oneworldtalk

TT Ruby · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 306 Location: Natural Habitat

The tussle over the ancient temple of Preah Vihear has not been resolved despite UNESCO's decision in Cambodia's favour. While the Thai government has graciously accepted the ruling of the international body, the opposition has capitalised on the sensitive historical bilateral dispute to accuse the government of betraying Thai national interests.

Thai foreign ministry will try to ask the World Heritage Committee to postpone consideration of Cambodia's application to list the Preah Vihear temple. The government will also propose to apply for World Heritage listing for the site jointly with Cambodia.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/07/04/headlines/headlines_30077314.php

TT Ruby · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 306 Location: Natural Habitat

Background information on the squabble over Preah Vihear :

The temple ghost returns
Bangkok Post, 2 July 2008

By Anchalee Kongrut

Preah Vihear, the 900-year-old temple currently in the spotlight, has always been like a restless ghost. At a proper given moment and background, it finds a way to come back and haunt the Thai people.

On June 15, 1962 the whole country mourned when the International Court of Justice ruled that the ancient Khmer-style temple was situated in Cambodian territory.

This year, the ghost of Preah Vihear has returned with a vengeance.

The eerie episode started on June 18, when Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama signed a joint communique with the Cambodian government, endorsing the latter in unilaterally nominating the Preah Vihear Temple for inscription as a World Heritage Site.

The World Heritage label is a high-profile global status which will bring fame and real advantages including tourists and money, and financial grants from the United Nations’ World Heritage Fund.

The sentiment is similar to the fervent patriotism in 1962, when each Thai citizen was asked to chip in at least one baht to help fund Thailand’s attempt to defend the temple at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

Last week in Si Sa Ket province, local protesters threatened to evict Cambodians living in the problematic overlapping area along the border. Cambodia has closed access to the temple since last week.

Like a good Hollywood remake, the ghost of Preah Vihear has had some new features for the 2008 version. This time, centre stage is devoted to which country will secure the World Heritage Status for Preah Vihear temple.

The World Heritage Committee (WHC) is an independent body under the Unesco umbrella. It is holding its annual meeting from today till July 10 in Quebec, Canada, during which it approves or defers World Heritage nominations.

It is almost certain that Cambodia will resubmit its nomination for Preah Vihear. Since 1992, the country has tried to inscribe the temple as a World Heritage site.

Cambodia’s past attempts were vetoed by Thailand, which feared a unilateral nomination would include the 4.6 square kilometres of overlapping land still under dispute.

The WHC’s last meeting in New Zealand deferred Cambodia’s nomination and advised that the country get consent from Thailand.

Cambodia managed to secure the endorsement when Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama signed the joint communique on June 18, 2008. According to the joint communique, Thailand supports the inscription of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site as proposed by Cambodia. And Cambodia, in showing reciprocal goodwill and conciliation, will nominate only the temple structure, without the buffer zone on the northern and western areas of the temple.

But the Cambodian move has since faced obstacles. Last week, 43 Thai senators and 300 members of the Thai elite establishment signed a petition asking the WHC to defer Cambodia’s nomination of Preah Vihear and sought time for Thailand to file a joint-nomination. The campaign has picked up momentum, with another 25,000 Thais having signed the petition.

The protesters say Cambodia’s unilateral nomination would undermine the integrity of the ancient Hindu site. The temple was not a stand-alone architecture, but a complex in which related structures i.e stupas, barai (man-made lake) are interrelated and constitute a meaning within the ancient Hindu belief.

Inscribing only the temple while ignoring the related structures that make it whole - which are located in Thailand’s territory - would undermine the integrity of the site, said Senator M R Priyanandana Rangsit. She insisted the WHC should defer the listing and give Thailand time to prepare the necessary document for joint nomination.

The WHC has a long history of inscribing entire sites, such as Angkor, the whole ancient cities of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai or even the Jesuit mission of the Guaranis which is a transboundary property between Brazil and Argentina. But integrity is not a must. Richard Engelhardt, an adviser at Unesco’s Asia-Pacific office, said the WHC sometimes gave weight to only architectural value. For instance, only the Taj Mahal building was listed as a World Heritage site while the garden in the same compound was omitted.

In case of transboundary property, the WHC does allow State party members to file a joint nomination.

So far, the WHC has inscribed 851 properties with universal values, including 660 cultural sites and 166 natural sites - 25 of them are transboundary properties.

The WHC has two avenues for countries with shared property to secure the World Heritage status. First, countries can file for a joint nomination and help manage the site together under the same rules laid down by Unesco. For disagreeing countries, the WHC allows each individual member to lodge a separate nomination. Each country would separately manage the site.

But the question is whether Thailand and Cambodia can or should resume cordial relations and file for joint nomination.

Cultural experts in Thailand have criticised the data which Cambodia has submitted to WHC as being one-sided and distorted from the facts, thereby undermining the value of the related structures that lie in Thai territory.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) in Thailand sent a petition to Unesco to reconsider the information from Cambodia, according to Vasu Poshyanondana, archaeologist and assistant secretary-general at Icomos-Thailand office.

Icomos is an advisory agency which gives recommendations to Unesco on conservation techniques and provides technical assistance to the WHC on the granting of World Heritage status to State party’s nominations.

However, the final decision rests with the WHC. This year, neither Thailand nor Cambodia sits on the committee.

The WHC has spent the past 30 months reading the information proposed by Cambodia, according to Mr Engelhardt. The Thai senators’ question about the integrity of the whole site is a challenging one for the WHC. At the end, the WHC will relay the question back to, and check on the position of, the Thai government.

It remains to be seen what the Thai government will do, since the Administrative Court has granted an injunction while checking if Minister Noppadon had the authority to sign the joint communique endorsing Cambodia’s unilateral inscription of the temple.

Sompen Kutranon, a Thai businesswoman who has lived in Phnom Penh for 18 years, said local people were not paying much interest to this issue. They understand that the Preah Vihear issue has been politicised by anti-government protesters.

The Cambodian government only needs Preah Vihear as a new tourist attraction. Ms Sompen - who helped staff at the Thai embassy during the riot against Thais in 2003 - said she did not expect another riot against Thais.

“The Cambodian government will not allow any riot because the economy in Phnom Penh is very good. It will not allow any turmoil that could scare investors away,” she said.

She added that people in Cambodia, herself included, could not understand why Thais had to protest against Cambodia’s attempt to enlist its own property as a World Heritage site.

“Local Cambodians are very clear. The temple belongs to Cambodia and it is their right to get it listed. People here do not care about the overlapping land and surrounding areas. They have been waiting for the temple to become a heritage of the world,” she said.

“If they find that Unesco has deferred its decision again, they may get angry, very angry,” Ms Sompen said.

TT Ruby · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 306 Location: Natural Habitat

On other UNESCO heritage listed sites :

http://oneworldtalk.freeforums.org/unesco-heritage-listed-asian-sites-t1377.html#4464

smalltok · Joined: 20 Mar 2007 Posts: 264 Location: USA

BORDER TROUBLE
Cambodian soldiers walk in the foggy morning as they patrol around Preah Vihear temple,
Preah Vihear province, Cambodia . Cambodia and Thailand escalated their troop buildup
on Thursday, 17-July, at the disputed territory near the historic border temple
despite moves to hold talks next week to defuse the flare-up in tensions.

TT Ruby · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 306 Location: Natural Habitat

Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo who chairs ASEAN said that the 10 nation organization's decided to offer its facilities to be placed at the disposal of Cambodia and Thailand, in the event that they felt the need for further support to find an early resolution to their dispute over the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear peacefully.

Kebau · Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 415 Location: Canada

To fight over a decaying monument in the name of national pride will not bring happiness and fill the stomachs of poor people coping with rising food prices. Cambodians and Thais should sit and negotiate a peaceful end to all these war drum beatings. They are Buddhists but practise not a word of the Dhamma instead they are swayed by the merchants and machinery of death.

Little Egret · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 500

The 900-year old Preah Vihear temple is even older than Cambodia’s own famous Angkor Wat that was built in the first half of 12th century.

The dispute over the land near Preah Vihear escalated this month when UNESCO approved on Jul 8, 2008 Cambodia’s application to have the temple complex named a World Heritage Site. The opposition parties in Parliament then accused the government of selling out.

If the dispute continues after the World Court has settled it, don’t expect ASEAN to be able to settle it amicably.

Why can’t the opposition parties in Thailand accept gracefully the decisions of ICJ and UNESCO? Can’t the Thais find their own 900-year-old temple amongst the numerous temples in Thailand to showcase as a world heritage?

TT Ruby · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 306 Location: Natural Habitat

The Thai opposition are obviously very desperate. Needless to say they have been given a raw deal collaborating with the military and had failed to win sufficient seats in the provinces. Many Thai people fall for it - they might not have voted for the opposition but nationalism appeals to every loyal Thai citizen.

Shifting borders is commonplace in history especially with Thailand and Cambodia who share many cultural similarities. In northeastern Thailand (Isan), the poorest region in the country, there are some Khmer temples that Thais could showcase to the world and earn some tourist dollars. Preah Vihear is significant mainly because of its age but not as impressive in terms of architecture compared to other Khmer temples in Cambodia or Thailand.

Restoration work at the ruins which began in the early 1980s has brought back some of its former grandeur. Some critics felt that the artisans were not skilful and the present temple is lacking in realism and timelessness. It looks very similar like a temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

http://www.thailandguidebook.com/phanom_rung.htm

The Phanom Rung Sanctuary is one of the most beautiful and important Khmer hostoric sites in Thailand. It was built during the 12th century A.D. and is set on top of Phanom Rung Hill.

Phanom Rung is the original name and is mentioned in stone inscriptions excavated in this area. It is a religious sanctuary dedicated to the God Shiva, the supreme Hindu deity. It symbolizes Mount Kailasa, the heavenly abode of Shiva.

Prasat Phanom Rung

Naga Bridges

Prasat Phanom Rung has been promoted for its solar events in March/April and autumn equinox.

Sunset on 5th of October 2005 at Prasat Phanom Rung - Visible through all 15 gates

Prasat Muang Tam is a smaller temple sanctuary about 8 km away from Prasat Phanom Rung.

http://www.trekthailand.net/places/3/muangtam.jpg

Little Egret · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 500

Border talks burdened by ancient rivalry
Straits Times, Aug 18, 2008

By Nirmal Gosh, Thailand Correspondent

Thai historian Charnvit Kasetsri, a former rector of Thammasat University, and Chulalongkorn University's political science professor Puangthong Pawakapan have been on a lonely campaign across university campuses to inform young Thais about the realities of history. Often, the Thai media has twisted and distorted what the two have said.
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Major parts of modern Thailand were once under the sway of ancient kingdoms in Laos and Cambodia. When the kingdom of Siam rose, tables were turned and, at one time, parts of Cambodia such as Battambang and Siem Reap were under the kings of Siam.

But most Thais grow up learning only about the high points of their country's history. School textbooks often contain outright fictions, fuelling a sense of wounded history and what Professor Puangthong calls the “love-hate relationship” between Thailand and Cambodia.

A fictitious story has been told to generations of Thai students that the Khmer King Satha attacked Ayutthaya while Siam was busy fighting the Burmese. But Siam's King Naresuan defeated and personally executed him, washing his own feet in King Satha's blood, the students are told. King Naresuan today figures prominently on the banners and T-shirts of the nationalist-royalist People's Alliance for Democracy, which raised the Preah Vihear issue in its months of ongoing anti-government street protests in Bangkok.

The truth is Khmer King Satha was able to escape to Laos.

Thai children also do not learn that a king of Siam once burned down Phnom Penh. They do not learn that Thailand supported the genocidal Khmer Rouge.
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But Thailand's court rituals are in Khmer, and though school books say Thai script was invented by King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai in northern Thailand, the truth is Thai is a simplified form of Khmer.
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“It appears to be quite difficult for the Thai elite to admit that a country such as Cambodia, so poor (and) war torn...could own such a great civilisation like Angkor,” Prof Puangthong told an audience last week at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT).
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“This quarrel is nonsensical,” Dr Sumet Jumsai, one of Thailand's foremost scholar-architects, said at the FCCT forum. In a letter to the Thai media on July 26, he wrote: “Neither (domestic politics nor nationalism) has anything to do with history and, in this case, architecture, which none of the vociferous parties involved has shown any appreciation for.”

He said at the forum: “Phra Vihar is one of the most stunning monuments ever devised by man. It belongs to mankind. “All these (Thai) ultra-nationalists may one day be reborn as Khmers,” he quipped.

http://straitstimes.asiaone.com.sg/Asia/South-east%2BAsia/Story/STIStory_269235.html