Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE FIGHT FOR PRASAT PREAH VIHEAR
For generations, Prasat Preah Vihear (Khao Phra Wiharn to the Thais) has been a source of tension
between Cambodia and Thailand. This area was ruled by Thailand for several centuries, but was re-
turned to Cambodia during the French protectorate, under the treaty of 1907. In 1959 the Thai military
seized the temple from Cambodia and then-Prime Minister Sihanouk took the dispute to the Interna-
tional Court of Justice in the Hague, gaining worldwide recognition of Cambodian sovereignty in a
1962 ruling.
The next time Prasat Preah Vihear made international news was in 1979, when the Thai military
pushed more than 40,000 Cambodian refugees across the border in one of the worst cases of forced re-
patriation in UN history. The area was mined and many - perhaps several hundred - refugees died
from injuries, starvation and disease before the occupying Vietnamese army could cut a safe passage
and escort them on the long walk south to Kompong Thom.
Prasat Preah Vihear hit the headlines again in May 1998 because the Khmer Rouge regrouped here
after the fall of Anlong Veng and staged a last stand that soon turned into a final surrender. The temple
was heavily mined during these final battles and de-mining was ongoing up until the outbreak of the
conflict with Thailand. Remining seems to be the greater threat right now, with both sides accusing the
other of using landmines.
In July 2008, Prasat Preah Vihear was declared Cambodia's second Unesco World Heritage site.
The Thai government, which claims 4.6 sq km of territory right around the temple (some Thai nation-
alists even claim the temple itself), initially supported the bid, but the temple soon became a pawn in
Thailand's chaotic domestic politics. 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 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that both sides should withdraw troops
from the area to establish a demilitarised 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, leav-
ing 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 recent years, but tensions can reignite any time, especially if the Yellow
Shirts regain control in Thailand.
Eating
There are simple BBQ shacks around the parking area up at the temple proper. The fol-
lowing are in Sra Em.
Limy Restaurant
(mains US$3-4.50; 6am-10pm)
A veteran of the Siem Reap hospitality scene has moved
home to open this modest eatery, where an English picture menu depicts tasty creations
CAMBODIAN
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