Thai Army Rangers on patrol around the perimeter of Prasat Ta Muen Thom
The ill-advised visit by Cambodian PM Hun Sen to
Prasat Ta Muen Thom didn't take place yesterday afterall. The suggestion was that after giving a rousing speech at Preah Vihear, he was going to head further west and visit the 11th century Ta Muen Thom, another temple which Cambodia and Thailand are disputing ownership over. When I visited the temple last October there was no dispute. The Thai Army Rangers were firmly in control conducting armed patrols throughout the temple site and only allowing Cambodian troops to enter if they were unarmed. Whilst it was good to see troops from both sides enjoying some friendly banter and exchanging cigarettes, the Thais hold the upper hand and if Hun Sen or anyone thinks they are going to move out anytime soon, then think again. Don't they say possession is 9/10ths of the law? Whilst a new road has been paved up to the temple area on the Cambodian side, you will have to cross the border-line and walk through a small wooden gate before entering the temple compound itself, all under the beady watch of Thai Rangers. Whether access is available on the day you visit from the Cambodian side will depend on the generosity of the Thai troops in control. Here are some of my photos from my visit to Prasat Ta Muen Thom, with more to follow. You can see some of the destruction wrought on the temple in a previous post
here. It's heartbreaking.
The Thai Ranger on top of the steps is keeping a watchful eye on the border with Cambodia
The view of the temple itself from the top step
Just beyond the base of the steps is the small wooden gate that signals the entrance into Cambodia territory
These are the steps that lead up to the temple from the unofficial Cambodian border crossing
A monk contemplates the location of Ta Muen Thom, completely surrounded by forest, and military
A reminder of the ever-present threat of landmines in the forest surrounding the temple
Labels: Prasat Ta Muen Thom
Thai Army Rangers on patrol around the perimeter of Prasat Ta Muen Thom 
The Thai Ranger on top of the steps is keeping a watchful eye on the border with Cambodia
The view of the temple itself from the top step
Just beyond the base of the steps is the small wooden gate that signals the entrance into Cambodia territory
These are the steps that lead up to the temple from the unofficial Cambodian border crossing
A monk contemplates the location of Ta Muen Thom, completely surrounded by forest, and military
A reminder of the ever-present threat of landmines in the forest surrounding the temple
1 Comments:
Thai are thieves and they don't care about Khmer temple get destroyed so they take Khmer temple as hostage.
If Thai can't own Khmer temple, they rather have Khmer temple get destroyed and that's why Thai soldiers always get inside Khmer temples with tank, guns and grenades before Khmer soldiers, so Khmer soldiers can’t do anything because Khmer afraid that Khmer temple get destroyed.
There is a Khmer story about two women and a baby.
To prove who the real mother of the baby is, the judge asked two women to put a baby in the middle and told the women, who can get the baby in her arms first then she is a real mother of the baby. The thief woman who steals the baby from the real mother of the baby, she doesn't care about the baby get hurt, so she jumped and harassed the baby from the real mother arms by force without care and love so the baby cried.
The real mother saw her baby crying, she let her baby go because she afraid that her baby get hurt and in that moment the judge can tell, the real mother is the mother who love and care afraid that her baby hurt.
Just like the Preah Vihear case at the world court and at the world education, Thailand always lost its thief face at all times.
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