PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A dispute with neighboring Thailand over border land near an 11th century Hindu temple has sparked nationalist pride throughout Cambodia and strengthened the longtime prime minister’s popularity ahead of parliamentary elections today.
Thailand sent troops to the border after Thai anti-government demonstrators assembled near the Preah Vihear temple this month. Cambodia responded by sending its own troops, and its government says the dispute has triggered “an imminent state of war.”
The temple has fueled nationalist sentiment in both countries on-and-off for decades, and the latest military confrontation between the neighbors has upstaged the election today.
“The election is necessary but has become a secondary concern for me now,” Sy Buntheng, 27, a university student in the capital, Phnom Penh, said ahead of the vote. “The encroachment by Thai troops on our land is the greatest national concern for me.”
Hun Sen, 57, who has run Cambodia since 1985, is Asia’s longest-serving leader and already was expected to win re-election before the dispute flared July 15. But passions over Preah Vihear temple and Hun Sen’s firm stance against Thailand have galvanized undecided voters in his favor, analysts say.
“Now everybody is behind the government because it’s the only institution that can deal with the Thai government. That means more votes for (Hun Sen),” said Kek Galabru, a Cambodian human-rights activist and election monitor.
Eleven parties are vying for seats in the 123-seat National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, with the winner forming a new government to run the country for the next five years. Internationally, Hun Sen has faced accusations of corruption and human- rights abuses. But he maintains his tenure has ushered in peace and stability after the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal reign from 1975 to 1979, which killed an estimated 1.7 million people.
Under his free-market policies, Cambodia’s economy has been one of the fastest-growing in Asia, expanding at 11 percent in each of the past three years.
Preah Vihear has been the scene of several conflicts along the often-turbulent border. Held by the U.S.-backed government during the 1970-75 war, it was among the last places to fall to the Khmer Rouge.
