By: Bangkok Post.com
Published: 1/07/2009
The listing of Preah Vihear temple as a world heritage site was an accomplished fact and the government should explain this clearly to the people to prevent any more confusion, Pongpol Adireksarn, former chairman of the Thai World Heritage Committee, said on Wednesday.
Mr Pongpol said he questioned National Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti's claim that the World Heritage Committee (WHC) had accepted for consideration Thailand's opposition to Cambodia's unilateral listing of Preah Vihear and listed the Hindu temple for reconsideration at its annual meeting in Brazil next year.
Mr Suwit has just returned from observing the WHC meeting in Seville, Spain.
Mr Pongpol said Preah Vihear temple had already been inscripted as a world heritage site, according to an announcement of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) on its website.
Mr Suwit's claim that Unesco would reconsider the decision was not credible, he said.
Any postponement of the Thai claim for dual listing rights was intended to give Cambodia until February next year to submit its plan for safeguarding and developing the Preah Vihear temple, he said.
The WHC initially obligated Cambodia to submit its plan by February this year, following the temple's heritage inscription last July.
However, Phnom Penh has not been able to submit many details of the plan, including a map of buffer zones around the site, owing to its boundary conflict with Thailand, said Mr Pongpol.
Mr Pongpol called for the government to explain this matter clearly to the people to prevent any confusion.
He pointed out that the WHC agreed to list Khao Yai, Thap Lan, Pang Sida and Ta Phraya national parks and Dong Yai Wildlife Reserve as world heritage sites on the condition that Thailand drew up a plan to connect the forests of Khao Yai and Thap Lan national parks and set up a single organisation to administer them.
Four years on, Thailand had still not met that condition.
However, the area had already been recognised as a world heritage site.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya insisted on Wednesday that the bilateral relations between Thailand and Cambodia were still cordial and both governments were continually working together to solve the border dispute.
"It is the responsibility of the army of each country to withdraw their troops along the border area, but I believe neither country wants an armed conflict," the minister said.
Published: 1/07/2009
The listing of Preah Vihear temple as a world heritage site was an accomplished fact and the government should explain this clearly to the people to prevent any more confusion, Pongpol Adireksarn, former chairman of the Thai World Heritage Committee, said on Wednesday.
Mr Pongpol said he questioned National Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti's claim that the World Heritage Committee (WHC) had accepted for consideration Thailand's opposition to Cambodia's unilateral listing of Preah Vihear and listed the Hindu temple for reconsideration at its annual meeting in Brazil next year.
Mr Suwit has just returned from observing the WHC meeting in Seville, Spain.
Mr Pongpol said Preah Vihear temple had already been inscripted as a world heritage site, according to an announcement of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) on its website.
Mr Suwit's claim that Unesco would reconsider the decision was not credible, he said.
Any postponement of the Thai claim for dual listing rights was intended to give Cambodia until February next year to submit its plan for safeguarding and developing the Preah Vihear temple, he said.
The WHC initially obligated Cambodia to submit its plan by February this year, following the temple's heritage inscription last July.
However, Phnom Penh has not been able to submit many details of the plan, including a map of buffer zones around the site, owing to its boundary conflict with Thailand, said Mr Pongpol.
Mr Pongpol called for the government to explain this matter clearly to the people to prevent any confusion.
He pointed out that the WHC agreed to list Khao Yai, Thap Lan, Pang Sida and Ta Phraya national parks and Dong Yai Wildlife Reserve as world heritage sites on the condition that Thailand drew up a plan to connect the forests of Khao Yai and Thap Lan national parks and set up a single organisation to administer them.
Four years on, Thailand had still not met that condition.
However, the area had already been recognised as a world heritage site.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya insisted on Wednesday that the bilateral relations between Thailand and Cambodia were still cordial and both governments were continually working together to solve the border dispute.
"It is the responsibility of the army of each country to withdraw their troops along the border area, but I believe neither country wants an armed conflict," the minister said.
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