June 18, 2008
The Nation (Thailand)
Residents of Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district where the Preah Vihear Hindu temple is located and street protesters in Bangkok yesterday decried the Cabinet's acceptance of Cambodia's new map of the temple for its World Heritage site application.
"We disagree with the government's endorsement. As long as the Cambodian community is not removed from the overlapping area, the government should not cooperate with the country on the matter," said Sanong Huaychan, chairman of Kantharalak community. Thailand and Cambodia have been in dispute since last year when Bangkok opposed an idea to list the temple as a World Heritage site with the annexation of 4.6 square kilometres of overlapping area claimed by both sides.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia but the ruling did not make the boundary clear.
The dispute was settled as Cambodia's new map did not include the undemarcated area, the Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said.
Navy commander Admiral Sathiraphan Keyanont said the military and the National Security Council were satisfied with the new drawing of the map.
"It's good, there's no problem with it. Cambodia claimed nothing beyond their right. Only the temple will be proposed as a World Heritage site," he said.
However, the presence of the Cambodian community in the overlapping area is another matter which happened years before this government, Noppadon said.
"The ministry has protested over the construction of a community in the overlapping area three or four times before I took office, but the people in Si Sa Ket don't need to worry as I will carry on the matter after the issue of the World Heritage site is settled," Noppadon told reporters.
The opposition Democrat Party distrusted the government and will submit a censure motion against Noppadon, who said he was ready to defend his position.
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) will today march to the Foreign Ministry to demand the minister clarify the agreement with Cambodia and show the new map.
They believed Noppadon made the deal with Phnom Penh in favour of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's business interests.
"We disagree with the government's endorsement. As long as the Cambodian community is not removed from the overlapping area, the government should not cooperate with the country on the matter," said Sanong Huaychan, chairman of Kantharalak community. Thailand and Cambodia have been in dispute since last year when Bangkok opposed an idea to list the temple as a World Heritage site with the annexation of 4.6 square kilometres of overlapping area claimed by both sides.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia but the ruling did not make the boundary clear.
The dispute was settled as Cambodia's new map did not include the undemarcated area, the Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said.
Navy commander Admiral Sathiraphan Keyanont said the military and the National Security Council were satisfied with the new drawing of the map.
"It's good, there's no problem with it. Cambodia claimed nothing beyond their right. Only the temple will be proposed as a World Heritage site," he said.
However, the presence of the Cambodian community in the overlapping area is another matter which happened years before this government, Noppadon said.
"The ministry has protested over the construction of a community in the overlapping area three or four times before I took office, but the people in Si Sa Ket don't need to worry as I will carry on the matter after the issue of the World Heritage site is settled," Noppadon told reporters.
The opposition Democrat Party distrusted the government and will submit a censure motion against Noppadon, who said he was ready to defend his position.
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) will today march to the Foreign Ministry to demand the minister clarify the agreement with Cambodia and show the new map.
They believed Noppadon made the deal with Phnom Penh in favour of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's business interests.
7 comments:
It shows the lack of patriotisms from the side of bother Cambodian people and Cambodian government. No matter what happen, Cambodia is still a sleeping nation. I am so disappointed. I see the decline and the suffering Cambodian have had for thousands years just because our cowardliness, our selfishnesses, and egoistness from every level of society.
To make thing easy and understanding the Cambodian should present to the UN that the province of Si Sa Ket is Cambodian province. So there! If the Thai keeps insist about this and that HUN SEN just need to the UN and tell the world Si Sa Ket is Cambodian province. And Prasat Preah Vihear is in Cambodian soil of Si Sa Ket. HUN SEN you need to speak up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i know, too many years of isolation caused or created that kind of mentality like you mentioned above. i think cambodia need to gain world view and adopt more of the world's view than just the so-called "frog in the well" mentality. we need to be smarter for the nation, not just the family and local villages etc... we need to look at bigger picture of the nation. a lot of people in cambodia still have narrow-mindedness about changes and reform because they still believe in strong family ties and strong cultural identity which all good, to say the least; however, i think there's a need to balance the equilibrium of the dynamic of family and country's loyalty with that of a more open-mindedness and world view as in modern society to conform with modern higher standard of living etc. and the idiot KR era did not help that mentality a bit but sort of made it worse, actually. i just and praise and encourage that cambodia can adopt a more positive outlook in live and a sense of loyalty ot the nation as a whole in order to balance the tight knitted family structures of the cambodian society. khmer people are actually a very loyal society when it comes to family members and nation; we just need to broard that egotistical view a bit to embrace the worldly view, if not all, at least as a balancing act so everyone can be happy and satisfied. that said, there is nothing wrong with being cambodian. we just have to remind ourselves a lot that there is a bigger world out there beyond the boundary of cambodia, and that we cannot just ignore. that's all. be smarter, please. and definitely be kind to one another and help each other as in the name of humanity if nothing else. thank you and god bless cambodia.
For Iraq during close to 30 years of Saddam Hussein rules, he had alot of his people really got high education. But under HUN SEN, it is reverse. Iraq is the most educated nation in that region almost all countries surrounding IRAQ scare of Saddam because his educated people help built IRAQ. For Cambodia, HU SEN should push the schooling system to its peak so the neighboring countries won't dare to do us harm or threaten us anything. Though, in reality Cambodia is far lesser population then YOUN and SIAM but the population got nothing to do with that. Look at Isreal with 3-4 millions and is surrounded by enemies with the most population of 250 millions Arab. So, this because Israel showing their patriotic and love their country very much that the powerful enemies can't even dare to attack them. Cambodia needs to copy Israel and upgrade or update our schooling system so our new generatons won't sit in frog hole any more. Please HUN SEN wake up and make proud of your country. Khmer people will love you if you are a true nationalist.
Siameses people are complaining against their GV, so do Cambodian people!. As Khmer populations, We couldn't do much to stop Mr. Hun Sen has a heart feeling towared his friend Mr. Taxin a former Tai MP but what we do know though, PRASAAT PREAH VIHAER IS KHMER BOLONGING therefore Khmer nation always remember it. If you (Thai people not happy), we will have to do as my dear fried 1:04AM said his/her point is logically fair for all to reduice the tension between the two nations.
May god Bless Khmer all
The temple belongs to Khmer-Thai who live in the area for generation after generation. You can't just kick them out of the their land and steal their temple for your own benefit. That is evil and it will not be tolerated.
Of course the Temple is belong to only Khmer. Not the ignorant Thai.
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