Saturday, August 25, 2007

Preah Vihear dispute

noelbynature July 9th, 2007
06 July 2007 (The Nation) - A dispute about Thai military wearing uniforms on the premises leads to the army closing the entrance to the Angkor temple of Preah Vihear. The 11th century temple is located on Cambodian soil, but the only entrance is through the Thai side of the border.
Mutual ties not affected by Phreah Vihear dispute : Thai ambassador
Thailand’s concerns about unsettled border issues, which resulted in Unesco’s decision to delay Cambodia’s request to list the Phreah Vihear shrine as World Heritage site, will not affect ThailandCambodia relations, said Thai Ambassador to Cambodia Viraphand Vacharathit.
Cambodia understood the Thai position that there were still certain unsettled issues including border demarcation, he said.
Unesco’s World Heritage committee delayed until next year a decision to put the shrine on the World Heritage list. The decision came after Thailand argued that the Thai-Cambodian border has yet to be demarcated and a joint management plan for the area is still being discussed.
The Thai envoy said Cambodia is well aware that its request was not rejected but only delayed until next year’s meeting, While some local Cambodian media wanted to instigate publicity, the majority of the Khmer people including the government understood the matter.
The ambassador reiterated that the Unesco panel based its decision on the basis that it needed more information and related documents concerning Cambodia’s request about Preah Vihear.
The panel asked Cambodia to resubmit its request in February next year.
Meanwhile a senior Thai army officer said the Thai army has closed the entrance to Phreah Vihear, close to Si Sa Ket province, after refusing to abide by a Cambodian order not to wear uniforms when they visit the venue.
The Cambodian side claimed that seeing the Thai military in uniform will not be good for tourism in Preah Vihear.

Monday, August 13, 2007

U.S. supports Cambodia's bid to list Preah Vihear Temple as World Heritage Site

The United States has expressed support for Cambodia's bid to officially register the Preah VihearTemple as world heritage site and will provide aid for its development and management plans, local media reported on Thursday.
U.S. Ambassador Joseph A. Mussomeli here on Wednesday told Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Council of Ministers Sok An that the temple has to be officially registered as world heritage site even if there is opposition from the third side, press official for the Council of Ministers Phan Sithan was quoted by English-language newspaper Cambodian Daily as saying.
The United States will send a group of experts to Cambodia to help organize the development and management plans for the temple's official registration as world heritage site and also provide grant aid to support the plans, he said.
Recently, Long Visalo, deputy minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, told reporters that the world heritage committee of the United Nation's Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) asked Cambodia to organize the development and management plans for the Preah Vihear Temple after receiving the kingdom's request to list it as world heritage site.
The committee promised to decide whether the temple can be registered as world heritage site in early 2008. The Preah Vihear Temple was built from the 11th to the 12th century on top of the Dorng Rek Mountain in the northern part of Cambodia next to Thailand. Cambodia secured its ownership of the temple in 1962, out of fierce competition with Thailand.
Source: Xinhua