Wednesday

"I rejoice that in a few years it will not be necessary to shoot a man to convince him that you are right and to blot out a nation to prove to them that their principles are false." These words were written by a former US Democratic presidential candidate William Bryan in a letter to his cousin. The year? 1879.

Last Wednesday news networks reported that Cambodian and Thai soldiers exchanged fire on the disputed land at the Preah Vihear border area. The fighting left 2 Khmer soldiers dead and 4 Thai soldiers wounded.

Thai businesses closed their doors and many people fled. Extra security was placed around the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh. I had no idea. I drove past the embassy that night and saw some emergency vehicles and a crowd of a couple of thousand people. But I was just annoyed that whatever drama was going on had slowed the traffic to a geriatric crawl and I was in imminent danger of getting caught in the rain.

Wednesday's shootings caused ripples of panic in Poipet too. Schools closed. Thousands of Cambodian people fled. My friend told me on the phone that there were many traffic accidents as people rushed to get out. He described the mood with this question, "You know what it's like when many people scream at the same time?...." Fear. Flight. I had no idea.

Since the incident, the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand have promised not to keep shooting at one another. Residents have returned to their homes. Taxi prices are back to normal. Schools will re-open. I hope that this Northern border dispute doesn't escalate and cause any more loss of life. I hope to get back to Poipet soon.

Despite rigorous campaigning, Bill Bryan never made President. And sadly- we're still waiting for those "few years" to come.