Cambodia Pushes for Solution to Standoff
The Royal Palace sent rice, foodstuffs and shelter to Cambodians at Preah Vihear, as a military standoff continued Tuesday. (22 July 20
Cambodiacontinued diplomatic efforts to end a tense military build-up on the Thaiborder Tuesday, calling a meeting with around 50 diplomats in Phnom Penh and pushing the UN's cultural bodyfor assistance. Addressing a meeting of foreign ambassadors, ForeignMinister Hor Namhong said Tuesday that "Thailand, by using their own map,drawn by themselves very recently, [claimed] many parts of the border betweenthe two countries." "This [is] a very serious threat to our independenceand territorial integrity," he said. "We have an obligation to resortto the UN Security Council." At least 4,000 troops from both sides have amassed near theborder at Preah Vihear temple, along with armored vehicles and artillery. The Royal Palace sent donations of foodstuffs and tarpaulin shelters to villagers and soldiers near Preah Vihear Tuesday. Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday invoked Preah Viheartemple's minted Unesco World Heritage status in a bid to resolve what he calledan "unwarranted act of aggression" by Thailand. "As of 21 July 2008, the situation has escalatedfurther due to the movement of Thai artillery and armored combat vehicles intothe area and the continuing increase of heavily armed Thai soldiers inside andaround the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda…near the Temple of Preah Vihear,"Hun Sen wrote in a letter asking assistance of Unesco Director General KoichiroMatsuura. The US,meanwhile, called on both sides "to act in a very restrained andresponsible manner." "What is clear is that both sides need to resolve thisin a peaceful and legal manner, and so far they are doing so," US AmbassadorJoseph Mussomeli told reporters after the diplomatic meeting with Hor Namhong. Thai and Cambodian commanders have said their soldiersare under control and the situation is stable, but Mussomeli called thebuild-up of troops along the border "very worrisome." "We have suggested to both sides that the troops shouldnot be augmented, that more troops are always a dangerous thing, that when youhave that many young men with that many weapons in that close a proximity,there's always a danger of violence, and so it would be better for the troopsto not be so close to each other," he said. "That just makes commonsense."