Nirmal Ghosh
Thailand Correspondent
Professor Thongchai Winichakul, professor of history at the University of Madison in Wisconsin, USA; and Chris Baker, author of numerous books and papers on Thailand, spoke at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) on Tuesday evening.
It was on the broad theme of "How competing visions of Thailand are shaping events from Preah Vihear to Rajdomnoen".
Audio 1: Professor Thongchai Winichakul
Audio 2: Chris Baker
Prof Thongchai is currently also visiting at the National University of Singapore.
The FCCT was packed and the speakers had everyone's undivided attention. The topic is a hot one, as journalists and analysts watch the intricate game between Thailand and Cambodia over disputed border land and a contested 11th century temple to the Hindu god of destruction Shiva.
The World Court - in 1962 - awarded the temple to Cambodia. Thailand had to reluctantly accept the verdict. Decades later, the issue surfaced when Cambodia in 2008, successfully got the temple listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Trouble over a temple
A short description of the temple and some traveller's impressions can be seen here: http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/preahvihear.html
The relationship between Thailand and Cambodia has been rocky since then. To cut a long story (which has by now much written up) short, it deteriorated sharply recently, into not just skirmishes but artillery and rocket exchanges that saw at least 11 people killed, many more injured, and many thousands fleeing bombed villages.
At an informal meeting in Jakarta on Monday (Feb 22), Thailand and Cambodia agreed to Indonesian observers on either side of the border to help ensure a lasting ceasefire. Meanwhile, Thai-Cambodia joint commissions involved in border demarcation, are to meet again, possibly in a third country.
I recorded Prof Thongchai and Chris Baker, and believe many interested in the issue would benefit from their readings of it, which offer both historical perspective and discussion on proximate causality.
If you are interested, and have about 45 minutes to spare, here is what they had to say.
I have not included the Q&A session, but have stuck to their opening remarks. They are still well worth it for those who would like deeper insight into Asean's biggest diplomatic challenge since Cyclone Nargis
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