By the nation
Published on February 9, 2009
The 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple will reopen tomorrow after being closed for months.
Seni Jitkasem, governor of Si Sa Ket province, where the entrance to the hill-top Hindu temple is situated, said the decision to reopen was taken because the Thai-Cambodian border situation had returned to normal.
Cambodia last year unilaterally got the temple listed as as a Unesco World Heritage Site, even though access to the ancient site is on Thai soil.
Seni said Lt-General Wibulsak Neepanm the commander-in-chief of the second region army, had endorsed the reopening of Thailand's Phra Viharn national park.
Phra Viharn is the Thai name of the Hindu temple whose original name was Preah Vihear.
"The reopening would benefit local tourism and related businesses. Tomorrow, we would reopen the entrance to the temple unofficially to welcome Thai and foreign visitors ahead of Valentine's Day which falls on February 14.
"In the second stage, we will prepare for a grand opening ceremony around April this year. We'll turn the Phra Viharn or Pa Mor E-daeng national park into a major tourist attraction in northeastern Thailand. "Initially, we will allow only Thai vendors and businesses inside the park," he said.
The Preah Vihear Temple became a hot political issue last year between the two countries when former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama was accused of mishandling the sensitive bilateral issue regarding Cambodia's listing it as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Published on February 9, 2009
The 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple will reopen tomorrow after being closed for months.
Seni Jitkasem, governor of Si Sa Ket province, where the entrance to the hill-top Hindu temple is situated, said the decision to reopen was taken because the Thai-Cambodian border situation had returned to normal.
Cambodia last year unilaterally got the temple listed as as a Unesco World Heritage Site, even though access to the ancient site is on Thai soil.
Seni said Lt-General Wibulsak Neepanm the commander-in-chief of the second region army, had endorsed the reopening of Thailand's Phra Viharn national park.
Phra Viharn is the Thai name of the Hindu temple whose original name was Preah Vihear.
"The reopening would benefit local tourism and related businesses. Tomorrow, we would reopen the entrance to the temple unofficially to welcome Thai and foreign visitors ahead of Valentine's Day which falls on February 14.
"In the second stage, we will prepare for a grand opening ceremony around April this year. We'll turn the Phra Viharn or Pa Mor E-daeng national park into a major tourist attraction in northeastern Thailand. "Initially, we will allow only Thai vendors and businesses inside the park," he said.
The Preah Vihear Temple became a hot political issue last year between the two countries when former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama was accused of mishandling the sensitive bilateral issue regarding Cambodia's listing it as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
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