Abishit tries to hide Thai international and shameful misdeed?

Abhisit: No help needed

Aug 10, 2010
AP

BANGKOK - THAILAND'S Prime Minister said on Tuesday he would strive to peacefully resolve a bitter border dispute with Cambodia, and outside mediation, as Cambodia has sought, was not needed.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Cambodia's recent appeal to the United Nations to help negotiate is unnecessary because a 2000 agreement between the countries provides the framework for a solution.

He accused Cambodia of causing the problem by moving people onto 1.8 square miles (4.6 square kilometres) of disputed land around the Preah Vihear temple. Both countries have a heavy troop presence in the area, and have had several small but sometimes deadly clashes in the past few years.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled that the 11th century temple belongs to Phnom Penh.

UNESCO named it a World Heritage site in 2008 after Cambodia applied for the status. The country submitted a management plan for the temple recently to UNESCO's World Heritage Commission, which deferred a decision until next year.

Mr Abhisit is under pressure to move aggressively because Thai right-wing nationalists have protested that Cambodian actions there threaten Thailand's sovereignty. They also want Thailand to revoke the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding as jeopardising Thai territorial claims, which Mr Abhisit denies.

Thailand wants border talks with P. Penh [-Talk to tell the Siamese to get out of Cambodian territories?[

Vasin Teeravechyan and Var Kim Hong during the 07 April 2009 JBC meeting which did not resolve anything (Photo: AFP)

11/08/2010
Anucha Charoenpo, Thanida Tansubhapol and Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

Thailand has proposed talks with Cambodia to settle the dispute over the border area claimed by the two countries.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya yesterday said a Joint Boundary Committee meeting should be held soon to put the issue on the negotiating table. Thailand was arranging the date and venue of the meeting, he said.

Vasin Teeravechyan leads the Thai delegation to the JBC set up to resolve the unclear boundary dividing the two countries. The forum used the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2000 as a framework for negotiations.

Thailand yesterday also made diplomatic moves to counter Cambodia on the Preah Vihear temple issue.

Mr Kasit explained the Thai position to the envoys of eight members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday called on international involvement in the issue to solve the problem of the disputed area.

The minister has also sent a letter approved by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to the presidents of the United Nations Assembly General and the UN Security Council to explain the Thai stance.

The main thrust is that Thailand wants the disputed border to be resolved bilaterally through negotiation.

The prime minister will hold talks with UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon during his visit to the UN headquarters from Sept 20 to 27 to attend the General Assembly, government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said.

The prime minister told reporters at Government House that Thailand would not allow any country to intervene in the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple.

"There is no need for any foreign country to worry about our problem because we will solve it under the MoU," he said.

Mr Abhisit said Cambodia had violated the memorandum by relocating people to a community set up inside the disputed 4.6 square kilometre area .

He expressed confidence the problems would not escalate.

Relations between Thailand and Cambodia soured again after the World Heritage Committee meeting on July 29 in Brazil delayed approving the management plan for the temple and surrounding area sent by Cambodia. Thailand protested that the area covered by the plan intruded on the overlapping zone.

First Army commander Kanit Sapitak said he and Cambodia's 5th military region commander Bun Seng held talks and shared the view that the two countries should settle the border conflict through negotiation and peaceful means.

Lt Gen Kanit said he and Lt Gen Bun Seng had agreed both armies would avoid armed confrontation and not use force.

When will Thailand ever stop its charade claim on Preah Vihear?

Thai on new world heritage committee

28/10/2009
Bangkok Post

At the next meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Brazil next July, Thailand would again raise the Preah Vihear issue for consideration, mainly to protect its sovereignty over the disputed area

The election of a Thai representative to the new Unesco World Heritage Committee would make it easier for Thailand to explain its position in the dispute with Cambodia over Preah Vihear temple, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Wednesday.

Mr Abhisit was commenting on the election of Somsuda Leyavanija, deputy permanent secretary for culture, to the World Heritage Committee. His term ends in 2013.

"I think this will give us more opportunities to explain the dispute," the prime minister said.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti agreed.

Mrs Somsuda would be able to express Thailand's opinions and intentions over the registration of world heritage sites and, more importantly, would have access to important information which could be used to solve the Thai-Cambodian border conflict through peaceful means. he said.

At the next meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Brazil next July, Thailand would again raise the Preah Vihear issue for consideration, mainly to protect its sovereignty over the disputed area, Mr Suwit said.

The ownership of a 4.6 square kilometre area surrounding the ancient Hindu temple is a long-standing point of dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.

Samak thinks talks can solve 'no man's land' dispute ... but keeps adding troops: Can Thailand be trusted?

Samak thinks talks can solve 'no man's land' dispute

Sunday, July 20, 2008
Bangkok Post

Pipop Thongchai, one of three PAD core leaders, said the time is opportune for Thailand to inform the international community that if the border demarcation between Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia is based upon the natural watershed, the contested area is definitely in Thai territory.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Sunday said the disputed border area between Thailand and Cambodia is in "no-man's land" and that talks between officials of both countries are needed to iron out the dispute.

The Thai premier made the remarks after the Cambodian representative to the UN informed the UN Security Council on Thursday of alleged Thai incursion into its territory.

Speaking in his weekly television address, Mr. Samak said he preferred not to talk about the issue as the matter had already reached the United Nations and the Thai foreign ministry would take care of it.

Cambodia's permanent mission in New York submitted a letter to the chairman of the Security Council and the chairman of the General Assembly to "draw their attention to the current situation on the Cambodian-Thai border,'' Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said.

"Cambodia is not asking for UN intervention. We still stick to Prime Minister Hun Sen's instructions to try to solve the problem peacefully between the two sides,'' the Associated Press quoted the minister as saying in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

The disputed area claimed by both countries is the 4.6 square kilometres adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

Troops of both countries have been reinforced in the area recently as Thai Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit and Cambodian Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh are preparing to confer on Monday in Sa Kaeo province opposite Cambodia's Poi Pet on issues related to the ancient temple.

Officials of both countries have already inspected the hotel's meeting venue to ensure the safety of delegates attending the meeting which is scheduled to start at 10 am local time.

Meanwhile, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a group which coalesced thousands of people rallying for months to pressure the premier to step down, on Sunday urged the Thai government to inform the United Nations that the disputed zone adjacent to Preah Vihear temple belongs to Thailand.

Pipop Thongchai, one of three PAD core leaders, said the time is opportune for Thailand to inform the international community that if the border demarcation between Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia is based upon the natural watershed, the contested area is definitely in Thai territory.

He said past misunderstandings happened due to the Cambodian government use of a map drawn during the French occupation of Cambodia which determined the 11th century temple as well as the adjacent area to be in Cambodian territory.

Cambodia's former king denounces Thai claims to 11th century temple as 'absolutely false'

Friday, July 11, 2008
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia's former king dismissed any Thai claim to an 11th century temple on the border as baseless, weighing in on a dispute that has soured relations between the neighbors and fueled anti-government protests in Thailand.

Preah Vihear temple was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site this week, reopening a long-standing disagreement between Phnom Penh and Bangkok over which country owns the land that surrounds it.

Former King Norodom Sihanouk said in a handwritten note posted on his Web site Friday that any Thai claims to the temple were "absolutely false."

He accused the Thais of causing "unmerited and anachronistic problems" for Cambodia "rather than concentrating on developing harmonious, friendly and fruitful relations" between the two countries.

Sihanouk said that some Thais are ignoring historic facts that prove that the "mountain and the temple of Preah Vihear are 100 percent Cambodia and belong to Cambodia 100 percent."

In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded the temple and the land it occupies to Cambodia, a decision that still rankles Thais even though the temple is culturally Cambodian, sharing the Hindu-influenced style of the more famous Angkor Wat in northwestern Cambodia.

"Thanks to Khmer kings and the Khmer Empire — the Angkorian Empire in particular — Thailand is actually very rich in temples and other Khmer monuments in the style of Angkor," the former king said.

Thailand's Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama resigned Thursday after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had overstepped his authority in supporting Cambodia's application to have the temple classified as a World Heritage Site. UNESCO added the temple to its list of landmarks on Monday.

Some political opponents have charged that the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej deliberately bypassed Parliament and backed the bid in exchange for business concessions from Cambodia for toppled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and other Samak cronies.

Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, led a group of Thai, British and Dubai businessmen to Cambodia in late May to discuss several investment projects, including the construction of a new city.

But at a recent news conference, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong dismissed suggestions that the business trip was linked to the Preah Vihear issue.

As Cambodians celebrate the recognition for the temple, a small group of Thais continue to protest, demanding the eviction of Cambodians living on land near the temple.

Preah Vihear: CLOSED

June 24, 2008
Daily Xpress (Thailand)

Cambodia says it's concerned for the safety of its citizens near the controversial Preah Vihear. So unless Thailand guarantees their safety, it will keep the temple...

Cambodia yesterday shut down the controversial Hindu temple of Preah Vihear to visitors as residents of northeastern Si Sa Ket province staged a protest.

Some 500 people have held a protest since June 22 accusing the Cabinet of endorsing Cambodian sovereignty over the temple after the government supported Cambodia's proposal to apply for it to become a world heritage site.

They also demanded that the Cambodian community be removed from the area.

The gate of the temple on Cambodia's side was supposed to be opened by 9am as usual but it remained closed the whole day, according to Colonel Thanya Kiartisarn, commander of the 23rd Task Force, which oversees the area.

"Cambodian officials informally informed us that they are worried over the safety of the Cambodian community near the temple," he said. "The temple will remain closed until the Thai authorities are able to guarantee safety."

A group of artists, senators and writers will petition Unesco at its Bangkok office at 11am today to stop it from accepting Cambodia's application for the listing of Preah Vihear as a world heritage site.

The petition, signed by more than 300 supporters, implies that Thailand and Cambodia should both apply for the temple's listing. Senator Rossana Tositrakul will join the group. She said she was considering lodging a complaint with the Constitution Court, after the government made the decision without a parliamentary okay.

Censure debate today

The Hindu temple has been the subject of conflict between Thailand and Cambodia since last year when Bangkok opposed Phnom Penh's application to annex 4.6 square kilometres of overlapping area claimed by both sides. The dispute was settled after Cambodia agreed last month to accept that only the temple belonged to Cambodia.

However, the Democrat Party, the Senate and the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) launched a series of attacks against the government in Parliament and on the streets. They accused the government of surrendering sovereignty to Cambodia.

PAD leader Maj-General Chamlong Srimuang said the group would today ask the Administrative Court to revoke the Cabinet resolution on Preah Vihear.

The Democrats will today open a censure debate on the issue.

Premier Samak Sundaravej dismissed a claim from Senator Khamnoon Sitthisamarn, saying that nobody could say the temple still belongs to Thailand after the International Court of Justice's ruling nearly half a century ago.