The Nation (Thailand)
Thai authorities have gone on high alert for fear of another antiThai riot in Cambodia after the Bangkok government opposed Cambodia's efforts to get ancient Hindu shrine Preah Vihear Temple on the Unesco's World Heritage.
Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh held an urgent meeting of Thai nationals in Cambodia last week to go over an evacuation after it was informed of the government's position on the matter.
The Thai government objected the Cambodian's plan because are a number of unsettled matters between Thailand and Cambodia concerning Preah Vihear, particularly that the joint border has yet to be demarcated.
Unesco decided on Wednesday not to include the ancient shrine on its World Heritage list, thus, heightening a growing fear among Thai authorities of another chaos.
Thai Foreign Ministry feared that history would repeat itself. In 2003 an antiThai riot broke out, mainly in Phnom Penh, was hundreds of Cambodians went on a rampage, looting and attacking Thai business and embassy. The incident erupted after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen lend legitimacy to an unconfirmed report that a Thai celebrity has made a derogatory remarks against the Cambodian people.
The Cambodian government has over the recent years renewed their efforts to have Unesco classify the ancient Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site.
Cambodia wanted the temple, which lies in the Northwest border of the country but perched on the Thai border, to be recognised as a World Heritage monument to help assure its continued preservation.
Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh held an urgent meeting of Thai nationals in Cambodia last week to go over an evacuation after it was informed of the government's position on the matter.
The Thai government objected the Cambodian's plan because are a number of unsettled matters between Thailand and Cambodia concerning Preah Vihear, particularly that the joint border has yet to be demarcated.
Unesco decided on Wednesday not to include the ancient shrine on its World Heritage list, thus, heightening a growing fear among Thai authorities of another chaos.
Thai Foreign Ministry feared that history would repeat itself. In 2003 an antiThai riot broke out, mainly in Phnom Penh, was hundreds of Cambodians went on a rampage, looting and attacking Thai business and embassy. The incident erupted after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen lend legitimacy to an unconfirmed report that a Thai celebrity has made a derogatory remarks against the Cambodian people.
The Cambodian government has over the recent years renewed their efforts to have Unesco classify the ancient Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site.
Cambodia wanted the temple, which lies in the Northwest border of the country but perched on the Thai border, to be recognised as a World Heritage monument to help assure its continued preservation.
8 comments:
What the hell -- it belong to Khmers? Thais has nothing to say in this matters. Should we contest that the whole Siam belongs to Khmers?
This why ah HunSen ought to strengthened the border integrity! We need change in the government, not one with barking w/o action.
Hun Sen should stop barking at the Khmer people. He should should open both eyes(hehehe)and start to look for ways to get Prey Nokor(Saigon) back too. He better not lose Preah Vihear to the fricken Thai either.
I think we have to burn thai embassy again...Fucking thai...
The main problem is within the Cambodian government itself. First, the border problem. While the border had been marked and recognised by the international since the 1960s, Hun Sen government with idiotic Var Kim Hong of border committee created the controversal so called "White Region".
Second, as the Preh Vihear only accesses from the Thai side, Hun Sen government failed to improve the infrastructure to reach the temple from the Khmer side. This infrastructure must be improve to draw up visitor from inside Cambodia. If the temple could not reach by road, may be cable car constructed to reach the top of the temple.
I cannot any reason why Cambodia has to consult Thai for doing any thing in CAmbodia land, while Thai has done many unconsulted things along this border iclude killing Cambodian villagers.
of course the fucking thai will not agree to list the temple as heritage site, because they will lost opportunity to take and claim the temple as theirs again. they have a plan to claim again may be in next 10 years, these fucking thai doesnt have any interested to preserve a heritage site at all.
may be they want again the riot to burn down their embassy again too.
It's the UNESCO itself, and not Thailand, which opposed to the classification, and I find the answer from UNESCO very diplomatic.
Being familiar with the temple, I recognize the fact that it is of Khmer origin, but also the fact that its baray is located well inside the current border of Thailand. Classifying the whole site makes sense, if Cambodian people forget their distate of Thai neighbours for a moment.
Now, I do also agree that Cambodia's territory has been shrinking due to land grabbing by Thailand and Vietnam. This loss of territory is outrageous, especially considering the heavy presence of Cambodian "border defense" military and police all over Cambodia. All these militaries are too busy cutting trees and grabbing land to look for Thai and Vietnamese activities...
Another thing: it's not because something has been made by Khmers in the 10th Century that it should automatically belongs to Cambodia 1000 years after. Otherwise you should also claim ownership of Wat Phu in Laos, and of the many temples Khmer have built all over South-East Asia before the tragic collapse of their amazing society more than 500 years ago...
You guy Thai! You are too much!!!
Your shamelessness act on Khmer - you will get big hammer in one short coming day!
Att Ong.
I think you misunderstand in some point. In order to register world heritage site, Cambodian government have to create protection area called buffer zone which normally 5 km radial from Preah Vihear temple. As you have mentioned the main gate of the temple is at thai border, that means the buffer zone must include Thailand's territory. According to Unesco, in the buffer zone area can not build or change anything and has to be preserved in the state when the site become world heritage. I believe thailand can not accept this to let unesco come and tell that you can not do anything in this area anymore as it is a buffer zone for Preah Vihear. In my opinion, if Cambodia want to register and protect this temple with Unesco standard, they should first ask Thailand to accept the buffer zone before apply the site similar with many world heritage sites that situated near the border, for example Iguazu Fall of Argentina and Brazil or Maskau Park of Germany and Poland.
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