CAMBODIAN-THAI BORDER CONFLICT; A critical case study and grassroots stakeholders’ perspectives on the 2008 Preah Vihear Temple (PVT)

Abstract

The revival of the Preah Vihear conflict resumed again in 2008 not focusing on the architectural structure of the temple but over the unclearly claimed the temple’s vicinity of 4.6km2 after the UNESCO registered the temple as the World Heritage. To dampen this flame of the conflict, bilateral talks ranging from frontline to high-profile stakeholders as well as both governments of Cambodia and Thailand were administered but failed to prevent of the military confrontations and skirmishes at the border till the intervention of the ICJ in 2011. Thus, this study aims to explore the perceptions of the civil society actors through semi-structured interviews to promote peace from the bottom in this conflict. Key findings show that grassroots level has limited role in de-escalating the conflict but will be significant in precipitating positive change for the future conflict through their everyday peace activities. Because politics of nationalism is the underlying causes of the conflict, political interests outweighs the locals, who are victimized by the emergence of skirmishes at the border.