Thailand to depoliticize border problem with Cambodia
August 02, 2010
Xinhua
Thailand will try to depoliticize the ongoing border conflict with Cambodia and to solve the problem through negotiation, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on Monday.
"We don't want to have any political problem with the neighboring country. The border is still open now. And, all agreements we have had with Cambodia are still in place," Kasit told a press conference.
Kasit's remark was made after the World Heritage Committee ( WHC) decided on July 29 to reschedule its discussion on Cambodia's management plan for the Hindu Preah Vihear Temple to its annual meeting in Bahrain in 2011.
Prior to the WHC decision to postpone its discussion, Thailand threatened to walk out of the WHC meeting if the panel considered the Cambodian plan since the Thai side had not yet looked into details of the plan, which was handed in by Cambodia to the WHC panel just shortly before the meeting.
Thailand will proceed with the Thai-Cambodia memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the overlapping continental shelf area signed in June, 2000, under the then-Democrat-led Government, instead of the 2001 MOU signed under the People's Power Party-led Administration, Kasit said.
The current Abhisit Vejjajiva-led government has earlier protested against Cambodia by deciding to cancel the bilateral agreement based on the 2001 MOU, which later paved the way for Cambodia to register the Preah Vihear Temple as its unilateral World Heritage in October, 2009.
The 2001 MOU was allegedly unconstitutional. Ousted former Thai Premier Thaksin Shinnawatra and the then People's Power Party-led government linked to Thaksin were allegedly having conflict of interest behind the 2001 MOU.
Thailand and Cambodia have historically laid claim to the site, which is located on a mountain top on the Thai-Cambodia border. The disputed area of 4.6 square kilometers has not been demarcated.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia. But, the 11th-century Hindu temple can only be easily accessed from Thailand.
"We don't want to have any political problem with the neighboring country. The border is still open now. And, all agreements we have had with Cambodia are still in place," Kasit told a press conference.
Kasit's remark was made after the World Heritage Committee ( WHC) decided on July 29 to reschedule its discussion on Cambodia's management plan for the Hindu Preah Vihear Temple to its annual meeting in Bahrain in 2011.
Prior to the WHC decision to postpone its discussion, Thailand threatened to walk out of the WHC meeting if the panel considered the Cambodian plan since the Thai side had not yet looked into details of the plan, which was handed in by Cambodia to the WHC panel just shortly before the meeting.
Thailand will proceed with the Thai-Cambodia memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the overlapping continental shelf area signed in June, 2000, under the then-Democrat-led Government, instead of the 2001 MOU signed under the People's Power Party-led Administration, Kasit said.
The current Abhisit Vejjajiva-led government has earlier protested against Cambodia by deciding to cancel the bilateral agreement based on the 2001 MOU, which later paved the way for Cambodia to register the Preah Vihear Temple as its unilateral World Heritage in October, 2009.
The 2001 MOU was allegedly unconstitutional. Ousted former Thai Premier Thaksin Shinnawatra and the then People's Power Party-led government linked to Thaksin were allegedly having conflict of interest behind the 2001 MOU.
Thailand and Cambodia have historically laid claim to the site, which is located on a mountain top on the Thai-Cambodia border. The disputed area of 4.6 square kilometers has not been demarcated.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia. But, the 11th-century Hindu temple can only be easily accessed from Thailand.
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