Towards a Peaceful Settlement of the Preah Vihear Temple Dispute

There have been periodic outbreaks of violence at the border between Cambodia and Thailand especially since the Temple of Preah Vihear was inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in July 2008. Because of the serious armed clashes in February and April–May 2011, the border dispute, which has taken place predominantly in the vicinity of the Temple between the two countries, has grabbed the attention of ASEAN and the international community. Cambodia and Thailand have different perceptions on capabilities of the existing bilateral mechanisms to resolve the dispute. Against this background, this paper analyzes the root causes of the border dispute.