By Hul Rasmey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
On Thursday, the MP in charge of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation sent a letter to the Council of Ministers asking it to urgently provide a copy of the map that Cambodia provided to Thailand recently.
Son Chhay, the Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Committee No. 5, in charge of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Information, indicated that there are accusations made that the Cambodian government did not use the decision handed down by The Hague International Court of Justice which decided that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia.
Son Chhay said that his committee needs to review the document and the new map for Preah Vihear Temple which the government agreed with Thailand, and that the map drawing may not abide by the decision handed down by The Hague International Court of Justice. Son Chhay is concerned that Cambodia could lose some lands in this matter.
Son Chhay said: “As (the chairman) of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs committee which is also in charge of the border issues, we want to obtain the documents and maps so that we can review them, to see if what the government did is right or wrong. This is done so that the NA, the legislative branch, has the ability to advise the government, as well as to confirm publicly the events that took place recently.”
Son Chhay said also that he will invite Sok An, the vice-prime minister and minister in charge of the Council of Ministers, and Var Kim Hong, the chairman of the government border committee, to discuss about the listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site.
Phay Siphan, spokesman of the Coucil of Ministers, said that Cambodia and Thailand will not lose an inch of land from the listing of Preah Vihear Teample as a World Heritage site.
He said that Son Chhay’s concerns about the lost of land were due to the fact that Son Chhay was influenced by the newspapers only. He demanded that Son Chhay study the government work closely, and Phay Siphan said that the Council of Ministers sent a copy of the document about the progress of the listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site to Son Chhay to review already.
Phay Siphan said: “Based on my interviews on radio and on all the newspapers, Cambodia does not want to lose one inch of land, and Thailand does not want to lose one inch of land either. We tried hard to explain that this map is not a demarcation map, it is an administrative map for the listing of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site, and this map shows the perimeter of the administrative area in terms of actual cultural area, this is not a border map.”
Son Chhay said that he did not receive this document yet, and he said that he will review these documents with experts in the field.
On Wednesday, several thousands of Thai people protested in front of the Thai ministry of Foreign Affairs to demand that the Thai government explains about the listing of Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site. This protest took place after the Thai government agreed to the new map of Preah Vihear submitted by Cambodia. Noppadon Pattama, the Thai Foreign Affairs minister, told reporters that Thailand is not losing any land.
Son Chhay, the Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Committee No. 5, in charge of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Information, indicated that there are accusations made that the Cambodian government did not use the decision handed down by The Hague International Court of Justice which decided that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia.
Son Chhay said that his committee needs to review the document and the new map for Preah Vihear Temple which the government agreed with Thailand, and that the map drawing may not abide by the decision handed down by The Hague International Court of Justice. Son Chhay is concerned that Cambodia could lose some lands in this matter.
Son Chhay said: “As (the chairman) of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs committee which is also in charge of the border issues, we want to obtain the documents and maps so that we can review them, to see if what the government did is right or wrong. This is done so that the NA, the legislative branch, has the ability to advise the government, as well as to confirm publicly the events that took place recently.”
Son Chhay said also that he will invite Sok An, the vice-prime minister and minister in charge of the Council of Ministers, and Var Kim Hong, the chairman of the government border committee, to discuss about the listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site.
Phay Siphan, spokesman of the Coucil of Ministers, said that Cambodia and Thailand will not lose an inch of land from the listing of Preah Vihear Teample as a World Heritage site.
He said that Son Chhay’s concerns about the lost of land were due to the fact that Son Chhay was influenced by the newspapers only. He demanded that Son Chhay study the government work closely, and Phay Siphan said that the Council of Ministers sent a copy of the document about the progress of the listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site to Son Chhay to review already.
Phay Siphan said: “Based on my interviews on radio and on all the newspapers, Cambodia does not want to lose one inch of land, and Thailand does not want to lose one inch of land either. We tried hard to explain that this map is not a demarcation map, it is an administrative map for the listing of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site, and this map shows the perimeter of the administrative area in terms of actual cultural area, this is not a border map.”
Son Chhay said that he did not receive this document yet, and he said that he will review these documents with experts in the field.
On Wednesday, several thousands of Thai people protested in front of the Thai ministry of Foreign Affairs to demand that the Thai government explains about the listing of Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site. This protest took place after the Thai government agreed to the new map of Preah Vihear submitted by Cambodia. Noppadon Pattama, the Thai Foreign Affairs minister, told reporters that Thailand is not losing any land.
