Saturday, 5 July 2008

Cambodia deploys police for security of Thai embassy, companies

Mathaba
2008/07/04

PHNOM PENH, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government Thursday deployed police to protect the Thai embassy and Thai companies in Phnom Penh as a local non-government organization planning to demonstrate against Thailand in the case of Preah Vihear temple.

"We deployed police to guarantee the security of the Thai embassy and offices of Thai companies here," said Phnom Penh police chief Touch Naroath.

"We do not want to see an accident like 2003," he added. About 20 policemen and a fire fighter car have been deployed in front of the Thai embassy.

Bo Sam Nang, head of the Center for Morality Education, told reporters that he had requested to the government to demonstrate against Thailand in Preah Vihear temple case but now has postponed it.

"We have stopped our action," he said.

In 2003, Cambodian demonstrators set fire to the Thai embassy and offices of Thai companies in Cambodia after a Thai movie star claiming that Angkor Wat temple belonged to Thailand.

Since 2007, Cambodia has been applying for the Preah Vihear temple, which is located on a mountaintop on the Thai-Cambodia border, to be listed as a World Heritage Site.

Both countries have historically laid claim to the site, which sits on the Cambodian soil but can only be easily accessed from Thailand.

Cambodia's former King Norodom Sihanouk took Thailand to the World Court in 1962 over the two countries' claim to Preah Vihear. The court ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia.

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