Cambodia - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 480

THE FIGHT FOR PRASAT PREAH VIHEAR

Prasat Preah Vihear and the lands surrounding it were ruled by Thailand for several centuries, but
were returned to Cambodia during the French protectorate, under the treaty of 1907. In 1959 the Thai
military seized the temple from Cambodia and the then prime minister Sihanouk took the dispute to
the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, gaining worldwide recognition of Cambodian
sovereignty in a 1962 ruling.
In July 2008, Prasat Preah Vihear was declared Cambodia's second Unesco World Heritage site.
Within a week, Thai troops crossed into Cambodian territory, sparking an armed confrontation that
has taken the lives of several dozen soldiers and some civilians on both sides. The Cambodian market
at the bottom of the Monumental Stairway, which used to be home to some guesthouses, burned down
during an exchange of fire in April 2009. In 2011, exchanges heated up once more and long-range
shells were fired into civilian territory by both sides.
In July 2011, the ICJ ruled that both sides should withdraw troops from the area to establish a de-
militarised zone. Then in November 2013, the ICJ confirmed its 1962 ruling that the temple belongs to
Cambodia, although it declined to define the official borderline, leaving sovereignty of some lands
around the temple open to dispute. With a pro-Thaksin (therefore Hun Sen-friendly) government
tenuously hanging on to power in Bangkok since August 2011, the border dispute has died down in re-
cent years, but tensions can reignite at any time, especially if the Yellow Shirts regain control in Thail-
and.

TOP OF CHAPTER

Kompong Thom

062 / POP 66,000
A bustling commercial centre 130km southeast of Siem Reap, Kompong Thom is mainly
a base from which to explore dazzling Sambor Prei Kuk.

Sleeping & Eating

HOTEL $

Arunras Hotel
( 062-961294; NH6; s/d with fan US$5/8, d with air-con US$15; ) Dominating the accom-
modation scene in Kompong Thom, this seven-storey corner establishment has 58 smart,
good-value rooms, as well as Kompong Thom's only lift. Also operates the slightly cheap-
er, 53-room Arunras Guesthouse ( 012 865935; NH6; s/d with fan US$6/8, air-con US$10/13;
) next door.

Sambor Village Hotel

BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$