Jatuporn alleges Thai govt interfered in Cambodian domestic affairs by seeking Thaksin's flight schedule

November 13, 2009
The Nation

Pheu Thai Party MP Jatuporn Promphan Friday alleged that the Abhisit Government had interfered in the domestic affairs of Cambodia by seeking the flight schedule of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's private jet.

Jatuporn said the Cambodian government expelled the first secretary of the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh because the government tried to seek the flight schedule of Thaksin.

"This was a severe breach of diplomatic protocol as Thaksin's jet is a private one. The Thai government interfered in the domestic affairs of Cambodia by seeking the flight schedule," Jatuporn said.

It's a shame to see Thai Democrats interfering and meddling in Cambodia's internal Preah Vihear affair

Thai Democrats to petition World Heritage Committee

BANGKOK, June 29 (TNA) -- Thailand's opposition Democrat Party will directly petition all 21 country members of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee Monday stating its opposition to a Cambodian government plan to unilaterally apply for registration of the historic Preah Vihear temple, the party spokesman said Sunday.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has listed 851 sites in 141 countries as World Heritage sites.

Ong-art Klampaiboon said the party would submit its petition through the UNESCO office here stating the party's stance and the opinions of the Thai people towards the Cambodian plan to apply to list the temple as a World Heritage site.

E-mail messages will also be sent directly to each of the 21 members of the committee urging it to decide the matter based on 'righteousness'.

The Thai opposition party's objection to the planned listing of the ancient temple comes as Phnom Penh plans to apply for the registration of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site during the UNESCO World Heritage Committee annual meeting beginning July 2 in Quebec.

Emphasising that what the Democrat Party is doing is for the benefit of Thailand and not for its own political gain, Mr. Ong-art said his party stood by five points regarding the temple, which sits on Cambodian soil but can only be easily accessed from Thailand.

These five points include its position that the no-confidence debate against the Thai government, which ended Friday, was is no way meant to affect the warm relations between the two countries, that the Thai government should not carry out any activities which could diminish the country's sovereignty and that it should not have approved Cambodia's new map on the temple in exchange for gains for any one person.

Some Thai press reports have said that former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2006, plans to invest in a resort-style entertainment complex on the Cambodian island of Koh Kong and that somehow the Preah Vihear understanding was a deal to benefit Mr. Thaksin.

Both Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama have said what the government had done was for the country's interests as well as maintaining bilateral relations of the two neighbouring countries.

Preah Vihear Temple belongs to Cambodia, why should we co-host its listing with Thailand?

A group unfolds a banner outside the Cambodian embassy to protest against Phnom Penh's bid to register the Preah Vihear temple as a world heritage site. They tried to hand a protest letter to the embassy, but no one came out to accept it. — KOSOL NAKACHOL

Thailand to co-host bid to get Preah Vihear listed by Unesco

Saturday June 28, 2008
APINYA WIPATAYOTIN
Bangkok Post

Thailand's world heritage committee has decided to co-host the nomination of Preah Vihear temple as a world heritage site with Cambodia. The committee, chaired by newly-appointed chairman Pongpol Adireksarn, also agreed that the listing of the ancient Hindu temple should not cover only the temple, but also the area around the temple, which is on Thai soil.

Phnom Penh will propose Preah Vihear to a meeting of the 21-member Unesco World Heritage Committee, which starts in Quebec on July 2.

''We have agreed in principle that Thailand and Cambodia should be co-hosts in the nomination of the temple,'' said Mr Pongpol, who succeeded former committee chairman Prof Adul Vichiencharoen.

However, Mr Pongpol said, the Foreign Ministry would have the final say on Thailand's stance and will play a key role in negotiations on the Preah Vihear temple issue at the Quebec meeting next month.

Mr Pongpol said the committee agreed that the ministry should take the lead role because the issue is sensitive and has been having a strong impact on Thai-Cambodian relations.

He added that the ministry had confirmed its position to the Thai world heritage committee yesterday, saying it supports Phnom Penh's bid to have the Preah Vihear temple registered on the World Heritage list as announced in the controversial joint communique.

Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama signed the joint communique with his Cambodian counterpart on June 18, supporting the nomination of the Hindu temple as a world heritage site.

The move has drawn fierce protests from the public, the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the opposition, who fear Thailand will lose part of its territory if Cambodia is given world heritage status for the temple.

The PAD on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Administrative Court, demanding the court nullify the cabinet resolution allowing the foreign minister to sign the joint communique.

The Thai world heritage committee chairman, however, downplayed the public concern, saying the ministry had been extremely cautious over the borderline issue.

''The ministry officials told us that Thailand will not lose one square inch of territory if Cambodia nominates the temple as a world heritage site,'' said Mr Pongpol, who is a former deputy chief of the defunct Thai Rak Thai party.

Mr Pongpol added that he hoped Unesco's World Heritage Committee would take into account the importance of the temple area and consider it to be part of the world heritage site.

Walwipha Charoenroj, an expert from the Thai Khadi Research Institute, said the committee chairman's stance on the controversial issue was disappointing.

''Does it mean that he and the committee members will not make any objection to the temple's nomination? Mr Pongpol should make his position clear on such an important matter,'' said the academic, who led the protests against the joint communique.

A source inside the committee said if the Cambodian bid is endorsed by Unesco, Phnom Pehn will have full authority to manage the Preah Vihear temple as the owner of the world heritage site.

This will bring many difficulties to the Thai side in the future, he said.

''Thailand will have an equal right to manage the site only if the country is a co-host of the world heritage site proposal.

''And this will lead to better management of the site,'' he added.

Thailand oppose Cambodia's decision to list Preah Vihear as World Heritage site, warns about armed confrontation

Army warns dispute could have repercussions

Friday January 25, 2008
WASSANA NANUAM
Bangkok Post

The Defence Ministry is concerned about Cambodia's tough stance on seeking World Heritage listing of Preah Vihear, the ancient Khmer ruins on the Thai-Cambodian border. Defence Ministry spokesman Pichasanu Putchakarn said Cambodia has ignored the government's suggestion the two countries jointly propose the historical site for Unesco listing.

If Cambodia does it alone, it is feared that Thailand may lose its land around the ancient sanctuary, which has yet to be demarcated, he said.

''Thailand has to think of its national interests. We may protest to the Cambodian government through diplomatic channels and try to explain to other countries that Thailand has tried to cooperate with Cambodia in requesting the World Heritage listing of the sanctuary together.

''But Cambodia went ahead with the request unilaterally. We may also have to condemn Cambodia if the country still tries to do it alone,'' he said.

There was a possibility the dispute could affect diplomatic relations between the two nations, he said.

Thailand and Cambodia each assert sovereignty over some areas around Preah Vihear, known as Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand.

The World Court has judged the ancient ruins as being part of Cambodia. However, the two countries have not come to a demarcation agreement on some immediate border areas around the sanctuary.

Lt-Gen Pichasanu said the World Heritage listing could lead to the disputed areas being annexed by Cambodia which, he said, has tried to rally international support for the sanctuary to be given Heritage status.

He said the issue was significant and therefore warranted immediate government attention.

Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas felt the new government should put the issue on the national agenda, he said.

The country should also prepare for unrest which could arise from the dispute, which could provoke military hostilities along the border.

Second Army commander Sujit Sithiprapa said the army has notified Cambodian authorities it would like them to stop paving a road to the entrance of Preah Vihear because it could disturb the disputed area.

Because the sanctuary is perched atop a hill, entry has to be made from a point on the Thai side of the border.

The road's construction should be put off until the two countries have settled the demarcation issue, Lt-Gen Sujit said.

He said Cambodian soldiers had been deployed along the border zones leading to the sanctuary.

He had ordered his troops deployed to police the border as well.

Despite this, soldiers from the two countries retained close ties.

Gen Boonrawd voiced concern over a possible confrontation, saying top-levels discussions were needed to resolve the issue amicably.