Preah Vihear border spat

[Yappofloyd]

CAMBODIA / WORLD HERITAGE STATUS Thailand downplays row over Preah Vihear WASSANA NANUAM & THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL Bkk Post 26/01/08
In a bid to downplay conflicts surrounding the Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border, Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said Thailand had decided not to protest against Cambodia's unilateral move to have the ancient temple ruins listed as a World Heritage site.

The minister said it was a misunderstanding on the part of defence spokesman Pichasanu Putchakarn and his statement was personal, not the resolution of the Defence Council. ''It is not a resolution of the Defence Council. It was just an internal meeting of agencies concerned to assess the situation. It was not intended to be announced and the information [given by the defence spokesman] was incorrect and included personal views,'' Gen Boonrawd said yesterday.

He was referring to a statement by Lt-Gen Pichasanu that Thailand was risking the loss of the disputed areas should Cambodia get the ancient temple listed as a World Heritage site without Thai participation, and that the government should protest and condemn the neighbouring country for the move. Gen Boonrawd also tried to tone down the defence spokesman's remark that Cambodia attached a ''false'' map to claim the disputed areas with its World Heritage application. That referred to the use of a ''different'' map to claim the disputed areas, the defence minister explained.

Lt-Gen Pichasanu said the Defence Council had not reached a resolution, but it had held a discussion to prepare to take the right position. Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said Cambodia's Preah Vihear move had nothing to do with the feared loss of Thai territory. ''Whether Preah Vihear will be listed as a heritage site or not is a matter for the World Heritage Committee (WHC). It will not involve the loss of Thai territory,'' he said.

Thailand has discovered that the information or map that the Cambodian side has proposed to the WHC includes the areas in dispute. Thailand has protested as the border demarcation is not concluded and Thailand's rights to the areas in question have been recognised, he said. The spokesman said a Thai representative who joined an international committee's trip to Cambodia on Jan 11-12 had already complained about the territorial issue with the Cambodian authorities.

Meanwhile, Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Bahn said he already received an explanation from Lt-Gen Niphat Thonglek, the Thai border affairs director-general, that the matter was a misunderstanding. Gen Tea Bahn said although Cambodia was building a walkway to Preah Vihear on its soil, the construction would not affect Thai territory. ''There is a joint committee working on border demarcation. But its work is quite sluggish,'' he said.

[Yappofloyd]

PREAH VIHEAR / THAI-CAMBODIAN DISPUTE Temple area 'should be jointly managed' PIYAPORN WONGRUANG Bkk Post 13/02/08
The area around the ancient Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border, which has been proposed as a World Heritage site, should be managed jointly by the two countries to avoid stirring up conflicts between them, a seminar was told yesterday.

Associate Professor Surachart Bamrungsuk, a military strategy expert at Chulalongkorn University's political science faculty, said at the seminar that the site proposed by Cambodia also covers a disputed common border area. Therefore, until the dispute could be settled, the area should be jointly managed by the two neighbours so they could feel at ease with one another in dealing with the issue.

It is virtually impossible now to delay Cambodia's world heritage site application, and therefore working together would be the best way out, he said. Under the joint management concept, both Thailand and Cambodia would benefit, said Assoc Prof Surachart. The area could be developed into the region's new tourism magnet, he added.

It is unlikely that world heritage status for Preah Vihear would rule out Thailand's claim of sovereignty over the disputed area since it has nothing to do with border demarcation, he said. ''Demarcation problems in this region are a legacy of colonisation in the past, and obviously they are not easy to fix. However, we may find a way out of this if we just look beyond the border and look for an opportunity during a crisis,'' the academic said.

In 2001 Cambodia officially asked the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation to put Phreah Vihear on the World Heritage List, and has since developed its proposal without Thailand's participation. Thailand last year protested against Cambodia's proposal at a World Heritage Committee meeting in New Zealand.This resulted in a recommendation that the two neighbours work together on how to manage the site. Thailand is still waiting for Cambodia's response.

Preah Vihear is a cluster of ancient Khmer temples that sit atop a cliff in a border area claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia. The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled that Cambodia has sovereignty over the temple ruins and parts of their surroundings.

[Yappofloyd]

Preah Vihear temple talks to be held soon Bkk Post 15/02/08

Thailand and Cambodia will hold talks on the issue of the Preah Vihear temple ruins later this month during the visit of Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok Ann to Bangkok.

Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said yesterday the issue remained ''negotiable'' and would be resolved through diplomatic channels when he met Mr Sok An in Bangkok. The date for the meeting has not been set. ''The Foreign Ministry looks after this issue closely and will maintain the sovereignty and borders of the nation. Preah Vihear is a negotiable process. I don't believe it will affect the relationship between Thailand and Cambodia,'' he said.

In 2001, Cambodia asked the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to put the Khmer temple ruins, called Khao Phra Viharn in Thai, on the World Heritage List. But Thailand protested due to concern that the announcement could affect its rights over the unsettled border.

The World Heritage Committee said at its meeting in New Zealand last year that Cambodia should negotiate with Thailand on the issue because Thailand was a stakeholder as it shared the border with Cambodia.

[mdechgan]

Does anyone know the history of the dispute?

I think it was once a part of Thailand politically and geographically.
Even though culturally is was a part of Cambodia the French surveyors marked the map according to the river. However the river changed after a few years.

I think Thailand was pissed because Thailand paid for its maintenance over the years while Cambodia contributed very little to the temple. Even in the past the sole entrance was from the Thai side.

However the world court ruled that the French Surveyors were wrong and Thailand was at fault because Thailand didn't bother challenging or checking the map over the years.

[jpatokal]

Originally Posted by mdechgan

Does anyone know the history of the dispute? I think it was once a part of Thailand politically and geographically. Even though culturally is was a part of Cambodia the French surveyors marked the map according to the river. However the river changed after a few years.

Wikipedia has a decent summary:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prasat_Preah_Vihear

However the world court ruled that the French Surveyors were wrong and Thailand was at fault because Thailand didn't bother challenging or checking the map over the years.

The ICJ actually ruled that the French surveyors were right (their map showed the temple to be in Cambodia) and that Thailand had let their claim lapse.

[Yappofloyd]

POLITICS AND PREAH VIHEAR
A shared cultural heritage is again at the centre of a tug of war Stories and photos by PIYAPORN WONGRUANG Bkk Post 19/02/08

As the 60-year-old musician draws the bow across his three-string fiddle, a sweet Cambodian wedding melody floats around the ancient temple of Preah Vihear, breaking the morning silence. Uncle Wan's musical stage is a small space in the sanctuary's gallery where every day he plays his tro, or traditional Cambodian fiddle. Visitors like his music and many give him money.

Born in Siem Reap, uncle Wan grew up amid the violence that tore his country apart 30 years ago. Like so many other young men he was drawn into the war between the communist Khmer Rouge and the royalist forces. He served as a soldier - and lost his left leg. His handicap made it difficult for him to work in the turmoil that followed the war, so he turned to music. Recently, uncle Wan moved to a new town near the sanctuary and every day he climbs to the ancient temple, where he earns enough money to support his family.

However, history shows that Preah Vihear, which sits on top of the steep cliff of the Dangrek range separating Thailand and Cambodia, has not always been an open-door for opportunity.

Due to the dispute over the blurred boundary between Thailand and Cambodia, the sanctuary has been alternately closed and opened to visitors. The last time it was closed was in 2002. It was reopened a year later. Such swings in border diplomacy have not only made life harder for people like uncle Wan, but also created an atmosphere of distrust between Thais and Cambodians in the area.

A Thai senior forestry ranger at Khao Phra Viharn national park, as the sanctuary is called in Thailand, said that when the two governments fall out, people even stop talking to each other - instead standing mutely, face to face, with only a steel bar erected between them. "People here hardly ever have problems with each other," the park ranger said. "But once we receive orders to close the border, we become as strangers, acting as if we have never met each other before."

Cambodia's recent efforts to nominate Phreah Vihear as a Word Heritage site has again put the people in the border area under pressure. Cambodia officially requested the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to list the old temple as a World Heritage site in 2001. Since then, it has been going ahead with the proposal alone, without Thailand taking part.

Last year, at a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in New Zealand, Thailand protested against the proposal. This resulted in a recommendation that the two countries work out a way to manage the site together. Thai officials involved in the issue say Cambodia's proposal extends over unsettled boundary lines into areas also claimed by Thailand.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos), which consults with Unesco on nominated sites, mentioned in its evaluation report that the frontier between Cambodia and Thailand passes alongside the northern boundary of the nominated property. It referred to information provided by another agency, that the precise location of the frontier is currently disputed by the two countries. A process to resolve both the boundaries of the temple site and of the frontier should continue, to ensure the sound long-term management of the property, it said.

For the site to be nominated, inclusions of some outer areas and a buffer zone are needed to help protect it from external influences, according to a senior Thai archeologist working on the recommended joint management plan. The inclusion of such areas requires recognition not only from Cambodia, but also from Thailand, the report noted. But the two countries would not be struggling to agree on sovereignty issues if a hundred years of colonisation had not laid such a heavy hand over the border area.

Assoc Prof Surachart Bamrungsuk, a military strategist at Chulalongkorn University, said mainland Southeast Asia had traditionally never had a perception of national borders. People in the region crossed natural barriers to associate socially and culturally before borderlines were drawn by colonising powers. A hundred years ago, to the west of Thailand, or Siam as it was then, Britain was demarcating the border with Burma, while France was busily doing the same with its colonies to the east.

As a result, the countries in this region were born as the states, following the modern definition. But they came with borders which had no regard for the social and cultural relationships of people in the areas, the professor said. A highly spiritual place like Preah Vihear was not exempted from demarcation, even though it was the centre of spiritual gatherings for people whose nationalities could hardly be identified.

Historian Dhida Saraya, who has been studying ancient cities in the region and is the author of Khao Phra Viharn,said the sanctuary was built over a thousand years ago by ancient Khmer Kings to worship Hindu gods. But more significantly, it symbolised attempts to blend old beliefs of different groups of people in the adjacent areas. People were united and the new cult of Devaraja, under which the king is regarded as god, was promoted. It then spread to other regions.

During the disputes over ownership of Preah Vihear in the mid 1900s, the discussion centred largely on where it was located - in Thailand or Cambodia? In 1959, Cambodia took the dispute to the International Court of Justice. In 1962, the court ruled the sanctuary was under Cambodia's sovereignty, leaving some room for arguments about the surrounding land, where the border between the two countries was not settled.

Ms Dhida said that in order to manage cultural property, the parties need to think of a "cultural boundary", especially in a situation where physical boundaries are unclear. With the recognition of a cultural boundary, the parties would be better able to to see through other obstacles and work together in preserving the cultural heritage.

She said the Unesco should pay more attention to this aspect to help avoid possible conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. "According to the evidence so far, people in this area do not associate or disassociate only by the determination of borderlines. "They have a shared cultural heritage and this should be regarded, especially when the area will be nominated as a World Heritage site," said Ms Dhida. "How can culture be identified by nationalities and borders?"

The Thai working group has put together a plan under which the two countries would jointly restore the area, the director of the Archaeology Office, Tharapong Srisuchart, said. They were awaiting Cambodia's response to the plan, he said. The next meeting of the World Heritage Committee is set for the middle of this year in Canada. Many people expect that Cambodia's proposal for World Heritage status for Preah Vihear will be accepted.

Few local people, if any, would welcome the disruption that could follow this as the two countries again dispute ownership of the land, along with the likely closure of the border. "People normally cross back and forth through the forest and the fields to visit their relatives here and there," said another Thai forest ranger. "We here don't acknowledge the borderline." Meanwhile, Uncle Wan still draws his bow across his fiddle strings every morning, and the sweet sound swells into the peace that pervades Preah Vihear, which, in happier times, was there for all people.

[Yappofloyd]

I wouldn't be surprised if sometime in the future if the new govt is having a hard time, Samak sends in the troops to occupy the area Thailand claims for some nice nationalist politicing.

TIES WITH CAMBODIA Samak asks army for full briefing on Preah Vihear - WASSANA NANUAM Bkk Post 27/02/08

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has asked the army to give him a full briefing on Preah Vihear, an issue expected to be raised during his visit to Cambodia next week. Preah Vihear is not on the agenda for Thailand, but an army source said it would likely be raised by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during his first meeting with Mr Samak.

The prime minister is scheduled to visit Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, on Monday and Tuesday after a two-day trip to Laos beginning on Friday. Mr Samak made his request during a 40-minute meeting with army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda and supreme commander Gen Boonsrang Niempradit at Government House on Monday, the source said.

Cambodia has asked the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to declare the Preah Vihear Khmer temple ruins, called Khao Phra Viharn in Thai, a World Heritage site. Thailand opposes the idea because the border in the area has not been settled.

Unesco's stance is that the two neighbours must first settle their differences. Mr Samak told Gen Anupong and Gen Boonsrang on Monday his government was still firm on seeing the area demarcated first, the source said. Preah Vihear straddles the border with Cambodia in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket.

The two countries earlier planned to hold talks on the issue this month when Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok Ann was due to visit Bangkok. However, the trip has been put off. The Foreign Ministry has made it clear the issue could be settled and would not be allowed to damage Thailand's ties with Cambodia. Gen Anupong went to Cambodia yesterday to prepare for the prime minister's visit. He is due back today.

After Cambodia, Mr Samak is due to visit Burma on March 6-7. Mr Samak told the two generals that all cooperation schemes with neighbouring countries initiated by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra would continue. He wanted the army and the Foreign Ministry to coordinate on those projects.

[Yappofloyd]

BILATERAL TIES / DISPUTED BORDER AREA Preah Vihear to top the agenda of Samak's visit to Cambodia WASSANA NANUAM Bkk Post 29/02/08

Preah Vihear will top the agenda of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's official visit to Cambodia, starting Monday. A military source said the prime minister would talk to his Cambodian counterpart about jointly proposing the Preah Vihear Khmer temple ruins, called Khao Phra Viharn in Thai, as a World Heritage site since the two countries have yet to settle the border demarcation in that area which is located in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket. Moreover, the Thai side believes the area that covers about 7.2 sq km should not be included in the area to be designated a World Heritage site.

Last year, Cambodia tried to register the site with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) alone. But the UN agency delayed its decision, urging the two countries to resolve the issue together. ''Due to the unsettled border, Cambodia cannot register the ruins alone. If Cambodia wants to apply for World Heritage status, the proposal should be jointly submitted with Thailand because the area is supervised by two countries.

''If Cambodia pushes on with its idea, it should not include the 7.2 sq km disputed area because it means Thailand might lose its sovereignty over the area in question,'' the source said. Mr Samak's trip will follow a two-day official visit to Laos which begins today. A meeting of the World Heritage committee will be convened from July 4 to 12 in Canada.

[Yappofloyd]

Cambodia tense for Samak, temple off agenda Mar 03, 2008
Phnom Penh (dpa) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej began an official visit to Cambodia on Monday aimed at strengthening bilateral ties but which has raised old animosities amongst some Cambodians regarding a disputed border temple. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Samak's visit was a tradition for new leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which both countries are members.

Hor Namhong said Samak and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will address issues including the Thai-funded repairs of a number of Cambodian border roads, but there would be no signing ceremony. "But Hun Sen will not talk about the Preah Vihear Temple," he said. Cambodia has sought to register the ancient temple on the far northern border as a World Heritage site, but Thailand has objected.

Instead, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An would visit Thailand and hold specific talks with the Thai side about the temple in the near future, he said. Some local groups have been angered by Thailand's obstruction of Cambodia's request to have the disputed temple listed.

Also on Monday, the nationalistic Student Movement for Democracy issued a statement demanding Hun Sen refuse to speak with Samak on the issue, citing the 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice in the Hague that Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia. The movement's leader, Kein Sara, was briefly imprisoned in 2003 for his alleged role in the anti-Thai riots in Phnom Penh. Angry mobs had burned the Thai embassy and Thai businesses after a Thai actress was said to have claimed another cultural icon, the Angkor Wat temple complex, was Thai. Sara was quickly released.

Although allies, tensions between the neighbouring nations go back for centuries. In 2003, some Cambodian firefighters showed their tacit approval of the riots by reportedly taking water to put out the Thai embassy fires from the city's sewers instead of fire hydrants. These tensions have not been helped by Thailand's refusal to agree on sea borders as Cambodia looks to exploit potentially rich offshore oil reserves within two years, another issue expected to be on Samak's agenda.

[Yappofloyd]

Joint panel for disputed temple urged ANUCHA CHAROENPO Bkk Post 31/03/08

VIENTIANE : A joint committee could be set up to manage the area surrounding Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border after the prime ministers of both countries reaffirmed their commitment to solving disagreements regarding contested claims to the temple ruins.

Cambodian is set to propose Preah Vihear as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Speaking after bilateral talks with Cambodian Premier Hun Sen on the sidelines of the Third Greater Mekong Subregion summit yesterday, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said a joint panel would be set up to try and work out issues surrounding the ancient site.

To speed up the efforts, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An will visit Thailand soon, Mr Samak said. ''We (Thailand and Cambodia) want an easy way out because we have had a good relationship. Why do we have to make the matter more complicated?'' he asked.

Mr Samak stressed that Thailand would not block Cambodia's attempt to list Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site. The area around the temple compound remains on an overlapping zone between the two countries. The dispute over the temple was discussed by the two countries when Mr Samak paid an official visit to Cambodia.

After his visit, Bangkok agreed not to contest Cambodia's bid to propose the Preah Vihear temple _ but not the surrounding land _ as a World Heritage Site, as some of the surrounding area has not been demarcated yet. Preah Vihear is on the Cambodian side but the main access to the temple is from the Thai side of the border.

[GWR]

http://ki-media.blogspot.com/

Khmer Lands Lost to Thailand Near Preah Vihear Temple
Friday, April 25, 2008
Originally posted by Khmerization
On the web at http://khmerization.blogspot.com


1954 US Army Map
Click to zoom in:
http://bp0.blogger.com/_76xUgRgjZYM/...250,000+02.jpg


Google Aerial Map
Click to zoom in:
http://bp3.blogger.com/_76xUgRgjZYM/...e_map_2008.jpg


Dear Compatriots,

These are the maps showing the areas around the Preah Vihear Temple. I received these maps from Mr. Thhai Makarar. This is a personal view of Mr. Thhai Makarar, but Khmerization found his personal view to be very relevant and consistent with the established views that the areas around Preah Vihear site had been encroached significantly by Thailand.

The map on the bottom is a Google aerial map of Cambodia in 2008 showing the borderlines as drawn by the U.S Army in 1954 superposed on top of the borderlines indicated by Google in 2008 between Cambodia and Thailand. The 1954 U.S Map clearly shows that Cambodia's borderlines were deep inside Thailand but in 2008 the borderlines were pushed deep inside Cambodia. This means that Thailand had encroached significantly around the Preah Vihear site deep inside Cambodia's territories. The top map is the U.S Army map, drawn in 1954. Please read the maps and judge for yourself.

I wish to thank Thhai Makarar for these maps. Mr. Thhai, if you have anything you want me to publish in my blog please don't hesitate to send them to me. I will be happy to publish them all here.

[Yappofloyd]

Wat's happening? - Bangkok Post 29/04/08
Cambodia and Thailand were in total agreement about a famous border temple on Monday: Both claimed they were puzzled why Unesco called off a meeting with their foreign ministers over Wat Preah Vihear.

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation late on Sunday cancelled a meeting with Thailand and Cambodia over efforts to put the Preah Vihear temple on the Unesco World Heritage list. In Bangkok, officials said they had no idea why Unesco called off the meeting, which was to have taken place on Friday and Saturday in Paris. Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama was prepared for the trip, when Unesco notified the ministry of the cancellation.

But in Phnom Penh, there was even more confusion. "We received no invitation from the Unesco about talks, so we do not understand why they said talks are cancelled," said Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Cambodian cabinet, or Council of Ministers. The Cambodians said there was no question about jurisdiction over the temple, and the only topic up for discussion is border jurisdiction.

The campaign to make Preah Vihear a Unesco site has turned into something of a nightmare. Cambodia and Thailand must come to some agreement over putting the temple, known as Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, on the world heritage list. The temple is at the top of a sheer cliff which the World Court ruled in 1962 is in Cambodia. However, the only easy access to the temple is through Thailand. If that weren't enough, the border in the region, except for the actual temple grounds, is unclear because of border disputes.

Cambodia said on Monday that no discussions mediated by the UN body had been mooted in past months and the issue was under control without the need of intervention by a third party. But Thai officials said they had been informed that Unesco will now send its representative, Francesco Caruso, for separate talks with the Thai and Cambodian governments. Mr Caruso has been appointed by Unesco as a special coordinator between Thailand and Cambodia on the issue and is due in Bangkok next month. (BangkokPost.com, dpa)

[Yappofloyd]

This article from last week is worth posting to remind us of the potential flashpoint that Preah Vihear could become given the history between both countries.

THAI-CAMBODIAN TIES Still wary the empire might strike ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT Bkk Post 24/04/08
Five years have elapsed since the burning of the Thai embassy in Cambodia in 2003, but the animosity still lingers on the ground between Thailand and Cambodia, especially in one of the nation's poorest provinces, Siem Reap. The ongoing dispute over Preah Vihear temple has only added rancour to the sentiment. At the mention of the word ''Syam Kuk'' _ a well-known bass relief at Angkor Wat believed to depict Thai fighters marching in the Khmer army either as its alliance or subjects _ a Cambodian tour guide immediately gave a testy response: ''Are you from Thailand? Thailand was our last enemy and they remain the only present enemy until now.''

This small incident shows that despite tireless efforts by both governments to heal the wounds, things might not necessarily be improving in the minds of the people. Siem Reap has just hit the record of receiving over two million tourists, mainly from China and South Korea. The history of the Khmer empire is being kept vivid for the Cambodians who are cashing in on their heritage.

Not all Cambodian guides hold a grudge over the Thai-Cambodian historical conflict, however. Tarth Nu, regarded as Khru (master) by other tour guides, carefully explained the history of the Khmer and the Khmer heritage without naming specific invading nations that drove the Khmer from their ancient capitals of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, to the present Phnom Penh.

Tarin Prom, a 34-year-old taxi driver in Phnom Penh, claimed that half of the Cambodians remained angry with Thai people and continued to hate them after the infamous torching of the Thai embassy. But he himself did not want any further trouble. ''I want peace and I don't want neighbours to quarrel any more. With the riots, not only did Thais stop coming here, other foreigners from the region are also fearful of this easily-provoked nation and are scared to return.''

Time has passed and the physical debris has been cleaned up. Hotels, restaurants and guesthouses that used to bear Thai names such as Chao Phraya, Thai or Siam, have gradually been changed to Khmer words such as Jayavaraman, or Angkor. The Thai embassy has been beautifully rebuilt and is now secured with two high-tech gates. The private Thai companies have been fully compensated, mostly in kind and through tax breaks.

Yet, deep inside, the hurt is still there in the hearts of both Thais and Cambodians. Thibodi Buakamsri, a history lecturer at Kasetsart University, said among other efforts that could heal the ill feeling, a rewriting of the history textbooks might help, as many of them were filled with prejudice towards neighbouring countries.

Intellectuals from both sides believe they should set things right for the future by making the contents of textbooks used in both countries' formal curriculum ''decent and with a proper attitude'' towards neighbours. It may sound simple but any revision would be an arduous task as it must change the core concept of each country's national history. ''We might need to pay more attention and resources in shaping other approaches to viewing our neighbours, aside from the historical perspective. This should not be the burden of Thai people alone. Both sides should do something,'' the academic said.

[Yappofloyd]

Sems to be a lot of diplomacy taking place on this in the last couple of months and reading between the lines one gets the sense things are heating up a little.

Top officials to discuss Preah Vihear - World Heritage listing row still needs settling THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL Bangkok Post 06/05/08

A top foreign affairs official will leave for Phnom Penh today for discussions on the controversial issue of Unesco World Heritage listing for the ancient Khmer temple of Preah Vihear. Foreign affairs permanent secretary Weerasak Futrakul will meet Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An in the Cambodian capital.

Bangkok accepts Cambodia's sovereignty over Preah Vihear, which sits right on the border with Si Sa Ket province but can be easily accessed only through Thailand. But they need to settle the dispute over ownership of 4.6 square kilometres of land adjoining the temple ruins.

Thailand has proposed that a joint management plan be drawn up for the overlapping areas until the border demarcation is completed, and that they jointly propose Preah Vihear to Unesco for listing. Cambodia has so far thrown cold water on the Thai proposal and will continue its solo push for the temple's registration with the UN body at a meeting in Canada in July.

The Preah Vihear dispute erupted in 2001 when Cambodia asked Unesco to put the ancient ruins, called Khao Phra Viharn in Thai, on the World Heritage List. Unesco last year postponed a decision on the listing pending an agreement between the two sides.

According to Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama, Unesco special representative Francesco Caruso has cancelled a trip to Thailand and Cambodia during which he was to have separate talks with the two governments on the issue. The cancellation came after Cambodia suggested the two sides settle the issue between themselves.

The Preah Vihear dispute has at times strained relations between the two neighbours. On April 10, the government handed an aide-memoire to Cambodian ambassador Ung Sean protesting the deployment of Cambodian troops near the temple. Phnom Penh countered by summoning Thai envoy Viraphand Vacharathit to deny the allegations.

[Yappofloyd]

PREAH VIHEAR TEMPLE ROW

Horses for courses?

Top official abruptly moved - THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL Bkk Post 07/05/08
Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama yesterday ordered the abrupt transfer of a senior ministry official handling the Preah Vihear temple dispute with Cambodia to an inactive post. Treaties and Legal Affairs Department director-general Virachai Plasai has been made an ambassador attached to the ministry, an inactive position.

He was on his way to Phnom Penh with foreign affairs permanent secretary Virasakdi Futrakul yesterday for talks with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An on the controversial issue of Unesco World Heritage listing for Preah Vihear.

Krit Kraichitti, currently head of the International Economic Affairs Department, will replace Mr Virachai. The cabinet yesterday approved the special reshuffle order. Tanatip U-patising, who is the ambassador attached to the ministry, will replace Mr Krit. It is believed the transfer was linked to Mr Virachai's handling of the Preah Vihear issue.

Mr Noppadon explained that the transfer was meant to improve efficiency and working coordination. ''I try to put the right person in the right job. There was no other reason for the transfer,'' said Mr Noppadon. He said Mr Krit, who formerly headed the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department, knows the problem (Preah Vihear) very well. ''Each horse has a lot of experience but I want the horse that can run on the right track,'' said Mr Noppadon.