Cabinet appoints Minister Suwit to chair Preah Vihear dispute committee

3/08/2010
MCOT.NET

BANGKOK, Aug 3 - The Thai Cabinet on Tuesday appointed Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suwit Khunkitti to chair a committee to oversee the Preah Vihear temple dispute and to examine Cambodia's development-management plan for the ancient temple, according to a government spokesman.

Mr Suwit led the Thai delegation to the just ending UNESCO World Heritage Commission (WHC) meeting in Brazil, said acting spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn. The minister is charged with responsibility to gather information on Cambodia's development management plan for the temple, which was granted world heritage status in 2008.

The committee will also seek evidence to support Thailand's claim to the contested 4.6 sq km area around Preah Vihear temple, he said.

The committee will comprise representatives from concerned agencies including the ministries of foreign affairs and defence.

Dr Panithan said the Cabinet also acknowledged a report on the WHC meeting given by Mr Suwit and agreed that Thailand would propose to host the WHC annual meeting in 2012.

He also said Mr Suwit assured the cabinet that he had not signed any document at the WHC meeting that could bind the government, but only signed his name to acknowledge the document proposed by Cambodia.

The heritage agency on Thursday postponed reviewing the Cambodian plan until next year when it meets in Bahrain.

Mr Suwit said earlier that the officials are now preparing to look through documents of the Cambodian management plan which is expected to be sent to them in September, to see whether it includes the disputed 4.6 sq km disputed zone.

In a related development, Second Army Area commander Lt-Gen Veevalit Chornsamrit on Tuesday conceded that some Cambodians have set up stalls in the contested area near the temple, but the army has no authority to push them back to Cambodian territory.

The general commented following reports on the presence of Cambodian vendors at the Thai-Cambodian border market in Kantararak district of Thailand's Si Sa Ket province.

Gen Veevalit said that the Thai government is duty-bound to hold talks under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both countries in 2000 and the army's duty is to maintain order along the borders.

He said under the 2000 MoU with Cambodia on land boundary demarcation, both sides agree not to carry out any work resulting in changes of environment of the frontier zone, pending the survey and demarcation of the common land boundary.

As for the road to Preah Vihear built by Cambodia, Gen Veevalit said that it was an old road and Cambodia had improved and vehicles could take the route to reach the temple.

He added the Thai army has already submitted complaint letters to the neighbouring country several times.

Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962. UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage site in 2008, after Cambodia applied for the status while the dispute over the 4.6 sq km contested zone between the two countries remains unsolved.

Under the terms of the listing, Cambodia is required to submit a management plan for WHC approval, but Thailand insisted that the matter should not be discussed unless the two neighbours first resolve their dispute over the zone adjacent to the temple. (MCOT online news)