7 ancient treasures returned to Cambodia

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, second right, and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, left, stand by a piece from Cambodian artifacts of the Angkorian era during a ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Heng Sinith / AP)

Statues from 12th century Angkorian era include heads of Hindu god Shiva

Friday, June 12, 2009
AP

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Thailand returned seven treasures from Cambodia's Golden Age to its neighbor Friday as the countries pledged to prevent further smuggling of antiquities.

The statues from the 12th century Angkorian era, including six heads of the Hindu god Shiva, were handed to Cambodian officials during an official one-day visit by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Thai authorities seized them from smugglers in 1999.

Widespread looting of Cambodia's ancient temples has occurred in recent decades, with many items smuggled into Thailand for sale on the international antiques markets or to private collectors.

"The return of these artifacts shows that Cambodia and Thailand enjoy good cooperation and respect each other's laws," said Cambodia Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

Eang Sophalleth, spokesman for Prime Minister Hun Sen, said the two sides agreed to cooperate in stamping out smuggling of national antiquities, and that the prime minister urged Thailand to return 36 other artifacts that belonged to Cambodia.

Both countries also agreed to speedily resolve a dispute over the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

Tensions flared in July last year when UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have Preah Vihear named a World Heritage Site, leading some Thais to believe their claims to the surrounding land would be undermined.

Since then, several soldiers on both sides have been killed in gunbattles in the area, but neither side will back down.

The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty of the surrounding land has never been clearly resolved.

PM Makes Official Visit to Cambodia

12 June 2009
Thai ASEAN News Network

The prime minister is currently on an official visit to Cambodia for bilateral talks, including discussions on the Thai-Cambodian border dispute

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is in Cambodia to meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to introduce himself as Thailand's new prime minister, following the ASEAN custom. The visit was previously scheduled for April 18th, but it was postponed because of riots in Bangkok.

The prime minister will talk with Cambodian counterparts to find a peaceful solution to the Thai-Cambodian border issue.

Abhisit will also hand over seven artifacts that were from Cambodia about 10 years ago. He left Bangkok for Phnom Penh at 7.40 a.m., and will return to Thailand at 9.15 tonight.

Before leaving for the official visit, he responded to the opposition's request to have the extra parliament session on the borrowing decree televised live, that he does not have any objection. When asked about the possibility of the session being televised live, he said it depends on the coalition whips' discussion.

Thai premier reschedules visit to Cambodia this week

PHNOM PENH, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has rescheduled his visit to Cambodia this Friday, a Cambodian government official said Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong told Xinhua that Abhisit will make a one-day official visit on Friday, and during which a handover of 7 pieces of Cambodian artifacts stolen by illegal smugglers will be officiated.

The Thai premier had earlier scheduled to visit Cambodia on April 18, but he cancelled it after the abrupt internal political problems.

According to Koy Kuong, Abhisit's visit to Cambodia will strengthen bilateral relations and the two countries' border issues that have turned into violence for nearly a year will be touched.

If the visit to Cambodia by Abhisit Vejjajiva is to be materialized as planned it will be his first ever official visit to this country since he came to office late last year.

It is a normal visit to be paid by any newly elected head of state or government to its neighboring countries, especially for those from among the 10 member states of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

ASEAN comprises of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Abhisit to visit Cambodia on June 12

Thai PM to visit Malaysia and Cambodia next month

May 20, 2009
The Nation

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will make separate familiarisation trips to Malaysia and Cambodia next month.

He will visit Malaysia on June 8 and Cambodia on June 12.

In Cambodia, Abhisit will return seven of eight artefacts which were smuggled from Cambodia and confiscated in a raid in the Thai soil.

Thai government will be responsible for Bt336,980 expense of the packaging and transporting of the artefacts to Cambodia.

Abhisit had returned an artefact to his Khmer counterpart; Hun Sen, on the sideline of the Asean Summit in Pattaya in April.

Abhisit will make an official visit to South Korea from May 30 to June 2.

Abhisit to visit Cambodia on 12 June and he will return 7 Cambodian artefacts

PM: Reshuffle unnecessary

20/05/2009
BangkokPost.com

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Wednesday no coalition partners had proposed the changes to the cabinet yet, and he believed a change of ministers was not necessary at the moment.

Mr Abhisit said there was no pressure on the Democrat party to reshuffle the cabinet.

If any of the coalition allies wanted to replace a particular minister within their quota, then that was an internal matter for that party to decide.

The Bhumjaithai party would decide if Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister and Bhumjaithai MP Chartchai Pookyaporn should be replaced.

However, he was of the view Mr Chartchai had been doing his job well.

The prime minister insisted he had never planned to reshuffle the cabinet after six months in office.

Mr Abhisit said the government was closely monitoring the situation in Burma, where democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is on trial behind closed doors, and was ready to help promote democracy there.

He also believed the executive decree authorising the Ministry of Finance to seek 400 billion baht in loans for urgent economic projects would not suffer a setback while it was being considered by the Constitution Court.

The Constitution Court has been asked to rule on the legitimacy of the decree, a move engineered by the opposition Puea Thai party to block the raising of the loans.

Mr Abhisit said the government believed the decree was lawful, and it would take no more than a month to implement it.

On the current political situation, he called on different sides to respect each other views if they want the country to move in a positive direction.

The prime minister is to make an official visit to Phnom Penh on June 12, during which he will return seven artifacts to Cambodia.

Thais may return antiquities [... but Cambodia may have to wait for a very, very long time]

Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Written by Vong Sokheng and Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

Deal between Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers could see return of 43 ancient Khmer artefacts confiscated by Thai customs guards in 1999

CAMBODIAN artefacts confiscated by Thai authorities are set to return to the Kingdom pending the approval of the Bangkok Cabinet, following an agreement Monday between Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya in Phnom Penh.

"Regarding the Khmer artefacts confiscated in Thailand, Kasit will ask the Thai Minister of Culture to request an approval from the Thai Cabinet to allow them to be sent back to Cambodia," Hor Namhong told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 1999, Thai customs agents seized 43 antique Khmer sculptures weighing more than eight tonnes at a port owned by a Thai shipping company.

The antiques were being smuggled from Cambodia to Singapore via Thailand and were destined for markets in Europe and the United States. The sculptures are believed to have been stripped from ancient Khmer temples and monuments inside Cambodia.

Khim Sarith, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, told the Post that negotiations with Thailand on the return of the artefacts began a few years ago but that the Cambodian government was still awaiting an approval from the Thai government.

"I think that the bilateral meeting between the Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers will help to push forward the process of returning the Khmer artefacts," Khim Sarith said.

He added that prior to Monday's meeting, Thailand has recognised 18 of the 43 artefacts as belonging to Cambodia, but was hopeful the new agreement would see the return of all 43 pieces, which would be the second time the two countries have cooperated on the repatriation of Khmer antiquities.

In November 1999, the Thai government returned more than 100 carved stone blocks that had been smuggled into the country earlier in the year after being hacked from the walls of the temple of Banteay Chhmar in northwestern Cambodia.

"We are waiting to hear good news," said Khim Sarith.

"If the Thai government agrees to return our artefacts, we will go to take them immediately, but so far not a single artefact has been returned."