Thailand Will Only Talk With Cambodia If It Stops Unilateral Listing Of Preah Vihear As World Heritage Site

[Lite Beer]

Thailand will only talk with Cambodia if it stops unilateral listing of Preah Vihear as World Heritage Site

BANGKOK, 5 June 2011 (NNT)-Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva expressed his readiness to enter talks with Cambodia only if it withdrew the Preah Vihear from the World Heritage site as well as its troops from the border and stopped bringing this matter to the international attention.

According to Mr. Abhisit, it would be considered the most viable option to solving the border issue at present if Cambodian Prime Minister Somdech Hunsen agreed to enter bilateral talks with the Thai counterpart. Mr. Abhisit said the talks would be conducted through the Joint Border Commission framework.

Following such framework, Cambodia is required to abide by the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2000. Cambodia can not list the Preah Vihear on its own while it has not been determined where the temple belongs to. Military troops shall be removed and the matter is settled with Thailand alone with no international body involved.

He said however that further discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be needed to make sure that the procedure be proceeded with no harm to the relationship between Thailand and Cambodia.

-- NNT 2011-06-05

[Thailand]

Our way or no way?

[Soutpeel]

What a waste of an oxford education..... ....I actually thought Abbisit was a bit more savvy to international relations...but he is starting to look a child stamping his little feet...

why are they so affraid of internatonal bodies involved...if they are the agrieved party neutral internatonal arbitration would help...

[cougar52]

Is this the same commission that the minutes of previous meetings are being held up for ransom? No way forward with out the minutes being approved. Are these same minutes?

Mr. Abhisit said the talks would be conducted through the Joint Border Commission framework.

I really think that the Thai Government (without insulting the Thai People) needs to have a really check. This is 2011 if they haven't realized.

[Lite Beer]

PM ready to confer with Hun Sen under JBC framework.

BANGKOK, June 5 - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that he is prepared to discuss with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on ways to end the two countries' border tensions.

Mr Abhisit noted talks can start on under the conditions that: discussions must be held under the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) framework, a joint management plan for the disputed area near Preah Vihear temple must be made, and that Cambodia must also. withdraw the temple from world heritage listing.

The Phnom Penh government must also display its sincerity by withdrawing its case handed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to interpret its 1962 ruling on the ancient temple before talks can start, Mr Abhisit said.

His remarks were made after a close aide to Thailand's ex-prime minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh reportedly said that the latter had recently held talks with Mr Hun Sen in which both men agreed that forces of the two countries posted at the disputed 4.6-square-kilometre. patch of land near the cliff-top Preah Vihear temple must be withdrawn and the area would be jointly managed thereafter while boundary demarcation would be handled by JBC members.

It must be understood that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries in 2000 clearly stipulated that changes in the disputed area could not be made by either country, which means that Cambodians must leave the area first if the Phnom Penh government respects. the MoU, Mr Abhisit said.

He said the Phnom Penh government must also display its sincerity if it wants to solve the border problem by withdrawing the World Heritage status for the temple before talks could start.

Mr Abhisit said talks could "end in futile" if Cambodia continues to move on the issue with other channels.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled that the 11th century temple belongs to Phnom Penh.

UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage Site in July 2008 after Cambodia applied for the status. The country submitted a unilateral management plan for the temple last year to UNESCO's World Heritage Commission, which then deferred a decision. (MCOT online news).

-- TNA 2011-06-05

[TerraPosse]

I take it those comments are purely intended to appease those ultra-nationalist headcases at home in few of the upcoming elections because I fail to see any incentives in these demands for Cambodia to go along with this. The JBC talks have been going nowhere at a snails pace with the process, as has been pointed out above, being held to ransom in the Thai parliament. Judging by the 'sincerity' of the Thai side in the past, the Cambodians can only benefit from bringing/keeping this conflict to international attention and 'shaming' the Thai government to demonstrate some sincerity in resolving this conflict.

Ditto Soutpeel, what a waste of an education....

[mania2301]

The only part I agree with this news is that both countries should & must pull their trigger happy troops out of the area. As for the talks or so called meetings, I think it's better to have international bodies involved in settling this issue...that's the only way to do it & Cambodia has every right to get the temple listed w/o the approval of Thailand.

[Pi Sek]

The only part I agree with this news is that both countries should & must pull their trigger happy troops out of the area. As for the talks or so called meetings, I think it's better to have international bodies involved in settling this issue...that's the only way to do it & Cambodia has every right to get the temple listed w/o the approval of Thailand.

Totally agree with the troop withdrawal. Both armies have shown they have little or no regard for those affected/killed in the area as a result of collateral damage. It's like watching Godzilla fight one of his monster enemies - regardless of the outcome, the locality is ravaged.

However, as I understand it, Cambodia doesn't have the right to get the temple listed without Thailand's approval, because they signed an agreement (the 200 MoU) specifically saying they wouldn't. The agreement also said there would not be troops stationed in the temple or the disputed area. There are lots of (unsubstantiated) reports in the past decade or so that Thai troops have entered the disputed area, but Cambodia's positioning of troops in the temple itself was a clear provocation and, legally, was a pre-requisite to Thailand breaking their side of the agreement. When a country puts troops at a border, regardless of the reasons, the other country has a duty to its people to position troops directly opposite them. And that's exactly what happened.

Both sides are totally wrong - Cambodia for using a neighbour's time of political uncertaincy as a position of strength to literally take land whose ownership was and still is under question, and Thailand for dragging the issue out and using their military superiority too liberally.

Having said that, French colonialism is to blame as well. Big time. Their poor early 20th century cartography skills has contributed immensely to this problem - if they hadn't messed up the map on which this whole thing is based on, there would have probably been a war to decide it decades ago like everywhere else.

[thunder30101]

Neither side has shown any willingness to compromise so its time to move the people out and let the fighting begin. Winner takes all, anything else is just a waste of time.

[Puccini]

Closing Statement

by H.E. Dr. Virachai Plasai

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Netherlands and

Agent of the Kingdom of Thailand

at the Oral Hearing on Cambodia’s Request for interpretation of the Judgment of 15 June 1962 in the Case concerning the Temple of Phra Viharn (Cambodia v. Thailand)

Request for the indication of provisional measures

Tuesday 31 May 2011, The Hague

Introduction

1. Mr. President, Distinguished Members of the Court, allow me to conclude by highlighting two key words that encapsulate Thailand’s position towards the subject before us here and the overall relations with Cambodia which flow from Thailand’s fundamental commitment to justice and peace that I elaborated yesterday. They are: (1) consistency and (2) sincerity. I will elaborate them in turn.

More: www.mfa.go.th/web/2654.php?id=27174

[Puccini]

The statement representing Thailand's position before the International Court in The Hague is long but I believe anyone seriously interested in the Preah Vihear subject will find it highly interesting. Here we have the official word of the Thai government, not some headline-grabbing article in a newspaper.

If anybody can find the full text of the closing statement of the agent for Cambodia, I would like to read that one, too, in the spirit of hearing both sides.

[Pi Sek]

The statement representing Thailand's position before the International Court in The Hague is long but I believe anyone seriously interested in the Preah Vihear subject will find it highly interesting. Here he have the official word of the Thai government, not some headline-grabbing article in a newspaper.

If anybody can find the full text of the closing statement of the agent for Cambodia, I would like to read that one, too, in the spirit of hearing both sides.

I too would like to read the Cambodians' closing statement. After reading Dr. Virachai's one, it looks like the Cambodians don't stand much of a chance of getting the "provisional measures" that they're asking for.

[Puccini]

Another three weeks to wait. The ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected by the end of June 2011.

[rubl]

With all this Thai against Cambodians thing going on it nice to read that Cambodia will take part in the Ayara Guardian 2011, a multi-national peace-keeping exercise to be held in Prachuap Khiri Khan province from June 13-July 1, as said by Royal Thai Armed Forces Command spokesman Sithichai Makkunchorn today.

Nothing personal, still good friends and all that