30/07/2010
By Lamphai Intathep, Thanida Tansubhapol and Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has submitted a strongly worded letter to World Heritage Committee members outlining Thailand's fierce objections to Cambodia's management plan for the Preah Vihear temple.
The Foreign Ministry also began furious lobbying yesterday for the WHC to postpone consideration of the plan.
Deputy permanent secretary for foreign affairs Chittriya Pinthong met with diplomats from 10 countries who sit on the 21-member committee: Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, China, France, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. France, Sweden, Switzerland and Brazil sent their ambassadors to the ministry.
"As long as the demarcation has not been finished, Thailand cannot cooperate with any decision by the WHC," Mr Kasit said in his letter.
He also said Thailand was upset as the WHC appeared not to have realised the sensitivity and importance of the temple issue. Any decision made now on the management plan would raise tensions between the two countries, he said.
"The WHC has also neglected the fact that the management plan for the Preah Vihear temple cannot achieve concrete results and be a success because it has ignored the Thai role in helping preserve the temple," he said.
The temple has been listed as a world heritage site since 2008.
The Thai lobbying came as Thailand and Cambodia were unable to break their deadlock over the issue in Brasilia, the Brazilian capital serving as the venue for the WHC meeting.
Talks between Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, brokered by Brazilian chairman Jao Luiz Silva Ferreira, took place on Wednesday after the WHC adjourned its discussion of Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear to allow both countries to try to patch up their differences.
In tense 30-minute talks, Sok An told Mr Suwit Cambodia had made compromises with Thailand and it could not make any more changes, a source close to the meeting said.
The Cambodian deputy premier stressed that Cambodia's management plan included the eastern part of the temple, but the Thai delegation argued that demarcation of the area had not yet been settled, the source said.
The government on Wednesday threatened to withdraw from the WHC if the committee members approved the Cambodian plan.
The source said at this stage the option of Thailand giving up its membership of the WHC was not needed.
The source said Thailand would make its stand clear by rejecting Cambodia's management plan.
If the WHC continued to consider the plan, the delegation would issue a statement denouncing the WHC, saying it had failed to comply with regulations and had allowed Cambodia to submit its management plan late.
Cambodia should have handed in its plan six months ahead of the meeting but it made its submission less than 24 hours before the meeting began.
The source said the delegation would walk out if the denunciation failed to change the WHC's mind.
The controversy surrounding the Preah Vihear temple is expected to intensify tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border even though authorities insist the border situation is relatively calm.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and the leaders of the three armed forces met yesterday to discuss the matter.
Mr Suthep faulted the WHC for listing Preah Vihear as a heritage site because it sits next to an overlapping 4.6-square-kilometre zone claimed by the two countries. He said the WHC's listing of the temple triggered the dispute between the neighbours.
"The WHC shouldn't be an agency which creates a conflict between two countries," he said.
Mr Suthep said the border situation was normal but the military was prepared and on full alert for any untoward events.
"Don't speculate about what they will do. We are just prepared," he said.
Gen Prawit said the armed forces had a plan to deal with the border situation. He insisted that joint border committees had been working well.
The Foreign Ministry also began furious lobbying yesterday for the WHC to postpone consideration of the plan.
Deputy permanent secretary for foreign affairs Chittriya Pinthong met with diplomats from 10 countries who sit on the 21-member committee: Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, China, France, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. France, Sweden, Switzerland and Brazil sent their ambassadors to the ministry.
"As long as the demarcation has not been finished, Thailand cannot cooperate with any decision by the WHC," Mr Kasit said in his letter.
He also said Thailand was upset as the WHC appeared not to have realised the sensitivity and importance of the temple issue. Any decision made now on the management plan would raise tensions between the two countries, he said.
"The WHC has also neglected the fact that the management plan for the Preah Vihear temple cannot achieve concrete results and be a success because it has ignored the Thai role in helping preserve the temple," he said.
The temple has been listed as a world heritage site since 2008.
The Thai lobbying came as Thailand and Cambodia were unable to break their deadlock over the issue in Brasilia, the Brazilian capital serving as the venue for the WHC meeting.
Talks between Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, brokered by Brazilian chairman Jao Luiz Silva Ferreira, took place on Wednesday after the WHC adjourned its discussion of Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear to allow both countries to try to patch up their differences.
In tense 30-minute talks, Sok An told Mr Suwit Cambodia had made compromises with Thailand and it could not make any more changes, a source close to the meeting said.
The Cambodian deputy premier stressed that Cambodia's management plan included the eastern part of the temple, but the Thai delegation argued that demarcation of the area had not yet been settled, the source said.
The government on Wednesday threatened to withdraw from the WHC if the committee members approved the Cambodian plan.
The source said at this stage the option of Thailand giving up its membership of the WHC was not needed.
The source said Thailand would make its stand clear by rejecting Cambodia's management plan.
If the WHC continued to consider the plan, the delegation would issue a statement denouncing the WHC, saying it had failed to comply with regulations and had allowed Cambodia to submit its management plan late.
Cambodia should have handed in its plan six months ahead of the meeting but it made its submission less than 24 hours before the meeting began.
The source said the delegation would walk out if the denunciation failed to change the WHC's mind.
The controversy surrounding the Preah Vihear temple is expected to intensify tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border even though authorities insist the border situation is relatively calm.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and the leaders of the three armed forces met yesterday to discuss the matter.
Mr Suthep faulted the WHC for listing Preah Vihear as a heritage site because it sits next to an overlapping 4.6-square-kilometre zone claimed by the two countries. He said the WHC's listing of the temple triggered the dispute between the neighbours.
"The WHC shouldn't be an agency which creates a conflict between two countries," he said.
Mr Suthep said the border situation was normal but the military was prepared and on full alert for any untoward events.
"Don't speculate about what they will do. We are just prepared," he said.
Gen Prawit said the armed forces had a plan to deal with the border situation. He insisted that joint border committees had been working well.
6 comments:
sounds like siem pad thugs want cambodia to dance to their tune again! i think cambodia have our own agenda as well! we have all the laws on our sides! god bless cambodia and all our beautiful khmer people and citizens.
Thailand is making a fool of itself. Cambodia should just push ahead with the plan. The longer Thailand drags on the more they will destroy themselves among the world community. Cambodia must not fear of their wordings to leave WHC or sending military to reinforcing their border ect... Cambodia must do what it has to do; if we wait this issue will never get done by the Thai's wish. Now it is our right time to do it.
What a major embarrassment to Thailand in the eyes of the world!
Even Thai academics view what the Abhisit administration is doing is shameful to all other Thais who truly belive the temple was built by Cambodian King on Cambodian land...and the ICJ verdict some 48 years ago was fair based on the evidents which were presented at the time.
Sok An declared: "We have given Thailand too much already"!!
Absolutely true...where was Thailand 900 years ago? Haven't Thailand got enough of Khmer already? In all about 198,115 sq. mi. or 513,120 km2.
One may not know, the current Thai language contains about 2500 Khmer words or 40% of the Thai language.
No other other cultures on the planets are closely similar than Thai and Khmer (perhaps Laotian).
Thai and Khmer use the same numerals.
No other Monarchy are related or in close contact to each other than Khmer and Thai.
Isn't it time that we get along instead of fostering hate and greed toward one another?
As Thaksin puts it...wouldn't it be good if we all progress together?
God Bless HM Bhumibol and HM Sihanouk as both share the same Khmer-Thai ancestry!
Botra Souvannaphoum
Since Hun Sen was a Khmer Rouge commander, now a Khmer Rouge leader and had many of his political opponents and journalists assassinated, I wonder if he have any plan to assassinate the Thai Prime Minister (Ahbullshit Vejjajiva)?
Thai think and talk Monkey just like the Thai Monkey King because Thai are Monkey Alip Alop.
any demarcation should be using the internationally recognized map, the 1907 treaty map, not siem unilateral map, ok! otherwise, forget it and don't expect cambodia to use siem's unilateral map, ok!
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