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Sunday 21 June 2009

Cambodia FM: Thailand threatens Cambodia and UNESCO over Preah Vihear temple


Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong gestures during a press conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, June 20, 2009. Cambodia on Saturday reacted with repeated comments made by top Thai government officials over the complaint to withdraw Preah Vihear temple from World Heritage site.

(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

PHNOM PENH, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Top Thai leaders are using the words to threaten Cambodia and UNESCO over listing Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple as World Heritage Site, a senior Cambodian official said on Saturday.

Hor Namhong, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation told reporters at a press conference at the ministry that Thai prime minister, deputy prime minister and foreign minister are using words of lack of thoughts on the matter of the belongs of Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple and sending a threaten message to UNESCO before the meeting of World Heritage Committee to be held in Spain on June 23.

UNESCO agreed to register Perah Vihear temple as World Heritage Site of Cambodia in July 7, 2008. But since then from July 15, troops from both Cambodian and Thailand have confronted at the border near Preah Vihear temple.

Hor added that Thai leaders wanted to review about registering Preah Vihear temple (of Cambodia) with the Committee of World Heritage of UNESCO and also wanted to register jointly for Preah Vihear temple. "Preah Vihear temple and land surrounding areas belongs to Cambodia not Thailand according to the verdict of World Court's rule in 1962," Hor stressed.

"It is big mistake and serious one that were created by Thai leaders," he said, adding that they have spoken without thoughts.

"If they want to have armed conflicts for third time, we welcome," he said, adding "today we have known that Thai command for second region put their troops on alert, our troops also is ready for fighting, but so far the situation there is calm."

Moreover, Hor Namhong said "the border tension was caused by Thai side. We (Cambodia) want to resolve the border issue peacefully and friendly. But our effort made no result."

"Military tension has not occurred yet today, but tomorrow I do not know," Hor said, adding that Preah Vihear temple already registered as cultural and humanitarian matters for all people.

"We are ready to deal border issue with Thailand by using peaceful resolution, international law, military, or diplomatic ways," he noted.

According to Thai newspaper The Bangkok Post on Wednesday, that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit would request that UNESCO's World Heritage Committee review last year's decision to register Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site when the body convenes its annual meeting later this month in Spain. He would also request that the temple be registered jointly as a World Heritage Site by Thailand and Cambodia.


Editor: Bi Mingxin

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think if UNESCO were to unlist the temple as WORLD HERITAGE. then the thai will put full war against cambodia or they just replicate preah vihear on the thai side. the thai do get bully and tricky. if this were true. i think we should invade thialand. Malaysia from the south,loas from the north,and burma from the west and so on. etc,etc....

Anonymous said...

don't believe the thai words any more. we should grab that temple and land and gave thai a finger from now on. if they step one inch in our land we should kill them like rabbits.

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen should not listen to Thai sweet words since the beginning. The Thai sweet talk Hun Sen into accepting negotiations, but the Thais were paying games with him. One year on, the Preah Vihear problem got worse and worse and instead of withdrawing their troops, Thailand sent more troops to invade more Khmer territories a long the borders. Now, it is apparent that Thailand wants to have half of the Preah Vihear cake. Very dishonest indeed.