CONTENT: Y E A R : 4 N O : 3 7 B U L L E T I N : S P E C I ... · Cambodia Safe-guard Preah Vihear Temple in the Wake of Thai Attacks. Page 23 Cambodian Army Fight to Repel ... in

B U L L E T I N : S P E C I A L , F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1 Y E A R : 4 N O : 3 7 C O N T EN T: Address of His Excellency Hor Namhong, At the Meet-ing of the United Nations Security Council ON New York, 14 February 2011. Page 1 Statement of the MFAIC concerning Renewed Armed Provocation by Thailand. Page 4 Letter of H.E. Mr. Hor Nam-hong, addressed to H.E. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, President of the United Na-tions Security Council. Page 5 Statement of the MFAIC. Page 7 Statement of the MFAIC regarding the Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs of Thailand on 31 Janu-ary 2011 Concerning the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda of Cambodia. Page 9 Letter of the Office of the Press and Quick Reaction Unit addressed to Mr. Brian Padden. Page 11 Statement of the Office of the Council of Ministers, Press and Quick Reaction Unit. Page 13 Fact Sheet on the Recent Cambodia-Thailand Border Situation. Page 15 MoU between the Govern-ment of Cambodia and the Government of Thailand. Page 18 The International Commu-nity Must Intervene to Help Cambodia Safe-guard Preah Vihear Temple in the Wake of Thai Attacks. Page 23 Cambodian Army Fight to Repel Thai Invasion. Page 23 Cambodia Loses Trust on Bilateral Negotiations with Thailand. Page 24 Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Sok An tells British and Russian ambassa-dors that the Thais used un-conventional arms. Page 24 The Judgment of the Interna-tional Court of Justice ( ICJ ) In the Hague on 15 June 1962 with MAP. Page 25 Le Premier Ministre thaï récidice : nouvelle aggression militaire contre le Cambodge. Page 27

P A G E 1

To be continued to page 2

- Your Excellency

President,

- Honorable Mem-

bers of the United

Nations Security

Council,

First of all, I

would like to thank

you all for giving me

this opportunity to

brief the Security

Council on the war

of aggression against

Cambodia committed

by Thailand on 4, 5,

6 and 7 February

2011 at many loca-

tions. These include

the following areas

which are well inside

Cambodian territory:

- the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR,

- the KEO SIKHA

KIRI SVARA pa-

g o d a a n d KHMUM area

located just 300 meters and 500

meters respec-

tively from the TEMPLE OF

PREAH VIHEAR,

- the regions of VEAL INTRY and

PHNOM TRAP hill situated ap-

proximately 1,120

meters and 1,600 meters respec-

tively from the border, TASEM

area and others,

In its artillery

attacks against Cam-

bodia, Thailand

used sophisticated

weapons including

cluster bombs and

many 105, 120, 130

155 artillery shells

reached as far as 20

km inside Cambo-

dian territory. Thai-

land’s attacks since

4 February 2011

have caused many

serious damages to

the KEO SIKHA

KIRI SVARA pa-

goda and the TEM-

PLE OF PREAH

VIHEAR, a World

Heritage site, as

well as 6 deaths and

71 injuries among

Cambodian troops

and people. Out of

the total human

casualties, 2 persons

were killed and 8

others were injured

by cluster bombs

used by Thai sol-

diers, despite a

worldwide ban on

this type of weapon.

Even though there

were two de facto

agreements on a

ceasefire, the cur-

rent situation, how-

ever, remains ex-

tremely fragile.

Fresh fighting may

breakout again at

any time without

forewarning, while

heavily armed Thai

soldiers, artilleries

and tanks have been

positioned along the

border, posing con-

stant pressure on

Cambodia.

Address of His Excellency Hor Namhong,

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International

Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia

At the Meeting of the United Nations Security Council

New York, 14 February 2011

8

P A G E 2

From page 1

Allow me to recall the

root cause leading to the

present war of aggression

by Thailand against

Cambodia as follows:

France and Siam

signed the 1904 Conven-

tion and the 1907 Treaty

to establish the Joint

Commissions on the De-

limitation of Frontiers

between Indo-China and

Siam. In the period be-

tween the years 1905 and

1908, the Franco-

Siamese Commission, set

up by the Convention of

1904, produced a set of

11 maps ( all of which

are of 1/200,000 scale),

including the one called

“Dangrek Map” that

demarcates Sector 6

which is the area of the

Temple of Preah Vi-

hear. (Cambodia was

under French protector-

ate from 1863 until 1953)

Since the production of

the Dangrek Map in

1908, Thailand had offi-

cially recognized this

map by asking the

French authorities for

many copies of the map

for the use of the Gov-

ernors of Thailand’s

border provinces with

Cambodia.

In 1954, just after the

independence of Cambo-

dia in November 1953,

Thai troops invaded

Cambodian territory and

occupied the TEMPLE

OF PREAH VIHEAR.

Cambodia, with self-restraint and the goodwill

to avoid war, submitted

this case to the Interna-

tional Court of Justice

(ICJ), on 6 October

1959. Based principally

on the above mentioned

Dangrek Map, referred to

by the ICJ as the “Annex

I” Map , the ICJ adjudi-

cated on 15 June 1962 as follows,

“The Temple of Preah

Vihear is situated in

territory under the sov-ereignty of Cambo-

dia.” “Thailand is under an

obligation to withdraw

any military or police forces, or other guards

or keepers, stationed by her at the Temple,

or in its vicinity on

Cambodian territory.” “Thailand is under an

obligation to restore to

Cambodia any objects of the kind specified in

Cambodia’s fifth Sub-mission which may,

since the date of the

occupation of the Tem-ple by Thailand in

1954, have been re-moved from the Temple

or the Temple area by

the Thai authorities.” With regard to the

boundary line between

Cambodia and Thailand

in the area of the TEM-

PLE OF PREAH VI-

HEAR, the judgment

grounds of the Interna-


(ICJ) in 1962, clearly

stated among others as

follows:

“The Court however

considers that Thai-land in 1908-1909 did

accept the Annex I map

as representing the outcome of the work of

delimitation, and hence

recognized the line on

that map as being the frontier line, the effect

of which is to situate Preah Vihear in Cam-

bodian territory”...

“Both Parties, by their conduct, recognize the

line and thereby in

effect agreed to regard it as being the frontier

line”... “There is, however, no

reason to think that the

Parties attached any special importance to

the line of the water-shed ...The Court,

therefore, feels bound,

as a matter of treaty interpretation, to pro-

nounce in favour of the

line as mapped in the disputed area”...

May I draw the atten-

tion of the Security

Council that these are

only a little part of the

ICJ judgment grounds.

It should be noted that

since the ICJ adjudica-

tion in 1962, Thailand

has accepted to withdraw

its troops from the area

of the TEMPLE OF

PREAH VIHEAR and

its vicinity.

In June 2000, Cambo-

dia and Thailand

signed a Memorandum

of Understanding be-

tween the Government

of the Kingdom of

Cambodia and the Gov-

ernment of the King-

dom of Thailand on the

Survey and Demarca-

tion of Land Boundary,

which recognizes, along

with other legal docu-

ments, the “Dangrek

map” referred to by the

ICJ for its 1962 judgment

as “Annex I” map, as

legal basis for the survey

and demarcation of land

boundary between Cam-

bodia and Thailand.

Thailand began to

demand as its territory

the so called 4.6 square

kilometers area in the

vicinity of the TEMPLE

OF PREAH VIHEAR,

only when the World

Heritage Committee

started to discuss the in-

scription of this TEM-

PLE on the World Heri-

tage List in 2008.

This claim by Thailand

is based on a unilater-

ally drawn map that

does not have any legal

value.

In exerting its illegiti-

mate claims, Thailand

committed armed aggres-

sions against Cambodia on

three earlier occasions,

namely on 15 July 2008,

15 October 2008 and 3

April 2009 in the areas of

the KEO SIKHA KIRI

SVARA pagoda, VEAL

INTRY, PHNOM TRAP

hill and TASEM, all of

which are in the vicinity

of the TEMPLE OF

PREAH VIHEAR. These

aggressions resulted in

human casualties as well

as property damages, es-

pecially to the TEMPLE OF PREAH VIHEAR…


P A G E 3

From page 2

In the face of these

blatant aggressions,

Cambodia has exercised

utmost restraint and

maintained great patience

in negotiating with Thai-

land to resolve the prob-

lem peacefully, in order

to avoid any large mili-

tary clash. However,

Cambodia’s efforts have

been in vain, because

Thailand is emboldened

by its larger and sophisti-

cated armaments.

It should also be re-

called that on 27 January

2011, in parallel with

Thailand’s military exer-

cise with heavy artilleries

along the border with

Cambodia, but in reality

a preparation for war,

Prime Minister Abhisit

Vejjajiva of Thailand

demanded that Cambodia

must remove its flag

from the KEO SIKHA

KIRI SVARA pagoda of

Cambodia near the TEM-

PLE OF PREAH VI-

HEAR, built since

1998. Three days later,

on 31 January 2011, he

stated that “The use of

force will be the last op-

tion....The Government is

not afraid of war with

Cambodia”. After a few

days, Thai army com-

mander General Prayuth

Chan-ocha also made a

similar statement that

“the use of force will be

the last resort”.

Again, on 6 February

2011, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told

reporters that “I insist

that a troop withdrawal

as proposed by Cambo-

dia could not be done

since we have to main-

tain our right [over the

area] although it is risky

to have another clash”,

while Cambodia pro-

posed for a withdrawal of

troops by both sides

away from the border-

line, so as to avoid re-

newed armed confronta-

tion.

All these statements

in parallel with the

preparation for war con-

stituted a casus belli for

the February war against

Cambodia on 4,5,6 and

7. Even nowadays, ac-

cording to Thai media, as

all of you may know,

Thailand continues to

increasingly deploy

tanks, artilleries and sol-

diers along the Cambo-

dian border.

The repeated acts of

aggression against Cam-

bodia by Thailand violate

flagrantly the following

legal instruments:

1. Article 94.1 of the

United Nations’ Char-

ter concerning the obli-

gation of each member

of the United Nation to

comply with the deci-

sion of the Interna-


in any case to which it

is a party.

2. Articles 2.3. and 2.4

of the United Nations’

Charter.

3. The Treaty of Amity

and Cooperation

(TAC) in Southeast

Asia, Article 2 , to

which Cambodia and

Thailand are parties,

provides for: Mutual respect for the independence, sov-ereignty, equality, terri-torial integrity and na-tional identity of all nations. Settlement of differ-ences and disputes by peaceful means.

Renunciation of the threat or use of force.

4. The Agreement

Concerning the Sover-

eignty, Independence,

Territorial Integrity

and Inviolability, Neu-

trality and National

Unity of Cambodia,

Article 2.2.c, 2.2.d, of

the Paris Peace Accord

in 1991.

Therefore, I earnestly

appeal to the Security

Council to take meas-

ures, in accordance with

Articles 35.1, 36, 39 and

94.2 of the United Na-

tions Charter, to stop

Thailand’s aggressions which have gravely en-

dangered peace and sta-

bility in the Region.

Pending a definite solu-

tion, the Royal Govern-

ment of Cambodia deems

it very necessary to have

UN observers or peace

keepers or at least a Fact

Finding Mission in this

area of the border to en-

sure that no fresh armed

hostilities break out

again.

Even though self-

restraint and efforts made

by Cambodia for a

peaceful settlement of

the conflict through bilat-

eral negotiations have

failed, Cambodia still

always aspires to a

peaceful solution,

through a regional frame-

work such as ASEAN, as

both Cambodia and Thai-

land are members of this

organization.

In case of non peace-

ful settlement of the con-

flict in spite of the good

offices of ASEAN, Cam-

bodia would like to pro-

pose that the UNSC re-

main engaged to look for

a definite solution in ac-

cordance with the U.N.

Charter.

The UNSC may also

refer this matter to the

ICJ for interpretation of

the judgment in 1962

according to Article 96.1

of the UN Charter, be-

cause the root cause of

the conflict resides in the

misinterpretation of the

ICJ judgment in 1962.

Thanks to the decision

of the UNSC early last

week to call for today

meeting, the Thai army

has eased the large scale

armed attacks against

Cambodia and agreed on

cease fire. My Govern-

ment wishes to take this

opportunity to express

our deepest gratitude to

all Council members for

this prompt action which

has greatly saved a lot of

lives and miseries not

only for the people of

Cambodia but also of Thailand.

Thank you !

P A G E 4

P A G E 5


P A G E 6

From page 5

P A G E 7


P A G E 8

From page 7

P A G E 9


P A G E 1 0

From page 9

P A G E 1 1


P A G E 1 2

From page 11

P A G E 1 3


P A G E 1 4

From page 13

P A G E 1 5


P A G E 1 6

From page 15


P A G E 1 7

From page 16

P A G E 1 8


P A G E 1 9


From page 18

P A G E 2 0


From page 19

P A G E 2 1


From page 20

P A G E 2 2

From page 21

P A G E 2 3

The International Community Must Intervene to Help Cambodia Safe-guard

Preah Vihear Temple in the Wake of Thai Attacks

Now, more than ever,

the international commu-

nity must stand up, take

heed of the perils facing

Cambodia’s Preah Vihear

temple at the hands of the

Thai army. The interna-

tional committee has a

moral and legal obligation

to undertake this interven-

tion as it had jointly de-

cided to inscribe the 900-

year old monument as a

World Heritage site. This

is because, since the in-

scription of the temple in

July 07th 2008 during the

World Heritage Council

meeting at Quebec, Can-

ada, Thai forces had

staged repeated attacks in

and around the vicinity of

the world heritage, inflict-

ing irreparable damage to

the temple and its sur-

roundings.

Despite numerous

ceasefire agreements and

dialogue, Cambodia’s

Preah Vihear temple con-

tinues to be the focal tar-

get for Thai forces and

recalcitrant politicians to

divert attention of their

people away from their

domestic political issues.

Thai armed forces at-

tempts to invade Cambo-

dia and forcibly evict her

citizens from its own terri-

tory. This is tantamount to

a scorched earth policy as

Thai army firing has been

indiscriminate and delib-

erate, probably aimed at

discouraging the commit-

tee from discussing further

the development of the

Preah Vihear temple and

its vicinity in line with the

inscription of the said

temple to the UNESCO

World Heritage list.

Evidently, Thai sol-

diers had again, on Friday

and Saturday, launched

artillery bombardment

deep into Cambodia’s ter-

ritory at three locations,

all of which are within the

vicinity of the Temple.

Stern preventive measures

must be taken now with-

out delay to ensure that

Thai troops respect the

international cultural heri-

tage status bestowed on

the Preah Vihear temple.

The protection and safe

guarding of the temple

benefits not only Cambo-

dia but also its feuding

neighbor Thailand which

has defined the Interna-


decision which clearly

warded the temple and its

surroundings to Cambodia

in1962. Thailand stands to

benefit from a peaceful

and safe Preah Vihear

temple in all aspects –

development of tourism

and economic activities as

well as people to people

exchange. Thus, it is very

important that the interna-

tional community moves

immediately to assist

Cambodia to ensure the

full and complete preser-

vation of the temple, one

which is free from dam-

ages caused by armed

conflict.

I, therefore, called on

the international commu-

nity to pay close attention

to the current armed

clashes provoked by Thais

to ensure that the Temple

will never ever be dam-

aged again by Thai gun-

fire. Thus the World Heri-

tage Committee should

call on all concerned par-

ties to set up an ADHOC

committee to work with

Cambodia and Thailand to

make sure that the Temple

will no longer be part of

the battle ground between

the two Asian nations.

I am deeply shocked

again after hearing that the

latest Thai attacks had

caused many serious dam-

ages to the Temple of

Preah Vihear as stated by

Cambodia’s –ministry of

foreign affairs.

* * * * *


Phnom Penh, February 4,

2011—AKP.

The Thai army has

invaded Cambodia again

on Friday 4th February

2011 at 3pm (local time),

said Cambodian govern-

ment’s spokesman.

Cambodian armed

forces have been forced to

take aggressive defensive

measures to repel ap-

proximately 2000 invad-

ing Thai soldiers along six

points well inside Cambo-

dian territory.

The fighting erupted at

least 500 meters inside

sovereign Cambodian

territory at Sambouk

Khmum and Veal Entry

and spread to another four

locations.

Government spokes-

man Phay Siphan said

“although Cambodian

soldiers tried to negotiate

to stop the Thai soldiers

from invading Cambodia,

the Thai army kept mov-

ing deeper into Cambo-

dian territory and opened

fire without provocation

on Cambodian forces. We

have a right to self-

defense against the Thai

invasion to protect our

land.”…

Cambodian Army Fight to Repel Thai Invasion

P A G E 2 4

Cambodia Loses Trust on Bilateral Negotiations with Thailand

Phnom Penh, February

16, 2011 AKP –

Cambodia has already

brought the border issue

to the United Nations Se-

curity Council and

UNESCO as it lost trust

on bilateral negotiations

with Thailand.

National Assembly

President Samdech Akka

Moha Ponhea Chakrei

Heng Samrin said here on

Feb. 15 during a meeting

with H.E. Hoang Binh

Quan, Special Envoy of

Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong,

Secretary General of the

Communist Party of Viet-

nam (CPV) and Chairman

of CPV’s Commission for

External Relations.

In the meeting, Sam-

dech Heng Samrin briefed

his guest on the recent

Thai troops’ aggression

on Cambodia’s sover-

eignty and territorial in-

tegrity.

Samdech Heng Samrin

further expressed deep

thanks to the Vietnamese

government and people

for their support and assis-

tance to Cambodia in all

fields.

In reply, H.E. Hoang

Binh Quan informed Sam-

dech Heng Samrin of the

results of the 11th Con-

gress of the CPV and the

Vietnamese political strat-

egy 2011-2020 to develop

Vietnam to be a modern

industrial country.

During his stay in the

Kingdom from Feb. 13 to

15, H.E. Hoang Binh

Quan was received in a

royal audience by His

Majesty King Norodom

Sihamoni and paid cour-

tesy calls on Senate Presi-

dent Samdech Akka Moha

Thamma Pothisal Chea

Sim and Prime Minister

Samdech Akka Moha

Sena Padei Techo Hun

Sen.

He also met with H.E.

Say Chhum, Chairman of

the Standing Committee

of Cambodian People’s

Party Central Committee

and leaders of the FUN-

CINPE party. –AKP

* * * * *


Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Sok An tells British and Russian

ambassadors that the Thais used unconventional arms

PHNOM PENH, February

11 (PRU) –

Dr. Sok An told for-

eign diplomats late Friday

that Thai troops fired

rounds of unconventional

shells, comprising cluster

bombs and gas shells at

Cambodia’s soldiers dur-

ing their artillery battles

with Cambodia be-

tween 4- 7 February,

2011.

His Excellency Dr.

Sok An said that extremist

Thais, precisely the Yel-

low-Shirts, had pressured

Prime Minister Abhisit

V e j j a j iva to s end

Thai troops to dislodge

Cambodian villagers from vicinity of the temple of

Preah Vihear, which can-

not be accepted by Phnom

Penh.

“So the situation is

very dangerous now. We

can see Thai Prime minis-

ter Ahisit is working to

fulfill the Yellow-Shirt’s

demand to seize Cambo-

dia’s land,” he said in the

meeting.

Dr. Sok An cited Cam-

bodia’s military source

saying that Thai military

is building up 25,000

troops along the border

supported by more than

100 tanks and heavy

weapons.

“The situation is very

tough, very dangerous.

Nobody can tell when

Thailand will attack us

again,” Deputy Prime Minister told the two dip-

lomats who wanted to

learn more about the

Cambodia-Thailand bor-

der situation.

He said Thai had de-

stroyed Cambodia’s mar-

ket near the temple before

and now they are trying to

destroy Cambodia's terri-

to ry and proper ty

even more.

“ T h a i t r o o p s

have seriously dam-

aged our Preah Vihear

temple and a Buddhist

pagoda,” Dr. Sok An told

the diplomats.

He briefed the diplo-

m a t s a b o u t t h e

Thai aggression of attack-

ing Cambodia near the

Preah Vihear temple from

4 to 7 February, 2011,

killing 4 Cambodia’s

troops, one policeman, and 2 civilians.

At least 30 Cambodian

civilians were wounded

by direct bombardments

by the Thai army, he

said.

More than 3,000 fami-

lies comprising more than

10,000 displaced villag-

ers, many of whom are

are women and children,

have been displaced as a

result of Thai bombard-

ment of their villages,

said Dr. Sok An.

The Deputy Prime

Minister told Russian and

British ambassadors that

Cambodia has peti-

tioned the United Nations

Security Council (UNSC),

seeking the world body to

interpret the ICJ’s deci-

sion of 1962 and to send a

fact finding mission and or U.N military observers

to monitor the cease fire

in the area.

P A G E 2 5

The Judgment of the International Court of Justice ( ICJ )

In the Hague on 15 June 1962 (MAP included)

THE COURT.

by nine votes to three, finds that the Temple of

Preah Vihear is situated

in territory under the

sovereignty of Cambo-

dia;

finds in consequence,

by nine votes to three, that Thailand is under an

obligation to withdraw

any military or police

forces, or other guards or

keepers, stationed by her

at the Temple, or in its

vicinity on Cambodian

territory;

by seven votes to five, that Thailand is under an


Cambodia any objects of

the kind specified in

Cambodia's fifth Submis-

sion which may, since

the date of the occupa-

tion of the Temple by

Thailand in 1954, have

been removed from the

Temple or the Temple

area by the Thai authori-

ties.

See Map below:

* * * * *

P A G E 2 6

From page 24

Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Min-

ister Dr. Sok An tells British

and Russian ambassadors…

“This is the best means to

reduce tension and to

eliminate the war,” said

Dr. Sok An, adding that

“these actions meant that

there is no hostility to

either Thailand or Cam-

bodia.”

Cambodia also sought

ASEAN's role in settling

the border dispute with

Thailand. Cambodia has

sent a letter to UNESCO

who said they will send

its experts to assess the

damages sustained by the

Preah Vihear temple as a

direct result of the

Thai shelling.

The UN's legal institu-

tion, the International

Court of Justice (ICJ) had

in 1962 ruled that: the

Temple of Preah Vihear is

situated in territory under

the sovereignty of Cam-

bodia.

The court found that

Thailand is under obliga-

tion to withdraw any mili-

tary or police forces, or

other guards or keepers,

stationed by her at the

Temple, or in its vicinity

on Cambodian territory.

Thailand is under an


Cambodia any objects of

the kind specified in the

Cambodia’s fifth submis-

sion which may, since the

date of the occupation of

the Temple by Thailand in

1954, have been removed

from the Temple or the

Temple area by the Thai

authority, said ICJ’s Judg-

ment.

*****

P A G E 2 7

De la provocation à

l’affrontement : Cette

année du Lapin débute,

sans surprise, avec une

nouvelle agression mili-

taire thaïe contre le Cam-

bodge, agression bien

préparée sous forme de

provocations diverses

pour tester les réactions

cambodgiennes et prépa-

rer l’opinion publique à

l’idée –erronée- que c’est

le Cambodge qui est à

l’origine d’éventuelles

tensions entre les deux

pays. On se rappelle ain-

si l’arrestation, par les

autorités cambodgiennes,

des 7 civils Thaïs, dont un

chef des "chemises jau-

nes ", qui ont délibéré-

ment violé la souveraineté

territoriale khmère afin de

créer un incident déclen-

cheur de troubles. Puis

des provocations verbales,

suivies de menaces de

guerre avec renforcement

et exercices militaires le

long de la frontière, ont

été proférées par le PM

thaï. Ce dernier, sans ver-

gogne et avec une inso-

lente arrogance, déclarait

en substance, le 27 janvier

2011, que les environs du

temple de Preah Vihear

appartenaient désormais à

la Thaïlande et menaçait

le Cambodge d’une guer-

re si ce dernier n’enlevait

pas le drapeau national

khmer de la pagode

khmère, ne déplaçait pas

cette pagode en dehors de

la zone et n’expulsait pas

tous les habitants cam-

bodgiens vivant dans les

environs du temple. C’é-

tait une déclaration de

guerre ! Sous vraie ou

fausse pression de la rue,

il n’a pas hésité à récidi-

ver pour sa survie politi-

que. Ses forces armées

ont provoqué l’incident en

envoyant des engins

lourds pour ouvrir de nou-

velles routes en territoire

khmer et en direction de

Preah Vihear, avec l’in-

tention d’occuper militai-

rement le site et la zone

protégée. L’armée cam-

bodgienne a été acculée à

défendre son intégrité

territoriale autour du site,

mais également sur plu-

sieurs autres points de sa

frontière. L’artillerie

lourde thaïe est entrée en

action en bombardant les

villages khmers à 20 km

de la frontière, tout en

menant des attaques ci-

blées contre le temple de

Preah Vihear, patrimoine

protégé de l’UNESCO,

causant une nouvelle fois

de très sérieux dégâts.

Cette agression n’est pas nouvelle, mais la der-

nière d’une série d’agres-

sions et d’occupations

militaires depuis 1954. A

la demande du Cambod-

ge, la Cour Internationale

de Justice (CIJ) de la

Haye avait prononcé, le

15 juin 1962, un verdict

sans appel, reconnaissant

« que le temple de Preah

Vihear est situé relevant

de la souveraineté du

Cambodge » et « que la

Thaïlande est tenue de

retirer tous les éléments

de forces armées ou de

police ou autres gardes ou

gardiens qu’elle a instal-

lés dans le temple ou dans

ses environs situés en ter-

ritoire cambodgien ».

Malgré ce verdict et ses

retraits du territoire cam-

bodgien, l’armée thaïlan-

daise continuait, à plu-

sieurs reprises, à bombar-

der le temple et ses envi-

rons, objet de la saisine du

Conseil de Sécurité de

l’ONU par le Cambodge

en 1966. Plus récente

étaient cette agression et

occupation du 15 juillet

2008 suivies par des com-

bats du 15 octobre 2008

et du 3 avril 2009 pour

exprimer sa colère à l’en-

contre l’UNESCO d’avoir

inscrit le temple khmer de

Preah Vihear au patrimoi-

ne de l’humanité en 2008.

Cette nouvelle agression

en 2011 -et peut-être pas

la dernière- et ce mépris

affiché du droit internatio-

nal, sont preuve suffisante

que les autorités de Bang-

kok se comportent tou-

jours en conquistadores

envers le Cambodge.

Après plus de deux ans

de patience et de retenues

de la part du Cambodge

pour faire partir les der-

niers soldats d’occupation

thaïs de la région de Preah

Vihear, les ultra nationa-

listes irrédentistes thaïs ne

voient aucun intérêt au

retour à la normale et me-

nacent désormais de reti-

rer leur soutien politique

au PM thaï. L’enjeu est

donc de taille : les pro-

chaines élections en

Thaïlande étroitement

liées aux revendications

irrédentistes sur un

morceau de territoire du

Cambodge. Le risque est

gros pour le jeune PM : sa

réélection dépend de son

combat pour ce morceau

de terre cambodgienne. Il

n’a donc rien à perdre à

récidiver car chaque

agression thaïe contre le

Cambodge, au mépris de

tous les principes du droit

international et en viola-

tion de la Charte des Na-

tions Unies, reste impunie

et n’émeut guère certaines

grandes puissances qui

ont préféré regarder ail-

leurs, intérêts économi-

ques et stratégiques obli-

gent ! On se contente

alors de considérer que

"le confit frontalier" avec

le Cambodge n’est qu’un

pot d’échappement des

luttes politiques intestines

à Bangkok, et de laisser le

Cambodge, qui ne pèse

pas lourd dans leur balan-

ce, à ce mauvais sort. On

ne distingue plus qui est

l’agresseur et qui est

l’agressé.

Le Premier Ministre thaï récidice : nouvelle aggression militaire contre le Cambodge


P A G E 2 8

From page 27

Mais le Cambodge

n’a jamais sous-estimé

les ambitions irrédentis-

tes ancestrales de son

voisin de l’ouest qui n’a

jamais caché son inten-

tion de tout remettre en

cause et de passer outre

tous les principes de

droit international. Aux

yeux de ce voisin, le

peuple cambodgien ne

mérite pas d’être l’héri-

tier d’une si splendide

culture et civilisation qui

dominaient une grande

partie de la péninsule

indochinoise, y compris

la présente Thaïlande.

Essayons de comprendre

ses objectifs stratégiques

à court et à long terme et

ses scénarios possibles

vis-à-vis du Cambodge.

Au début, les irréden-

tistes de Bangkok sem-

blent se mobiliser autour

de la seule question de

Preah Vihear et de son

inscription au patrimoine

de l’humanité. C’est ain-

si qu’ils se sont évertués

à demander très simple-

ment une inscription

transfrontalière comme

si ce patrimoine apparte-

nait en même temps au

Cambodge et à la Thaï-

lande ! C’était une tacti-

que criminelle de subtili-

ser un patrimoine du

Cambodge par le biais

de l’UNESCO, alors que

le verdict de la CIJ de

1962 reconnaissait la

souveraineté exclusive

du Cambodge sur le tem-

ple et ses environs. De-

vant un échec imminent,

ils ont alors sorti une

carte unilatérale tenue

jusqu’alors secrète, mon-

trant un nouveau tracé

unilatéral qui grignotait

les environs immédiats

du temple, déclarant par

la suite qu’ils apparte-

naient à la Thaïlande !

Heureusement, l’UNES-

CO n’a pas été dupe. Le

Cambodge étant dans

son droit et très honnête,

n’ayant pas de revendi-

cations territoriales ni de

conflit frontalier avec

son turbulent voisin, a vu

ses droits reconfirmés

par l’UNESCO en 2008.

Depuis lors, on voit bien

que les irrédentistes

thaïs, ayant créé le soi-

disant "Fonds pour la

Récupération du temple

de Pra Viharn", ont mul-

tiplié leurs provocations

contre le Cambodge,

espérant créer des inci-

dents destinés à justifier

leur intervention militai-

re. Mais ce dernier refu-

se de jouer le jeu de la

guerre imposé par son

voisin de plus en plus

belliqueux à l’approche

des élections à Bangkok.

Il n’est pas difficile de

voir que les "chemises

jaunes" ultra nationalis-

tes sont en train de jouer

aux apprentis sorciers,

sources du conflit entre

les deux peuples.

Ne se refusant aucun

ridicule, ils lancent une

campagne de dénigre-

ment à l’encontre de l’U-

NESCO jusqu’à deman-

der, récemment encore, à

leur gouvernement de se

retirer de cette organisa-

tion internationale char-

gée de la culture. Leur

objectif n’est pas cultu-

rel, il ne consiste pas

non plus à protéger le

patrimoine mondial,

mais bien en une remi-

se en cause du verdict

sans appel de la Cour

Internationale de Justice

de La Haye rendu le 15

juin 1962 reconnaissant

la souveraineté exclusive

du Cambodge sur le tem-

ple de Preah Vihear et de

ses environs. Tous ces

lieux sont bien définis

par une carte (Annexe

1), établie par les travaux

de la Commission franco

-siamoise de délimitation

des frontières, internatio-

nalement reconnus.

Non seulement la pé-

riode de contestation de

10 ans de la décision de

la CIJ est depuis long-

temps révolue, mais

agresser un pays membre

de l’ONU, de l’UNES-

CO, un membre de l’OIF

et de l’ASEAN et oc-

cuper militairement les

environs d’un patrimoine

mondial au mépris de

tout le monde, au mépris

du jugement de la CIJ,

de la Charte des Nations

Unies, de l’Accord de

Paix de Paris de 1991,

du Traité d’amitié et de

Coopération (TAC) et de

la Charte de l’ASEAN

aussi bien que celle de

l’UNESCO, n’est sim-

plement pas acceptable

au 21e siècle. Leur objec-

tif déclaré maintenant est

de faire obstacle au plan

de gestion du temple de

Preah Vihear soumis par

le Cambodge à la pro-

chaine session de l’As-

semblée générale de l’U-

NESCO. Une intention

criminelle accompagnée

d’un acte bien plus cri-

minel encore lorsque

leur artillerie lourde

cible délibérément le

temple pour le détrui-

re, puisque ce patri-

moine n’appartient pas

de toute façon à la

Thaïlande ! On ne peut

imaginer pire bassesse

et ignominie.

Pour ces irrédentistes,

la voie légale s’avère

déjà impossible pour

contester le verdict de la

CIJ de 1962.

Ils se mettent donc à

contester le tracé des

lignes frontières autour

du temple qui selon eux,

ne suivent pas la ligne

de partage des eaux,

principe généralement

appliqué dans la démar-

cation des frontières.

Mais ce principe n’est

pas obligatoire partout,

ceci afin de respecter les

réalités, l’unité du terrain

ou encore l’occupation

effective d’un patrimoi-

ne, ce qu’avait fait la

Commission des frontiè-

res franco-siamoise, ac-

ceptée des deux côtés et

reconnue comme légiti-

me par la CIJ de 1962…


P A G E 2 9

From page 28

Cette contestation de

la ligne de partage des

eaux cache une autre

contestation : celle

contre les divers Traités

et Conventions franco-

siamois datant des an-

nées 1904, 1907 et sui-

vants, que la irrédentis-

tes présentaient comme

des traités inégaux les-

quels , disaient -i ls ,

avaient fait perdre un

grand territoire au profit

du Cambodge, pour jus-

tifier leur revendication

a n a c h r o n i q u e . L e

contraire est peut-être

vrai. C’est pour cette

raison qu’ils ont deman-

dé l’annulation du MOU

de 2000 signé avec le

Cambodge, lequel MOU

reconnaît tous les Traités

et Conventions franco-

siamois ainsi que le ver-

dict de la CIJ de 1962,

des instruments juridi-

ques qui leur restent en

travers de la gorge! Ils

veulent donc le retour à

la période précoloniale,

mais pourquoi pas à la

période angkorienne où

le Siam n’existait pas

encore? La guerre qu’ils

provoquent avec le Cam-

bodge n’a donc pas

d’autre objectif que celui

de remettre en cause

tous les traités anciens

afin de justifier leurs

éventuelles campagnes

d’envergure d’occupa-

tion et de conquête ter-

ritoriale, à l’image de

la deuxième guerre

mondiale en Europe et

en Asie, dont ils ont tiré

profit pour accaparer

plusieurs provinces

cambodgiennes. C’est

peut-être maintenant im-

probable, mais le Cam-

bodge et la France, puis-

sance protectrice du

Cambodge, n’ont pas

oublié cette histoire. Le

Cambodge, surtout, ne

peut se permettre de sous

-estimer l’ultra nationa-

lisme insensé des irré-

dentistes qui manipulent

les leviers du pouvoir de

l’état voisin.

Le Cambodge, réduit

à sa taille actuelle, jouis-

sant d’une plus grande

stabilité politique et d’u-

ne croissance socio-

économique bien méri-

tée, souhaite unique-

ment vivre en paix, en

amitié, en bon voisinage

et sur un même pied d’é-

galité avec ses voisins.

N’ayant aucune revendi-

cation territoriale ou

conflit avec ses derniers,

il n’a aucun intérêt à en-

tretenir des hostilités et

n’en a jamais pris l’ini-

tiative. Il se réserve seu-

lement le droit de se dé-

fendre comme il a fait

preuve de beaucoup de

patience et de retenues

devant les provocations

quotidiennes de son voi-

sin. Respectueux du

droit international et de

la Charte des Nations

Unies, il souhaite régler

tous les problèmes par

les moyens pacifiques,

par voie de négociations

bilatérales ou multilaté-

rales afin d’éviter à tout

prix le recours à l’utilisa-

tion de la force. Mais

avec la Thaïlande, il est

prouvé que les pourpar-

lers bilatéraux ne mènent

nulle part, sauf à prolon-

ger l’occupation militai-

re du territoire cambod-

gien. C’est tout la tacti-

que et l’objectif des

"chemises jaunes" : s’ac-

crocher à ce morceau de

terre cambodgienne et

éviter toute condamna-

tion internationale. Le

Cambodge, victime hon-

nête, contraire à la Thaï-

lande, n’a rien à craindre

à saisir les instances in-

ternationales, pour régler

les différends. Malheu-

reusement, certaines

grandes puissances

plus complaisantes,

rechignent à accéder à

la requête cambodgien-

ne d’une instance inter-

nationale qui mettrait

la Thaïlande sur le

banc des accusés. Pour

sauver la face de la

Thaïlande, on propose

encore le mécanisme

bilatéral qui n’est qu’u-

ne échappatoire de res-

ponsabilité pour les

grands. Le Cambodge

n’y croit plus à ces né-

gociations bilatérales

plus ou moins stériles

avec un partenaire dé-

cidemment de mauvai-

se foi.

Le peuple cambod-

gien, épris de paix et de

justice, victime d’agres-

sion, est en droit d’at-

tendre l’aide des instan-

ces internationales afin

de trouver rapidement

une solution pacifique et

durable à cette flagrante

agression qui n’a que

trop durer et qui a déjà

fait couler du sang, sans

parler des dégâts maté-

riels à la population civi-

le et surtout des dégâts

importants sur le temple

de Preah Vihear, patri-

moine protégé de l’U-

NESCO, un acte crimi-

nel au regard du doit

international.

Aujourd’hui, la sou-

veraineté et l’intégrité

territoriale du Cam-

bodge sont en danger.

La paix et la stabilité

régionale sont mena-

cées. La raison d’être

de l’ASEAN est mise en

doute. Un patrimoine

protégé de l’UNESCO

a été délibérément atta-

qué. Le droit interna-

tional et les principes

régissant les relations

internationales sont

contestés. Les négocia-

tions bilatérales ont

échoué. Le conflit poli-

tique interne d’un pays

se transforme en une

guerre d’agression

contre un voisin plus

faible. Le Cambodge

demande la convoca-

tion d’une réunion ur-

gente du Conseil de

Sécurité de l’ONU pour

mettre fin une fois pour

toute à cette agression

préméditée. On verra

bien si les grands conti-

nuent à faire les sacrifi-

ces des petits. Toute

complaisance et tout

silence seraient compli-

ces.

* * * * *

P A G E 3 0

Published in February 2011 by:

Royal Embassy of Cambodia to Switzerland

Address: 3 Chemin Taverney, P.O.Box 213 Tel.: (+41)22 788 77 73

1218 Grand-Saconnex, Geneva, Fax: (+41)22 788 77 74

Switzerland. Email: [email protected]

Website: http://mission.itu.ch/MISSIONS/Cambodia/

From page 23

Cambodian Army

Fight to Repel … The Thai invasion

came after several hours

of painstaking negotia-

tions on Thursday from 4

p.m local time onwards

where Cambodian sol-

diers had persuaded the

Thai soldiers to withdraw.

Instead of staying

within Thai territory, the

Thai soldiers chose to

invade Cambodia again

on Friday 3 p.m (local

time). The Thai forces

made an about turn, in-

vaded Cambodia without

provocation and fired ag-

gressively. Cambodia is

forced to defend its terri-

tory and is using all

means at its disposal to

repel the Thai soldiers

who at one point were

more than 500 meters

inside Cambodian terri-

tory, taking advantage of

the buffer zone agreed

upon previously before

the invasion.”

An Asian diplomat

said that “the Thai inva-

sion came after the People

Alliance for Democracy

(PAD) pressured Abhisit-

led government to do

whatever necessary to

free the two convicted,

Thai spies currently im-

prisoned in Cambodia.”

The Thai invasion ap-

pears to be well planned

and coordinated as the

Thai Foreign Minister is

currently in Cambodia to

attend the Joint Border

Commission (JBC) meet-

ing, said the diplomat.

“This is no accidental

exchange of shots facing

off each other. This is

planned and premeditated

to try apply pressure on

Cambodia to free the two

imprisoned Thai spies,”

said the diplomat.

It is believed that at

least four Thai soldiers

were captured deep inside

Cambodian territory at

Veal Intrei.

Thai soldiers rushed

into the buffer zone and

moved up to 500meters

into Cambodian territory

at:

1) Phnom Trab

2) Sambok Khmom

3) Chak Chreng

4) Veal Intrei

5) Ta Tho

6) Ta Sem

and fired vigorously into

Cambodian forces defend-

ing sovereign Cambodian

territory.

* * * * *

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