Cambodia-Thailand Border Clashes: Urgent Private Meeting
This afternoon (25 July), the Security Council will hold an urgent private meeting under the “Threats to international peace and security” agenda item to discuss the clashes that erupted yesterday (24 July) along the Cambodia-Thailand border. Pakistan, July’s Council president, scheduled the meeting following a request from Cambodia in a 24 July letter. Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) Mohamed Khaled Khiari is the anticipated briefer. Cambodia and Thailand are expected to participate in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. (Like consultations, the private meeting format is closed to the public, but unlike them, it is considered a formal meeting of the Security Council and allows member states that are not Council members and non-UN officials to participate.)
The clashes between the two countries, which started on 24 July and are continuing at the time of writing, have reportedly involved gunfire exchanges, shelling, and rocket fire. Thailand also conducted airstrikes in Cambodia on 24 July. As at this morning, Thai authorities said that the violence has killed a Thai soldier and 14 civilians and injured 15 soldiers and 31 civilians, while at least one person was killed and five injured in Cambodia, according to the country’s authorities. More than 130,000 people have reportedly been evacuated from conflict areas in Thailand. This marks the most severe escalation of violence between the two Southeast Asian neighbours in more than a decade.
Cambodia and Thailand have been locked in a decades-long disagreement over the jurisdiction of various non-demarcated areas along their shared land border, which stretches more than 800 kilometres (500 miles). A central part of the dispute has been competing claims of ownership of the ancient Hindu temples of Prasat Ta Muen Thom and Preah Vihear, which are perched on the Dângrêk Mountains that form a natural border between Cambodia and Thailand. In 2011, severe clashes between Cambodian and Thai forces in the vicinity of the Preah Vihear temple resulted in at least 16 deaths. This prompted the Security Council to meet in a private meeting on 14 February 2011—its latest meeting on the situation between Cambodia and Thailand before today’s meeting—and to issue a press statement on the same day. (For background and more information, see our 9 February 2011 update report on Thailand/Cambodia.)
The most recent escalation—which did not directly involve disagreement over the Preah Vihear temple—came against the backdrop of simmering tensions between the countries in the past several months. In late May, a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief exchange of gunfire with Thai soldiers at a disputed border area, prompting a diplomatic crisis and the reinforcement of military presence along the border by both sides. Tensions further heightened because of two incidents, on 16 and 23 July, in which Thai soldiers patrolling along the border were injured by landmines. The 23 July incident, which immediately preceded the most recent escalation of violence, wounded five Thai soldiers, one of whom lost a leg. Cambodia and Thailand subsequently recalled their respective ambassadors and closed many border crossings between the countries.
Cambodia and Thailand have blamed each other for instigating the current clashes. The sides conveyed their respective positions in letters sent to the Security Council on 24 July. In its letter, Thailand alleged that the landmines that injured its soldiers on 16 and 23 July were newly planted. It also maintained that Cambodian soldiers were the first to open fire on 24 July, targeting a Thai military base in the Surin Province, after which Cambodia also launched “indiscriminate attacks on Thai territory across [the] four provinces of Buriram, Surin, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani”.
In its letter, Cambodia alleged that Thailand launched “unprovoked, premeditated and deliberate attacks on Cambodian positions along the border areas, including Tamone Thom Temple, Ta Krabey Temple and Mom Bei, in the provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey”. It also dismissed Thailand’s claims about Cambodia’s placing of new landmines, arguing that Thai personnel “had deviated from the patrol routes previously coordinated between the two countries and created a new path through Cambodian territories, known to be officially documented mine-fields”.
While Cambodia’s letter, which was received first by the Security Council, requested the convening of an urgent Council meeting to address the situation, Thailand’s letter did not do so. This is consistent with Thailand’s general approach over the years, which has favoured bilateral negotiations over international mediation. In a related matter, Cambodia has requested on several occasions over the years that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) adjudicate issues related to the border dispute, whereas Thailand has consistently said that it does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach. In 1962, the ICJ ruled that the area in the vicinity of Preah Vihear was part of Cambodian territory and, in 2013, again ruled in favour of Cambodia after it sought clarification of jurisdiction of the land around the temple. Most recently, Cambodia submitted on 15 June another request to the ICJ to resolve its border dispute with Thailand following the skirmish between the sides in May.
Several international interlocutors have expressed concern about the recent outbreak of violence and called on the sides to de-escalate tensions. In a 24 July statement delivered by Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides to “exercise maximum restraint and address any issues through dialogue and in a spirit of good neighbourliness, with a view to finding a lasting solution to the dispute”. Similar messages have been conveyed by other interlocutors—such as China, the UK, the US, and the European Union (EU)—and are likely to be reiterated by Khiari and Council members at today’s meeting.
Malaysia, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has engaged with Cambodia and Thailand—both of which are members of the regional organisation—with the aim of de-escalating tensions. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has presented a ceasefire proposal to the sides, which has reportedly been accepted by Cambodia. Thailand, which continues to express a preference for direct bilateral talks without third-party mediation, initially agreed to the proposal in principle but then changed its position.
At today’s meeting, several Council members may express appreciation for ASEAN’s efforts to facilitate dialogue. Additionally, as details regarding the circumstances surrounding the outbreak of hostilities remain unclear, members may be keen to hear Khiari’s assessment of the situation, including prospects for a ceasefire between the sides.
