BANGKOK, Jan 31 -- Thailand has demanded that Cambodia remove both the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda and the Cambodian flag flying over the pagoda while reasserting that the pagoda is in Thai territory.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday issued a statement asserting that Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda built by Cambodia in 1998 is situated on Thai territory and demanded that the neighbouring country remove both the pagoda and the national flag flying over the pagoda.
The statement said it is a reiteration of the many protests Thailand has submitted regarding Cambodian activities at the pagoda and the surrounding area, all of which constitute violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Thailand.
The statement was issued days after Phnom Penh rejected a Thai demand to remove the Cambodian national flag, saying that the Cambodian flag is legitimate at the pagoda as it is situated inside Cambodia.
The Cambodian government earlier reiterated that Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda, nearby Preah Vihear, is clearly situated within the territory of Cambodia according to the map drawn by the Franco-Siamese Commission in 1908.
The Thai ministry of foreign affairs added that according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Thailand and Cambodia on the Survey and Demarcation of Land Boundary of 2000, the 1904 and 1907 Treaties and “other documents relating to the application” of both treaties are the relevant legal documents to determine the boundary line.
Thailand therefore does not accept the assertion by Cambodia that the 1:200,000 Map is the basis for determining the boundary, it said.
The ministry also reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to resolving all boundary issues with Cambodia in accordance with international law through peaceful means under the framework of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for the Land Boundary (JBC). The determination of the boundary line in the area of the Temple of Preah Vihear is still subject to ongoing negotiation under the framework of the JBC. (MCOT online news)
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