Mon, May 12, 2008 : Last updated 9:17 hours
Thailand-Cambodia ready to agree on preah vihear temple
By The Nation
Published on May 12, 2008
Thailand will soon end its dispute with Cambodia over the proposed
listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site without making
any trade-offs for oil rights, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said
yesterday.
"We are negotiating to have a joint administration run the temple and
its grounds," Noppadon said. "We'll have a joint statement on the
issue soon."
The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled the Hindu temple
belonged to Cambodia.
Thailand had no objection to listing the site until Phnom Penh, in
preparing its application, annexed 4.6 square kilometres of land with
overlapping owner****p claims.
Thailand has suggested the contested area be managed by a bilateral
body.
Both sides need to reach an agreement before the UN Educational,
Science and Culture Organisation makes its final
listing decision in July.
The issue was politicised by some newspaper columnists who alleged the
government would concede to Cambodia's proposal if Phnom Penh granted
oil and gas concessions to former prime minister Thaksin ****nawatra.
Cambodia has discovered potential oil and natural gas reserves in the
Gulf of Thailand in its own territory and in overlapping areas. The
two countries are working on a joint development scheme, Noppadon
said.
The talks were on a government-to-government basis and the private
sector was not involved.
He said, adding he had no idea whether Thaksin had struck a deal with
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen.
"I don't want to speak on behalf of former premier Thaksin, but I
believe he would never barter away Thai territory for business
interests," he said.
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