Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Thai nationalists demand UNESCO delist controversial temple

Jun 22, 2011
DPA

Bangkok - Thai protesters massed outside the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Bangkok office Wednesday to demand that a Cambodian temple be removed from the world heritage list.

About 1,000 members of the ultra-nationalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) gathered to demand UNESCO delist the Preah Vihear temple, which lies on Cambodian soil but is claimed by Thailand, and 'end the violation of sovereignty of Thai territory.'

UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is currently meeting in Paris to decide on new sites and discuss progress on formerly designated ones.


UNESCO declared Preah Vihear a World Heritage site in 2008 over Thai objections. Since then Thai and Cambodian troops have clashed on several occasions along the border, most recently in April when 16 people, mostly soldiers, died.

The 11th-century Hindu temple, perched on a cliff that defines the Thai-Cambodian border, has been a bone of contention between the two countries for six decades.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple was on Cambodia soil, but it stopped short of ruling on where the border lies in the disputed area.

While Thailand has accepted the 1962 ruling, it has laid claim to a 4.6 square kilometre plot of land adjacent to the temple, which is also claimed by Cambodia.

The Thai government has lobbied UNESCO to delay a decision this week on whether to approve Cambodia's Preah Vihear management plan, which includes the disputed nearby land.

The plan 'wrongfully violates the territory and sovereignty of Thailand,' PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang said in a letter passed to the UNESCO office. 'Thais will regard the UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee as ... the country's enemy.'

The conservative, pro-royalist movement was behind anti-government street demonstrations in 2008 that led to the seizure of Government House and the closure of Bangkok's two airports.

They have been staging a demonstration outside Government House, where the prime minister and cabinet ministers keep their offices, since January, to protest Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's failure to resolve the Preah Vihear dispute.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

siem thugs demand whatever they want with their emotion and tantrum, etc; unesco cannot do anything against the international law, etc, ok! of course, siem thugs will cry and demand anything and everything, but the law is the law, really! get used to it for a change, ok, siem thugs! this is not the dark ages era where you can steal from cambodia as you please, ok!

Anonymous said...

PAD THAIs = THAI trouble makers

Anonymous said...

Thai are always feeling, that they are better than Khmer.
The reality, they still live in a closed ghetto, has lost connecting to outside world. Their behavior is like a spoiled kid and did not understand the international law.

Anonymous said...

PAD THAIs=KUY TIEV CHHAR! Stir fried noodle..

Anonymous said...

They are a bunch of Thai liars with their out landing claim.

Anonymous said...

Thai's envy and are jealous of Cambodia because Khmer people is a real race and Thai is not and their royal palaces uses Khmer Angkor temple architectures.

Anonymous said...

ថៃបុកល្ហុង បាយដំណើប។ អាដំណើប កើប
លាមកខ្មែរ។ អាកាពិ ស៊ីកំពឹសឆៅ។អានេះស៊ី
ម្ទេសច្រើនពេក ម្ទេសរោលគូថវា។អាហុតទឹក
ទឹកប្រហុកឆៅ។
បក្សប្រព័ន្ធប្រជាជនប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ(PAD)កាន់
កន្ថោរស្ដេច។
ព្រះវិហារជារបស់ខ្មែរ។ ដីនគររាជជារបស់ខ្មែរ។
ខ្មែរបីលាននៅភូមិភាគឦសាន សុរិន្ទ សង្ឃ័រ
គោកខ័ណ្ឌ បុរីរាំ ស៊ីសាកេតុ នគររាជ ត្រូវ
បះបោរឡើង ដូចមូស្លិមភាគត្បូង ឬ ចូល
(UNPO)ដើម្បីទាមទារឯករជ្យ។

Anonymous said...

(pad) thai noodle, keep dreaming
about preah vihear, for next 1000 years

thailand king never smiled,
u should be telling your peoples,
to stop dreaming about preah vihear,,

it gonna be wasted your times,from now on to next 1000 years.

Anonymous said...

ไอ้หมาจำลอง ศรีเมือง (ชื่อจีน: 盧金河) มันรักควย (ไม่ใช่รักชาติ) ต้องเรียนรู้ทางประวัติศาสตร์ว่าเขมรนี่เป็นนักก่อสร้างพระวิหาร ๒๐๐ ปีก่อนพวกไทหนีมาอยู่เขมรจากน่านเจ้า...ถ้ามึงว่าพระหารเป็นของไทย ขอให้บุญคุณพระบารมีพระวิหาร จะพินาศกบาลมึง...ไทยขโมยจากเขมรซึ่งทุกอย่างไปแล้ว น่าจะอายตัวบ้าง...ถ้าตนศรีวิลัยกว่าใคร...ไม่น่าจะทำถูกตำ่แบบนี้!

Anonymous said...

siem nationalists are a bunch of idiots. i hope unesco ignore them, really!

Anonymous said...

who cares about siem nationalists! they're not khmer and they're not unesco! why bother with them, really! let them cry!

Anonymous said...

THE PAD'SDOG SIAM KING SHOULD GO BACK TO SCHOOL BUT NOT THE PUBLIC SCHOOL,I MEANT ANY SCHOOL IN THE PAGODA AROUND THE ASIA WORLD!.

Anonymous said...

as long as siem thugs keeps on using their own illegal map, don't expect cambodia to get along with them, really!