Talks push worries Thailand

24/05/2011
Apinya Wipatayotin and Pradit Ruangdit
Bangkok Post

Thailand is unlikely to convince Cambodia to defer its management plan for the Preah Vihear temple during a planned meeting in Paris tomorrow.

Koichiro Matsuura, special envoy for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), has invited the two countries to hold two days of bilateral talks in the French capital to try to settle their dispute over the plan.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Phnom Penh insisted it would stick to the World Heritage Committee's schedule to consider the management plan next month.

The WHC has scheduled its 35th session for June 19 and 20 and Cambodia's controversial management plan for the Preah Vihear temple is on the agenda.

Cambodia said the WHC's timetable was fixed in Brazil and Suwit Khunkitti, Thailand's minister for natural resources and environment, had signed off and accepted it.

Thailand wants the WHC to put off considering the Cambodian proposal, citing the disputed borderline and armed conflict between the two countries.

Mr Suwit admitted he was under pressure to hold the talks with Cambodia.

"If Cambodia insists on keeping the plan on the WHC schedule, we will have to negotiate further on the ground next month," he said.

Mr Suwit said the special meeting had been organised by Unesco but the final decision on whether to consider the Cambodian plan belonged to all 21 members of the WHC.

He said the listing of Preah Vihear temple as a world heritage site had created conflict, resulting in the deaths and injuries of Thai and Cambodian civilians and soldiers, which is against the principles of Unesco.

Thailand has claimed that Cambodia's management plan for the temple overlaps onto Thai territory and Mr Suwit insisted that the two countries first discuss their border demarcation through a joint border committee.

Cambodia's National Committee for World Heritage said in a statement on Sunday the management plan covered only its national territory.

It also criticised Mr Suwit for saying that Thailand had only recently received the management plan. Cambodia said it had sent the management plan to WHC members including Thailand in July and August last year.