History will record false nature of Thai claims

Thai Military Destroys 11th-Century Ta Krabei Temple in Cambodia

#opinion

History plays a role in all conflicts and this conflict is no different. Thailand does not have a legitimate claim to any of the areas they seized just prior to the ceasefire. Any attempt to permanently occupy these sovereign Cambodian lands not only violates the US-brokered peace process but also contributes to further escalation and almost certainly a renewal of hostilities.

You cannot violently take something that legitimately belongs to someone else and call it “peace negotiations”. Ultimately, I suspect that this conflict will not be over until after the Thai elections because Thailand is still wrestling with its internal politics and the government is lacking the civilian leadership to make the difficult decisions to support peace.

Youk Chhang is director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). The views and opinions expressed are his own.

-The Phnom Penh Post-