Preah Vihear Replica Thai Commander Transferred

[geovalin]

Khmer Times/Ros Chanveasna

The Thai commander who was the mastermind behind the scale replica of the Preah Vihear temple complex on Pha Mor E-Daeng cliff has been transferred following concerns aired by the Thai Foreign Ministry about the structure’s effect on relations with Cambodia. According to the Bangkok Post, Commanding general of the 6th Infantry Regiment Colonel Thanasak Mitraphanont, who donated three million baht of his own money to construct the temple replica, has been transferred to an inactive post.

“Col Thanasak Mitraphanont has been abruptly transferred to work at an inactive post,” the Post reported. Ownership of the 11th century Hindu temple complex has been hotly contested by the two neighbors since the mid-1900s, with bloody clashes between Thai and Cambodian militaries peaking in 2011.

Dozens of soldiers and civilians were reportedly killed in the fighting in 2011 before a ruling by the International Court of Justice in 2013 established the temple and the surrounding area belonged to Cambodia, with the government barring tourists on the Thai side from visiting the complex in 2009. As a result, Thailand’s 6th Infantry Regiment was ordered to construct the replica, built at a tenth of the size of the original, on the Thai side of the disputed border, taking five months to complete.

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