The fluid historical relationship between Thailand and Cambodia has prompted some Thai nationalists to claim that Angkor belongs to Thailand. This claim, coupled with economic, cultural and political factors, resulted in riots in Phnom Penh on January 29, 2003. Angkor was the site of a series of capital cities of the Khmer empire for much of the period from the 9th century to the 15th century CE. Their ruins (13°24N, 103°51E) are located amid forests and farmland to the north of the Great Lake (Tonle... City motto: No motto City proper Province Phnom Penh Mayor Kep Chuktema ( ) Area 290 km² Population 862,000 Density 3446. ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Background

Historical

In the 14th century, the centre of Thai power passed from Sukhothai to the more southerly Ayutthaya, in territory which had formed part of the Khmer empire. The threat posed by Ayutthaya to Angkor increased as its power grew, and in the 15th century Angkor itself was sacked. Sukhothai (Thai สุโขทัย) is one of the northern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Ayutthaya (also spelled Ayudhya or Ayuthia) refers to The old capital of Thailand, see Ayutthaya (city) The province around the city, Ayutthaya province The ruins of the old palace, see Ayutthaya historical park Ayutthaya kingdom as the period of Thai history (1365-1768) in which Ayutthaya was capital This is...

The ensuing centuries saw numerous further incursions by the Siamese. Stories of these were embellished and fictionalised in order to support the Siamese position that Cambodia was weak and naturally subservient to Siam. For much of the 19th century, northern Cambodia, including Angkor, was ruled by a Siamese tributary state. The degree of independence enjoyed by this state fluctuated according to the relative fortunes of Siam, Cambodia and the French colonialists. Angkor’s being subject to a foreign power made it a potent national symbol from this time on.

In 1907, Siam ceded northern Cambodia to France. In the 1930s, this loss became the basis of the nationalist government’s claim that the area was a “lost territory” which rightfully belonged to Thailand. This claim was not abandoned until the 1950s. 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ...

Economic

Thailand’s rapid economic progress during the 1980s and 1990s made its economy one of the strongest in south-east Asia. Conversely, the Khmer Rouge government and the subsequent civil war kept Cambodia economically weak. As a result, Thai businesses dominate part of the Cambodian economy, fuelling resentment. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Flag of the Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge (Khmer: ) was the extremist-Maoist organization that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. ... A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight for political power or control of an area. ...

Cultural

Compared to Cambodia, Thailand has a far greater population, is much richer and is more open to western influences. These factors have given Thailand a substantial cultural influence on Cambodia, particularly in music and television. This is coupled with a perception on the part of many Cambodians that Thais are arrogant and racist towards their neighbours, and towards Cambodians in particular. See Occident (movement) for the French political movement. ...

Cause of the riots

The January 2003 riots were prompted by an article in the Cambodian Rasmei Angkor (Light of Angkor) newspaper on 18 January. The article alleged that a Thai actress, Suvanant Kongying, had said that Cambodia had stolen Angkor, and that she would not appear in Cambodia until it was returned to Thailand. The newspaper’s editor gave the source for the story as a group of Khmer nationalists who said they had seen the actress on television. No evidence to support the newspaper’s claim has ever emerged, and it seems that the report was either fabricated or arose from a misunderstanding of what Suvanan’s character had said. It has also been suggested that the report was an attempt by a rival firm to discredit the actress, who was inter alia the “face” of a cosmetics company. January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Suvanant Kongying Suvanant Kongying (Thai: สุวนันท์ คงยิ่ง) (also known as Kob) (born July 22, 1978, in Bangkok, Thailand) is a Thai actress. ...

The report was picked up by Khmer radio and print media, and copies of the Rasmei Angkor article were distributed in schools. On 27 January, the Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen repeated the allegations, and said that Suvanant was “not worth a few blades of grass near the temple”. On 28 January, the Cambodian government then banned all Thai television programmes in the country. January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sâmdech (Lord) Hun Sen, (born April 4, 1951) is the Prime Minister of Cambodia and is married to Bun Rany. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The riots

On 29 January, rioters attacked the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, destroying the building. Mobs also attacked the premises of Thai-owned businesses, including Thai Airways and Shin Corp, owned by the family of the Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. A photograph of a Cambodian man holding a burning portrait of the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej enraged many Thai people. January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Thai Airways International (Thai) is the national air carrier of Thailand. ... Shin Corporation (SET: SHIN; NASDAQ: SHNZY; NASDAQ: SHNVF; NASDAQ: SHNUF) is the largest conglomerate in Thailand. ... Wikinews has news related to: Thai PM Shinawatra ousted by coup Thaksin Shinawatra (Thai: , IPA: [ ; born July 26, 1949), Thai politician, is the ousted prime minister of Thailand and the leader of the populist Thai Rak Thai party. ... Bhumibol Adulyadej (Thai: ; IPA: ; Royal Institute: Phumiphon Adunyadet;  ) (born December 5, 1927), officially styled the Great (Thai: มหาราช, Maharaja) and also known as Rama IX, is the current King of Thailand. ...

The Thai government sent military aircraft to Cambodia to evacuate Thai nationals, while Thais demonstrated outside the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok.

Responsibility for the riots was disputed: Hun Sen attributed the government’s failure to prevent the attacks to “incompetence”, and said that the riots were stirred up by “extremists”. The chairman of the National Assembly, Prince Norodom Ranariddh claimed that opposition leader Sam Rainsy had directed the attacks. Rainsy said that he had attempted to prevent the violence. Prince Norodom Ranariddh (born January 2, 1944) is the second son of King Norodom Sihanouk and a half brother of Norodom Sihamoni. ... Sam Rainsy (born March 10, 1949) is a Cambodian politician. ...

In the context of the ongoing intimidation and violence instigated by Hun Sen in the run up to the 2003 elections, many believe that the riots were merely yet another of these tactics gone out of control.

The aftermath

The Thai government closed the country’s border with Cambodia following the riots. The border was re-opened on 21 March 2003, following the Cambodian government’s payment of $6 million compensation for the destruction of the Thai embassy. In a 2006 rally against Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, several influential Thai diplomats, including former ambassador to the UN Asda Jayanama and former ambassador to Vietnam Supapong Jayanama, alleged that only half of the compensation was actually paid. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied this accusation[1]. The Cambodian government also agreed to compensate individual Thai businesses for the losses which they had suffered, to be negotiated separately. March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikinews has news related to: Thai PM Shinawatra ousted by coup Thaksin Shinawatra (Thai: , IPA: [ ; born July 26, 1949), Thai politician, is the ousted prime minister of Thailand and the leader of the populist Thai Rak Thai party. ... Asda Jayanama is a former career diplomat of the Kingdom of Thailand. ...

Shortly after the riots, a wave of arrests - more than 150 persons - was criticized by human rights groups, highlighting irregularities in the procedures and denial by the authorities to monitor their detention conditions[2]. The owner of Beehive Radio, Mr. Mom Sonando, and Chan Sivutha, Editor-in-Chief of Reaksmei Angkor, were both arrested without warrants, charged with incitement to commit a crime, incitement to discrimination and announcement of false information. They were later on released on bail[3] and no trial was ever made.

External links

• The Nation Bangkok
• U.S. Department of State Report