Thursday, February 10, 2011

Preah Vihear Temple damaged by artillery fire

Cambodian and Thai troops have been fighting over the ownership of an 11th century temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva.  The World Court decided that the temple belongs to Cambodia in 1962. But that decision is disputed by Thailand. 
The Preah Vihear temple is located on a cliff in the Dangrek Mountains about 150 miles north of Phnom Penh, the capitol city of Cambodia.  Fighting over the temple has lasted for over two years now and Cambodians regularly drive to the site to leave gifts for the troops.
I don't know how many soldiers and local people have been killed or wounded over those two years.  Now Thai artillery fire has allegedly damaged a wall of the temple.  The Phom Penh Post carried the following story.  http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011020746608/National-news/preah-vihear-shootings-continue.html Maybe if the temple is totally destroyed, the fighting will stop.  There must be a moral to this story.  I looked in Aesop's fables but couldn't find one that fits.

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