I Made Andi Arsana, Yogyakarta
The Jakarta Post
A casual conversation with a friend reminded me of one important view about borders. He jokingly said “in a modern world like this, I thought borders are no longer an issue.” I have been learning about border issues for a couple of years now and managed to learn one important thing: Borders do matter and they even still dictate nations in the world. In this context, my friend’s statement, to an extent, surprises me.
However, I also understand that he must not be alone. There might be millions of people, if not more, who do not realize that the world is changing when it comes to international borders.
One might agree that the most attention-grabbing border dispute in Asia recently is between Thailand and Cambodia. The two countries dispute sovereignty over a piece of land in their border area close to three temples: Preah Vihear, Ta Moan and Ta Krabey.
The latest incident took place early this month, claiming the lives of several people and forcefully displacing many more. The recent report by The Jakarta Post (May 19, 2011) revealed that the “repeated skirmishes have claimed at least 23 lives on both sides since early this year”.
Indonesia, in its capacity as the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has proactively offered mediation to help Thailand and Cambodia achieve a solution. Meetings held on April 7-8 in Bogor were a positive sign of ASEAN’s involvement, even though the result did not seem to be satisfactory.
Thailand tends to believe that the solution must be achieved bilaterally, while Cambodia welcomes third party intervention. In addition, it is worth noting that ASEAN has a policy of non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs, which, to an extent, also limits ASEAN’s role in finding solutions. Meanwhile, internal issues in Thailand and Cambodia also, to an extent, add fuel to the tension.
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