Sart BB

On 3 July 2011 Thailand’s opposition Pheu Thai Party won a landslide election victory, with Pheu Thai’s leader, Ms Yingluck Shinawatra, sworn in as the new Prime Minister on 10 August 2011. Ms Shinawatra is the youngest sister of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who, in 2009 and 2010, served as a special economic advisor to Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen. While the outgoing Prime Minister remarked that he would not comply with the ICJ order to remove troops unless talks were held between the two countries, analysts believe that the election of a pro-­‐Thaksin government in Bangkok will reset the Cambodian-­‐Thai relationship and mollify the hostility that has underpinned it since 2008. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong said of Pheu Thai’s landslide victory: “It’s true, we can’t hide that we are happy with the victory by Pheu Thai Party in Bangkok”, while Hun Sen remarked that a Pheu Thai government will mark “a new era of cooperation”. Conclusion It appears that a new era has indeed begun, with military commanders from both Cambodia and Thailand due to take part in negotiations on 24-­‐25 August – under a new “Regional Border Committee” – to discuss troop withdrawals from the area around Preah Vihear temple. In addition, on 15 August 2011, the 21st Brigade of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Division 2 became the latest unit to withdraw from the Thai-­‐ Cambodian border near Preah Vihear temple, with three more scheduled to withdraw within the week. While these actions and the ICJ’s indication of provisional measures is to be welcomed for putting an end to disagreement over Preah Vihear temple itself, a more decisive and permanent solution needs to be settled upon regarding the remainder of the border. There is a pressing need for the entire Cambodian-­‐Thai border to be properly mapped – as it being currently being done with the borders shared by Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam – which will require the mutual co-­‐operation of both sides. It is hoped that the Royal Government of Cambodia and its newly-­‐elected counterparts will work together in order to find a peaceful and lasting resolution to the border dispute that will afford ordinary citizens living in the area peace and security and put an end to the violent clashes.

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