Official: Thai troops enter Cambodia

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — About 40 Thai troops entered Cambodian territory on Tuesday as tension escalated over disputed land around an ancient temple, a Cambodian official said.

The Thai military denied any border violation, saying the troops had only deployed near the disputed area near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple "to protect our sovereignty."

(snip)

The Thai troops entered Cambodian territory near the temple, said Hang Soth, director-general of the national authority for Preah Vihear temple, an agency responsible for the monument.

Cambodian troops have been ordered to be on alert but not to be the first to fire, Hang Soth said.



Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h6tp2tO94iKNqIquUil4we_HH52QD91U68I00

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Okay, now this is completely outrageous!

Why does Thailand suddenly feel the need to deploy troops to the area because UNESCO just declared the monument a World Heritage Site?

I am pretty disgusted with Thailand right now!

[happyslug]

1. Because the Thails think it is part of Thailand?

People forget that prior to about 1863, Cambodia was part of Thailand (in 1863 the French took over, through the Vietnamese and Thails had been jointly ruling Cambodia in the decades BEFORE that). When the French took over Vietnam, they then moved to take over Cambodia. The Thails did nothing at that time, they could no and knew better, but the exact Border was NEVER fixed as far as Thailand was concerned.

http://kyotoreview.cseas.kyoto-u.ac.jp/issue/issue2/article_242_p.html
http://www.aseanfocus.com/publications/history_cambodia.html
http://www.samut-guide.com/full-history-of-cambodia-mysteries-legends-and-anecdotes.html

Like most countries on the world, where one begins and another ends is hard to define. Cambodia is centered on the Mekong River (as is Laos, which is further upstream, and Southern Vietnam, as the Mekong flows to the Sea. The Mekong is the 11th longest and 12th largest river by Volume. Thus the Mekong draws people to it, as does the Chao Phraya, but the later is high in volume but not to the extent of the Mekong.

The Center of Thailand is on the Chao Phraya River, which is West of the Mekong, but a huge part of Thailand is in the Mekong watershed (as is most of Cambodia). Thus when one country border ends and the other begins is hard to determine.

Thailand's River:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chao_Phraya_River
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Systems_of_Thailand#Chao_Phraya_River_System

The Mekong, Cambodia's River:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong_River

[Coventina]

2. All you say is true, however

that doesn't change the fact that the International Court of The Hague ruled in 1962 that the temple in question is indeed in Cambodian territory.