Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Disputed Preah Vihear temple

My wife was born around 45 Min's from this temple which is located on the Thai, Cambodian border. We visited there 3 years ago on a trip to see the outlaws.
Over the past few years there has been a dispute as to who this temple belong to and last year it came to a peak when both Countries sent military to claim ownership and lives were lost.
History to the dispute:
In 1904, Siam and the French colonial authorities ruling Cambodia formed a joint commission to demarcate their mutual border. In the vicinity of the temple, the group was tasked by the two governments to work under the principle that the border would follow the watershed line of the Dângrêk mountain range, which places nearly all of Preah Vihear temple on Thailand's side. In 1907, after survey work, French officers drew up a map to show the border’s location. However, the resulting topographic map, which was sent to Siamese authorities and used in the 1962 ICJ ruling, showed the line deviating from the watershed without explanation in the Preah Vihear area, placing all of the temple on the Cambodian side.
As far as I can see this is a Khmer temple which now stands on what used to be Thai land and the Thais have claimed it as there own. 
khun khan 045

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