Grand News Asia

Saturday, 7 August 2010, during a public meeting with the “People’s Alliance of Democracy”, the so‐called “yellow shirts”, Mr. Abhisit, Prime Minister of Thailand, declared openly : “About the land encroachment, we will cancel the MOU if the problem can’t be settled. We will use both diplomaticand military means”. On 14 June 2000, Cambodia and Thailand signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the survey and demarcation of the border line between the two countries. Article 1 of this MOU stipulates that the survey and demarcation of land boundary between the two countries shall be jointly conducted in accordance with the 1904 Convention, the 1907 Treaty and its annexed Protocol and the “Maps which are the results of demarcation works of the Commissions of Delimitation of the Boundary between Indo‐China and Siam set up under the Convention of 1904 and the Treaty of 1907 between France and Siam, and other documents relating to the application of the Convention of'1904and the Tr...

5 August 2010 It is known to Thailand from its government down to the public that Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, on behalf of the Abhisit Vijjajeva Government, has signed a World Heritage Committee’s official document known as Decision 34 COM.7B.66, committing Thailand to fully abide by the terms described therein. Consequently,  1. Thailand can no longer claim not to know the content, the meaning, and the significance of the World Heritage Committee’s official report known as document WHC-10/34.COM/7B.Add.3, in which the report concludes that “with regard to the Management Plan, the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS consider that it provides a good vision for the conservation of the World Heritage’s property as well as a solid basis on which the National Authority for the Protection and Development of the Preah Vihear Natural and Cultural Site (ANPV) can develop policies and operational procedures,… that many of the very important recommendations made...

The Bangkok Post  Published: 30/07/2010 at 12:12 PM, among others, exuberated the fact the WHC had postponed discussion on Cambodia’s management plan for the Preah Vihear temple to its meeting next year in Bahrain. It went on to quote Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, who is leading the Thai delegation, said from Brazil that the postponement is a satisfactory result.   "This will allow Thailand more time for to discuss the issue and to find solutions," he said. Mr Suwit thanked his team, the government and the Thai people for their support and for voicing their opposition to Cambodia managing the site. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva earlier said that any approval of the plan proposed by Phnom Penh could lead to Thailand withdrawing its WHC membership. He insisted that Thailand would not discuss the management plan before the border's demarcation is complete.   In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear temple and...