MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia
15.2.2011
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Helmut Scholz, Rui Tavares on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0132/2011
B7‑0137/2011
European Parliament resolution on border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 4 February fights erupted near a 900-year-old Hindu Khmer temple , known as Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Phra Viharn in Thailand, on the border between Thailand and Cambodia; whereas Thailand and Cambodia reached a ceasefire agreement to halt fighting near a disputed temple, but border tensions remained high;
B. whereas the fighting resulted in a number of death and wounded and thousands of civilians on both sides of the border were forced to flee their homes; whereas both countries exchanged allegations over the use of internationally banned cluster bombs; whereas the temple, inscribed on the World Heritage List, has been damaged due to recent Thai-Cambodia clashes;
C. whereas in 2008, Cambodia received World Heritage status for Preah Vihear; whereas Thailand has retained its opposition to the listing of the Temple and the management plan by Cambodia whereas this decision revived the territorial dispute and led to several border confrontations;
D. whereas the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, expressed the intention to send a mission to assess the state of the Preah Vihear Temple; whereas Thailand opposes a UNESCO mission;
E. Whereas in 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled the temple was in Cambodia, but a main access route is on the Thai side; whereas the court decision did not rule on the territory adjacent to the temple, which now both countries claim;
1. Expresses its deep concern about the armed clashes between Cambodia and Thailand around their common border area; calls on both sides to immediately put an end to military confrontation, prevent the situation from escalating and resolve disputes through consultations;
2. Calls on both sides to resume their dialogue in order to resolve their differences peacefully; welcomes the mediation efforts by the UN and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to ease Cambodia-Thailand tensions to mediate and calls on both sides to agree to international mediation;
3. Welcomes that Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to join an urgent meeting among South-East Asian nations to discuss its border conflict with Cambodia;
4. Underlines the responsibility of both countries to safeguard the temple which is a World Heritage; calls in particular on Thailand to grant access to the UNESCO team in charge of assessing the state of an ancient temple;
5. Calls for an independent investigation into the violations of human rights, in particular into the use of cluster bombs;
6. Instructs its president to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the governments of Thailand, Cambodia and all ASEAN states, the UN secretary-General and the Director-General of UNESCO.