page_title: Cambodia–Thailand relations
section_title: 2008 border disputes
hierarchical_section_title: Cambodia–Thailand relations / Conflicts and disputes / 2008 border disputes
caption_attribution_description: Preah Vihear Temple
context_page_description: Bilateral relations between Cambodia and Thailand date to the 13th century during the Angkor Era. The Thai Ayutthaya Kingdom gradually displaced the declining Khmer Empire from the 14th century, importing much of its customs and culture. French protectorateship separated Cambodia from modern Thailand at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, and diplomatic relations between the modern states were established on 19 December 1950.
  Relations between the two countries remain complicated. Incomplete demarcation of their boundaries has led to a protracted border conflict, most notably over the temple of Preah Vihear, which was brought to the International Court of Justice in 1962 but still saw military clashes emerge in 2008 and 2011. Cambodia's internal conflicts throughout the 1970s to 1980s often spilled over into Thailand, which received refugees but also gave indirect support to the Khmer Rouge. Thailand now dominates over its poorer neighbour economically, and is the sixth largest investor in Cambodia. Though relations are largely peaceful, the countries' peoples still bear a degree of enmity, which has erupted into violence when stoked by nationalist sentiments.
context_section_description: The conflict between Cambodia and Thailand over land adjoining the site has led to periodic outbreaks of violence.
   
  A military clash occurred in October 2008. In April 2009, 66 stones at the temple allegedly were damaged by Thai soldiers firing across the border. In February 2010, the Cambodian government filed a formal letter of complaint with Google Maps for depicting the natural watershed as the international border instead of the line shown on the 1907 French map used by the International Court of Justice in 1962.
  In February 2011, when Thai officials were in Cambodia negotiating the dispute, Thai and Cambodian troops clashed, resulting in injuries and deaths on both sides.  Artillery bombardment in the area occurred during the conflict.  The Cambodian government has claimed that damage occurred to the temple.  However, a UNESCO mission to the site to determine the extent of the damage indicates that the destruction is a result of both Cambodian and Thai gunfire.
  Both sides shelled the other, and both blame the other for starting the violence. On 5 February 2011, Cambodia formally complained in a letter to the UN "The recent Thai military actions violate the 1991 Paris Peace Accord, U.N. Charter and a 1962 judgment from the International Court of Justice", the letter claims. On 6 February, the Cambodian government claimed that the temple had been damaged. Cambodia's military commander said: "A wing of our Preah Vihear temple has collapsed as a direct result of the Thai artillery bombardment". However, Thai sources spoke only of minor damage, claiming that Cambodian soldiers had fired from within the temple.
  ASEAN, to which both states belong, offered to mediate the issue. However, Thailand has insisted that bilateral discussions could better solve the issue. On 5 February, the right-wing People's Alliance for Democracy called for the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for "failing to defend the nation's sovereignty".
  An UNESCO World Heritage convention held in Paris in June 2011 determined to accept Cambodia's management proposal for the temple. As a consequence, Thailand withdrew from the event, with the Thai representative explaining, "We withdraw to say we do not accept any decision from this meeting."
  Following a February 2011 request from Cambodia for Thai military forces to be ordered out of the area, judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by a vote of 11–5 ordered that both countries immediately withdraw their military forces, and further imposed restrictions on their police forces. The court said this order would not prejudice any final ruling on where the border in the area between Thailand and Cambodia should fall. Abhisit Vejjajiva said that Thai soldiers would not pull out from the disputed area until the military of both countries agreed on the mutual withdrawal. "[I]t depends on the two sides to come together and talk," he said, suggesting that an existing joint border committee would be the appropriate place to plan a coordinated pullback. The ICJ ruled on 11 November 2013 that the area around and below the temple belongs to Cambodia and that any Thai security forces still in that area must leave.
caption: Preah Vihear Temple
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