Call to make Preah Vihear an Asean heritage site

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THAI-KHMER RELATIONS
Call to make Preah Vihear an Asean heritage site
SUPALAK GANJANAKHUNDEE
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- ACADEMICS yesterday proposed that the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear be an Asean Eco-Cultural heritage site, in order to reconcile with Cambodia after the prolonged conflict over the temple.

Top historian Professor Charnvit Kasetsiri would send an open letter to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra urging her to put the idea before Asean. "I have proposed this idea to Prince Norodom Sirivudh, former foreign minister of Cambodia, and he agreed the two nations should use this as a symbol for good relations."

Charnvit urged the government to pay respect to the rules and regulations upheld by the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and Asean. The professor is collecting signatures to support the idea and making an appointment to meet and discuss it with Yingluck.

"In the near future please consider bringing our three countries, three governments, and three peoples - Cambodia, Laos and Thailand - jointly nominating to Unesco that the area from Khao Yai extending to the Phnom Dongrak ranges, covering the Prasat Phanom Rung, Prasat Preah Vihear, Prasat Vat Phou, together with the land of the Emerald Triangle, and all the way down to the Middle Mekong Basin, Khone Phapeng-Li Phi, be registered as a peaceful zone: of Asean Eco-Cultural World Heritage," he said in a seminar yesterday at Thammasat University.

The Hindu temple of Preah Vihear has been the source of a conflict between Thailand and Cambodia for a long time. The ICJ ruled in 1962 that the temple was situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia. Thailand argued the area adjacent to the temple belonged to Thailand. Cambodia requested the court interpret the 1962 judgement. The ICJ last week ruled that Cambodia had sovereignty over "the whole promontory of Preah Vihear".

Morakot Jewachinda Meyer, a lecturer at Pridi Banomyong International College of Thammasat University, said listing Preah Vihear as a trans-boundary heritage was possible. "If we don't obsess too much on the boundary line, it is possible to [share it] with Cambodia. There are plenty of trans-boundary heritage sites in Europe."

Akkharaphong Khamkhun, another lecturer at the Pridi Banomyong College, said Thailand does not claim Preah Vihear - but has many archaeological sites next to the temple, such as the twin stupas and Pa Mo E Daeng.

The judgement opened a chance for the two countries to redefine the area.


-- The Nation 2013-11-19

[angsta]

Dear Thailand,

You lost. It's a khmer temple you idiots. Move on.

Love,

Cambodia

x

[PaullyW]

Wow, the Thais truly are sore losers, huh? They will spend the next several years trying to figure out ways to 'share' or save FACE.

You guys lost. Get over it. It is surely not your first major loss and losing of FACE in the international community. Just wait until AEC kicks in. There'll be FACE loss for a generation.

[chooka]

The court has already ruled and it bellows to Cambodia, the conflict should be finished. Shake hands and move along.

with the call to make it an ASEAN Heritage site, which member of ASEAN would be in control in this proposal? Let me guess Thailand will be putting their hand up for responsibility of it.

[bigbamboo]

It's already a World Heritage site so automatically it's an ASEAN site.

Still belongs to Cambodia though.

[Keesters]

The only thing that Thailand really wants to share with Cambodia is the revenue that this place can make.

[SantiSuk]

The only thing that Thailand really wants to share with Cambodia is the revenue that this place can make.

Yes - but its biggest tourist revenue source is likely to be from Thais. Cambodia will make little revenue from Thai tourists, who tend to be reluctant to cross into Cambodia, if they play hard-ball. If however both countries can work out a shared revenue/shared access plan from both sides of the border it should be a win-win for both Thailand and Cambodia.

My guess is that this will happen and that both countries are not as beggar-my-neighbour in nature as TV members would like to portray.