Cambodian and Thai officials will meet next week to resolve a standoff over their disputed border close to an ancient temple, officials from both countries said Thursday.
More than 400 Thai troops and more than 800 Cambodian soldiers remain assembled around a small Buddhist pagoda on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.
The incident comes amid heightened political tensions in both countries after the UN cultural agency UNESCO awarded the temple World Heritage status earlier this month.
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and Cambodia's Hun Sen agreed to fresh talks on the dispute in Thailand's border Sa Kaeo province on Monday.
Full Story: AFP
Thought: This could get ugly.
Troops amassing on Cambodian border
Troops amassing on Cambodian border
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
-
sandman67
- Rock Star
- Posts: 4398
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2007 6:11 pm
- Location: I thought you had the map?
whilst this makes my blood boil, and I would happily take a baseball bat to the collective Thai consciousness that thinks this crap is justified, lets take a reflective moment to draw a political parallel before jumping on our high horses......
Once upon a time there was a government that had, through its indifference and incompetance, become very very unpopular with its people. An election was coming soon, and they needed to win their people back.
As though God itself had sent a gift, at that point a country who had been arguing for many years over a patch of disputed land, and who faced similar problems, invaded that small patch of land.
Despite the fact that most of its people had never heard of, or cared less for, that patch of disputed dirt the desperate government ordered its army and navy to respond. Flags were wheeled out, and nationalism stoked. Lies were told, propaganda spun.
A war was started, and many good men who should have been at home defending their own country were instead sent to fight over a few miles of useless dirt.
Many men didnt come home, and still lie in the soil of that patch, now mostly forgotten.
The war ended quickly and the government, riding on a wave of false and misguided nationalism, won its election. The patch of dirt was once again forgotten.
That patch of dirt was the Falklands........and it was only after a late night smoke and beer that a very scary parallel became apparent.
That concludes todays history lesson.
Next time we will look at the Gulf War mark 1 and mark 2 and draw similar parallels.
Once upon a time there was a government that had, through its indifference and incompetance, become very very unpopular with its people. An election was coming soon, and they needed to win their people back.
As though God itself had sent a gift, at that point a country who had been arguing for many years over a patch of disputed land, and who faced similar problems, invaded that small patch of land.
Despite the fact that most of its people had never heard of, or cared less for, that patch of disputed dirt the desperate government ordered its army and navy to respond. Flags were wheeled out, and nationalism stoked. Lies were told, propaganda spun.
A war was started, and many good men who should have been at home defending their own country were instead sent to fight over a few miles of useless dirt.
Many men didnt come home, and still lie in the soil of that patch, now mostly forgotten.
The war ended quickly and the government, riding on a wave of false and misguided nationalism, won its election. The patch of dirt was once again forgotten.
That patch of dirt was the Falklands........and it was only after a late night smoke and beer that a very scary parallel became apparent.
That concludes todays history lesson.
Next time we will look at the Gulf War mark 1 and mark 2 and draw similar parallels.
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
i was talking about the very thing the other day,that war was to get thatcher re-elected she did not give two shits about the falklands ,hundreds died and many more still suffer mentally and phisically just as long as she won the political battle at homesandman67 wrote:whilst this makes my blood boil, and I would happily take a baseball bat to the collective Thai consciousness that thinks this crap is justified, lets take a reflective moment to draw a political parallel before jumping on our high horses......
Once upon a time there was a government that had, through its indifference and incompetance, become very very unpopular with its people. An election was coming soon, and they needed to win their people back.
As though God itself had sent a gift, at that point a country who had been arguing for many years over a patch of disputed land, and who faced similar problems, invaded that small patch of land.
Despite the fact that most of its people had never heard of, or cared less for, that patch of disputed dirt the desperate government ordered its army and navy to respond. Flags were wheeled out, and nationalism stoked. Lies were told, propaganda spun.
A war was started, and many good men who should have been at home defending their own country were instead sent to fight over a few miles of useless dirt.
Many men didnt come home, and still lie in the soil of that patch, now mostly forgotten.
The war ended quickly and the government, riding on a wave of false and misguided nationalism, won its election. The patch of dirt was once again forgotten.
That patch of dirt was the Falklands........and it was only after a late night smoke and beer that a very scary parallel became apparent.
That concludes todays history lesson.
Next time we will look at the Gulf War mark 1 and mark 2 and draw similar parallels.
A Cambodian general said a border standoff between his soldiers and Thai troops came close to a shoot-out overnight as the confrontation over disputed territory surrounding an ancient temple entered its fourth day Friday.
The dispute is centered around Cambodia's 11th century Hindu temple Preah Vihear and came to a head last week when UNESCO approved Cambodia's application for World Heritage Site status for the site. Thai activists fear the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land.
Thai soldiers entered the surrounding area on Tuesday, staking out positions at a Buddhist temple compound nearby. However, some resident Cambodian monks remained and Cambodian soldiers have continued to visit them even after the Thais arrived.
Full Story: AP
The dispute is centered around Cambodia's 11th century Hindu temple Preah Vihear and came to a head last week when UNESCO approved Cambodia's application for World Heritage Site status for the site. Thai activists fear the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land.
Thai soldiers entered the surrounding area on Tuesday, staking out positions at a Buddhist temple compound nearby. However, some resident Cambodian monks remained and Cambodian soldiers have continued to visit them even after the Thais arrived.
Full Story: AP
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
-
margaretcarnes
- Rock Star
- Posts: 4172
- Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2008 8:28 am
- Location: The Rhubarb Triangle
Troops amassing on Cambodian border
Sandman - how true. And now there's talk of the Arch Duchess Thatcher having a state funeral! (No - calm down - not yet.)
IMO though the 'Face' thing is probably the issue here rather than the patch of dirt. Lets hope it all calms down.
IMO though the 'Face' thing is probably the issue here rather than the patch of dirt. Lets hope it all calms down.
A sprout is for life - not just for Christmas.
This is a bit of a worry our house is only 25km to the border,and i am not sure how fare this temple is, i have looked on multi map and a few others but can't find it. My wife lived in our village as a kid and remembers the cross border fighting untill she was about 13, her father was border patrol and did a lot of fighting while the women and children used to run into the country side every night and would hide in pre dug holes in the ground and this went on for about 10 years. From our house you dont have to go to far less than 1 hour and there are still land mines, they were all supposed to be cleared but every now and then some poor farmer looses a limb.
Heard yesterday on the Thai news that they(Thais) are 'pissed off' about the maps the Cambodians are using. The Thais are using the old, traditional maps and the Cambodians are using the maps the French made when they were there. Might not just be about the temple, but were the border actually is. 
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
I have clicked on the AFP link on Bucksida's post,i have looked at the google map, and my house is just off the 214 road and 4km from Kapchoeng we are 25km form the Chong Chom border crossing, i think we are about 200km from this temple.
Spitfire i think you could be right about it affecting the whole area, my wife reckons that our village Banswhy was part of Cambodia many years ago
I have also been told by her, that she feels very worried, if it kicks off there it will spread down the border for sure.
In Surin there is a very big army base and the 214 road is a main route into Cambodia and a direct route to the Angkor Wat further south, so i would guess that our area is quite important geographically.
Apart form the worrie about family i can't help thinking that our house insurance won't in a million years cover conflict.
Spitfire i think you could be right about it affecting the whole area, my wife reckons that our village Banswhy was part of Cambodia many years ago
I have also been told by her, that she feels very worried, if it kicks off there it will spread down the border for sure.
In Surin there is a very big army base and the 214 road is a main route into Cambodia and a direct route to the Angkor Wat further south, so i would guess that our area is quite important geographically.
Apart form the worrie about family i can't help thinking that our house insurance won't in a million years cover conflict.
-
sandman67
- Rock Star
- Posts: 4398
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2007 6:11 pm
- Location: I thought you had the map?
I saw a picture in the paper yesterday of local Thai village militias with guns undergoing "defence training"...... Thats really worrying as all it takes is one trigger happy amateur sod and all hell breaks loose.
This really is getting out of hand and the UN should step in before some sod kicks off another border spat that ends up with dead people and the temple destroyed. Id suggest the UN withdraw or freeze all development aid until they both withdraw and give both sides a good rap on the knuckles.
Id also slam those three political patsies that kicked all this off in prison for a few years, after putting the squeeze on em to find out who put them up to that stupid stunt.
This is just like two kids in a sandpit arguing over a sandcastle.....it ends with the castle kicked down and bloody noses on both sides.
Seems, from the Bangkok Post postbag, even some Thais are saying that now.
I think the King needs to step in now.... he's the only man who seems capable of making sound decisions re Thailand.
This really is getting out of hand and the UN should step in before some sod kicks off another border spat that ends up with dead people and the temple destroyed. Id suggest the UN withdraw or freeze all development aid until they both withdraw and give both sides a good rap on the knuckles.
Id also slam those three political patsies that kicked all this off in prison for a few years, after putting the squeeze on em to find out who put them up to that stupid stunt.
This is just like two kids in a sandpit arguing over a sandcastle.....it ends with the castle kicked down and bloody noses on both sides.
Seems, from the Bangkok Post postbag, even some Thais are saying that now.
I think the King needs to step in now.... he's the only man who seems capable of making sound decisions re Thailand.
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
-
redzonerocker
- Rock Star
- Posts: 4777
- Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 3:55 pm
- Location: England
falklands
great summaries, but what about the other side of the story?ste860 wrote:i was talking about the very thing the other day,that war was to get thatcher re-elected she did not give two shits about the falklands ,hundreds died and many more still suffer mentally and phisically just as long as she won the political battle at homesandman67 wrote:whilst this makes my blood boil, and I would happily take a baseball bat to the collective Thai consciousness that thinks this crap is justified, lets take a reflective moment to draw a political parallel before jumping on our high horses......
Once upon a time there was a government that had, through its indifference and incompetance, become very very unpopular with its people. An election was coming soon, and they needed to win their people back.
As though God itself had sent a gift, at that point a country who had been arguing for many years over a patch of disputed land, and who faced similar problems, invaded that small patch of land.
Despite the fact that most of its people had never heard of, or cared less for, that patch of disputed dirt the desperate government ordered its army and navy to respond. Flags were wheeled out, and nationalism stoked. Lies were told, propaganda spun.
A war was started, and many good men who should have been at home defending their own country were instead sent to fight over a few miles of useless dirt.
Many men didnt come home, and still lie in the soil of that patch, now mostly forgotten.
The war ended quickly and the government, riding on a wave of false and misguided nationalism, won its election. The patch of dirt was once again forgotten.
That patch of dirt was the Falklands........and it was only after a late night smoke and beer that a very scary parallel became apparent.
That concludes todays history lesson.
Next time we will look at the Gulf War mark 1 and mark 2 and draw similar parallels.
the galtieri led military junta who were struggling to stay in power decided an invasion of the falkland islands would create a wave of nationalism & be enough to deflect their own political woes.
it may have been an insignificant 'patch of dirt' to some but it was & still is a british overseas territory.
the invasion by the argentinians was an act of aggression that couldn't be ignored by britain, whoever had been in government at the time.
the original topic has it's parallels, more so with the nationalistic pride at stake. in an area such as this a peaceful solution through negotiation shouldn't be that difficult to achieve, surely?
when the troops start to amass the tensions increase. a small breakdown in communication or a trigger happy general & things escalate out of control
Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
A Thai responding to a Cambodian, from the Bangkok Post 'Postbag' section today. Pete 
" 'Incursion' by trespassers
Vuth Chanserei Phuon of Phnom Penh condemns Thailand for "exercising gunboat diplomacy" against Cambodia in the current flareup (Postbag, July 23).
I was amused and surprised by the writer's understanding of the events. I think Thailand dealt with Cambodia's application to the World Heritage Committee with kid gloves. We can hardly threaten Cambodia with gun power.
Furthermore, Cambodia was the first party to send 1,000 troops against the three "tres-passers"; thereafter Thailand responded with a troop buildup of 500.
Not satisfied with that upper hand and in order to get the most publicity, Cambodia further called for the United Nations to intervene, via a Security Council meeting, against Thailand's "incursion".
It is this "incursion" by the three "tres-passers" that now requires UN attention!
Phnom Penh has also called for Asean's "help". With Cambodia's international PR blitz and whining, Thailand is now seen as the "aggressor" in the eyes of the world.
SONGDEJ PRADITSMANONT"
" 'Incursion' by trespassers
Vuth Chanserei Phuon of Phnom Penh condemns Thailand for "exercising gunboat diplomacy" against Cambodia in the current flareup (Postbag, July 23).
I was amused and surprised by the writer's understanding of the events. I think Thailand dealt with Cambodia's application to the World Heritage Committee with kid gloves. We can hardly threaten Cambodia with gun power.
Furthermore, Cambodia was the first party to send 1,000 troops against the three "tres-passers"; thereafter Thailand responded with a troop buildup of 500.
Not satisfied with that upper hand and in order to get the most publicity, Cambodia further called for the United Nations to intervene, via a Security Council meeting, against Thailand's "incursion".
It is this "incursion" by the three "tres-passers" that now requires UN attention!
Phnom Penh has also called for Asean's "help". With Cambodia's international PR blitz and whining, Thailand is now seen as the "aggressor" in the eyes of the world.
SONGDEJ PRADITSMANONT"
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source