THE KHMER EMPIRE

The Khmer Empire was at its apogee during the reign of Jayavarman VII(1181-1215 A.D.). Its territory covered the current Cambodia, all ofsouthern Vietnam, all of the current Laos, all of the current Thailand,and part of the current Malaysia. Unlike the Khmers, Thais, known thenas Siameses, were not natives of the region. The kingdom of Thailand,known then as Siam, did not appear in Southeast Asia until the mid-14th century.
A well-known Thai historian, Sulak Sivarak, whowas a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and the winner of the Right LivelihoodAward said of the Khmer Empire: "It included everything right up toLopburi and all of what is now Bangkok". Again, describing the KhmerEmpire, Peter Janssan of the Hindustan Times quoted Sulak Sivaraka inhis article on 18 June 2008: "Thai invasions of Cambodia, then in itsdecline, led to the adoption of many Khmer cultural traditions by theThais, including the Hindu concept of god-kings and court rituals, andan ongoing fondness for Brahman-inspired black magic, especially amongThai politicians". Peter Janssan went on to describe that there aremany more Khmer temples located in Thailand, especially along thenortheast Thailand- Cambodian border like Buriram, Surin, and Sisaket.The map depicting the Khmer Empire at its height is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1, Khmer Empire during the Height of its Civilization, Before the Appearance of Siam (From Jayavarman II to Jayavarman VII).

THE FRENCH PROTECTORATE

Cambodiawas a vassal state under Siam during the reign of King Ang Duong.Cambodia had lost

Battambang, Sisophon, and Siem Reap to Siam. Siam hadplaced spies everywhere at the court of Oudong. To get out of theSiam’s manacles, King Norodom who succeeded his father, King Ang Duong,sought out help from France. On 23 March 1907, under the reign of KingSisowath who succeeded his brother, King Norodom, France (as theprotectorate of Cambodia) and Siam signed a border treaty thatcompleted the 1904 treaty. In the 1904 treaty Siam ceded Tonlé Repou,Mlou Prey, Koh Kong, and Stung Trèng to Cambodia. The 1907 treatysubsequently produced the French- Siamese Commission 1907 Frontier Line(Figure 2), placing Preah Vihear under the control of Cambodia. TheFrench-Siamese 1907 treaty had Siam ceded almost all Cambodia ancientterritory of the 16th century back to Cambodia. The territory includedBattambang, Sisophon, Siem Reap, Mongkol Borei, and Tnot (Figures 3 and4). Extract from the International Court of Justice Report 1962–TheFrench-Siamese Commission 1907 (Scale 1:200,000) (Courtesy Bora Touch.Note in blue added by Bora Touch for clarity)

Figure 3. Map of Cambodia Showing the Te rritory That Siam Ceded To France in 1907.

Map of Present Day Cambodia Courtesy: Official Map by the RoyalGovernment of Cambodia Submitted to UNESCO for Preah VihearWorldHeritage List.

Heritage List

Inspite of this agreement, Thailand contested in 1934 that the Temple ofPreah Vihear belonged to her and their surveyors redrew the frontier tolocate Preah Vihear in Thailand’s territory. In 1954 Thailand occupiedPreah Vihear. On 6 October 1959, Cambodia, under the leadership ofPrince Norodom Sihanouk, petitioned the International Court of Justice(ICJ) of the Hague, Netherlands, to rule on the dispute. By the end ofthe year, Thailand retaliated with a claim listing Preah Vihear as anational archeological site. On June 15, 1962, the ICJ made a judgmentrecognizing that the Temple of Preah Vihear belonged to Cambodia usingthe French-Siamese Commission 1907 Frontier Line as one of thesupporting arguments (Figure 5). A satellite photo showing Preah Vihearand its surrounding region with demarcations of the frontierestablished by the French-Siamese Commission 1907 is presented inFigure 6. Figure 7 shows another satellite photo of Preah Vihear andthe Dangrek mountain range. Thailand never protested against theverdict. However, over the years Thailand has unilaterally redrawn themap that contradicts the ICJ judgment (Figures 8- 10).

Figure 5.Area of the Temple of Preah Vihear in the Dangrek Range of Mountains(Extrapolation from the map recognized by the International Court ofJustice, 15 June 1962) Courtesy: Official Map by the Royal Governmentof Cambodia submitted to UNESCO for Preah VihearWorld Heritage List.

Figure 6. Satellite Photo of Preah Vihear and its Surrounding Region (Courtesy: Bora Touch).

Figure 7. Satellite Photo of Preah Vihear and its Surrounding Region (Courtesy: Bora Touch)

Figure 8.Thai Internal Working Document – The Official Thai Map (Scale 1:10,000)Courtesy Bora Touch. Notes in blue and green Colors added by Bora Touchfor clarity

Courtesy Bora Touch. Notes in blue and green Colors added by Bora Touchfor clarity.

Figure 9.Thai Internal Working Document – The French-Siamese Commission Map Madein 1907 (Scale: 1:200,000) (Courtesy Bora Touch. Notes in blue by BoraTouch for clarity)

The temple of Preah Vihear was originally built under Yasovarman I, a Khmerking who reigned from 889 to 910 A.D. The building started in lightmaterial, but its completion in stone was carried on later by hissuccessors. The temple was dedicated to Shiva (God of destroyer).
The setting of Preah Vihear was ideal for a Khmer monarch who dedicatedthe temple for Shiva because of its spectacular location sitting atopof a high cliff over 500 meters above the lower ground. Aerial views ofthe Preah Vihear temples are shown in Figures 11 and 12.

Figure 11.Aerial View of Preah Vihear Hanging Over a Cliff On Cambodia Territory(Courtesy: Official Photo by the Royal Government of Cambodia Submittedto UNESCO for Preah VihearWorld Heritage List)

Figure 12. Aerial View of Preah Vihear

THE THAI TWISTED THESIS OF THEIR ORIGIN

There are some Thais in the academic, the press, and the media whofantasize in their justification of Preah Vihear belonging to Thailandby advancing a twisted thesis claiming that Khmer is not the same asKhorm (note: the Thai used to call Khmer as either Khamin or Khorm).They say that Khmer is Khamin, which is different from Khorm.Furthermore, they say that Khorms are the real inhabitants of what isnow Thailand and they were the builders of Preah Vihear, Angkor, andall the ancient temples found in Cambodia and Thailand. They are sayingthat Khmers are not the descendents of the Angkor builders. Therefore,they try to justify by implication that Thai people are the truedescendents of the Khorms, the original inhabitants of Thailand andbuilders of Preah Vihear and Angkor. The Thai people have such atwisted mind. Believing in this twisted thesis is like believing that abullet firing from a gun can be curved around a corner. The Thais arenot only satisfied to steal everything that are precious to Khmers andthen claimed them to be their own, such as Preah Ko Preah Keo, PreahKhan Reach, Khmer classical dance and music, Khmer style boxing, andKhmer scripts “Aksor Moul” (the Thai called it sacred scripts insteadof Khmer scripts), but now they try to even steal Khmer identity. Theywant to strip Khmer people bare of any ancestry.
OBSERVATIONS
A few important observations to the central issue of the Preah Viheartemple must be brought up to the attention of the world. The followingare two immediate points of interest concerning the affair of the PreahVihear temples:
The press keeps mentioning that PreahVihear was an ancient Hindu temple instead of a Khmer temple. PreahVihear is not a Hindu temple but a Khmer temple built under the reignof Yasovarman I, a Khmer king in the 9th century, dedicated to Shiva,one of the Hindu gods. When the press says that Preah Vihear is a Hindutemple, it deemphasizes Khmer ownership and legitimacy to the temple.In modern time, the war of words is very important. This clarificationis very important and it must be emphasized at all time.
Thailandkept insisting on using her own map to claim the disputed area aroundPreah Vihear instead of the French-Siamese Commissioned Map of 1907,where the International Court of Justice (ICJ) based its judgment on toaward Preah Vihear to Cambodia. The map was the product of the treatysigned by Thailand and French (Cambodia was under the Frenchprotectorate) in 1907. It is legal and binding. Thailand wants to useits own map that is not binding and not recognized by the InternationalCourt of Justice. Cambodia must not give in to the Thai insistence ofusing her own map to settle the dispute of Preah Vihear and itssurrounding area.
CONCLUSION
Cambodia is doing the right thing to seek help from the United Nations(UN). It is not in the interest of Thailand to have the UN intervene inthe affair of Preah Vihear, because she knows that Cambodia has morelegitimacy and historical claim of Preah Vihear and its surroundingarea than Thailand does. The UN will have to consider and abide by the1962 judgment made by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and therecent recognition by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, andCultural Organization (UNESCO) that included Preah Vihear in the WorldHeritage List. If the UN were to side with Cambodia, then they wouldprobably ask Thailand to withdraw from the disputed area.
Thailandis playing hardball because she knows Cambodia is no match with hermilitarily. Cambodia has no choice but to ask the UN for help. With theUN help Thailand will not dare to encroach further into Cambodiaterritory. If war were to erupt, Thailand would be condemned by theworld and she will lose face. Additionally, the Muslims are now waitingfor the right opportunity to stir troubles again in the southern regionof Thailand if this latter decides to go to war with Cambodia. Thailandcannot afford to have war with Cambodia. Thailand may win in the shortterm but she will lose in the long run. Thailand fears the UN becauseamong the five permanent members, Cambodia can count on France, China,and Russia to side with her. As to the US and the UK positions, nothingcan be certain but if these two countries interpret the laws andhistorical facts properly, they should come to the conclusion thatThailand has no claim and basis over Preah Vihear and its surroundingarea that she had ceded to Cambodia during the French-Siamese 1907treaty.
The UN cannot ignore the ICJ judgment that recognizedPreah Vihear belonging to Cambodia, because to do otherwise would bringchaos to the international rule of laws. There is no doubt, both basedon the court of laws and historical facts, that the Temple of PreahVihear is a Khmer heritage and belonging to Cambodia.