Thai tourists visit Cambodia's famed Preah Vihear temple on the Cambodian-Thai- border in Preah Vihear province, about 245 kilometers (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo: AP)The Irrawaddy
By SAI SILP
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Cambodian authorities on Monday ordered the controversial Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border temporarily closed while, on Tuesday, about 300 Thai senators and academics submitted a letter to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), urging the world body to delay making a decision on listing the historical temple as a World Heritage Site.
The Cambodian authorities’ action comes after continuing protests in Thailand ahead of a UNESCO meeting in Canada on July 2-10. Both the Thailand and Cambodian governments signed a joint communiqué last Wednesday endorsing the Cambodian application.
Preah Vihear temple was built in dedication to the Hindu god Shiva and was constructed between the 9th and the 12th centuries. The territory on which the temple lies has been the subject of conflict between the two countries for many years.
In 2007, Bangkok opposed Phnom Penh's application to annex 4.6 square kilometers of overlapping land claimed by both sides. The dispute was settled after Cambodia agreed last month to accept that only the temple lay on Cambodian land.The case quickly became a political issue when opponents noted that Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej bypassed parliament when he endorsed Cambodia's application for UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the temple, which was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.
Meanwhile, Senator Priyanandana Rangsit, vice-chairman of the Thai Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told a press conference in Bangkok that 300 senators and academics had signed a petition which had been submitted to UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Director Sheldon Shaeffer, requesting a delay in the process for the disputed Preah Vihear temple to be listed as a World Heritage Site.
“Preah Vihear has an overlapping area around the temple between Thailand and Cambodia, so it should be registered as joint-custody of both countries.” Priyanandana said.
Local people in Thailand’s Si Sa Ket Province, where the Hindu temple allegedly overlaps onto, have been protesting since Sunday, accusing the cabinet of endorsing Cambodian sovereignty.
The matter has also been highlighted by the People’s Alliance for Democracy, which has been staging anti-government protests in Bangkok for several weeks.
On Tuesday, the Thai cabinet agreed to minor changes in the wording of its resolution on Preah Vihear in an attempt to tone down public criticism.
It also asked the Thai Foreign Ministry to detail the exact dimensions of Preah Vihear temple into the Thai-Cambodian joint communiqué to drive home the point that the area in question is part of the disputed territory, according to a report in Thai newspaper The Nation on Tuesday.
By SAI SILP
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Cambodian authorities on Monday ordered the controversial Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border temporarily closed while, on Tuesday, about 300 Thai senators and academics submitted a letter to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), urging the world body to delay making a decision on listing the historical temple as a World Heritage Site.
The Cambodian authorities’ action comes after continuing protests in Thailand ahead of a UNESCO meeting in Canada on July 2-10. Both the Thailand and Cambodian governments signed a joint communiqué last Wednesday endorsing the Cambodian application.
Preah Vihear temple was built in dedication to the Hindu god Shiva and was constructed between the 9th and the 12th centuries. The territory on which the temple lies has been the subject of conflict between the two countries for many years.
In 2007, Bangkok opposed Phnom Penh's application to annex 4.6 square kilometers of overlapping land claimed by both sides. The dispute was settled after Cambodia agreed last month to accept that only the temple lay on Cambodian land.The case quickly became a political issue when opponents noted that Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej bypassed parliament when he endorsed Cambodia's application for UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the temple, which was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.
Meanwhile, Senator Priyanandana Rangsit, vice-chairman of the Thai Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told a press conference in Bangkok that 300 senators and academics had signed a petition which had been submitted to UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Director Sheldon Shaeffer, requesting a delay in the process for the disputed Preah Vihear temple to be listed as a World Heritage Site.
“Preah Vihear has an overlapping area around the temple between Thailand and Cambodia, so it should be registered as joint-custody of both countries.” Priyanandana said.
Local people in Thailand’s Si Sa Ket Province, where the Hindu temple allegedly overlaps onto, have been protesting since Sunday, accusing the cabinet of endorsing Cambodian sovereignty.
The matter has also been highlighted by the People’s Alliance for Democracy, which has been staging anti-government protests in Bangkok for several weeks.
On Tuesday, the Thai cabinet agreed to minor changes in the wording of its resolution on Preah Vihear in an attempt to tone down public criticism.
It also asked the Thai Foreign Ministry to detail the exact dimensions of Preah Vihear temple into the Thai-Cambodian joint communiqué to drive home the point that the area in question is part of the disputed territory, according to a report in Thai newspaper The Nation on Tuesday.
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