Temple dispute simmers in Thailand
BANGKOK – Just days after Cambodia leader Hun Sen released dozens of white doves into the air over Phnom Penh at the start of the 2003 ASEAN Tourism Forum, Thai businesses in the city were being ransacked by angry Cambodians.
A Cambodian newspaper article falsely alleged that a Thai actress claimed that Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand.
Other Cambodian print and radio media picked up the report and nationalistic sentiment flared, resulting in riots in Phnom Penh. The Thai Embassy was burned and properties of Thai businesses were vandalised.
Now the relationship between Thailand and Cambodia is simmering again, and once more a famous temple is at the heart of the dispute.
Cambodia has unilaterally sought World Heritage status for Preah Vihear temple, but there are many in Thailand who don’t like the move and dispute a ruling that the temple, close to the border with Thailand, belongs to Cambodia.
In 1962, following a serious dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership of the temple, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that it belonged to Cambodia. The adjacent land to the north is under Thailand’s control
Khieu Kanharith, minister of information of Cambodia, said in his opinion, both Thailand and Cambodia would benefit from tourism and related businesses if Preah Vihear temple were listed as a World Heritage Site.
The Thai government has been censured by opposition parties for agreeing to Cambodia’s unilateral listing of Preah Vihear, while the Thai media have demanded to know why a number of Cambodians have moved into a disputed area near the temple.
Supreme Commander Gen Boonsang Niampradit said the Royal Thai Air Force had put its transport planes on standby in case it was necessary to evacuate Thais from Cambodia if the issue gets out of hand.
Thai historian Thepmontri Limpaphayom has suggested that if the Cambodian request is put on the agenda of the World Heritage Committee’s next meeting in Quebec, Thailand should resign to pressure other member states of the World Heritage Committee to postpone considering the issue.
Ian Jarrett
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