"I retain sovereignty, not lose it." : Noppadon [-Does it mean that Cambodia loses her right to the disputed border zone?]

Wed, June 25, 2008
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

"The ICJ ruled only the temple was under Cambodia's sovereignty and Thailand obligated to hand the ruin temple to Cambodia, not soil under and surrounding the ruin" - Thai Democrat MP Sirichok Sopha

Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said in the censure debate late Tuesday night that he has managed to retain the national sovereignty, rather than lost it, in dealing with Cambodia over the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear.

The joint communique signed with Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sok An on June 18 did not give up the reservation against the world court's ruling made by former foreign minister Thanat Khoman, he said.

Sovereignty over the Preah Vihear temple, ruled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 in favour of Cambodia, was a hot debate in the parliament. The opposition Democrat Party accused the government of causing of lost in the sovereignty as allowed Cambodia to unilaterally apply the temple as the world heritage.

Actively support Cambodia's application to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) means recognition Cambodia's sovereignty over the temple's area, said Democrat MP Sirichok Sopha.

"The ICJ ruled only the temple was under Cambodia's sovereignty and Thailand obligated to hand the ruin temple to Cambodia, not soil under and surrounding the ruin," he said.

Noppadon, however, rejected the allegation, saying the Thai Cabinet in July 1962, shortly after the ruling, agreed to hand the temple together with some square of kilometres in and surrounding the temple to Cambodia.

As long as Cambodia did not claim anything beyond the then handed over area, Thailand lost nothing beyond what it has lost 46 years ago, Noppadon said.

Cambodia's new map, which is used in the application to Unesco was cross-checked by L 7017 map used by the Thai military to determine Thai boundary, not the French-made map, he said.

"The inherent right, if really existed, as reserved by former minister Thanat has not changed. No any single word in the joint statement mentioned about that right and the reservation," he told the Parliament.

Moreover, Unesco's Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage's article 11 stated that: "The inclusion of a property situated in a territory, sovereignty or jurisdiction over which is claimed by more than one State shall in no way prejudice the rights of the parties to the dispute," he said.

"We have three layers of legal protection over our sovereignty. I see no point in the allegation that I lost our sovereignty," he said.

The minister said the idea of applying jointly for the Unesco status, as suggested by the opposition, could not be achieved because Cambodia has rejected the idea.

"What I can do is to protect our territory and reserved the right to jointly propose some ancient objects under the temple's periphery in the overlapping area to the Unesco in the next two years," he said.