All's quiet at Thai embassy in Cambodia

Phnom Penh (dpa) - The Cambodian government would not tolerate "anti-government elements" making Preah Vihear temple a political issue and would not permit a proposed march on the Thai embassy, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Thursday.

He was responding to an announcement by the little-known Society, Morality and National Culture Institute that it was lobbying for permission to stage a 3,000-strong rally around the Thai embassy.

The group's leader, Po Samnang, said the rally was aimed at showing Cambodian support for listing the 11th century Hindu border temple as a World Heritage site.

"These are anti-government groups, so we will treat it as a domestic Cambodian matter.

Thailand tries to help Cambodia, so we should not confuse this issue," Kaharith said.

"We should stay calm, because whatever happens, it is not in dispute that Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia."

He said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had spoken to his Thai counterpart Samak Sundaravej about the issue, and relations between the governments were very cordial.

Continued political strains in Thailand and five-yearly national elections scheduled for July 27 in Cambodia have made the issue a sensitive one on both sides of the border, and Kaharith blamed opposition elements for trying to inflame the issue.

Deputy Prime Minister Sok An is currently in Canada arguing for the temple to be listed as a World Heritage Site. Some Thais have objected, saying it should be jointly managed.

In 2003 an angry mob destroyed the Thai embassy and businesses after a Thai actress was falsely rumoured to have claimed Angkor Wat temple was Thai. Cambodia has vowed that such violence will not be repeated.