BANGKOK (AFP) — About a thousand Thais have cancelled visits to Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat ruins since an ownership dispute erupted between the two neighbours over another temple, a tourism chief said Saturday.
The mass cancellations began last week at the height of a disagreement over the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, said the president of the Thai Tourism Promotion Association Songsak Sriklueb.
Thai nationalist protests forced the government last week to retract its support for Cambodia's successful application to list the temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as its entrance lies within its borders.
No violence against Thais has been reported in Cambodia since the dispute began, though the Preah Vihear temple was temporarily closed two weeks ago after 100 Thai protesters tried to march there.
"Our 12 tour operators told me last week that at least 1,000 people have cancelled their trips. Their main reason was security concerns. Thai tourists are not taking the risk," Songsak said.
"Some wanted to postpone their trips until later this year which has caused problems for the tour operators," he said.
Songsak said the Thai tourism industry had already been hit hard by soaring fuel prices, inflation and domestic political tensions.
Thailand's immigration authorities reported nearly 36,000 Thai tourists visited Cambodia last year. The country receives about two million tourists annually.
The ancient Khmer temple Angkor Wat is the main tourist attraction in Siem Reap, just 120 kilometers from Thailand's eastern border.
In 2003, similar nationalist sentiments inflamed tensions between the Asian neighbours after rumours circulated in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh that a famous Thai actress had claimed Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand.
Thousands of angry Cambodian protesters set fire to the Thai embassy and destroyed Thai businesses while hundreds of Thais were airlifted from the Cambodian capital to escape mob attacks.
The mass cancellations began last week at the height of a disagreement over the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, said the president of the Thai Tourism Promotion Association Songsak Sriklueb.
Thai nationalist protests forced the government last week to retract its support for Cambodia's successful application to list the temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as its entrance lies within its borders.
No violence against Thais has been reported in Cambodia since the dispute began, though the Preah Vihear temple was temporarily closed two weeks ago after 100 Thai protesters tried to march there.
"Our 12 tour operators told me last week that at least 1,000 people have cancelled their trips. Their main reason was security concerns. Thai tourists are not taking the risk," Songsak said.
"Some wanted to postpone their trips until later this year which has caused problems for the tour operators," he said.
Songsak said the Thai tourism industry had already been hit hard by soaring fuel prices, inflation and domestic political tensions.
Thailand's immigration authorities reported nearly 36,000 Thai tourists visited Cambodia last year. The country receives about two million tourists annually.
The ancient Khmer temple Angkor Wat is the main tourist attraction in Siem Reap, just 120 kilometers from Thailand's eastern border.
In 2003, similar nationalist sentiments inflamed tensions between the Asian neighbours after rumours circulated in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh that a famous Thai actress had claimed Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand.
Thousands of angry Cambodian protesters set fire to the Thai embassy and destroyed Thai businesses while hundreds of Thais were airlifted from the Cambodian capital to escape mob attacks.
19 comments:
Cambodia must returns the temple to Khmer People in Issan Province and stop provoking problem in the region.
4:08 PM: Shut up now! You've been whining about this throughout the previous few postings. get over it!
Preah Vihear had always been Cambodia's and will remain so since the early 1960's when Cambodian ownership of the temple was made official.
4:08, who is khmer Issan province? why they there are a khmer Issan in Siam territory?
I think you should stop post and stop make any trouble if you are educted people. If you want this temple back why dont you claim to interbational court before 1972? who make trouble in the region? Thai has problem in southern part with muslim, with miyanma, and also with Laos.
I think Cambodian people should welcome the tourist from over the world included Thai. we are the oldest nation in the region, so we should be patient and show our culture to the world.
5:27, that is the stupidest question I have heard in months. What do you mean why Khmer in Siam Territory. They just got caught from losing the war. But then they love it. This is no difference from many Khmer who doesn't like to go to Long Beach at first, but then they got used to it. Understand now?
4:43, the Khmer People in Issan Province had owed that temple for centuries. 1960's is nothing. You better give it back if you know what is good for you.
6:38 PM...why the hell you wanna give it back to the Siam? You think the Siam give a shit about Khmers in Issan? To the Siam's persepective, Preah Vihear belongs to them and not the Khmer or Khmer in Issan. The Siam are just ignorant like that. It's better in Cambodia's ownership because at least true Khmer history isn't rewritten.
Of course the Siam give a damn about Khmer People in Issan, 6:53. They are married to each others for generations now, wouldn't you?
6:35,
This is the supiest answer that I never heard before. It seems that you try to modify history. Just keep in your mind that the trust is the trust.
Now they live in Siam territory because these provinces were stolen by Siam.
ah siem shut the hell up if you dont i'll shut you down ok ...
Preah Vihear belong to khmer long long ago since before your great great parents were not born yet..
you get now..if not get over with..
"Cambodia must returns the temple to Khmer People in Issan Province and stop provoking problem in the region. 4:08 PM"
Just stop the act, you mather f*cking loser. You are not a Khmer Issan, fool. You are the one who hate the Sam Rainsy Party azzhole. You are the one that will soon be in jail, you mather f*cker. Don't you notice the EYE watching you, ah pler. Your comment is being recorded ah pler. In addition, Khmer Issan is not even in the Cambodian lexicon either, ah pler. Thai people call themselves as simply Thai from the Esan region, ah pler. Note the spelling. I know because I google and they write is as "E-san" very English phonetics, ah pler, not like your pathetic spelling of "Issan" ah pler. Hhaha.
I for one like to welcome all the Thai tourists to Cambodia. Please come, we Khmer people will guarantee your safety because we appreciate your business. Please come, don't worry. Come to Mother Cambodia and experience the utmost hospitality of a kind in this world. Even if we are raggety and poor, we still give you the best warmest smile to you as a form of thank you for stepping in the land of Angkor. Please come, ladies and gentlemen and boys and girls. We welcome you all to Cambodia and marvel the Khmer ancient architecure and hevean on earth. Thank you for your patronage and business, good Thai people.
8:09, indeed the temple belong to Khmer, but to Khmer in Issan Province, not Khmer in Cambodia.
good, cambodia don't need siem thieves to come to cambodia. why don't they all go back home to nan chao! and thanks for instigating hates with cambodia. karma? what goes around comes around, you hyenas! what we need is a rogue male lion to chase all the hyenas away from the female lion of cambodia. god bless cambodia.
Well, if you don't needed them, why did you begging them to come to Cambodia, Ah Pleu. At any rate, they are better off to invest in Burma, Laos, and Vietnam, and let Cambodia rotten in poverty forever.
i don't think cambodia need thailand investors, especially after what they did to cambodia with the case of preah vihear. damage was done already due to their thieve-like dreaming to steal from cambodia. really, we are specifically speaking about the siem thieves, here, not just any investors, siem investors are bad for cambodia, don't you think so?
why don't the siem thieves invest in their own country, why they want to do business in cambodia? sometimes khmer people like me want to understand their reasoning.
The Siam stupidity really have no limit, the world will laugh at them even more over this child play traveling thing.
Give yourself a break Siam, you are deceiving yourself.
No, the world will laugh at those who think they can get away by calling people foreigners so that they can steal temple and land from them.
Enjoy reading all the sections of all the chitchatting very much. However, I like this comment the best:
"good, cambodia don't need siem thieves to come to cambodia. why don't they all go back home to nan chao! and thanks for instigating hates with cambodia. karma? what goes around comes around, you hyenas! what we need is a rogue male lion to chase all the hyenas away from the female lion of cambodia. god bless cambodia.2:00 AM"
This is the best comment ever to at least me. Hahahha. This reminds me of two things on TV: The story Lion King and the Nature Show entitled "The War between the Lion and the Hyenas". Hahha. I made up the last title, of course, but there is such a show, OK. I am not lying. Hey 2:00AM you did a good job on Ah annoying Nan Chao Siems. Hahha.
Noway, 6:06 is the best comment of all. It's clear truth and concise to the point.
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