The Preah Vihar temple crowns the rugged cliffs of the Dângrêk Mountains. The border between French Indochina and Siam had been the divide between two watersheds. No one posted boundary markers until France surrendered the control possession to their former underlings. Thailand was four times the size of Cambodia, but Cambodia thanks to the arguments of Dean Acheson was awarded the ancient relics in 1962. The site remained in Cambodia hands until the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime. Possession swung back to Thailand. 1979 saw the return of over 40,000 Cambodian refugees at the site. This was a shining moment for Thailand. Soon after Thailand ceased to be a destination for boat people.
In 2008 UNESCO declared Preah Vihar a World Heritage site.
The parking lot on the Cambodian side was supposedly owned by Thailand's ousted Prime Minister. Escalation of the military. Live fire. No one dead. Several dozen statues pocked by bullets. Khun Thaksin tried other tactics to win back control of his country, the latest attempt being the red shirt uprising in Bangkok. No winners. Plenty of losers.
Back to Plan B for the 'dtuaa yoong' or troublemaker.
10,000 Cambodians are marching on a 'Day of Anger'. Rally in Phnom Penh. Angry mobs. 500 baht buy everyone for the day and 5 million baht is not much for a billionaire. Less than $40,000 US.
Thai troops are on alert.
Khun Thaksin's whereabouts are unknown.
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