ปราสาทเขาพระวิหาร

I've decided the final chapter of my dissertation on loss, memory, and Thailand's history of vicimization will deal with the Preah Vihear incident. It is part of the legacy of French imperialism and its effect on Thailand.

Preah Vihear is the Khmer (Cambodian) name of the Hindu temple that sits on the Thai-Cambodian border, about fifty miles south of Sisagate. It dates back to the great Khmer peoples who built Angkor wat, and it considered the second finest example of ancient Khmer architecture in Southeast Asia.


In 1907, when the French and Thai delineated the border between what eventually became Cambodia and what became Thailand, Preah Vihear sat right on the boundary line.

The text of the border treaty clearly stated that the boundary was to be the 'watershed' of the Dangrek mountains, which would have put Preah Vihear ('Pra Viharn' in Thai) within Thailand. However, in a beautiful example of European duplicity, the French drew a map wherein the boundary line deviated from the watershed line just enough to place Preah Vihear within the territory of French Indochina.

Thus, for several decades both sides claimed ownership of the site. In the 1950s after Cambodia received its independence, it tried to take control of Preah Viharn from Thailand, triggering a border conflict and the severing of diplomatic ties.

An aerial view of Preah Vihear located on a cliff in the Dangrek mountains. Eastward below the cliff is Cambodia, westward (towards the camera) is Thailand.

In 1962, the matter went before the United Nations and the newly formed World Court of Justice. By a vote of 9-3, the Court held that the French drawn map was the ultimate authority and that the sacred temple grounds were Cambodian territory. The announcement created massive protests in Thailand and calls to go to war with Cambodia. But the Thailand government, unwilling to defy world opinion and jeopardize its standing in the international community, agreed to evacuate the temple in favor of Cambodia.

The Thai reaction is captured in the following political cartoon:



You can see the beleagured Thai being steamrolled as the World Court justice ignores the fence separating Thailand and Cambodia. Behind the Justice you can see the leader of Cambodia, Prince Sihanouk (who is purposely drawn so short to denote his lack of importance) and behind him is Mao Tze-Tung of Communist China.

This cartoon will be the centerpieace of my final chapter, because it so succintly draws out the the major theme of the Preah Vihear conflict:

Thailand's confrontations with European imperialism have given it a perpetual sense of victimization. Years after France's departure from Southeast Asia, its past treachery is still causing Thailand grief. The world court is viewed as an instrument of a neo-imperialism, which continues to oppress Thailand and steal its territory,

In the Cold War era, however, the enemy is no longer the French, but Communism. By puncturing Thailand's natural boundary, the World Court has opened up a passage way for Chinese cadres in Cambodia to pass through the gateway of Preah Vihear and into the heart of Thailand itself. Neo-imperialism is preventing Thailand's from adequately defending itself from dangerous agressors

(Admit it: You are sitting there salivating at the thought of reading my completed dissertation. You can hardly sit still, you're so excited.)