Angkor Wat is not to blame

Hate towards Thailand spills out in Cambodia

All political, economic, customs, cultural relations between Thailand and Cambodia are either suspended or terminated. This is the result of the pogroms in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. An angry mob on Wednesday set fire to the Thai embassy in Cambodia, two hotels, several buildings and cars belonging to Thai businessmen. According to preliminary data, one person, most likely a looter, was killed. More than a dozen people, including Thais, were injured. Yesterday, Thai military planes evacuated more than 500 compatriots from Phnom Penh.

Without guilt, the star of the Thai, but very popular television series in Cambodia, Suwanan Khongin, was found to be to blame for the riots. The Cambodian press has already admitted that it was unfairly attributed to her for saying that the famous Angkor Wat temple, the national symbol of Cambodia, was “stolen” from Thailand. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen immediately declared that the Thai actress was "cheaper than the grass on the lawns of Angkor Wat." It turned out, however, that the actress could only say something similar only as one of the heroines of the series, and even then two years ago.

A Cambodian government spokesman has already made an official apology to “Thailand and its people.” “We didn’t expect things to go this far...” he added rather unexpectedly. But the Thais are too outraged: the rioters trampled on portraits of the King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej, which by local standards is incredibly offensive. Yesterday, about a thousand protesters came to the Cambodian Embassy in the Thai capital Bangkok. They tore down the embassy doors and trampled on the Cambodian coat of arms, and burned Hun Sen's symbolic coffin. Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra reassured his compatriots, but also in a very peculiar way: “Let’s not be like the Cambodians. There is no need to destroy your own country.”

The economic situation in Cambodia after the terrible reign of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1991) is indeed very difficult. Hundreds of thousands of Cambodians then fled to Thailand, which was also far from stable. Cambodians have been distrustful of Thailand since the 13th century, since the uprisings of Thai tribes against the capital of the Khmer Empire, Angkor, where the Angkor Wat temple is located. For Cambodia, Thailand is a rich, strong, and therefore dangerous neighbor. The rioters - mostly young people - demanded to stop the Thai “invasion”: “Don’t buy their goods! Don't watch their films!" In response to this, Thai Defense Minister Tamarack Isarangura gloatingly promised to deal with thousands of Cambodian illegal immigrants: “No pity! They'll know what it's like to quarrel with us."

The Thai government has announced it is “downgrading relations” with Cambodia. The Thai Ambassador has been recalled from Cambodia and the Cambodian Ambassador has been ordered to leave Thailand within 24 hours. Three Thai airlines have suspended flights between Bangkok and Phnom Penh (however, flights to Angkor Wat have not been cancelled). Checkpoints at the border are closed. Bangkok is demanding not just an apology, but compensation for the damage caused.

Valentina KULIABINA