Thailand, a friendly neighbour ?

Thailand, a friendly neighbour ?
Kampuchea Thmey Daily
  បាន​ចេញ​ផ្សាយ​នា ព្រហស្បតិ៍, 09 មិថុនា 2011 17:38

Last week, there was a two days hearing at the International Court of Justice, in the city of The Hague, The Netherlands. At stake was the request submitted by Cambodia for the indication of provisional measures in the case concerning the "Request for interpretation of the Judgment of 15 June 1962 in the case concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear."

During the whole hearing, representatives of Thailand tried to convince the Court that Thailand is a country that has always been dedicated to peace and friendship with Cambodia and that "pacifist tradition" is a fundamental value of Thailand's foreign policy. According to Ambassador Plasai, Thailand - or Siam as it was known in the past - has a "long-standing and traditional approach of diplomacy, which is above all a pacifist one". And he tried to "demonstrate that the picture which Cambodia is seeking to paint of the big bad wolf threatening the little lamb is entirely false." An attempt made also by one of the French counsels of Thailand, Professor Alain Pellet. Both used a classical method for their demonstration : to lie by omission. But historical facts are there.

As a friendly neighboring country, Siam, a partner in the coalition between nazi Germany, fascist Italy and imperialist Japan, took benefits from the French defeat, in 1940, by annexing three Cambodian provinces seen as "lost territories" at a time Cambodia was part of the French colonial empire.

As a friendly neighboring country, Thailand, after the defeat of that alliance, in 1945, refused to retrocede the Cambodian provinces. It took one year and it requested the threat by France to use her veto rights at the UN Security council against the membership of Thailand at the UN before moving the Cambodian provinces back to their homeland.

As a friendly neighboring country, Thailand started in 1949 to occupy the Preah Vihear Temple until she was forced to withdraw by the ICJ 1962 Judgment.

As a friendly neighboring country, Thailand, in 1962, through her representative at the UN, claimed the Thai sovereignty on the Cambodian provinces of Battambang, Kompong Thom and Siem Reap.

As a friendly neighboring country, Thailand armed forces, on April 3rd 1966, occupied during a few days the Cambodian temple of Preah Vihear before being expelled by the Cambodian army.

As a friendly neighboring country, Thailand, during all the sixties, interfered in Cambodian home affairs and tried to destabilize the Government of then Prince Norodom Sihanouk by supporting and giving sanctuaries to a guerilla group called "Khmers Serei".

As a friendly neighboring country, Thailand expressed strong support to the leaders of the coup that overthrown Prince Norodom Sihanouk in 1970.

As a friendly neighboring country, Thailand armed forces committed, on June 9th 1979, a crime against humanity by pushing back, under the threat of their guns, 45.000 Cambodian refugees to mines fields in the area of Preah Vihear ; thousands were killed.

As a friendly neighboring country, Thailand took, in the seventies and the eighties, enormous financial benefits from the international humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of Cambodian people that Thailand refused to recognize as refugees and parked in camps under the threatening control of special units of the Thai army.

As a friendly neighboring country, Thailand was among the countries that imposed the involvement of the Khmer rouge in the peace process.

As a friendly neighboring country, Thailand refused to comply with several provisions of the Peace Agreements on Cambodia that she was one of the signatories, protecting Thai companies involved in deforestation in areas under the control of the Khmer rouge, giving protection to Khmer rouge troops fighting UN personal during the UN operation and moving Cambodian border stones inside Cambodian territory as it was seen by UN observers.

As a friendly neighboring country, Thailand armed forces used cluster munitions against the people of Cambodia, last February, as it has been confirmed by the representatives of 18 governments (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland and Zambia) and by many NGOs as well.

 

These are the facts and they are undisputed.

 

 

None of these facts have been recalled by the Thai representatives at The Hague, last week, neither by their counsels.

 

 

It has to be observed that relations between the two countries used to be normal when there was a civil government in Bangkok. They use to be tense or even more when there is a military government. Or, like today, 5 years after the last coup - there were 18 military coup in Thailand during the past 80 years - a civil government under the influence of the army. This Thai government represented in The Hague is the one that killed more the 90 civil activists last year.

 

 

A "pacifist tradition", and a "peaceful government", indeed.

 

 

Dr. Raoul Marc JENNAR PhD

 

Bachelor of Khmer studies

 

Adviser to the Royal Government of Cambodia

 

8 June 2011