Thailand-Cambodia Clash: Dispute over Preah Vihear dates back to the 9th century, can it lead to war?

The border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia hit the headlines once again when Phnom Penh fired multiple rockets, including a rocket targeting a petrol station in Sisaket province of the neighbouring country. Bangkok responded by scrambling six F-16 fighter jets. Thailand has confirmed 12 deaths- 11 military personnel and one civilian, besides 35 people getting injured. There is no news of any casualty in the neighbouring country. 

Both sides claim Preah Vihear

However, it was not new; only the old enmity and the century-old border dispute resurfaced when the two sides exchanged fire Thursday. Constructed between Preah Vihear Province of northern Cambodia and the Kantharalak District, Sisaket Province of northeastern Thailand, the 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple is the bone of contention as both sides claim their sovereignty over the area. 

Cambodia-Thailand border dispute begins in 9th century

Though the territorial dispute dates back to the 9th century, it snowballed into a much bigger controversy in modern times in 1907 when the French mapped the Thai-Cambodia border on behalf of a bilateral border commission. It was decided in 1904 that the border would follow the natural watershed between the two countries. However, a dispute erupted in 1907 when it was found that the Preah Vihear temple was marked in Cambodia, though it was on the Thai side of the watershed. Bangkok could identify the error in 1930; however the ICJ ruled that it was now too late. 

French-Thai War of 1940

After the French surrendered to Nazi Germany in 1940, Thailand asked French Indochina to return the areas it had lost in 1904 and 1907. Preah Vihear province was one of those areas. After the colonial government rejected the demand, the French-Thai War erupted in 1940. An armistice was signed in 1941 and the French troops were pushed back. 

Thailand occupies Preah Vihear

The dispute revisited the two neighbouring countries after the independence of Cambodia in 1953, when the Thai Army occupied Preah Vihear Temple in 1954 in keeping with the border line of the natural watershed. Cambodia protested and insisted that it was inside their territory according to the border map of 1907. 

Thailand-Cambodia clashes

However, both countries agreed to submit the dispute to the International Court of Justice. The ICJ in its judgment in 1962, awarded ownership of Preah Vihear Temple to Cambodia by a nine-to-three vote. It said that the 1907 map clearly showed Preah Vihear as being in Cambodia. The dispute returned in January 2008 when Cambodia tried to register the temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ultimately, Cambodia and Thailand exchanged fire in October 2008. Sporadic clashes took place in 2009, 2010, and 2011. The two sides clashed once again in 2011. The ICJ once again, in 2013, ruled that the Preah Vihear was located in Cambodia and asked the Thai Army to pull back.