The rattling of sabres

With headlines like this Cambodia on brink of war with Thailand and this Cambodia asks UN to intervene in 'imminent state of war' with Thailand people are a little nervous. Add to this the upcoming election and tensions are running high.

UNESCO designated Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site earlier this month and a land dispute has arisen. Mix in Thai and Cambodian soldiers and the situation has escalated with neither side willing to lose face or surrender what they consider theirs. KI-Media has more details.

The problem dates back to a map drawn up in 1908 by French cartographers to define the Thai-Cambodian border when Cambodia was still a French colony. Although the French insisted the border should be defined according to the watershed - where the rain water falls in opposite directions - along the Dongrak mountain range, in their map the ancient Preah Vihear, perched on the tip of a 525 metre high cliff that is a steep fall on the Cambodian side and a gradual slope on the Thai one, oddly ended up on the Cambodian side of the watershed.

Thailand's failure to officially object to the questionable map-making led to their losing the temple in 1962 when a dispute over the temple's ownership was settled in the Hague at the International Court of Justice.

The court ruling, while in Cambodia's favour, left the dispute over the actual border line open to further discussion.

Thailand still claims that a 4.6-square-kilometre plot of land adjacent to the temple is still subject to this dispute.

Cambodia has asked the UN Security Council to intervene. And the SG has called for restraint and a peaceful resolution. The SC is going to decide whether to convene a special emergency session tomorrow.

There is a call for a boycott of Thai goods and residents of Poipet (which borders Thailand) are stocking up on necessities in case the border is closed

A Cambodian villager who crossed the border and bought food supplies said Cambodians in Poi Pet feared that fighting could break out.

He said Poi Pet residents believed that negotiations between the two neighbours' military leaders, scheduled for Monday and aimed at defusing the tensions, would be fruitless after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had demanded that Thailand withdraw its troops.

Cambodians believe that Thailand would not follow the Cambodian leader's request, said the villager.

The SG decision tomorrow many resolve some of the issues. People are afraid of war but embassies haven't issued any particular advice and tourists are still visiting the temples. 'Wait and see' is the policy.

Election matters

With the elections coming up on Sunday, there is a tense atmosphere. Political party posters are on wall, cars, shops and even my favourite American diner. The roads are emptier and people are returning to the province to cast their votes.

My local 7-11 owner is asking me if foreigners are nervous and was surprised that I'm not leaving the country, as many appear to be doing. He asked me if I thought the elections would be fair and then retracted the question saying that he shouldn't be asking me. Assuring him that, he could ask anything he wanted, I told him that I have no idea.

The mobile phone messaging system will be down to prevent last minute campaigning via text message. There is also a strange edict banning the sale of alcohol for 48 hours the day before and the day of the election. KI-Media has the story.

"Cambodian and foreign citizens must cooperate with the government," said Hun Sen.

The action is being instituted to ensure the vote proceeds in a non-violent fashion, without intimidation, threats and other incidents associated with excessive alcohol consumption, the premier said in the statement.

"Military police, police and local authorities at all levels must educate people to implement this directive, to suspend the selling or drinking of alcohol so as the election would be free, fair and non-violent," he said.

A couple of pubs have declared that they will be flouting the ban but many others are closing for three days. Foreigners are expected to comply with prohibition. The notion is to prevent violence. Let's see what happens.

Hopefully the elections will pass without violence and will be free of corruption. Only time will tell but people are nervous.

ETA: There are 90 000 election observers to prevent fraud.

Beautiful Tatai