Schusswechsel um Preah Vihear: Hintergründe des Grenzkonflikts zwischen Thailand und Kambodscha

Abstract

Between October 2008 and April 2010, there were several gun battles at the border of Thailand and Cambodia with at least eight soldiers killed. The background of this confrontation is an old dispute pertaining to the ancient Preah Vihear temple. The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the ruins belong to Cambodia but made no decision concerning the adjacent land. To this day, Bangkok und Phnom Penh claim an area of 4.6 square kilometres close to the border. The situation escalated when the Preah Vihear temple was designated World Heritage Site in July 2008, following Cambodia's application to UNESCO. This article seeks to establish why for the first time ever, two members of ASEAN engaged in a shootout with each other. It also endeavours to answer the following questions: What are the respective interests of Thailand and Cambodia in this dispute? Who is the major offender? And, how can the conflict be resolved?