Cambodia-Thailand border row escalates amidst protests and cultural tensions

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Cambodias capital Phnom Penh on Wednesday for a march to show their solidarity with the government and military amid soaring tensions with neighbouring Thailand following a border row that erupted last monthHeres what to know about the latest dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighboursWhat was the latest conflict aboutThe recent dispute was triggered in May after armed forces of Thailand and Cambodia briefly fired at each other in a relatively small lsquono mans landrsquo constituting territory along their border that both countries claim as their ownBoth sides have said they acted in selfdefence One Cambodian soldier was killedWhile the countries said afterwards they have agreed to deescalate the situation Cambodian and Thai authorities continue to implement or threaten measures short of armed force against each other keeping tensions highThailand has added restrictions at the border such as limiting crossing times and barring Thai casino tourists and workers from crossing into CambodiaCambodia has banned Thai films and TV shows stopped the import of Thai fruits and vegetables and boycotted its neighbours international internet links and power supplyHow long have the two fought over landBorder disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the two neighbours Thailand and Cambodia share more than 800 kilometres of land borderThe contesting claims stem largely from a 1907 map drawn under French colonial rule that was used to separate Cambodia from ThailandCambodia has been using the map as a reference to claim territory while Thailand has argued the map is inaccurateIn February Cambodian troops and their family members entered an ancient temple along the border in one of the disputed areas and sang the Cambodian national anthem leading to a brief argument with Thai troopsThe most prominent and violent conflicts broke out around the 1000yearold Preah Vihear templeIn 1962 the International Court of Justice ICJ awarded sovereignty over the area to Cambodia and that became a major irritant in relationsCambodia went back to the court in 2011 following several clashes between its army and Thai forces which killed about 20 and displaced thousands of people The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013 a decision that still rattled ThailandWhat happens nextSimilar to the Preah Vihear area Cambodia is seeking a ruling again from the ICJ over several disputed areas including where the deadly clash happenedThailand has said it doesnt accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ and that any conflicting border claims between the two should be solved by the existing bilateral mechanism including a joint committee which was established in 2000 as a technical means to discuss the survey and demarcation of the land borderCambodia nevertheless said it has submitted the case to the ICJ and insisted that it would no longer discuss these areas under the two countries bilateral mechanismTensions have soared as they engaged in a war of words that appeared intended to mollify nationalistic critics on both sides of the borderBickering neighboursThe ill feeling between the two neighbours is not just about overlapping border claims but also deepseated cultural enmity that has its roots from centuries ago when they were large and competing empiresIn more modern times bad feelings have lingered as Cambodias development hindered by French colonialism and in the 1970s the brutal rule of the communist Khmer Rouge has fallen well behind ThailandBoth have fought over claims on cultural products ranging from boxing mask dancing traditional clothing and foodThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever