TROOPING THE COLOUR: Cambodian troops take part in a military exercise called the Ayara Guardian 2011 at Thanarat Camp in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Pran Buri district. Troopers from 12 countries in the Asia and the Pacific, including Thailand, have taken part in the exercise supported by the United States Pacific Command.
ENVOY CONFIDENT UNESCO WILL AGREE TO POSTPONE REVIEW OF CAMBODIA'S PREAH VIHEAR TEMPLE PLAN
Writer: Thanida Tansubhapol & Apinya Wipatayotin
Published: 19/06/2011
Bangkok Post
Thailand hopes Unesco's World Heritage Committee will delay consideration of Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear temple for at least another year.
Asda Jayanama, a member of the delegation representing Thailand in the case, said he was confident members would agree to postpone the deliberation after Thailand had lobbied hard on several occasions.
"We gave them the reason that if both countries have no mutual cooperation, [the implementation of] the management plan will not happen," said Mr Asda.
"We can't compromise on this issue because the plan trespassed on Thai territory."
Mr Asda spoke to the Bangkok Post before he left Bangkok for Paris yesterday to attend Unesco's 35th WHC meeting convened today.
He was accompanied by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, who was assigned by Deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwankiri to lead the Thai delegation in the WHC dispute.
Thailand wants the WHC to delay its consideration of Cambodia's plan until border demarcation is completed. The meeting will conclude on June 29.
Cambodia's plan for the 11th-century Hindu temple is due to be the seventh of the 21 items to be discussed at the meeting on Thursday.
The Preah Vihear temple border conflict flared up after Cambodia submitted an application to have the temple inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2008. Thailand objected to the plan at the WHC meeting in Brazil last year, reasoning it trespassed on Thai territory. The meeting agreed to put off consideration for another year.
A Foreign Ministry source said the Paris meeting would consider "the state of conservation" in each agenda.
The meeting might ask Thailand to explain the reason for the postponement request, the source said.
He said if the meeting decided not to postpone consideration of Cambodia's plan, Thailand would ask the cabinet to withdraw its membership from the WHC on grounds that the international body failed to promote peace and stability in contravention of its original principles.
ML Wanwipa Charoonroj, of Thammasat University's Thai Studies Institute, who has closely monitored the dispute, agreed with Thailand withdrawing from the WHC if it failed to postpone consideration of Cambodia's plan.
"It is the most appropriate way for Thailand to react to the international organisation's failure," she said.
"We have seen poor and unfair management of Unesco's WHC since it agreed to inscribe Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site despite the fact the two countries still have border conflicts."
She said Unesco was now an organisation to promote war among countries instead of promoting peace.
ENVOY CONFIDENT UNESCO WILL AGREE TO POSTPONE REVIEW OF CAMBODIA'S PREAH VIHEAR TEMPLE PLAN
Writer: Thanida Tansubhapol & Apinya Wipatayotin
Published: 19/06/2011
Bangkok Post
Thailand hopes Unesco's World Heritage Committee will delay consideration of Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear temple for at least another year.
Asda Jayanama, a member of the delegation representing Thailand in the case, said he was confident members would agree to postpone the deliberation after Thailand had lobbied hard on several occasions.
"We gave them the reason that if both countries have no mutual cooperation, [the implementation of] the management plan will not happen," said Mr Asda.
"We can't compromise on this issue because the plan trespassed on Thai territory."
Mr Asda spoke to the Bangkok Post before he left Bangkok for Paris yesterday to attend Unesco's 35th WHC meeting convened today.
He was accompanied by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, who was assigned by Deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwankiri to lead the Thai delegation in the WHC dispute.
Thailand wants the WHC to delay its consideration of Cambodia's plan until border demarcation is completed. The meeting will conclude on June 29.
Cambodia's plan for the 11th-century Hindu temple is due to be the seventh of the 21 items to be discussed at the meeting on Thursday.
The Preah Vihear temple border conflict flared up after Cambodia submitted an application to have the temple inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2008. Thailand objected to the plan at the WHC meeting in Brazil last year, reasoning it trespassed on Thai territory. The meeting agreed to put off consideration for another year.
A Foreign Ministry source said the Paris meeting would consider "the state of conservation" in each agenda.
The meeting might ask Thailand to explain the reason for the postponement request, the source said.
He said if the meeting decided not to postpone consideration of Cambodia's plan, Thailand would ask the cabinet to withdraw its membership from the WHC on grounds that the international body failed to promote peace and stability in contravention of its original principles.
ML Wanwipa Charoonroj, of Thammasat University's Thai Studies Institute, who has closely monitored the dispute, agreed with Thailand withdrawing from the WHC if it failed to postpone consideration of Cambodia's plan.
"It is the most appropriate way for Thailand to react to the international organisation's failure," she said.
"We have seen poor and unfair management of Unesco's WHC since it agreed to inscribe Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site despite the fact the two countries still have border conflicts."
She said Unesco was now an organisation to promote war among countries instead of promoting peace.
5 comments:
Freedom of speak have the limit in any country even in USA.
speak and praise the enemy so highly in USA you will be end up in jail.
Some of the freedom of speak end up in the wrong side of the laws in any country,especially in the even of war dis-courage fellow citizen to defend the motherland is a traitor.
To balance concerns over national security with free speech. Keep all the un-productive comment low it is a good idea .
The original comment that started " proud Cambodian anger" I quote "On 2008 a lot western and Thai experts predicted Cambodia’s army is unlikely to defeat its much larger neighbor Thailand “It would be suicide for the Cambodian side to attack the Thais." "Basically, on paper, Thailand is much stronger militarily than Cambodia,” said Tim Huxley, executive director of the IISS-Asia, adding that Cambodia’s annual defense budget is about $140 million and Thailand’s is 25 times that-$3.5 billion."
"The clashed in Feb and April 2011 clearly indicated the inability of Thai army to defeat Cambodia and it might end up with Cambodia defeat Thailand, contrast to the theory of the people who never fought the real war only sitting Behind the desk and predicting on the papers."
If all of these comment upset the proud Cambodian(proud Thai), What will please proud Cambodian is Khmer will end losing to Thai, that what proud Cambodian want to hear " How bizarre". Cambodian(proud Thai)should see the psychologist.
Thailand hopes to use 4.6km as dispute to slow down the development. whatever happen to the so call cambodian spy claimed? Thailand is responsible for the Cambodian missing.
World Heritage Committee will help sway Thai election result very quickly.
The meeting will conclude on June 29 just a few days before Thai general election day.If the meeting decided to adopt Cambodia's plan will Thailand withdraw its membership from WHC right away without defer the matter to the next government? For Khmer, we're not really care or miss this idiot retarded member who blamed the international body of failing to promote peace by not listening to its tricky request of continuously delay Khmer plan. We should invite the regional WHC office to move into Cambodia to facilitate more works.
My concern is that, what if this disgraced Thai may succeed in convincing the meeting to consider for another postponement,let say,another year? It's unbelievable but it could happen. I would like to see our bloggers make a good debate and help convince the member of WHC to adopt Khmer plan this time.
I totally agree with David said...
I have no idea what the Thailand wants from Cambodia. Even the land that they have been living on now was stolen from Khmer empire. I wish China must back up of Cambodia, so they can remove Thai government out of the land.
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