A temple, a report arouse much interest in run-up to Thai polls [A view from a Thai academic]

Thailand's declaration that it would withdraw from the World Heritage Convention due to the latter's approval of a Cambodian management plan for the Preah Vihear Temple could be used to boost support for the Democrats. AP

by Pavin Chachavalpongpun
Today Online

Jun 30, 2011

With only three days to go before the Thai general election this Sunday, the different political factions have brought out what could be seen as their final strategy to woo voters.

The two leading political parties, the ruling Democrat Party and the Puea Thai Party, will host their last election rallies tomorrow in Bangkok.

It will be their last chance to wrap up their campaigns and, perhaps, to attack their opponents, while scoring political points.

Two key developments during the past few days may have benefited different political factions in the run-up to the polls.

First, the re-emergence of the Preah Vihear Temple issue could be used to boost support for the Democrats.

Last Saturday, Thailand declared that it would withdraw from the World Heritage Convention after a disappointing decision by its secretariat to advance Cambodia's management plan for the temple.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, who is leading the Thai delegation at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization meeting in Paris, said the organisation had ignored Thailand's pleas.

Withdrawal from the body is now inevitable. He said: "The World Heritage Centre decided to put the matter on the agenda. I have no choice, we have to withdraw. The decision is to prevent the other side from using this issue to claim our territory."

Preah Vihear has served, for some time now, as a political tool for Thai political actors to gain some political advantage at the expense of worsening Thai-Cambodian relations.

Cambodia has insisted on proposing its own development plan in the area surrounding the temple. Thailand, however, has alleged that Cambodia's plan is a breach of Thai sovereignty. While the temple legally belongs to Cambodia according to the verdict of the International Court of Justice in 1962, the two countries have claimed the ownership of the 4.6 sq km area adjacent to the temple.

Supporters of the Democrat Party have been quick to applaud Mr Suwit's decision. A sense of nationalism has been revived, exactly during this critical time before the elections.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva did not object to the decision but has instructed government agencies to study and report on the legal implications for Thailand and the steps which need to be taken by the next government after Sunday's elections.

A Bangkok resident, who has supported the Democrat Party, said: "The government did the right thing. We could lose our sovereignty to our enemy. I would like to vote for the Democrat Party for its patriotic stance."

In another development, the release of a controversial report by a former reporter with Reuters news agency, Mr Andrew Marshall, on the role of the Thai monarchy in politics and the political development in Thailand, is likely to tarnish the image of the Democrat government.

The report also highlights the elite's unfair treatment of the Red Shirt movement, which is closely associated with the Puea Thai Party, and explains how the monarchy has come to play an immense role in the political domain. This role has been underpinned by a variety of measures adopted by its backers, especially those in the army.

Mr Marshall also discusses the crisis within the palace, the political intervention of the military, and the Abhisit government's crackdown on the demonstrators in May last year.

Mr Marshall's message is clear: The Democrat Party represents only the interests of the elite, not those of the people. Undoubtedly, his report will have an impact on the Thais as they head to the polls this Sunday.

Pavin Chachavalpongpun is a fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.