Cambodia prepared a 47-page glossy document for the World Heritage Committee, detailing how the Thai government had been providing ''active support'' to assist in its application to sponsor the temple on the World Heritage List.
This propaganda material looks very convincing because it chronicles step by step how the present Thai leaders gave such assistance.
However, since the outbreak of protests in Thailand the Foreign Ministry has told Cambodia the maps used in the nomination proceedings must not contrast with the map redrawn in 1963 under the direction of the cabinet of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat. This map showed the buildings in the Preah Vihear complex under Cambodian sovereignty, but not all of the temple complex. For example, the pond and the approach are shown as belonging to Thailand. Cambodia originally included these areas in its application as part of a ''buffer zone'', but now has apparently given up trying to exert any control over them.
Little mention of this has been made in the Cambodian media so far. The Voice of America quoted Sean Pengse, director of the Paris-based Cambodia Border Committee, as saying that the International Court has decided that the temple and areas surrounding it belonged to Cambodia, and excluding the surrounding areas would be costly for Cambodia in terms of its integrity.
Criticism will certainly be surging in the weeks to come, given that the general election in Cambodia is counting down. Negative nationalism has unfortunately been fanned, of course in favour of the ruling government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
A ceremony was held at Wat Phnom at which a message was read from King Sihanouk in support of the International Court's ruling on Preah Vihear at the 46th anniversary of the ruling on June 15.
There is no doubt strongman Hun Sen would like to see Preah Vihear listed as a World Heritage site along with his likely triumph in the coming election.
He inaugurated last month a project to build a 118-kilometre road linking provincial capital T'beng Meanchey with the temple, to be completed within 45 months. The road, partially funded by the Chinese, would also link the Angkor Wat World Heritage Site in Siem Reap province through Kampong Thom province. This would mean less dependence on the traditional entry point to the temple from Si Sa Ket province in Thailand.
Meanwhile, an Indian company has unveiled a multimillion-dollar proposal to build an airport serving Preah Vihear, while a Japanese firm reportedly wants to construct a cable car route up the steep Cambodian side.
What's more, ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra reportedly plans a casino investment not very far from the future World Heritage Site.
Despite all the moves to capitalise on the heightened tourist appeal of Preah Vihear, Thai officials are orchestrated in affirming that Cambodia has compromised, which should be considered a mini-triumph for Thailand.
''For its part, the Kingdom of Cambodia, in a spirit of goodwill and conciliation, accepted to inscribe the Temple of Preah Vihear on the World Heritage List, at this stage, without a buffer zone on the north and west of the Temple,'' says an official Cambodian document. This implies that Cambodia has agreed to Thailand's claims to ownership of parts of the complex and access route.
Sending the Wrong Signal
Many are wondering why the Samak government was so keen to endorse Cambodia's move on Preah Vihear in the absence of an amicable agreement on the territorial dispute. Why not push for a joint application? The endorsement is sending a signal that Thailand will never try to reclaim Preah Vihear.
Former Thai ambassador Sompong Sucharitkul has said this seems a truly unforgivable diplomatic blunder. He is among the many that feel the integrity and authenticity of the site can only be maintained through joint listing and joint management.
Pisit Charoenwongs, a renowned Thai scholar and director of the SEMEAO Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts, said at a recent seminar organised by the Senate Committee on Religion, Ethics, and Culture that Thailand has become a villain in the eyes of the international community because of the dispute with Cambodia .
He added that Thailand needs to seek global partners, and explain in a straightforward and clear manner that opponents of Cambodia's unitary application are behaving reasonably, and ultimately for the sake of preservation of the Preah Vihear temple.
''The Thai delegation needs to argue with strong evidence and in a comprehensive and systematic manner that it would set a bad precedent if only the temple and not the functional vicinity of the whole property is listed,'' said the senior Southeast Asian arts expert.
The ball will therefore lie in the court of WHC members Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia and the US, whose membership in the WHC will voluntarily end by the end of next year.
Sawitree Sunwansathit, a former senior Education Ministry official and adviser to the Culture Ministry, had a sour note for the Thai public. She said many of the members have successfully lobbied to throw their support for Cambodia, and that no matter how well or vehemently argued, the Thai points may have little weight in the committee's consideration.
Ms Sawitree also said application for a parallel listing for Thailand at the Quebec meeting will not also be possible. As the name implies, this would be somewhat less cooperative than a joint listing.
Tharapong Srisuchat, head of the Fine Arts Department's Archaeological Bureau, said it might take some 3-5 years before Thailand could come up with its own proposal.
Mr Pisit, however, believed the World Heritage Committee is required to understand that the wholeness of the sacred temple needs to be preserved when considering the merit of Cambodia's application _ particularly to little details such as how small or large the buffer zone for the site would be.
If the buffer zone is too large, it will penetrate into Thailand, and if the space is not adequately allotted, it will cause an eyesore, as in Ayudhaya. So, said the scholar, Thailand is justified and deserving of sympathy in a request that the government have more time to study the more appropriate joint listing and joint management of the site.
Ms Sawitree added that visitors would be treated to a more graceful and sacred atmosphere with an entrance from Thailand, as opposed to the casino-dotted landscape on the Cambodian side.
She said it should be explained to the committee that it is important to understand the real function of this temple, which in ancient times was serving the indigenous community on the eastern side (now Thailand) and not on the west, as is distortedly reported in Cambodian documents.
Pongpol Adireksarn, newly-appointed head of the Thai delegation to the WHC, believes a joint listing is the best option, but Thailand might also seek a parallel listing, as is the case of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park which straddles the US-Canadian border.
But the case of Zimbabwe and Zambia on the joint management of the Victoria Falls, which was listed a World Heritage Site in 1989, might be a hard lesson. The two nations did not sign a joint management plan until 2007.
Indonesia and Malaysia filed separately for nomination of Borneo as a World Heritage Site in February and June 2004, respectively. The Committee has yet to endorse their applications.
The academics believe that now Thailand should work on the document already submitted by the Fine Arts Department to Unesco recommending certain areas and stupas be listed along with the Preah Vihear temple to complete the cultural landscape.
The important places on the Thai side include linga sculpture that represent a site to pay homage prior to entering the higher and more sacred ground, as well as Sa Trao swamp, which had an irrigation function for the indigenous community, as well as the Pha Mo E-Daeng archeological site in the northeastern part of the temple complex.
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