By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
Published on February 4, 2009
It appears as if Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission wasted a lot of time yesterday discussing the 11th-century Hindu temple that sits on a cliff at the border. To an outsider, it is difficult to understand why senior diplomats from both sides needed to spend so much time trying to agree upon a name. After all, the huge stone structure is called Preah Vihear in Khmer and Phra Viharn in Thai.
However, things get a bit difficult when the name is linked to ownership.
Calling it Preah Vihear could mean that it belongs to Cambodia, while calling it Phra Viharn could give Thailand a sense of ownership.
Many nationalists believe the temple belongs to Thailand even though a 1962 ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said it belonged to Cambodia.
Still, Cambodia only proposed that the temple be called Preah Vihear after the Thai side suggested it be called Phra Viharn. The Thai negotiation team within the JBC had been given parliamentary mandate to insist that the temple be given the Thai name, said Vasin Teeravechyan, co-chair of the Thai side.
Thailand's suggestion that both names be used in diplomatic documents was rejected by the Cambodian side, which claims that the name Preah Vihear was already well known, while the Thai version was only used among Thai people. It also said that all English-language newspapers called the temple Preah Vihear instead of Phra Viharn.
In addition, Cambodia says that Thailand has no right insisting that the name be changed now when it had never been bothered about it before. The Foreign Ministry had referred to the Hindu temple at the border of the Si Sa Ket province as Preah Vihear until very recently, and only stopped using that name in its English-language press statements in late August last year.
In fact, its statement issued on August 8, 2008, which is still available on the ministry's website, refers to the controversial temple as Preah Vihear.
The ministry only realised that it should use the Thai name in English-language press statements when a group of ultra-nationalists staged a street protest against Cambodia's inscription of the Hindu temple last year.
In fact, Thailand only paid attention to the name when its nationalist pride was bruised. In the 1960s, the temple was widely referred to as Phra Viharn in official documents. That was when the country was in conflict with Cambodia over the ownership of the temple.
Former foreign minister Thanat Khoman, when he wrote to the then United Nations chief U Thant to express his disagreement with the ICJ ruling, referred to the temple as Phra Viharn.
Meanwhile things may have come to a standstill.
Vasin says that Thailand cannot accept that the temple only be referred to by its Khmer name and work on boundary demarcation cannot start until both sides agree upon a name.
The Nation
Published on February 4, 2009
It appears as if Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission wasted a lot of time yesterday discussing the 11th-century Hindu temple that sits on a cliff at the border. To an outsider, it is difficult to understand why senior diplomats from both sides needed to spend so much time trying to agree upon a name. After all, the huge stone structure is called Preah Vihear in Khmer and Phra Viharn in Thai.
However, things get a bit difficult when the name is linked to ownership.
Calling it Preah Vihear could mean that it belongs to Cambodia, while calling it Phra Viharn could give Thailand a sense of ownership.
Many nationalists believe the temple belongs to Thailand even though a 1962 ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said it belonged to Cambodia.
Still, Cambodia only proposed that the temple be called Preah Vihear after the Thai side suggested it be called Phra Viharn. The Thai negotiation team within the JBC had been given parliamentary mandate to insist that the temple be given the Thai name, said Vasin Teeravechyan, co-chair of the Thai side.
Thailand's suggestion that both names be used in diplomatic documents was rejected by the Cambodian side, which claims that the name Preah Vihear was already well known, while the Thai version was only used among Thai people. It also said that all English-language newspapers called the temple Preah Vihear instead of Phra Viharn.
In addition, Cambodia says that Thailand has no right insisting that the name be changed now when it had never been bothered about it before. The Foreign Ministry had referred to the Hindu temple at the border of the Si Sa Ket province as Preah Vihear until very recently, and only stopped using that name in its English-language press statements in late August last year.
In fact, its statement issued on August 8, 2008, which is still available on the ministry's website, refers to the controversial temple as Preah Vihear.
The ministry only realised that it should use the Thai name in English-language press statements when a group of ultra-nationalists staged a street protest against Cambodia's inscription of the Hindu temple last year.
In fact, Thailand only paid attention to the name when its nationalist pride was bruised. In the 1960s, the temple was widely referred to as Phra Viharn in official documents. That was when the country was in conflict with Cambodia over the ownership of the temple.
Former foreign minister Thanat Khoman, when he wrote to the then United Nations chief U Thant to express his disagreement with the ICJ ruling, referred to the temple as Phra Viharn.
Meanwhile things may have come to a standstill.
Vasin says that Thailand cannot accept that the temple only be referred to by its Khmer name and work on boundary demarcation cannot start until both sides agree upon a name.
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