Thaksin 'wants to open Koh Kong casino'

Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama cuts a large ribbon to mark the opening of Road 48 in Koh Kong while Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, and Deputy Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, right, look on. The road project was financed by the Thai government. (Photo: JAKKRIT WAEWKRAIHONG)

Cambodia confident of end to Preah Vihear row

Thursday May 15, 2008
JAKKRIT WAEWKRAIHONG & THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL
Bangkok Post

Thaksin Shinawatra is interested in developing another casino and entertainment complex in the Cambodian province of Koh Kong, Cambodian Defence Minister Teah Banh said yesterday.

Gen Teah Banh, who also is a deputy prime minister with close links to Thai generals, also expressed confidence about a peaceful solution to the dispute over the push by Phnom Penh to register Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site.

The Cambodian minister said in Koh Kong, opposite Trat, that talks about Mr Thaksin's plan were still unofficial. ''Prime Minister Hun Sen trusted and wanted Mr Thaksin to advise on developing Koh Kong as a special economic zone,'' the general said.

Koh Kong now has a casino complex operated by Koh Kong International, a firm owned by Pat Supapa, a senator representing the province and former governor.

The general maintained that the deadlock with Thailand over the Preah Vihear issue could be resolved and would not explode and compromise bilateral ties.

Gen Teah Banh was speaking as he joined Hun Sen and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An in opening Road 48 and four new bridges. The road was built with one billion baht in financial assistance from Thailand. The Thai side was led by Deputy Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama.

The road facilitates the transport of goods from Cambodia to Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri through Trat.

Mr Noppadon held talks with Mr Sok An at the temple ruins on the border of Si Sa Ket and Preah Vihear province.

Mr Noppadon hoped that the Cambodian government would agree to develop a joint management plan with Thailand on Preah Vihear with a solution reached within two weeks.

The obstacle to Cambodia's attempt to register Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site is the overlapping area around the temple, which has not been demarcated.

Mr Noppadon said that the talks on Preah Vihear are separate from negotiations to resolve the overlapping maritime boundary covering 26,000 sq km in the Gulf of Thailand, and there would be no trade-off.

The two countries have submitted different proposals on how to share the benefits from the overlapping maritime area believed to be rich in oil and natural gas.

Thailand and Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding in 2001 to start negotiations over the overlapping area. But talks were stalled after the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh was burned down by rioters in 2003.

King Sihamoni to give alms

Wednesday May 14, 2008
DPA and BANGKOK POST

Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said on a radio programme yesterday that the Thai side has included the coastal border in negotiations about Preah Vihear with Cambodia. The dispute over the temple could be ended only if both countries reached agreement on the overlapping coastal territory first, he said.

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni will give alms to the poor at a site close to the controversial Preah Vihear temple on the Thai border during his three-day birthday celebrations, officials said yesterday.

His trip comes amid the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over the latter's proposed registration of the ancient temple as a Unesco World Heritage site.

Thailand fears it will have to give up 4.6 sq km around the temple if it is listed on behalf of Cambodia only.

The royal birthday celebration for the king, who ascended to the throne in 2004 after the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk, began yesterday and will continue until tomorrow.

The king traditionally conducts Buddhist rites at his palace in the capital, but had chosen to fly by helicopter to an area close to Preah Vihear temple, perched on the border, officials said.

Cambodia is also mulling the idea of introducing a national holiday on June 15 to mark the 1962 anniversary of the International Court in The Hague deciding that the temple, which is sacred to both Cambodians and Thais, lies within Cambodian territory.

Border demarcations, both around Preah Vihear and in disputed coastal waters, remain a sensitive issue for both nations.

Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said on a radio programme yesterday that the Thai side has included the coastal border in negotiations about Preah Vihear with Cambodia. The dispute over the temple could be ended only if both countries reached agreement on the overlapping coastal territory first, he said.

A lesson for the current government leaders: The sacred principle of the indivisibility of a country's territorial unity

Top photo: On 04 January 1962, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodia Head of State, led a large pilgrimage to the recovered National Sanctuary.
Middle photo: The prince smiling at his arrival to the temple
Bottom photo: A delegation of Khmer-Islam joined the pilgrimage

Left Photo: The Head of State with the diplomatic corps
Right Photos: Two pilgrims, a learned monk and an old farmer

Translated from French by Luc Sâr

Sangkum Reastr Niyum Souvenir (1962-1963)

Preah Vihear

National pilgrimage to Preah Vihear

In a speech given at Cheam Khsan, at the foothill of Phreah Vihear, Prince Sihanouk underscored the (significant) meaning that Cambodia gives to the “Preah Vihear affair”: “This is about a sacred principle: that of the indivisibility of the territorial unity of a country. No country in the world would renounce this principle.”

Reminding about the (territorial) amputation that Cambodia suffered during several centuries through the imperialism of her neighbors, the Head of State declared: “If today, we yield again to their pressures (by the Thai and the Vietnamese), we will condemn ourselves to our own death and our country will be erased form the map and from the History of the world. That is why, we will never pull back. We will never yield again…