Cambodia Rejects Thais Says Khmer Preah Vihear Temple Listing Process Incomplete

DAP News Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 12, 2010: Cambodia on Friday rejected Thais media reported that the process to list Preah Vihear Temple as World Heritage Site remains incomplete, said a Cambodian press release.

“Cambodia categorically rejects the assertion made by the Thai Minister,” said the release. A Thais newspaper, The Nation, reported on Friday that Bangkok “has been notified by the Unesco's World Heritage Committee that the process to list Preah Vihear Temple as World Heritage Site remains incomplete because Cambodia has yet to file its site management plan which hinges, in turn, on the border demarcation.”

But Cambodia’s totally denounced the report as baseless.

Cambodian government said that United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization “UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has no role in receiving any report from a State Party to the 1972 Convention, after the inscription of any world heritage site”.

“There is no rule stipulating that the World Heritage Committee shall distribute any report from one State Party to another. The World Heritage Center is the only legal Secretariat of UNESCO relating to world heritage.”

After the inscription of the Temple of Preah Vihear in July 2008, Cambodia has  fulfilled all her obligations and duties to submit the periodical report on the conservation and the situation of the Temple of Preah Vihear.

The final management plan as required by the 32nd Session of the World Heritage Committee under the Decision 32COM 8B.102 was submitted on 28 January 2010, without delay, said the release. 

“Therefore, Minister Suwit is completely wrong for not fully updating the legal process of both the World Heritage Center and the World Heritage Committee,” said the release was issued by the Cambodia’s Press and Quick Reaction Unit.

In addition, Minister Suwit is more than qualified to be aware that the World Heritage Committee and UNESCO have no role at all on border issues, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Joint Boundary Commission between Cambodia and Thailand that produced the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding between Cambodia and Thailand which recognized the 1907 Map, it said.

Cambodia said that the World Heritage Committee had inscribed the Temple of  Preah Vihear on the World Heritage List with some recommendations that Cambodia has implemented accordingly.

“Therefore, there is no area of uncertainty about the listing and this inscription is undoubtedly irreversible,” said the release.
With regard to the final management plan submitted to the World Heritage Center on 28 January 2010, Cambodia is conscious of her Sovereignty and of the fact that her heritage property shall maintain the maximum outstanding universal value and natural integrity concerning the landscape and its natural setting in conformity  with the operational Guidelines of the World Heritage Committee, it said.

Cambodia has undertaken to develop the whole area of the Temple by providing the most favorable accessibility to visitors from the improvement of the existing western road.

Preserving the eastern historical staircases pending future restoration with the construction of 1,450-meter wooden staircases and promoting sustainable development with the harmonization between Temple are on high agendas of Cambodia’s development master plan.

The social and sustainable developments in the areas, where nearly Cambodian 800 families have been living are strong evidences telling the whole world that Cambodia’s policy of preserving the Temple has fall in lines with international standard—given Cambodia has been working closely in the collaboration of UNESCO, international experts, local authorities and the National Authority of Khmer Preah Vihear.

“We deeply regret that Minister Suwit had made this pretentious and misleading statement regarding the inscription of the Temple of Preah Vihear with the purposes of poisoning the international community’s good will and cooperation, and tarnishing the positive image and good reputation of UNESCO and World Heritage Committee,” said the release issued by Office of the Council of Ministers Press and Quick Reaction Unit.

Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti was quoted in the newspaper as saying on Thursday that “the uncertainty on Preah Vihear Temple listing will be resolved pending on the Thai-Cambodian cooperation to demarcate the borders."

The U.N. court of International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 in which the court ruled out that: the Temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia.

The court also found that Thailand is under obligation to withdraw any military or police forces, or other guards or keepers, stationed by her at the Temple, or in its vicinity on Cambodian territory.

Thailand is under an obligation to restore to Cambodia any objects of the kind specified in the Cambodia’s fifth submission which may, since the date of the occupation of the Temple by Thailand in 1954, have been removed from the Temple or the Temple area by the Thai authority, according to the ICJ Judgment.

The relations of the two Asian nations have turned sour since Thailand was not pleased with the UNESCO listed the Temple in July, 2008.

The Cambodian Prime Minister warned that Phnom Penh will never reopen its entrance gate, which could be accessed from the Thais side unless the border situation to return to the situation before 15 July, 2008, when both troops clashed and the relations of the two Asian nations turned rocky since.

At least six soldiers were killed from both sides since the two Asian neighbors' military armed clashed, which have been locked in a standoff since 2008, near at the Temple of Preah Vihear.

Hun Sen has regarded the armed clashes as incidence, not war.

The Cambodian 900-year-old Temple of Preah Vihear was listed by the UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 2008.