ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT
Bangkok Post
Disputes between Thailand and its immediate neighbours have always left behind scars, lingering pain and mistrust between their peoples.
Conflicts with Cambodia are particularly sensitive as nobody wants to see a repeat of the episode in 2003 when the Thai embassy and Thai businesses in Phnom Penh were torched.
Given the background, Thailand's dealings with Cambodia in its efforts to get the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple listed as a new World Heritage site at a meeting in Quebec next month have been too secretive.
The Thai government needs to be more transparent and accountable to its people.
As far as possible, any negotiations they have entered into and agreements they have reached with Cambodia should be revealed, and debated by the public, before coming into force.
The government has not mentioned what the consequences of listing the ancient temple might be on Thai territory and the possible environmental and social impacts on the bordering province of Si Sa Ket.
Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama already has an image problem due to his service as an adviser to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thais have yet to be convinced that the behind-the-scenes deal benefits Thailand - and not his former boss, as many critics claim.
Members of the public and officials have tried in vain to make their concerns about the consequences heard.
Criticism of the government's poor handling of the Preah Vihear issue comes from many quarters.
It is not a mere attempt by the People's Alliance for Democracy to politicise an issue.
Experts and academics are coming out to speak their minds against Thailand's decision to back Cambodia's move.
The government's rush to clinch a deal with Cambodia without explaining other options left to Thailand has raised questions about whether any particular individual would benefit from the temple being listed as a World Heritage site.
Before Thailand agreed with Cambodia on the new map of Preah Vihear at a meeting in Paris last month, Mr Thaksin played golf with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Siem Reap in early April.
Mr Noppadon and Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Somchai Wongsawat, who is Mr Thaksin's brother-in-law, inaugurated Cambodia's Road 48 (Koh Kong-Sre Ambel) with Mr Hun Sen in May.
Hun Sen would regard Preah Vihear being listed as a World Heritage site as a high point in his decade-long rule of the impoverished country.
Last month, he attended the launch of a project to build a 118km road linking Preah Vihear province's capital T'beng Meanchey to another World Heritage site, Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province. The road, partially funded by China, will be completed in the next 45 months.
This would give Cambodia more self-reliance, and less dependence on the traditional entry point to the temple from Si Sa Ket, on the Thai side of the border.
An Indian company has unveiled a multimillion-dollar proposal to build an airport serving Preah Vihear while a Japanese firm plans to build a cable car system on the Cambodian side.
Cambodia has lobbied many other countries including the US, France, and Canada for their support.
Thailand, meanwhile, has done too little, too late in terms of international lobbying.
Conflicts with Cambodia are particularly sensitive as nobody wants to see a repeat of the episode in 2003 when the Thai embassy and Thai businesses in Phnom Penh were torched.
Given the background, Thailand's dealings with Cambodia in its efforts to get the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple listed as a new World Heritage site at a meeting in Quebec next month have been too secretive.
The Thai government needs to be more transparent and accountable to its people.
As far as possible, any negotiations they have entered into and agreements they have reached with Cambodia should be revealed, and debated by the public, before coming into force.
The government has not mentioned what the consequences of listing the ancient temple might be on Thai territory and the possible environmental and social impacts on the bordering province of Si Sa Ket.
Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama already has an image problem due to his service as an adviser to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thais have yet to be convinced that the behind-the-scenes deal benefits Thailand - and not his former boss, as many critics claim.
Members of the public and officials have tried in vain to make their concerns about the consequences heard.
Criticism of the government's poor handling of the Preah Vihear issue comes from many quarters.
It is not a mere attempt by the People's Alliance for Democracy to politicise an issue.
Experts and academics are coming out to speak their minds against Thailand's decision to back Cambodia's move.
The government's rush to clinch a deal with Cambodia without explaining other options left to Thailand has raised questions about whether any particular individual would benefit from the temple being listed as a World Heritage site.
Before Thailand agreed with Cambodia on the new map of Preah Vihear at a meeting in Paris last month, Mr Thaksin played golf with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Siem Reap in early April.
Mr Noppadon and Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Somchai Wongsawat, who is Mr Thaksin's brother-in-law, inaugurated Cambodia's Road 48 (Koh Kong-Sre Ambel) with Mr Hun Sen in May.
Hun Sen would regard Preah Vihear being listed as a World Heritage site as a high point in his decade-long rule of the impoverished country.
Last month, he attended the launch of a project to build a 118km road linking Preah Vihear province's capital T'beng Meanchey to another World Heritage site, Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province. The road, partially funded by China, will be completed in the next 45 months.
This would give Cambodia more self-reliance, and less dependence on the traditional entry point to the temple from Si Sa Ket, on the Thai side of the border.
An Indian company has unveiled a multimillion-dollar proposal to build an airport serving Preah Vihear while a Japanese firm plans to build a cable car system on the Cambodian side.
Cambodia has lobbied many other countries including the US, France, and Canada for their support.
Thailand, meanwhile, has done too little, too late in terms of international lobbying.
9 comments:
Thai, they want too much from Cambodia. They seems too jealous.... they are better off, they attract many millions of tourists each year. They even clamp many khmer culture as their own like: thai boxing, thai dancing....
F*ck all of YOU, Ah Siems. How much more Khmer land are you intending to grab, Ah Siemssssssssss. Actually, Khmer should reclaim all of the Khmer territory back. Preah Vihear is a Khmer-built temple, Ah Siems. So stop claiming what is not yours, Ah Siems. Ah Siems will always be Ah Siems, that is they are just bad immoral people who practice stealing and grabbing Khmer territory for their own benefits. It has to stop, Ah Siems. If you wnat more land, go back to Sipsongpana whatever the cursed place is. Just pack up and leave for your ancestral land, Ah Siems. Ah disgusting Siems are too much. If Ah Siems continue to be bad like this maybe the Khmer need to RECLAIM all of our territory and our Khmer people back.
Nope, the Khmer-Thai owned the temple too.
All Cambodians,
We should stop using all the products frome the Thailand.
Khmer,
Preah Vihear belong to Khmer, we must protect our country from the Siam thief and Youn thief. STOP STOP the histotrical story (before 1904 and 1941-1945 that Thai occupy illegally on our Country) happen again in this century for KAMPUCHEA. We will be strong when we have the national unify. Please all of khmer leader have the nationalism ideas, territorialism and also think about the benefit of Nation on the top and higher than other thing. If we lose our territory, how is our young generation? where do they live?
From Khmer new generation, Chungnam University. South Korea.
Siam show their behavior that similar in the past that i heard but now i understand siam 1000%
thank for Cam gov to put temple in UNESCO list.
Now thief Siam is afraid losing their land to khmer.( Bad protesters on the world)
Khmer-Thai and Khmer should jointly manage the temple as it should be. We are one. Don't let Ah Khmer-Yuon criminal tearing us apart.
yes, cambodia should protest against ah siem aggressors and boycott all their stuff in cambodia and bar them from cambodia totally. they are too much a pest for cambodia. go home ah siem thugs!
i know, given the anger some of us khmer have about ah siem aggressor, cambodia ought to boycott all of ah siem's business all over the world and in cambodia and demand justice for our khmer people. cambodia don't really need them, do we?
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