FEATURED TOPIC: THAILAND-CAMBODIA TEMPLE DISPUTE

FEATURED TOPIC: THAILAND-CAMBODIA TEMPLE DISPUTE

Overview of the dispute
Location of the Preah Vihar Temple
Location of the Preah Vihear Temple
  • Dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over possession of the ancient Preah Vihear Temple
  • The dispute has been in existence for about a century, but tensions flared up in Oct 2008 and again in April 2009
  • Talks underway between the two sides but the border remains tense
Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil service, study material, general studies, current affairs
History of the dispute
  • In 1907 the border between Thailand and Cambodia was mapped by France (the colonial power in Cambodia) on behalf of a bilateral border commission. Although the border was intended to follow the watershed line (putting the temple in Thailand), the map submitted put the temple inside Cambodia. This map was used extensively by both governments
  • During WW II, Thailand took advantage of the French surrender and annexed the region
  • Following defeat in WW II, Thailand returned the territories to France
  • Following Cambodia’s independence from France in 1953, Thailand occupied the Preah Vihear Temple in 1954
  • Following a protest, the International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962. Thailand handed the territory over to Cambodia, however has not fully withdrawn its claims
  • The UNESCO designated the Preah Vihear Temple a World Heritage Site in 2008.

  • Following persistent tensions, both sides moved troops to the area. Occasional clashes have erupted every few months
Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil service, study material, general studies, current affairs
About the Preah Vihar Temple
The Preah Vihar Temple - the center of the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia
The Preah Vihear Temple - the center of the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia
  • Built in the 11th century by the Khmer Empire during the reigns of Suryavarman I and Suryavarman II. Suryavarman II also built the Angkor Wat temple, dedicated to the deity Vishnu
  • It is a Hindu temple, the main deity is Shiva
  • It is situated atop a cliff in the Dangrek Mountains in eastern Thailand and northern Cambodia
  • In July 2008, the temple was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil service, study material, general studies, current affairs
Timeline of the dispute
Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil service, study material, general studies, current affairs

FEATURED TOPIC: FARMERS’ SUICIDES IN INDIA

Overview of farmers’ suicides
  • An estimated 17,000 farmers kill themselves every year in India
  • The problem is especially acute in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Punjab
  • Suicide crisis reported among farmers of all crops and land-holding sizes
  • Crisis first reported by P. Sainath, journalist for The Hindu in the 1990s. He won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2007 for this contribution

eywords: India, ias, upsc, civil service, study material, general studies, current affairs
Causes of the suicide crisis
  • Limited availability of credit. Most credit only available at very high interest rates
  • Lack of advice and expertise on agricultural practices
  • Misuse of agricultural chemicals due to lack of guidance
  • Inadequate farming income even to meet basic household expenses
  • Lack of support systems such health facilities for farmers
eywords: India, ias, upsc, civil service, study material, general studies, current affairs
Responses to the crisis
For details regarding governmental schemes and programmes, see Indian Economy #3: Agriculture in India
  • Increase in Minimum Support Price for cotton
  • Restitution to the families of deceased farmers
  • Increase in credit availability directly from financial institutions and improvement in access of farmers to credit
  • Farmer credit cards and crop insurance schemes
  • Farmer helplines for counseling and agricultural advice

RECENT NOTEWORTHY DEVELOPMENTS

DOMESTIC
  • Airports stop swine flu screening
    • All international airports in India have been instructed to stop screening for H1N1 virus
    • Director General of Health Services recommended termination of screening saying the virus has spread inside India and airport screening was useless
    • Screening started on 30 April 2009 at 22 international airports
    • Less than 2% of swine flu cases in India could be attributed to international travel
    • The WHO does not recommend airport screening or any other form of travel restriction
Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil service, study material, general studies, current affairs
INTERNATIONAL
  1. Spain wins Davis Cup 2009
    1. Spain won the Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic in Barcelona
    2. Felicano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco of Spain beat Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic to win the tournament
    3. The teams for 2009 Davis Cup:
      1. Spain: Feliano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco, Albert Costa (captain), David Ferrer and Rafael Nadal
      2. Czech Republic: Radek Stepanek, Tomas Berdych, Jaroslav Navratil (captain), Lukas Dlouhy and Jan Hajek
    4. Spain won the Davis Cup in 2008 as well. Spain has now won the Davis Cup four times
    5. Spain is the sixth most successful team at the Davis Cup after the US (32 titles), Australia (28), France (9), Britain (9) and Sweden (7)
    6. India last competed in the World Group for the Davis Cup in 1998
    7. Current Indian team: Shiv Prakash Misra (captain), Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman, Rohan Bopanna
    8. India first competed in the Davis Cup in 1921 and finished runners up in 1966, 1974 and 1987
  2. Guinea leader survives assassination attempt
    1. Guinea’s military ruler Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara has survived an assassination attempt and is undergoing recovery in Morocco
    2. The attempt was made by his close aide Lt. Abubakar Toumba Diakite
    3. Capt. Camara has drawn widespread international criticism for the massacre of unarmed demonstrators in Sep 2009
    4. Lt. Diakite has been identified as being present and in command during the killings
    5. Capt. Camara seized power in Guinea after the death of longtime dictator Lansana Conte in Dec 2008
    6. The capital of Guinea is Conakry
  3. Large Hadron Collider restarted
    1. The Large Hadron Collider at CERN near Geneva was restarted on 21 Nov 2009 after a gap of one year
    2. Housed in a 27 km underground tunnel, the Collider has accelerated electron beams to 1.18 trillion eV.
    3. It is now the largest and most powerful particle accelerator in the world. Now the second most powerful accelerator is the Tevatron at Fermilab in Chicago
    4. The Collider was launched in July 2008, but suffered an electrical failure only nine days later
    5. The Collider was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) with the intention of testing high-energy physics
    6. The CERN, established in 1954, is the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. It consists of 20 member states (from Europe) and 6 observer states (US, Russia, Israel, India, Japan and Turkey)
    7. Around 200 of the 2000 scientist participating in the Large Hadron Collider are from India
    8. Precision motion positioning systems for the Collider were supplied by the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore, by the Electronics Corporation of India
    9. Monetarily, India has contributed USD 25 million to the USD 10 billion project
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