A Change of Guard

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Monday 17 November 2008

Thailand protested against the raising of Unesco flags at Preah Vihear temple


(L-R): Unesco flag, World Heritage flag and a Cambodian flag which were raised on 7th of November in the Preah Vihear complex.

By Mayarith
Radio Free Asia
16th November, 2008
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization

The raising of the Unesco flags and the Khmer Kathen ceremony at Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak have enraged Thailand which led it to lodge a strong protest.

Radio Free Asia’s reporter based in Thailand reported that Thailand has protested in a statement issued on Friday, 14th of November, 2008.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has protested against a number of activities performed by Khmer authority in the Preah Vihear areas where one activity took place on the 7th of November and the other took place on the 12th of November. Thailand accused that these sorts of activities have violated its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On the 7th of November, Khmer and Unesco officials have raised Unesco flags in the Preah Vihear complex and on the 12th of November, the Khmer authority has held a Kathen ceremony inside the Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda.

In a statement issued on Friday the 14th of November, the Thai Foreign Ministry has said that it had sent a protest letter to Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs because the Cambodian authority did not inform the Thai side about its activities in the areas and accused Cambodia of violating Thailand’s territory around the Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda.

The Thai Foreign Ministry has accused Cambodia of violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity because Cambodia’s activity on the 7th of November include the raising of three flags on the towers of the Preah Vihear temple and the construction of two large signposts on the staircase of the temple. Thailand has accused the Cambodian officials who went to raise the flags by crossing through its territory without prior permission from the Thai authority.

There is no news regarding the Cambodian reactions to the protest of the Thai Foreign Ministry.

However, Cambodian border activists based in Europe has reacted to the Thai protest.

Mr. Kiri Setha, a Khmer from The Netherlands, said: “The raising of the Unesco flags, flags representing the International Court of Justice and Cambodian flags is the sovereignty of Cambodia in order to confirm the ownership of its heritage. And the holding of a Kathen ceremony at Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak is purely a Cambodian matter, it’s the right of Cambodia.”

Mr. Kiri Setha said that, because of the outrage against Thai invasion of the Cambodian territories that caused about 270 Khmer people from around the world to stage a demonstration in front of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands, on the 1st of November.

Those 270 protesters include Khmer people from Cambodia, France, The Netherlands, Norway, America, Canada as well as from Germany.//

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