Letter to Editor: Preah Vihear should be left out of politics

Monday October 27, 2008

Re: ''Betrayal at the border'' (Bangkok Post, Oct 25). I defy both Thais and Cambodians to stop cattily pointing the finger and instead get to the root of the ongoing military quagmire and boundary dispute between the two countries.

The question should be: ''How could Cambodia ever plant new mines 'deep inside' Thai territory?'' And, most importantly, ''How could the three Thai ultra-nationalists trespass right under the nose of the Thai authorities on July 15 and why did Bangkok take the needless, unprecedented step of deploying troops in response to the lawful detention of the three intruders in lieu of a diplomatic request for their release?''

There are three plausible scenarios. First, either the trio jumped the barbed wire fence of their own free will or in deference to the PAD _ a long-time thorn in Thaksin Sinawatra and his successors' side. In this case, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has no role in the three-month-long conflict.

Second, Hun Sen may have countenanced his former counterpart Samak Sundaravej and incumbent premier Somchai Wongsawat using armed confrontation for mutual benefit, with Hun Sen gaining the edge ahead of the July parliamentary election and the two Thai embattled PMs diverting the PAD's attention in the midst of alarming political turbulence _ as assumed by some analysts. The assumption, however, has proved illogical. For one thing, the stand-off escalated into a tragic skirmish just two weeks ago _ almost three months after Hun Sen won by a landslide. For another, the self-proclaimed People's Alliance for Democracy has plunged Thailand into chaos through its undemocratic anti-government rallies since 2005 _ long before the Preah Vihear temple officially became a world landmark.

Third, sparks were really flying following the unilateral inscription of the 11th century ruin. Samak, under impeachment pressure and so forth, wasted no time turning the public focus to an all-new issue: a so-called ''border row'' with Cambodia. He could have intentionally sent the three Thai extremists, knowing full well that they would be lawfully detained. And when they were arrested, he short-sightedly responded with soldier deployment, knowing precisely that Cambodia would rather bring the case to the ICJ in The Hague or the UNSC than risking a gun battle in the vicinity of its invaluable temple. Phnom Penh did just that. Realising the situation had got out of hand, Samak moved to trick Hun Sen into withdrawing the complaint and resuming further bilateral negotiations. What did Samak and Thailand have to lose?

In summary, Thailand has not only dragged Cambodia into its political mess but has also held the Preah Vihear temple hostage.

VUTH CHANSEREI PHUON

Phnom Penh

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/271008_News/27Oct2008_news17.php

Eight New Natural Wonders of the World

8. The three core zones of the Monarch butterfly biosphere reserve protect eight overwintering colonies of the monarch butterfly in the oyamel fir forests of central Mexico. Perhaps a billion monarch butterflies overwinter here in close-packed clusters every year after a 3,500-4,500km journey. Witnessing this unique phenomenon is considered to be an exceptional experience of nature

Frans Lanting/Corbis

7. Surtsey, in Iceland, is a new island formed by volcanic eruptions in 1963-67. Its legal protection since creation means that the island is a pristine natural laboratory, free from human interference, that has provided a unique scientific record of the process of colonisation of land by plants and animals

Chris Wood/IUCN

6. The tropical lagoons and coral reefs of New Caledonia form one of the three most extensive reef systems in the world. They are home to an exceptional variety of coral and fish species and have intact ecosystems with healthy populations of big fish and top predators

Dan Laffoley/IUCN

5. Saryarka is a largely undisturbed area of Central Asian steppe and lakes in the Korgalzhyn and Naurzum state nature reserves in northern Kazakhstan. It is a crucial stopover point for for globally threatened species and provides feeding grounds for up to 15-16 million birds. Saryarka is also home to the critically endangered saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica)

Chris Magin/IUCN

4. Canada’s Joggins Fossil Cliffs contain the best and most complete known fossil record of terrestrial life in the Coal Age, over 300m years ago. The remains of amniotes, the first reptiles in the Earth’s history, are visible, as well as fossil trees, animals and plants

Wesley Hill/IUCN

3. Mount Sanqingshan national park in eastern China's Jiangxi province has been added to the list due to its outstanding natural beauty. The park contains a unique array of forested, fantastically shaped granite pillars and peaks concentrated in a relatively small area

Peter Shadie/IUCN

2. The Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona, which includes the Glarus Overthrust, has been studied since the 18th century as an exceptional and dramatic display of mountain building through continental collision

Pedro Rosabal/IUCN

1. The Socotra archipelago in Yemen has been dubbed the Galápagos of the Indian Ocean. It is especially rich in flora and fauna; about 37% of Socotra’s plant species, 90% of its reptile species and 95% of its land snail species cannot be found anywhere else in the world

David Sheppard/IUCN

Khmer Rouge genocide suspects allowed to mingle

AP - Friday, October 24

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodia's U.N.-assisted genocide tribunal has granted its five Khmer Rouge defendants the previously denied right to communicate among themselves in detention.

Court officials said Thursday that the judges lifted the segregation order last month after appeals from the defendants' lawyers, who argued that the measure violated human rights and dignity.

When the suspects were originally detained, the investigating judges imposed restrictions on direct contact between them to prevent collusion and protect the integrity of investigations.

The tribunal is seeking accountability for atrocities committed when the Khmer Rouge held power in 1975-79. The ultra-communist group's policies are generally blamed for the deaths of about 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution.

The court had rejected appeals from the five that they be released from detention ahead of their trials, which are expected to begin early next year. All of the defendants are aging and in ill health.

After long delays, formal indictments against them were issued earlier this year.

The expected September start of the first trial, of Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, was delayed after prosecutors appealed to add criminal conspiracy to the charges the defendants face. They had already been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Son Arun, a lawyer for Nuon Chea, the former Khmer Rouge ideologist, said his client had a cordial chat Wednesday with Khieu Samphan and Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch. Khieu Samphan is the group's former head of state.

"They asked about each other's well being and were pleased that they can now speak to each other," Son Arun said.

Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20081023/tap-as-cambodia-khmer-rouge-d3b07b8.html

Cambodia and Thailand to discuss land dispute

The Associated Press

Published: July 24, 2008

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to meet Monday to discuss a stretch of disputed land near a historic temple, rather than take the matter to the United Nations immediately, officials from both countries said Thursday.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej of Thailand said he had talked to Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia and the two leaders had decided to schedule a foreign ministers' meeting in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap on Monday.

They plan to discuss how best to end the crisis over land near Preah Vihear, an 11th-century temple, that has prompted both countries to deploy soldiers near the site.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith of Cambodia confirmed that the meeting would take place and the postponement of the complaint to the Security Council.

The agreement on the meeting follows failed efforts this week to resolve the crisis, which prompted Cambodia to take the issue to the Security Council. Military tensions between the two countries over 4.6 square kilometers, or 1.8 square miles, of land re-emerged this month after Unesco approved a Cambodian application to have the temple designated a World Heritage Site.

Thailand sent troops to the border July 15 after demonstrators attacked Sundaravej's government for supporting the Cambodian application. The Thai government said that the soldiers had been deployed only after 1,000 Cambodian troops were spotted in the area.

The announcement of the meeting would seem to be a small diplomatic victory for Thailand, which had rejected Cambodian requests to involve the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the matter.

The Thai ambassador to the United Nations, Don Pramudwinai, accused Cambodia on Wednesday of bringing the quarrel before the Security Council because "the Cambodian target is not only Preah Vihear but the entire common border."

Cambodian says that 4,000 troops from both countries are massed in the area around Preah Vihear. Thailand says it has 400 troops in the area and that Cambodia has 1,700.

Don said that Cambodia was trying to force Thailand to accept a French colonial map's demarcation of the border. Thailand relies on a different map drawn up later with American technical assistance, but it accepts a ruling by the International Court of Justice that awarded the disputed temple to Cambodia in 1962.

On Thursday, Foreign Minister George Yeo of Singapore said that the border dispute should never have become a problem and that it was unnecessary to take it to the Security Council.

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/24/asia/cambo.php