AFP
PHNOM PENH — Cambodia has accused Internet giant Google of being "professionally irresponsible" over its map of an ancient temple at the centre of a border dispute with Thailand, a letter seen by AFP Saturday showed.
The Google map "places almost half of the Khmer (Preah Vihear) temple in Thailand and is not an internationally recognised map," said the letter written by the secretary of state of the Cambodian Council of Ministers, Svay Sitha.
He described the map as "radically misleading".
"We, therefore, request that you withdraw the already disseminated, very wrong and not internationally recognised map and replace it," Svay Sitha wrote.
The complaint was made as Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen was Saturday making his first visit to the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.
Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over their border for decades. Nationalist tensions spilled over into violence in July 2008, when the Preah Vihear temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.
Four soldiers were killed in clashes in the temple area in 2008 and three more in a gunbattle last April. Smaller flare-ups continue to be reported between troops in the area, with the most recent exchange of fire on January 29.
The border has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.
Relations between the neighbouring countries deteriorated further in November after Hun Sen appointed ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives abroad to escape a jail term for corruption, as an economic adviser.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, although the main entrance lies at the foot of a mountain in Thailand. The exact boundary through the surrounding grounds remains in dispute.
The Google map "places almost half of the Khmer (Preah Vihear) temple in Thailand and is not an internationally recognised map," said the letter written by the secretary of state of the Cambodian Council of Ministers, Svay Sitha.
He described the map as "radically misleading".
"We, therefore, request that you withdraw the already disseminated, very wrong and not internationally recognised map and replace it," Svay Sitha wrote.
The complaint was made as Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen was Saturday making his first visit to the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.
Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over their border for decades. Nationalist tensions spilled over into violence in July 2008, when the Preah Vihear temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.
Four soldiers were killed in clashes in the temple area in 2008 and three more in a gunbattle last April. Smaller flare-ups continue to be reported between troops in the area, with the most recent exchange of fire on January 29.
The border has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.
Relations between the neighbouring countries deteriorated further in November after Hun Sen appointed ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives abroad to escape a jail term for corruption, as an economic adviser.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, although the main entrance lies at the foot of a mountain in Thailand. The exact boundary through the surrounding grounds remains in dispute.
11 comments:
Google is taking side now by putting their business interest above international law.
This is the natural law of nature and for the businesses take side with the bigger or more powerful and to step on the weak and the helpless.
From now on Cambodian government must put Cambodia on the path to war by rearm themselves to the point that they can deter any foreign naked aggression on Cambodian sovereignty!
3:16 "Cambodian government must put Cambodia on the path to war by rearm themselves to the point that they can deter any foreign naked aggression on Cambodian sovereignty". What a sensible idea. You've clearly thought this through thoroughly. With thinking like yours Cambodia is surely in safe, competent and visionary hands. ;-)
1) Google Maps, in their Terms & Conditions has a disclaimer that in effects says "google gives no guarantee to the accuracy of the maps they use http://www.google.com/intl/en_ALL/help/terms_maps.html
Take a look at articles 2 & 3, as well as the disclaimer article 6.
2) There are many disputed international boundaries around the world. And Google goes out of its way to not take sides, whilst still trying to appear sympathetic to those on all sides of a disputed border. A case in point is the disputed border region of Jammu & Kashmir. Which puts China against India ( if you ignore the call for a separate state entirely). Read the following page and you'll see how google normally tries to deal with these types of things. http://worldfocus.org/blog/2009/11/03/for-google-maps-diplomacy-trumps-geography/8021/.
Instead of spending all that energy barking at Google, surely the custodians of this country should put a bit more effort into properly demarcating its sovereign borders in the west and the east (as well as the north & south). It can't be that difficult - unless, of course, these custodians feel that almost all of its borders are in fact, "disputed" and need long protracted negotiations with its neighbours. There's been extensive opportunity since 1989 (21 years) to achieve some progress along the eastern borders, since 1996 (14 years) along the western border and since 1999 (11 years) along the northern border. Presumably it doesn't cost much of the state budget to demarcate the border - so lack of money can't be an issue. Progress on demarcating the borders does not seem to have got very far considering it is such an extremely important issue close to the Cambodian soul. Perhaps they've just been too busy giving land concessions to outsiders (e.g. Chinese & Vietnamese) within Cambodia to such complicated things like grow acacia and rubber trees. Presumably they don't think Cambodians are able to do this by themselves.
One answer is that the "border issue" is always a very handy way to whip up (patriotic but rather gullible) public sentiment when wanting to distract the public from other issues of the day. And this, of course, applies equally in Thailand, Cambodia or Vietnam.
There are other answers too. And as with many things complicity and/or complacency spring easily to mind as a common undercurrent.
Thai owned part of google that's why google takes side.
Sam Rainsy had found out that posts of Cambodia-Vietnam border are BAD.
Yuons agree about that and remove all of the remaining posts from border.
The traitors CPP members, you still deney that Khmer lands are Yuons' ? That is treason.
Khmer in Sydney CBD
cambodia should sent our official map to google so they can correctly demarcate the borderline on google for us. yes, if we found google is misguided, we khmer people should help to educate and correct them as well, you know! otherwise, google will keep on making mistake again. we have to provide them our official map so they can correctly googly demarcate our territories as they have the world's good technology to do so.
To 5:56 PM
Hey to say, that Google does not guarantee the accuracy of its map content is totally irresponsible. If they are international law abiding company, they should have at least follow the legal UN map of Cambodia, not a Thai unilateral map drawn up by Thailand. By using inaccurate map shows that they are taking sides. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Correction must be made immediately if Google is an honest company.
Cambodia has the right to give commercial land concessions foreigners to expand economic progress in the country per Cambodian Constistution. Cambodia is working toward an open door policy to economic progress.
As far as the Thai accomplice, they are wrong if they think that they can use google map for their advantage in future land claims over Cambodia. We Khmer did it once in 1962 and we will continue to do it again when necessary to protect our beloved homeland from naked aggression.
Here is a site of Google Cambodia map: (Please zoom [+] to see the following areas)
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=11.55,104.916667&spn=10,10&t=h&q=11.55,104.916667
NOTES:
1. Pay special attention to Prasat Preah Vihear area (4.6 km2 Khmer land is completely in the Thai side, not reflecting the world court decision on June 15, 1962).
2. Poipet area (Cambodian visa office, Angkor Wat entry gate and some casinos are now shown in the Thai side, the actual border is at the bridge and O'Chrov river near Rong Gleua market).
3. Prasat Ta moan area (showing at least 2 temples of the 3 temple-complex on the Thai side).
4. Kampot/Takeo-Vietnam border at Prek Krobao area (border now is west of the canal, which used to be the canal itself).
Other areas will be examined as well.
hey, even if siem own some of google, that doesn't give google right to misrepresent the internationally recognized map of cambodia. have google ever heard of suing by cambodia? maybe cambodia should sue them for taking side and not doing their job correctly and by taking side with their investors! google is in the USA and thus they are governed by the USA code of business ethics, you know, meaning they could be sue by the consumers, etc... they should know better, really! it never right to take side, especially when it comes to law, etc...
sounds like google is being corrupted by siem thugs!
What you meant? FYI, Thailand is one of the owner of Google.
What Google has done is damaging to the world peace and stability! If Google continue to look after their profit before world peace and soon war will come to every corner of the Earth!
Is Google out to promote war around the world or promote peace around the world?
This is a very sad day for Cambodia!!!
What the hell is Google doing flip flop attitude?
I remembered Google Earth showing Preah Vihear Temple inside Cambodia territory that made the Thai students angry and they asked the Thai govt why, then the Thai govt told the Thai students, they will ask Google to correct it, so here we are !!!
Google did correct as per the Thai govt asking without consulting the Cambodia govt!!!
I hope Google changed the map back to where it was, otherwise Cambodia must take Google to court.
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