By Sok Khemara, VOA KhmerOriginal report from Washington
10 July 2008
While many Cambodians celebrated the inclusion of the Preah Vihear temple on a list of protected World Heritage sites this week, critics warn Cambodia gained a little in recognition but could lose land in future border negotiations.
"It gained a little bit because Cambodians who do not know it well will know that the temple belongs to the Khmers," said Sean Peng Se, president of the Cambodian Border Committee in France. "Thailand can claim it, but [an International Court] verdict clearly said it's Khmer, in Khmer land."
Sean Peng Se said he was concerned over future border demarcation because Cambodia had not submitted all the land surrounding the cliff-top temple in its World Heritage application to Unesco. The temple was inscribed as a World Heritage site by a Unesco committee on Monday.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has said border demarcation will not be affected.
Former king Norodom Sihanouk, meanwhile, issued a statement saying the "main gate" of the temple opened to Cambodia, not Thailand.
Cambodia Watchdog Council International has said the redrawing of a map for the Unesco application constituted a loss of territory.
"The borderline is clearly referred to in 1904-07 and the verdict of the International Court in 1962," said Ir Channa, secretary-general of the Council, which is based in Norway and plans to hold a conference in France on Cambodian territory at the end of July.
According to 1904 and 1907 treaties, he said, Cambodia territory reaches to about 2 kilometers from the northern steps of the temple stairs facing Thailand, farther than the 30 meters now demarked around the temple for World Heritage purposes.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said the World Heritage inscription was not about borders, but about culture. The government understands the treaties, he said, but border demarcation is a separate issue.
"It gained a little bit because Cambodians who do not know it well will know that the temple belongs to the Khmers," said Sean Peng Se, president of the Cambodian Border Committee in France. "Thailand can claim it, but [an International Court] verdict clearly said it's Khmer, in Khmer land."
Sean Peng Se said he was concerned over future border demarcation because Cambodia had not submitted all the land surrounding the cliff-top temple in its World Heritage application to Unesco. The temple was inscribed as a World Heritage site by a Unesco committee on Monday.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has said border demarcation will not be affected.
Former king Norodom Sihanouk, meanwhile, issued a statement saying the "main gate" of the temple opened to Cambodia, not Thailand.
Cambodia Watchdog Council International has said the redrawing of a map for the Unesco application constituted a loss of territory.
"The borderline is clearly referred to in 1904-07 and the verdict of the International Court in 1962," said Ir Channa, secretary-general of the Council, which is based in Norway and plans to hold a conference in France on Cambodian territory at the end of July.
According to 1904 and 1907 treaties, he said, Cambodia territory reaches to about 2 kilometers from the northern steps of the temple stairs facing Thailand, farther than the 30 meters now demarked around the temple for World Heritage purposes.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said the World Heritage inscription was not about borders, but about culture. The government understands the treaties, he said, but border demarcation is a separate issue.
20 comments:
It does not need an expert.
Ordinary Khmers could see it through and through.
Cambodia becomes smaller and smaller not from the expert...
yes, this is exactly two separate issues here. the temple is about culture and the demarcation of the borderline clearly is another. listen to experts, cambodia and thailand is tied by the 1904 - 1907 borderline treaty and the icj in 1962 have confirmed thailand's violation of this very treaty. so, it is not over yet on cambodia's part as well as the 1904 - 1907 border treaty is always the legal one, not the map being represented to unesco recently for the purpose of listing the temple only. thailand is still violating cambodia's territory by unilaterally redrawing up their own borderline even after the icj verdict to be 30 meters from around the temple itself, this is not right and shows a real violation of the treaty of 1904 - 1907. so, in reality, it is cambodia who still loses the territory due to using this new map. i suggest cambodia look into it again to review what in place of the 1904 - 1907 treaty.
cambodia cannot deviate from the 1904 - 1907 treaty and the icj verdict. this is where we will always fight to get back our territory near preah vihear temple.
There are two different matter here.
1-The temple aready got listed in UNESCO that doesn't mean we will let the Thai making deal to encroach into our lands.
2-The border mark needs to place where 1904-1907 where our lands included with 4.6km2.
HUN SEN needs to becareful with the Thais' trick.
Now since this deal thing work for UNESCO during any agreements Thai seems to play that trick again with the overthrowing the government.
Hope it is not working that way. you fool Thai.
There is no such thing as a territory covering just the tip of the mountain. Everything belongs to Khmer people in Issan Province, including the temple.
1:37 AM....
Everything including the Khmer Issan belongs to Cambodia, the rightful state of all khmers. Hea! come and kick the thais out.
it is obvious thailand was buying time while cambodia was preoccupied with civil strife and the suffering under the KR regime that thailand use these pretexts to claim that there were no border markers to demarcate this international boundary line between them and cambodia when in fact historical data showed that yes there was a properly marked boundary line and that properly marked boundary line was the map drawn up during the treaty of 1904 - 1907, period. thailand can not violate this treaty with any kind of illegal excuses like they show for the listing of preah vihear temple for world heritage site. i'm sure when push comes to shove cambodia will prevail again with this properly marked borderline. thailand must respect the siamese - franco treaty of 1904 - 1907 and stop being a clown about this treaty because we are serious about it. thailand can disagree all they want like with the case of preah vihear listing, they will sure to lose again when it comes to international laws that govern international agreement like borderline, treaties, bilateral agreements, etc., etc... cambodia knows our rights and we must use the world organization like the UN, ICJ, etc... straighten thailand up with their clown-like deal. how can any country take them seriously when they kept flip-flopping what their officials signed; the world must remind thailand to uphold the international law because their gov't cannot do whatever they want unilaterally even after they officially signed something they say they're going to do, but turn out to be a flake. siem thugs, this is not how the world operates!!!! on planet apes, perhaps, but not on this planet call earth.
UNITED KHMER SURVIVE, DIVIDED KHMER DIE
YUON, SIAM MIN CHOL PUT
( HIGHT TREASON OF AH KANCHEAS YUON SIAM HUN XEN. HE AND HIS FAMILY WILL BE DAMNED FOREVER FOR SELLING OUR COUNTRY TO SIAM.
IN A COMPROMISE IN MAY, CAMBODIA AGREED TO REDRAW THE INSCRIPTION MAP, INCLUDING ONLY THE TEMPLE, AND GAVE 4.6 SQUARE KILOMETRES TO AH CHOR SIAM ).
Tuesday July 01, 2008
Bangkok Post PostBag
PAD fooling the people
I cannot believe the lunatics at the PAD have actually got the Thai people and the Puea Pandin party fooled over the Preah Vihear temple.
The line was drawn by the French in 1904, the International Court of Justice ruled on it in 1962,
“and the new line agreed by the Thai and Cambodian government actually brings more land into Thailand than the old map.
If the Cambodian government is happy to concede some land to the Thais while retaining the temple that is, and has always been, on Cambodian soil, then it is a win for the Thai government.”
This is just another example of the PAD stirring up issues trying to validate its existence. The fact that Puea Pandin party has weighed into it is disappointing; you would expect them to know better.
As for the Democrats, I hope they find the same demise the Australian Democrats recently have. Throwing stones at the government is good fun, but if you are never going to get a chance to run the country then it's a choice you can make without fear of having to prove you can do a better job.
The last Australian Democrats were voted out in November from the Senate and, as of July 1, the Democrats will be dead in Australia. Hopefully, the Thai Democrats will become history in the near future.
SHANNON CRANE
Gold Coast, Australia
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Nationalist bombast a little too late
I don't know what possesses the Thais lately who have started reclaiming the Cambodian Preah Vihear temple, 46 years after an international tribunal awarded it to Cambodia.
Anyone with more than a bird's brain will surely understand that this temple is clearly Cambodian (ever visited the site and compared it to Angkor?) and realise it is rather late to fire up their nationalistic bombast in order to get back the temple, as a spoilt brat would do.
By the way, the disputed 4.6 square kilometres around the site represents less then 0.01% of Thailand's territory.
As if common sense weren't enough to let the issue drop, just imagine the damage this whole issue could do to the relationship with Cambodia and the backlash from the international community, where Thailand already commands very little respect.
Wake up and don't politicise the issue to topple the government. The current administration hasn't done a lot lately, but their handling of the temple issue should probably be the least of the Thai people's worries.
JAMES GREEN
http://www.samrainsyparty.org
1:49, it is true that Cambodia territory was large, but then lost it to the Thai, Lao, and Viet.
However, the Khmer people who lived in the lost territory doesn't want to come back. They are happy with the way thing are, and they don't want anymore blood shed.
And what you are doing is provoking bloodshed just because they want to remain divided by stealing their land and temple from their territory. Do you know what I mean?
The idiot HUN XEN and his clans have betrayed our country.
Why did hey give 4.6 square kilometres of surrounding areas to SIAM after our land to YUON and leave the million YUON live in our country?
More they negociate, more Cambodia become smaller!
Mr. SEAN PENGSE
You are the best.
To all fellow Cambodians:
I heard the stance of pushing the Preah Vihear Temple into UNESCO was because of organization abroad help. For HUN SEN for years he is careless about the temple.
I think Khmer abroad are playing an important role for our country.
Just like the border issues with our neigbhors, Mr. SEAN PENGSE could irritate international views to look over this matter over and over again.
For the better of Cambodia, I think if SAM RAINSY he should ask you for the position of border committee.
Thanks you sir!
5:06am, yes, all khmers helped a lot from overseas as well as in cambodia. this is the way it should be; don't depend on the leader too much. it's good to unite and voice the injustice for all khmer regardless of political affiliation. i mean it is also ok to follow the leader sometime and other time too it's not so good to do so. it all depends on the situation and issue at hand. thank you to everyone that help in some way or the other. may god bless all who love and care about all things cambodian like the case of preah vihear and so on. it's called being proactive or taking part in a cause in order to better cambodia. thank you.
To comment 1.49
I strongly contest that you said that Khmers living in the lost territory doesn't want to come back.
Find out the informations in
(KHMER KROM NEWS
Khmer Krom Network
Prey Nokor Webzine
Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation
KKF Youth Community
Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Communitys)
how the tens millions khmers living in Kampuchea Krom (South Vietnam) fight to recuperate our lost land and how the Khmers everywhere in any country try to keep the beautiful Khmer culture alive and how you, the homeless crooks and thieves SIAM, originated from South East China, have stolen our land and our culture even most of polysyllabic words in the vocabulary have been borrowed, mainly from Khmer.
Shame on you, SIAM!
We must stand with our patriot Mr Sean Pengse and other patriots to list the surrounding area of Preah Vihear without the support nor negociation of SIAM as The traitor HUN XEN did.
why should we negociate to get our own land?
I think that Mr Sam Rainsy as the principal opposition leader should personally engage in the issue with patriot khmer organisation.
6:12am, good point. agree that mr. sam rainsy does not have to wait for mr. hun sen to do it. mr. sam rainsy and many other patriotic khmer personnel can do it too by campaigning for this cause. after all, mr. sam rainsy is considered to be one of the more capable fresh leader with a lot of intellectual supporters; together khmer people can win as well as any other leaders of the past and the present. it's called being proactive for the sake of cambodia and cambodia's national interest. full speed ahead!!! god bless cambodia.
The Preah Temple's case, it's just the coup of CPP. Why don't they want to register before...? Now it's the election's time. Usually, in such time, the party rulers are only allow to work in internal affair... The registration is international's affair. Anyway, if cpp have to do so. CPP should consult the Funcinpec too. What CPP have done is just unlawful.
Fucking one hand Nhiek Bunchhay...Why the grenade doesn't explode on his both hand... Funcinpec is the blood of all fighters whom want to kick viets... Now.. shiiiit....
Khmer Canadian
Hey Folks!
I've found out that Kampuchea Krom is on the pending in French Parliament or court. Sihanouk have requested the French court to review this case over again but coincidently Khmer got into war from the early 70s and on. Now since Cambodia working toward stability we have to request the French court to revive this case again. They said the case is more likely to be review.
I am happy to hear this.
Bravo! Khmer!!!
If you want to know more please do research. Like you know nowaday is easy for us with this technology.
It aint going to do any good because the French had been defeated by Vietminh big time.
That doesn't matter. Example,if any foreigner control the French then lost to the German and give part of French to German will French get it back later or not.
I bet you the French will surely have inernational intervene. This is not base French got defeated by the YOUN or not. That was unjust of transferring the illegal lands of Cambodia to the aggressive YOUN>\.
French should know better.
I've done research as well, the case of Kampuchea Krom is being pending.
THis is good news to Khmer.
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