Formal protest filed with Phnom Penh

Asked to remove troops from disputed area

THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL

The Foreign Ministry yesterday protested to Cambodia over its sending troops to the disputed area around Preah Vihear _ the ancient ruins on the border between the two countries.

Virachai Plasai, the chief of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department, summoned Cambodian ambassador Ung Sean to register a protest against Cambodia's intrusion on Thailand's sovereignty. He said it was a violation of the 2000 memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries over the Preah Vihear area.

Under the MoU, both countries agreed not to do anything to change the area in question.

This is the fourth time in five years that Bangkok has protested to Phnom Penh over the issue. The previous diplomatic protests were in 2004, 2005 and 2007 and involved the establishment of a state office, a temple and a road in the disputed area by Cambodia.

Thailand's protests have not resulted in any changes, however.

''This time we summoned the Cambodian ambassador to protest against them sending in troops and police and clearing landmines in the overlapping area in Si Sa Ket province,'' said Mr Virachai.

Cambodia was asked to withdraw its troops from the disputed area.

He said although the two countries have a joint border committee looking after their 800-kilometre border, it might take another 10 years to demarcate the 195km border in the Preah Vihear area, as the two countries use different maps. The disputed area covers 2,900 rai, or 4.6 square kilometres.

However, negotiations which aim to put in place a joint management over the disputed area are underway and expected to be in place before the border demarcation is completed, Mr Virachai said.

''Today's protest is done on a legal basis in an attempt to protect Thailand's rights over the disputed area,'' he said. It would not affect diplomatic and political cooperation between the two countries.

The Preah Vihear conflict came up after Cambodia made a proposal to have Unesco include the ancient ruins on the World Heritage list, ignoring a suggestion by Thailand that the proposal be jointly made because of the border problems.

Thailand put its case to Unesco, saying the two countries had not yet settled a demarcation agreement on land around the ruins, prompting the UN body to postpone the listing until the two sides settle their differences.

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Shared by BT; extracted from the Bangkok Post