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| Thai protesters of the nationalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest outside the UNESCO building in Bangkok (AFP/File, Str) |
AFP
BANGKOK — Thailand has withdrawn from UNESCO'S World Heritage Convention because of a row with Cambodia over a disputed 900-year-old temple, a top official said.
Thailand announced its decision at a meeting in Paris on Saturday, its representative to the talks, Natural Resource and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, told Thai media in the French capital.
"We withdraw to say we do not accept any decision from this meeting," he said.
The World Heritage Convention sets the criteria for UNESCO's list of the world's most important cultural and natural assets.
Suwit said that Thailand took the decision because the Convention agreed to put Cambodia's proposed management plan for the Preah Vihear temple on its agenda.
Preah Vihear is at the centre of a border conflict between the neighbouring countries that has left 28 people dead in two episodes of fierce fighting between their armies earlier this year.
Thailand -- along with Cambodia -- was one of 21 members of the Convention selected to serve on the World Heritage Committee, which meets once a year to decide on additions to the World Heritage list.
Cambodia in May launched a legal bid at the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest UN tribunal, seeking to force Thailand to pull troops from disputed land near the temple ruins.
The court ruled in 1962 that the temple itself belonged to Cambodia but both Phnom Penh and Bangkok claim ownership of a 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square-mile) patch of nearby land.
Observers say the governments of both countries have used the issue in an attempt to stir patriotism and boost their approval ratings.
10 comments:
It is dumb crowd which knows nothing better.
BUNCH OF SORE LOOSERS.
The Thai-yellow-shirt people should seriously look at their faces in the mirror and then ask themselves if Preah Vihear was built by their ancestors.
They should also look at the Thai alphabets and several words used in the Thai language, then ask themselves where they come from.
Last they should ask themselves if they are true buddhists and restudy the buddhist doctrine to see if coveting is something being taught to possess in the doctrine.
It certainly shocks me deeply that they really want to take Preah Vihear Temple without any shame whatsoever.
Their desire to take over Preah Vihear Temple disgusts me completely and reenforces strongly Cambodian committment to defend it.
Anet Khmer
This group (PAD)should be rename as; people alliance for somebody's else temple or P.A.F.S.T.
WELCOME TO THE LAND OF DENIAL!
SHADDUP...KEEP ON DREAMIN'!
it looks like the yellow shit members are becoming a minority party in the future. afterall, yellow shit membership is made up of ignorant siem population, you know! they will probably vanished too when their one eyed master died of old age, you know! they are just a bunch of rankling law breakers, if you ask khmer people, really!
1:20 AM Do you mean informant?
anyone in the PAD has a good brain?
or all stupid?
Thailand knew being memeber of UNESCO WHC will not benifit Thailand anything becaue they don't have any heritage NOTHING!! NANA to be listed ever!
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