’s military. Once again on Thursday, violence broke out near the temples between the Thai province of Surin and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey on the border.
Figure 1 Preah Vihear temple; Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preah_Vihear_Temple
A spokesperson for the Cambodian Defence Ministry said that the incursion was unprovoked by Thai troops. He also said that the Cambodian forces only retaliated as a measure of self-defence. On the other hand, the Thai army said that fire was opened east of their post at the Ta Muen temple by Cambodian soldiers. The Emerald Triangle is where Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia meet. This area of dispute is also home to several ancient temples. Both sides have been squabbling over this issue for decades, with bloody military clashes even occurring 15 years ago. A Cambodian soldier is said to have been killed in the fight.
“The situation requires careful handling, and we must act in accordance with international law”, said Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. He added that the government will do their best to protect the country’s sovereignty.
A Thai officer stated that approximately 40,000 citizens from 86 villages across Thailand had been evacuated and relocated to safer areas. Colonel Richa Suksuwanont threw some light on the nature of the combat and stated that the Cambodian military had used BM21 rocket launchers and other weaponry.
Nationalist flare-up
After a landmine wounded five members, the Thai military on Wednesday, Thailand, recalled its ambassador from Cambodia. Also, it stated it would expel the Cambodian envoy stationed in Bangkok. Allegedly, the Russian-made mines were laid on mutual agreement and were meant to be safe, according to Thai authorities. Besides, they were not the ones used by Thailand’s military.
Figure 2Plan of Prasat Preah Vihear source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preah_Vihear_Temple
That night, the Cambodian defence ministry “categorically rejected the unfounded accusations”. According to the ministry, there were many landmines left over from past wars in the border areas that had not been fully cleared and were still embedded. The border row sparked a domestic political crisis, as Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was deposed from office. She is currently under investigation for ethics violations.
The actual Thailand dispute
Cambodia and Thailand have had a long-standing dispute about the Preah Vihear temple area since the 19th century.
Built sometime in the 9th and 10th centuries AD under the Khmer Empire, it is believed that the kingdom reached its peak and then gradually declined. The modern state of Thailand emerged with the growth of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. During the Ayutthaya, Thonburi and Rattanakosin eras, Siam and Vietnam expanded into Cambodia.
Not long after the French invasion of Cambodia and its withdrawal in 1953, and Cambodia gaining independence, the Thai military occupied Preah Vihear Temple in 1954 because the temple was facing north and was meant to serve the people above it and not the Cambodian plain below. The natural watershed borderline was retained, as is. But the Cambodians claimed that in a 1907 French map, the temple was depicted as being within their territory. It was agreed that both countries would approach the International Court of Justice and resolve the dispute.
Figure 3 Hill where the temple is located. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preah_Vihear_Temple
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 handed over ownership of the temple to Cambodia after voting 9 to 3 keeping the 1907 map in purview. However, only the temple was ruled to Cambodia and not the adjacent land. While Thailand reluctantly relinquished ownership of the temple, it still occupied the surrounding area and insisted that the border was never to be demarcated at that spot.
In recent years, it was this dispute that was revived when UNESCO received an application from Cambodia to designate Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site.
