Thais On High Alert Of Another Anti-thai Riots In Cambodia

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Thais on high alert of another anti-Thai riots in Cambodia

Thu, June 28, 2007 : Last updated 20:31 pm (Thai local time)

Thai authorities have gone on high alert for fear of another antiThai riot in Cambodia after the Bangkok government opposed Cambodia's efforts to get ancient Hindu shrine Preah Vihear Temple on the Unesco's World Heritage.

Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh held an urgent meeting of Thai nationals in Cambodia last week to go over an evacuation after it was informed of the government's position on the matter.

The Thai government objected the Cambodian's plan because are a number of unsettled matters between Thailand and Cambodia concerning Preah Vihear, particularly that the joint border has yet to be demarcated.

Unesco decided on Wednesday not to include the ancient shrine on its World Heritage list, thus, heightening a growing fear among Thai authorities of another chaos.

Thai Foreign Ministry feared that history would repeat itself. In 2003 an antiThai riot broke out, mainly in Phnom Penh, was hundreds of Cambodians went on a rampage, looting and attacking Thai business and embassy. The incident erupted after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen lend legitimacy to an unconfirmed report that a Thai celebrity has made a derogatory remarks against the Cambodian people.

The Cambodian government has over the recent years renewed their efforts to have Unesco classify the ancient Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site.

Cambodia wanted the temple ,which lies in the Northwest border of the country but perched on the Thai border, to be recognised as a World Heritage monument to help assure its continued preservation.