Thailand ceremony at disputed border temple draws Cambodia rebuke

BANGKOK — Thailand held a Buddhist ceremony on Wednesday at ancient temple ruins it took control of during deadly border clashes with Cambodia last year, drawing a rebuke from its neighbor.

The two Southeast Asian countries have been at odds for decades over the demarcation of their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border, a legacy of the French colonial era.

The dispute erupted into several rounds of clashes last year, killing dozens of people in July and December, when Thailand took control of the centuries-old Ta Kwai temple that is known as Ta Krabey in Cambodia.

READ: Cambodia accuses Thailand of ‘annexing’ border village

Thailand’s defence and culture ministers visited the temple on Wednesday to commemorate the 15th anniversary of April 2011 clashes at the site, as well as the fighting last year, a Thai defence ministry statement said.

The event included a delegation of Thai officials and soldiers in uniform, chanting monks, water blessings and dancers in traditional costume, according to the statement and photos released by the defence ministry.

The Thai ministers attended the “merit-making ceremony dedicated to brave heroes on the anniversary of the Thai–Cambodian border clashes, while promoting cultural heritage conservation and the development of historical tourist attractions”, the ministry statement said.

Thai forces captured several areas in border provinces last year, territory that both sides claim.

READ: Thailand protests over Cambodian women singing at border temple

Cambodia has repeatedly demanded their withdrawal and slammed Thailand over damage to several heritage temples sustained during last year’s fighting along the border.

The culture ministry in Phnom Penh blasted the “continued unlawful presence and activities of Thai authorities and affiliated individuals at Ta Krabey Temple and its surrounding areas”, which it said on Wednesday were within Cambodian territory.

The ministry “strongly protests the presence of senior Thai officials, including the Minister of Culture and the Minister of Defense, at Ta Krabey Temple, as well as the organization of activities at the site”, it said.

“Such high-level involvement reinforces the unlawful character of these actions, and undermines ongoing efforts toward a peaceful and negotiated settlement,” the ministry added.

Cambodia and Thailand signed a ceasefire agreement in late December that allows for border talks.

However, formal meetings have yet to resume and tensions on the frontier remain, with both sides trading accusations of truce violations. /dl