The 2008–2011 Cambodian–Thai border crisis began in June 2008 until December 2011 as part of long-standing territorial dispute between Cambodia and Thailand involving the area surrounding Preah Vihear, an 11th-century Hindu temple in the Dângrêk Mountains, between Choam Khsant District, Preah Vihear province of northern Cambodia and the Kantharalak District, Sisaket Province of northeastern Thailand.

According to the Cambodian ambassador to the United Nations, the dispute began on 15 July 2008 when about 50 Thai soldiers moved into the Keo Sikhakirisvara Pagoda vicinity which he claimed was located in Cambodia's territory about from Preah Vihear. Thailand claimed the demarcation had not yet been completed for the external parts of the area adjacent to the temple, which was adjudged to be Cambodian by a nine to three decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962.The Nation Newspaper. August 5, 2008. VOLUME 33 NO 51950

By August 2008, the dispute had expanded to the 13th century Ta Moan temple complex west of Preah Vihear (), where Cambodia has accused Thai troops of occupying a temple complex it claims is on Cambodian land. The Thai foreign ministry denied that any troops had moved into that area until several were killed in an encounter in April 2011. An agreement was reached in December 2011 to withdraw troops from the disputed area.

On 11 November 2013, the ICJ declared in a unanimous decision that the 1962 ICJ judgment had awarded all of the promontory of Preah Vihear to Cambodia and that Thailand had an obligation to withdraw any Thai military, police, or guard forces stationed in that area. However, it rejected Cambodia's argument that the judgment had also awarded the hill of Phu Makhuea (three kilometers northwest of the temple) to Cambodia, finding that it had made no ruling on sovereignty over the hill.

Background

In the 1950s, a dispute between Thailand and a newly independent Cambodia arose over the ownership of the Preah Vihear temple, which stood on the two countries' borders. The dispute stemmed from demarcation maps produced in accordance with the Franco-Siamese treaties of 1904 and 1907, which defined the modern boundary between Thailand (then known as Siam) and Cambodia (then part of French Indochina). According to the treaties, the border would follow the natural watershed of the Dangrek Mountains. However, the resulting map deviated by showing Preah Vihear as being in Cambodia, even though it is on the Thai side of the watershed. Thailand accepted the map for official use. The Thais discovered the error when they made their own survey in the 1930s, but the ICJ ruled that they had waited too long to protest and lost the temple by "acquiescence".Case Concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia v. Thailand), Merits , I.C.J. Reports 6, p. 23

With Cambodian Independence and the French withdrawal in 1953, the Thai military occupied Preah Vihear in 1954 in keeping with the border line of the natural watershed. The temple had been built facing north to serve the plains above it, not those of the Cambodian plain far below. However, based on the 1907 French map, Cambodia protested, insisting that it was inside their territory. Both countries finally agreed to submit the dispute to the International Court of Justice and abide by its decision.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded ownership of Preah Vihear to Cambodia by a nine to three vote, stating the 1907 map clearly showed Preah Vihear as being in Cambodia.Case Concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia v. Thailand), Merits , I.C.J. Reports 6 Nevertheless, the court had only ruled that the temple belongs to Cambodia, and did not comment on the adjacent land to the north. Thailand reluctantly handed over the temple but continues to claim the surrounding area, insisting the border has never officially been demarcated here.

The ownership dispute revived in recent years when Cambodia submitted an application to UNESCO requesting that Preah Vihear be designated as a World Heritage Site. Thailand contended the application requested the designation include the land surrounding the temple, which Thailand still considers its territory. In the interest of cross-border relations Cambodia withdrew the application, and after winning support from Thailand, submitted a modified map requesting the designation only for the temple itself.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a right wing Thai protest group, turned the temple into a cause célèbre wedge issue in its battles against the People Power Party government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej in their attempts to unseat the former and current Cabinet of Thailand. In 2006 PAD-led street protests led first to the Thai general election of April 2006, largely boycotted by the opposition and won by then-incumbent Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai Rak Thai Party. This was followed by the military coup of September 2006, which ousted Thaksin, the caretaker prime minister. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was viewed as a proxy for the self-exiled Thaksin Shinawatra, who was living abroad to avoid conviction for corruption.

Across the border, the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) government of Prime Minister Hun Sen used the possibly coincidental timing of UNESCO's annual meeting and the listing of the temple as a World Heritage site in campaigning for the 27 July 2008 parliamentary election.

The old Khmer legend of Preah Ko Preak Keo has been referred to in this context by Cambodian politicians to illustrate the difficult ties that the country has with neighbouring Thailand.

Timeline

Lead-up to 2008 fighting

January 2008 In January 2008, the Thai Defense Ministry from the 56th Cabinet of Thailand protested Cambodia's attempt to register the temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site without agreement from Thailand. March 2008 In March 2008, Cambodia informed Thailand of their plan to register Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site. April 2008 In April 2008, Thailand (the 57th cabinet) and Cambodia planned to discuss the issue before the registration. Thailand insisted that it would support the registration of the temple, but that the process "must not affect the disputed borderline". June 2008 On June 18, 2008, Thailand and Cambodia issued a joint communique regarding the temple registration. On June 20, 2008 the Nation newspaper in Bangkok published an editorial online highly critical of the People's Alliance for Democracy for its use of Preah Vihear in its campaign against the People Power Party government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. On June 22, 2008, Cambodia closed the border crossing to Preah Vihear in response to Thai protests held at the border crossing. The protests were championed by an anti-Thaksin opposition figure, Sonthi Limthongkul, who claimed the government of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sudaravej had gained business concessions in Cambodia in return for ceding Thai territory to Cambodia when negotiating over the Preah Vihear site map that would be presented to UNESCO in Quebec, Canada. July 2008 On July 2, 2008, as UNESCO began its annual meeting in Quebec, Canada, the Bangkok Post online published a Deutsche Presse-Agentur (German Press Agency) report that erroneously stated that Preah Vihear partially sits on Thai territory. Following the Thai government's decision to support Cambodia's bid for World Heritage listing, anti-Thaksin Shinawatra opposition figures mounted a legal challenge against Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama. The Thai Constitutional Court finally upheld the suit on July 7, 2008 in an eight to one judgment that the foreign minister's joint communique with Cambodia was "unconstitutional". Whilst UNESCO met in Quebec, Canada, there were about 20 Thai people standing and protesting outside holding sign "Noppadon, you are a LIAR" and Thai flags. On 8 July 2008, thousands of Phnom Penh residents marched to celebrate UNESCO's inscription of Preah Vihear. That evening, the Municipality of Phnom Penh hosted an outdoor concert at Wat Phnom, nationally broadcast on CTN, featuring traditional Khmer performances and a fireworks display. Despite persistent rain, thousands attended. On July 10, 2008, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama resigned over the listing of Preah Vihear by UNESCO. His resignation followed the eight to one judgment by the Thai Constitutional Court that he had violated Article 190 of Thailand's 2007 Constitution, which calls for a public debate and cabinet-level approval before such authorization can take place. On July 14, 2008, 8,000 Cambodians filled Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium Indoor Arena for a concert hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and simulcast on Bayon Television. Sok An had just returned from UNESCO's annual conference in Quebec, Canada, where Preah Vihear was inscribed as a World Heritage site. On July 15, 2008, cross-border tensions flared after Cambodian authorities arrested three Thai nationals who had attempted to plant the Thai flag near the temple. Cambodia claimed that several dozen Thai soldiers subsequently crossed the border. One Thai soldier lost his leg to a Cambodian landmine detonation. Thailand maintains its troops are deployed to protect its sovereignty and ensure that any protests by Thais near the temple remain orderly, although a senior Thai military official acknowledged that his troops were on "disputed" ground. On July 16, 2008, Thailand increased the number of troops stationed in the border region adjacent to Preah Vihear. On July 17, 2008, the total number of troops at the temple increased to over 1,000, with some of the 400 Thai troops in the area occupying a Buddhist pagoda near the temple and claimed by Cambodia. Thai forces denied they were inside Cambodian territory. In a letter to the Thai Prime Minister, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called for the immediate withdrawal of Thai troops and protesters from the area. On July 18, 2008, the Thai government handed Cambodia a letter from Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej insisting Thai troops are deployed on Thai soil. In a letter to Hun Sen, the Thai PM said Cambodian troops and buildings on the disputed area were a "violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity", but that his government was "resolved to seek a just and peaceful solution to the situation." On July 19, 2008, the Thai and Cambodian governments sent more troops and heavy guns to the disputed border ahead of high-level talks scheduled for July 21, 2008 between the Cambodian defence minister and Thailand's supreme military commander. On July 21, 2008, Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Ban and Thai Army commander Boonsrang Niempradit held talks in Thailand. The talks achieved no outcome. On July 22, 2008, Thailand rejected the assistance of ASEAN in resolving the border dispute. Thailand's statement came as ASEAN foreign ministers began a meeting in Singapore. The BBC reported that Cambodia had requested UN assistance in resolving the border dispute. The previous week the Cambodian government denied it had made such a call after similar news stories were published. On July 23, 2008, a spokesman for Cambodia's prime minister suggested that Cambodia may take the case to the International Court of Justice, as was done in 1962. On July 24, 2008, Cambodia announced it would postpone its request to the United Nations until the bilateral negotiation at Siem Reap on July 28, 2008 was finished. Cambodia and Thailand held the meeting on 28 July 2008 without any results. Reportedly, both sides are in favour of a troop withdrawal, beginning with Thailand's army; the date when Thailand would withdraw its troops was not agreed on, however. August 2008