Protests Shutter Preah Vihear Temple

Thai protesters holding banners and shouting (Photo: Thailand news media)

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 June 2008

As Thai protesters arrived on the northern border, Cambodian authorities on Monday closed the gates to Preah Vihear temple, whose application for Unesco World Heritage protection has brought border anxieties between the neighbors to the fore.

Thai opposition politicians and activists accuse Thailand's foreign minister of hastily allowing the Cambodians to forward the application to Unesco, and over the weekend a group of protesters were outside the temple, requesting permission to enter.

Cambodia then closed the temple to all visitors, pending further notification.

The temple will be reopened when "the situation becomes good and no one is causing any more problems," said Var Kimhong, chairman of the government's border committee.

Photos from Preah Vihear border

Thai protesters standing in front of the gate to Preah Vihear (Photo: Thailand news media)
Thai protesters holding banners and shouting (Photo: Thailand news media)
Cambodian temporary shelters in Prasat village (Photo: Vantha, Koh Santepheap news)

Cambodia shuts Thai border crossing to disputed temple

Thai tourists visit the Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodia has closed its border with Thailand at the disputed Preah Vihear temple after a group of Thai protesters rallied near the ruins, an official said Tuesday.

Senior Minister Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodian government's border committee, told AFP the border crossing was closed on Sunday evening when a group of Thai protesters rallied near the checkpoint.

"The reason is Thai protesters demonstrated near the gate to the temple and authorities feared that something could happen to visitors to Preah Vihear temple," Kimhong said, adding he did not know when the crossing would reopen.

The protesters rallied against a decision last week by Thailand's cabinet to give Cambodia the green light to apply for the Preah Vihear temple to be listed as a World Heritage Site.

The deal has sparked claims that Thailand would lose territory to Cambodia around the small but emotive site.

Cambodia's attempt last year to have the ancient Hindu site, perched on a mountaintop on the Thai-Cambodia border, listed by the UN's cultural body UNESCO failed, with rumours that Thailand had blocked the deal.

Cambodia began seeking World Heritage status for Preah Vihear nearly six years ago, but the temple has long plagued Thai-Cambodian relations.

Both countries have historically laid claim to the site, which sits on Cambodian soil but can only be easily accessed from Thailand.

Former Cambodian king Norodom Sihanouk took Thailand to the World Court in 1962 over the two countries' claim to Preah Vihear. The court ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia.

A spat in 2003 over Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple -- the most significant symbol of the country's ancient Khmer empire -- sparked a night of riots that saw Thailand's embassy and several Thai-owned businesses burned and looted.

Protest to continue "until we get our Khao Phra Viharn back and expel Cambodian villagers who have encroached on the Thai border": Thai protest leader

Temple locked

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Bangkok Post Reporters

Cambodia closed the Preah Vihear ruins on Monday amid worries Thai protests over Phnom Penh's plan to propose the ancient temple for World Heritage listing will spill across the border - after it spilled into parliament and the courts.

The issue was a major point raised during yesterday's general debate by senators who attacked Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his government for supporting the Cambodian move.

Outside the parliament, opponents plan to ask the Administrative Court today to nullify the cabinet's endorsement of Cambodia's map of Preah Vihear and a joint declaration to be presented to Unesco.

Senator Kamnoon Sitthisamarn will lead protestors to petition the court.

M.R. Priyanandana Rangsit, deputy chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, will also hand a protest letter to the office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in Bangkok. The letter signed by 300 elite and socially recognised people calls on the UN agency not to accept the temple as a World Heritage site.

The government on June 17 approved the new map drawn by Cambodia, which defines the temple's boundary to be proposed to the World Heritage Committee during its meeting in Quebec starting on June 2, placing it inside Cambodia.

Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama also signed a joint statement with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, supporting the application, soon after Bangkok agreed to the map.

The closure of the temple came after Cambodian officials held talks to assess the situation.

About 200 Thai protesters gathered near the temple yesterday. Many of them had completed a 110-km walk protesting against Phnom Penh's move. The group began the "Dharma Walk" in Muang Si Sa Ket and arrived in Kantharalak district, which adjoins the temple, on Sunday.

Their demonstration near Preah Vihear added to the worries of Cambodian officials, who in recent weeks have seen growing protests in Thailand against the listing of the temple.

Cambodian officials said the temple, known as Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, will reopen to tourists when the protest rally ends.

Protest leader Saman Sri-ngam warned the protest would continue "until we get our Khao Phra Viharn back and expel Cambodian villagers who have encroached on the Thai border."

They sang the Thai national anthem and a patriotic song Rao Su (We Will Fight) during their rally. Some yelled at Cambodian villagers, demanding they leave the Thai border.

A group of monks, led by Phra Maha Boontueng, also joined the rally. They offered prayers in support of the protesters.

A Thai military source said the army had been informed of the closure of Preah Vihear, but had not contacted Phnom Penh on the issue.

The source said some officers agreed with the protest over the encroachment by Cambodians who built shops and other structures.

"The villagers well know that the area belongs to Thailand, but past governments have done nothing about it," the source said.

In the Senate debate, Phetchaburi Senator Sumol Sutawiriyawat roundly criticised the government over its handling of the Preah Vihear issue, including the failure to jointly propose the listing of the ancient temple as a World Heritage site with Cambodia.

In his defence, Mr Samak insisted Thailand will not lose any territory to Cambodia by approving the Cambodian map and the joint statement.

He stressed the temple is inside Cambodia, as a result of the International Court of Justice's ruling in 1962, and criticised those trying to stir up people to try and reclaim it.

Privy Council president Gen Prem Tinsulanonda has reacted to the Preah Vihear issue in a short reply to a letter sent to him on Thursday calling on the government and civic groups to help protect Thai territory. It was handed to him by chief adviser to the Supreme Command Gen Pathompong Kesornsuk.

The letter said approval of the new map of Preah Vihear would lead to legal complications when Thailand and Cambodia hold talks on the overlapping areas along their border in the future.

In his reply on June 21 Gen Prem replied the move "is a way to return a favour to the nation".