A Change of Guard

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Wednesday 14 July 2010

Leader of the Thai yellow shirts calls on the Abhisit government to cancel MoU with Cambodia


By Khmerization
Source: Koh Santepheap

Koh Santepheap quoted ASTV as reported that one of the leaders of the Thai Yellow Shirt movement, Mr. Sondhi Limthongkul (pictured), the owner of ASTV, has on 11th July written to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva asking him to cancel the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2000 between the Cambodian government and the Thai Democrat-led government of Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. The letter also asked Mr. Abhisit to cancel the agreement on border demarcation works signed between the Cambodian government and the Thai government led by fugitive ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra in 2003.

Mr. Sondhi's demand comes at a time when the Thai Cabinet yesterday allocated 10 million Baht for the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to use in the campaign against Cambodia's management plan on Preah Vihear's, which it will present at the World Heritage committee meeting in Brazil later this month.

Ownership of Preah Vihear temple has been a contentious issue between Thailand and Cambodia. Under the 1907 Franco-Siamese Treaty and in the 1908 maps drawn by and accepted by the Mixed Franco-Siamese Border Commission, Preah Vihear temple was placed under the sovereignty of Cambodia. However, taking advantage of the withdrawal of the French colonial power from Cambodia in 1953, Thailand sent troops to occupy the temple in 1954. In 1958, Cambodia took Thailand to the International Court of Justice and the court adjudicated to give ownership of the temple to Cambodia in 1962. The dispute over the temple flared up again when Unesco inscribed the temple as a world heritage site on 7th July 2008. Eight days later, on 15th July, Thailand again sent troops to re-occupy parts of the areas surrounding the temple.

Mr. Sondhi's call has also coincided with a planned rally by one of Cambodia's biggest unions against what it called "the Thai invasion of Preah Vihear" to held in Phnom Penh on 15th of July, the second anniversary of the Thai encroachment into Preah Vihear.

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