The Hague International Court of Justice which handed the ownership of Preah Vihear Temple to Cambodia (Photo: NorodomSihanouk.info)
The lawyers defending Cambodia at The Hague International Court of Justice in 1962 (Photo: NorodomSihanouk.info)Thai PM counsels mutuality as Preah Vihear World Heritage option
BANGKOK, Jan 25 (TNA) – Any Preah Vihear (Khao Phra Viharn in Thai) border declaration must benefit both countries, Prime Minister Gen. Surayud Chulanont asserted Friday, reiterating Bangkok's commitment to mutuality in the matter.
Bangkok said that Phnom Penh's plan for a United Nations-related World Heritage listing of the ancient Khmer ruins along the Thai-Cambodian border would not affect Thai sovereignty over disputed areas there.
The matter is deeply emotional for both countries. The ancient temple was built over one thousand years ago on a majestic cliff top adjacent to what is now Thailand's Sisaket province.
Gen. Surayud said he had once told his Cambodian counterpart Somdej Hun Sen that a solution to the dispute must lead to a win-win situation for both sides.
The Thai prime minister said his government would not insist that Preah Vihear is partly owned by Thailand, but should the mountain be declared a UNESCO world heritage site, the move must benefit both countries.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungwat told a press conference Friday that Cambodia has tried to list the temple as a World Heritage site since 2005, but Thailand had affirmed sovereignty over part of the area to UNESCO and Phnom Penh.
Thai foreign ministry and defense officials are deciding what Bangkok will do as the next step.
Gen. Surayud said the Preah Vihear issue must be resolved because it is a chronic issue between the two neighbours.
"The issue is under negotiation. The Foreign Ministry has liaised for the negotiation with Phnom Penh all along. We have to discuss the matter carefully because it is a sensitive issue," he said.
The two countries have established a joint committee to settle the boundary demarcation dispute relating to some border areas around the ancient temple, said Mr. Tharit, adding that both parties had agreed to find measures to settle the dispute soon.
The World Court in June 1962 judged that Preah Vihear belonged to Cambodia, but Thailand and Cambodia have not yet settled a demarcation agreement on land around the ruins. The temple is approached from the Thai border district of Kantharalak in Si Sa Ket province.
The problem arose again Thursday when Lt-Gen. Pichasanu Putchakarn, spokesman of Thai Defense Ministry, hinted that Cambodia had ignored the Thai government's suggestion that both countries jointly propose the historical site to UNESCO, saying Thailand may lose its land yet to be demarcated if Cambodia did it alone.
But Gen. Pichasanu Friday clarified his statements, saying that his earlier remarks were partly his personal opinion and not that of the Thai Defense Council.
Senior Thai Army officers who spoke with ranking Khmer officers Friday said the situation has returned to normal. "The Cambodian officials may have misunderstand after learning about (Thursday's) report," Gen. Pichasanu said.
Bangkok said that Phnom Penh's plan for a United Nations-related World Heritage listing of the ancient Khmer ruins along the Thai-Cambodian border would not affect Thai sovereignty over disputed areas there.
The matter is deeply emotional for both countries. The ancient temple was built over one thousand years ago on a majestic cliff top adjacent to what is now Thailand's Sisaket province.
Gen. Surayud said he had once told his Cambodian counterpart Somdej Hun Sen that a solution to the dispute must lead to a win-win situation for both sides.
The Thai prime minister said his government would not insist that Preah Vihear is partly owned by Thailand, but should the mountain be declared a UNESCO world heritage site, the move must benefit both countries.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungwat told a press conference Friday that Cambodia has tried to list the temple as a World Heritage site since 2005, but Thailand had affirmed sovereignty over part of the area to UNESCO and Phnom Penh.
Thai foreign ministry and defense officials are deciding what Bangkok will do as the next step.
Gen. Surayud said the Preah Vihear issue must be resolved because it is a chronic issue between the two neighbours.
"The issue is under negotiation. The Foreign Ministry has liaised for the negotiation with Phnom Penh all along. We have to discuss the matter carefully because it is a sensitive issue," he said.
The two countries have established a joint committee to settle the boundary demarcation dispute relating to some border areas around the ancient temple, said Mr. Tharit, adding that both parties had agreed to find measures to settle the dispute soon.
The World Court in June 1962 judged that Preah Vihear belonged to Cambodia, but Thailand and Cambodia have not yet settled a demarcation agreement on land around the ruins. The temple is approached from the Thai border district of Kantharalak in Si Sa Ket province.
The problem arose again Thursday when Lt-Gen. Pichasanu Putchakarn, spokesman of Thai Defense Ministry, hinted that Cambodia had ignored the Thai government's suggestion that both countries jointly propose the historical site to UNESCO, saying Thailand may lose its land yet to be demarcated if Cambodia did it alone.
But Gen. Pichasanu Friday clarified his statements, saying that his earlier remarks were partly his personal opinion and not that of the Thai Defense Council.
Senior Thai Army officers who spoke with ranking Khmer officers Friday said the situation has returned to normal. "The Cambodian officials may have misunderstand after learning about (Thursday's) report," Gen. Pichasanu said.
9 comments:
The temple is belong to our Cambodia country so that the royal government of Cambodia must find the best solution for her own people who are waiting for the temple to be accepted as the world heritage. We can not lost our belove temple by any mean because the International Court already judged in 1962 that the temple solely belong to Cambodia. Our people who are living along the border are suffering a lot from current measurement has been take place by our neighboring country addition to a long suffering from the past civil war.
Thailand wants us to share any benefits from the listing of Preah Vihear as world heritage. As she always wants cambodia to share our offshore oil! Be not surprised, as we all know that some times, here and there, there are spupid peoples who claim that Angkor Wat belongs to Thailand.
Do us a favor general and fire the moron who likes to stir anger in khmers. I don't see a problem with sharing profits with tourists and making it accessible by both countries. As long as both side agree that its cambodian property.
Mr. Defense Minister, please demote the General who likes to cause diplomatic problems for the Thai and Khmer people.
I agree. It might be quite beneficial to have a joint project in this UNESCO thing. The preservation of this site obviously need the protection and due diligence of both nation. We can share the profit that come out of this. Thailand can protect the Thai side of the border and make it accessible and develop its tourism on that side and Cambodia can do its side. But mainly the temple will be located inside Cambodian territory and under Cambodian sovereignity.
It is good idea. Maybe something we both can be proud of!
I have told you before and I will tell you again! This is the nature of the Thaicong politic! Every fucken Thaicong government came to power and each one of them always demand certain part of Khmer territory to appease the Thaicong population or to attract their vote as being patriotic or the Thaicong government is trying to tell the Thaicong population of how tough they are!
The issue Phrea Vihear temple is non-negotiable and again it deal with Khmer sovereignty! The fucken Thaicong needs to get the concept of sovereignty through their fucken brain!
If anything creates by the Thaicong government which lead to instability of the whole Southeast Asia and the fucken Thaicong government will not be forgiven and they will be hold responsible and this is not a fucken warning!
"Despite this, soldiers from the two countries retained close ties."
I want to add the only close tie between Khmer and the Thaicong are corrupted Khmer leaders and Khmer soldiers! Yes... the fucken Thaicong want to be so closed that they want to claim Khmer sovereignty! Ahahhahahhah! What kind of Thaicong twisted logic is this? Never trust the fucken Thaicong!
Fuck the Thaicong investment! Fuck the Thaicong trade! Fuck the Thaicong diplomatic relation! Fuck all the Thaicong!
The fucken Thaicong government is out of line with the civilized world!
This is the issue of the Thaicong government who is looking for tourism dollars and one of the ways to get tourism dollars is to steal Khmer monuments and culture and here in the 21st century and the Thaicong government still behave like a criminal? Yes! More like drug dealers who use threat to achieve what they want! Fuck the Thaicong government!
All the Thaicong government need to know by now that the issue of Phrea Vihear is non-negotiable because it deals with Khmer sovereignty!
So if the Thaicong government desperately needs more tourism dollars to fix their aging F-16 jet fighters and some other useless weapons and I suggest that they force million and million of the Thaicong women to be prostitute like in the 1980!
Khmer government is not in any position to share any tourism dollars from Phrea Vihear with the Thaicong government! Plain and Simple! If the Thaicong government desperately want more dollars from tourism and they have to go out there get it and earn it and don't ever dream that Khmer government will share it unless the Thaicong government want to look down the barrel of Khmer’s guns!
If the fucken Thaicong government dare to start a war and they will be dragged into protracted guerilla warfare which will cost them economically and Cambodia can afford to delay the economic progress because Cambodia is still in the rebuilding process and once Cambodia catch up with the Thaicong economically and it will tougher for the Thaicong to start any shit! Let the fucken Thaicong come and we will greet them with guns, bullets, and bombs!
If Athai bandit will be still opposing to this our propose it may trigger to riot as Angkor wat issues in 2003. Wait to what will happen.
Really shit on that. Cambodia need peace not war but the thai side always across the line and cause a problem to Cambodia. It's exactly already adopt that the heritage belong to cambodia. i hope Cambodia Gov't will pay attention on the cambodian hiritage.
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