Thai-Cambodian feud is Asean’s worst

The border dispute and consequent military conflict between Cambodia and Thailand in recent weeks have become Asean’s worst crisis in its 58 years of existence. Ironically, it was an intra-regional war between Indonesia and Malaysia that gave rise to Asean in 1967, but now an intra-Asean military clash is undermining the Southeast Asian organisation’s core reason for being and its main claim to credibility and prominence. Unless Asean, under Malaysia as its rotational chair this year, moves fast to contain the bilateral dispute and reinforce a delicate ceasefire agreement, Southeast Asia will be looked upon increasingly as a region and less as an organisation of member states.

- Thitinan Pongsudhirak

To be sure, Asean has had to put up with and manage a clutch of territorial and maritime disputes since its inception. The most conspicuous now is the overlapping claims in the South China Sea, mainly between China and several Asean member states, notably the Philippines. The Sabah issue involving the Malaysian state of Sabah (formerly North Borneo) is claimed by the Philippines based on historical sovereignty, resulting in periodic diplomatic flareups.

On the other hand, the Pedra Branca rocky features were awarded by the International Court of Justice to Singapore in 2008, with adjacent rocks in the middle handed to Malaysia. Laos and Cambodia, on one hand, and Malaysia and Indonesia, on the other, also have conflicting land and sea claims, but appear minor in degree and lethality compared to the longstanding and recurrent Thai-Cambodian border conflict.

Most alarming in this round is the level of violence and the public sentiments on both sides that underpin it. In five days of fighting from July 24, the Thai-Cambodian front covered the entire border of nearly 800 kilometres. War-grade weaponry was deployed on both sides, including BM-21 multiple rockets and F-16s. The scale of casualties and sufferings was unprecedented by Asean comparisons. Public domain sources indicate at least 43 fatalities with many more casualties on both sides, not to mention more than 300,000 displaced persons. As such, the conflict so far qualifies as an aborted war under tentative truce terms.