Look away policy

Two predominantly Buddhist countries war over a Hindu temple; the world takes note, but India stays silent

- BY TARUN VIJAY

THANKS TO THE intervention by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the war between Cambodia and Thailand over a Khmer-style Hindu Shiva temple was brought to a halt. This was a fiercely fought war. The Thais claimed they killed more than 100 Cambodian soldiers, while the Cambodian side reported 21 soldiers dead, 50 citizens injured and more than three lakh people displaced. Thailand reportedly deployed F-16s and Swedish-made JAS-39 Gripen fighters against Cambodian military targets.

For the last five decades, the temple known as Preah Vihear (meaning holy site) has been a point of contention between the two predominantly Buddhist countries that have had strong cultural relations with the Hindus of India for more than a millennium. The temple's major building phases occurred under Khmer kings Suryavarman I (1006-1050 CE) and Suryavarman II (1113-1150).