RI receives UNESCO report on damage of Preah Vihear temple

via CAAI

New York, March 10 (ANTARA) - The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has sent a report on the damage of Preah Vihear temple to Indonesia, as the current chair of ASEAN.

"They have submitted the information because they know very well that Indonesia, which is the present chairman of ASEAN, is playing the role as a mediator of the two disputing countries (Cambodia and Thailand), especially following the February 22 agreement (the ASEAN meeting in Jakarta)," Indonesian Permanent Representatives to the United Nations (UN) Ambassador Hasan Kleib said the the UN Headquarters, New York, Wednesday.

UNESCO Special Envoy Koichiro Matsuura gave the information on the damage of the Hindu temple directly to Ambassador Hasan Kleib at the UN Headquarters. Kleib also had a phone conversation with UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova about the disputed temple located in the border between Thailand and Cambodia.

Matsuura recently visited Thailand and Cambodia to discuss about efforts to protect the ancient temple.

The UNESCO special envoy underlined that the purpose of his visit to Thailand and Cambodia was to hear the reports from both sides and he had not expressed his position whether he was for or against any side.

In the meeting with Ambassador Kleib, Matsuura expressed his hope that the temple, which was declared by UNESCO as a site of the World Heritage, be protected.

Kleib responded that ASEAN was very much aware of the importance of maintaining peace in the border area between Cambodia and Thailand so that the two countries could discuss about peaceful solution to problems concerning the disputed border line and the management of Preah Vihear temple.

"However, we told them (UNESCO), that we will not take a position regarding the protection, maintenance, and moreover management of the temple, because it`s fully the affairs of UNESCO and the two countries (Cambodia and Thailand)," Ambassador Hasan Kleib said.

On February 22, 2011, ASEAN foreign ministers held an informal meeting in Jakarta to discuss the armed clash between Cambodia and neighboring Thailand.

In the urgent meeting of ASEAN ministers, Indonesia was requested to send observers to monitor a ceasefire in the affected areas of both sides` border. (ANTARA)

Read More

UNESCO envoy arrives

via CAAI

Sunday, 27 February 2011 19:59 Cheang Sokha

A special envoy from UNESCO arrived in the Kingdom today to discuss the preservation of Preah Vihear temple following deadly clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border near the 11th-century site earlier this month.

Koichiro Matsuura, formerly the head of UNESCO, will be in Cambodia until Tuesday to hold talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and other senior officials.

Matsuura was originally scheduled to travel to Preah Vihear on Tuesday to assess the damage sustained by the temple over four days of fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops that left at least 10 people dead and displaced thousands of civilians.

The envoy said today, however, that this visit had been delayed.

Chuch Phoeurn, chairman of the Preah Vihear National Authority, said the trip had been postponed for two weeks to allow Cambodia to prepare for the arrival of military observers from Indonesia who will be monitoring the situation along the border as a result of an agreement reached between Thailand and Cambodia last week.

On Saturday, an advance team of five Indonesians visited the border area to plan for the observers’ arrival, Chuch Phoeurn said.

Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said UNESCO’s role in the dispute was not to determine “who is right and who is wrong”, but to “ease tension” and “seek cooperation to effectively protect the temple of Preah Vihear”.

The temple sustained damage to its staircases and exterior during this month’s clashes, though early claims from the Cambodian government that a whole wing had collapsed later proved exaggerated.

Matsuura came to the Kingdom from Thailand, where he met officials including Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva in relation to the dispute.

Thai state media reported that Bangkok had stressed the importance of resolving the countries’ border dispute before UNESCO approves Cambodia’s management plan for the temple.

Tensions along the border have been heightened since 2008, when UNESCO inscribed Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site for Cambodia.

Chum Puy, governor of Kulen district in Preah Vihear province, said today that of the 2,678 families living near the border who had been evacuated to temporary shelters in the midst of the fighting, all but 30 had returned to their homes.

“We see that the situation is now safe for them to return,” he said.

Read More

Thai PM: UNESCO Agrees not to Let Temple Issue Raise Border Tension

http://english.cri.cn/

via CAAI

2011-02-27 18:56:16

Xinhua

Web Editor: Xu

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that UNESCO had agreed that the issue of Preah Vihear temple, which is a World Heritage site, should not further raise tension on the Thai-Cambodian border.

"UNESCO has agreed with us that the World Heritage issue should not become a problem that creates tension or increases the risk of clashes or using of violence again," Abhisit said in his weekly national televised address.

Abhisit on Friday met with Koichiro Matsuura, special envoy of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the Government House in Bangkok on the border dispute over a 4. 6-square kilometer plot of land around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, which belongs to Cambodia and was awarded as a World Heritage site on July 7, 2008.

Cambodia plans to submit its proposal for administering the disputed border area to UNESCO's World Heritage committee in June this year.

Abhisit said the administration plan covers territory claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia.

"This is an idea to say that at the end, if UNESCO does not accept this fact, the tension will continue forever," the premier said.

He said he has let Matsuura, who visited Phnom Penh after Bangkok, know about this position of Thailand.

Last Sunday in the same program, Abhisit said UNESCO could help alleviate the tension along the border by not proceeding with the administration plan, and that the organization should first let Bangkok and Phnom Penh settle the demarcation of the troubled area through their bilateral mechanism.

A series of crossfire between Thai and Cambodian soldiers earlier this month inflicted casualties on both sides and forced thousands of local villagers to flee their homes.

Read More

Unesco special envoy to visit Preah Vihear temple on Tuesday

By Khmerization
Source: RFA

A Cambodia heritage official said that Unesco is expected to provide emergency fund for the repair of damages to Preah Vihear temple caused by Thai artillery shells during armed clashes from 4-7 February.

Mr. Chuch Phoeung, chairman of the Preah Vihear National Authority, said Unesco's special envoy Koichiro Matsuura (pictured) and diplomats from countries that are members of the Unesco Permanent Committee will be flown by helicopter to Preah Vihear temple on Tuesday 1st March to inspect the damages caused by fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops. "According to the plan, on 1st March we will fly the Unesco special envoy (Koichiro Matsuura) and diplomats from countries that are members of Unesco Permanent Committee (to Preah Vihear temple). But I don't know the exact number of diplomats who will be flown there", he said.

Mr. Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said the trip of the Unesco special envoy to Preah Vihear is more of a diplomatic mission than a technical mission. "The visit of His Excellency (Koichiro Matsuura) the representative of Her Excellency (Irina Bokova, Unesco Director-General) is more of a diplomatic mission than a technical mission. As we have known, he is coming to assess the political situation under the obligation of the 1954 Geneva Convention as well as the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage as well as world heritage sites", he said.

Mr. Koichiro Matsuura is expected to arrive in Phnom Penh this afternoon, 27th February, and is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen and Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, who is in charge of heritage affairs.

Cambodian heritage officials based at the site said during the armed clashes from 4-7 February, Thai soldiers had fired many rounds of 155mm, 130mm, 105mm artillery shells as well 410 rounds of cluster bombs at Preah Vihear temple, causing substantial damages to the temple structures.

The Preah Vihear National Authority said it is expected that Unesco will provide emergency fund for the repair of the temple damages in accordance with the 1972 convention.

Read More

Unesco Envoy Prepares To Assess Temple Damage

Koichiro Matsuura, a Unesco special envoy for the temple, will travel to Bangkok and Phnom Penh between Feb. 25 and March 1, Unesco said in a statement. (Photo: AP)

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Thursday, 24 February 2011

“It’s just to see how much damage there is and what kind of effective measures can prevent further, bigger incidents.”

A Unesco representative will meet with both Cambodian and Thai officials in coming days on a fact-finding mission over damage to Preah Vihear temple in recent clashes, officials said.

Koichiro Matsuura, a Unesco special envoy for the temple, will travel to Bangkok and Phnom Penh between Feb. 25 and March 1, Unesco said in a statement.

Cambodia officially requested that Unesco inspect Preah Vihear temple, which was damaged in deadly clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border earlier this month. However, Thailand has insisted the area remains too dangerous for an onsite visit.

Unesco officials declined to disclose further details of the visit, and Cambodian officials say that if the envoy makes a trip to the temple, it will not be disclosed to the public.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan said the envoy’s trip to Cambodia will be a technical evaluation of damage to the temple.

“This assessment is not meant as a prosecution of anyone,” he said. “It’s just to see how much damage there is and what kind of effective measures can prevent further, bigger incidents.”

The 11th-Century temple was put on a Unesco list of World Heritage sites in 2008, sparking protests by some groups in Bangkok and leading to a military build-up on the border that culminated in heavy clashes Feb. 4 through Feb. 7.

Unesco said in a statement that Matsuura will discuss safeguarding the temple with the prime ministers of both countries and “examine with both sides ways of reducing tension and promoting dialogue around the preservation of the temple.”

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva acknowledged the trip earlier this week, saying it will be to listen to the accounts of both sides.

Cambodian officials say the temple was damaged by Thai artillery, though Thai officials say any damage was incidental as soldiers returned fire on Cambodian positions.

Read More

UNESCO admits management plan for Preah Vihear Temple difficult: Thai FM

via CAAI

English.news.cn

2011-02-25

BANGKOK, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said on Friday after talks between Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and UNESCO special envoy that the UNESCO delegation admitted it was difficult to carry on management plan for Preah Vihear Temple.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) special envoy on Preah Vihear temple, Koichiro Matsuura, arrived in Bangkok on Thursday night and had discussions with Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya at around 3:30 p.m. before going to meet with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at 5 p. m..

Matsuura, former director-general of UNESCO (1999-2009) and former chairman of the World Heritage Committee (1999), was appointed by Director-general Irina Bokova to discuss with Thailand and Cambodia measures to safeguard the temple, which was listed as a World Heritage site in 2008.

According to Thani, Kasit had explained to the envoy Thai- Cambodian relationships as well as close cultural and historical relations between the two countries.

The foreign minister also insisted that Thailand should continue seeking solutions on border issue through existing bilateral frameworks including Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) and General Border Committee, the ministry spokesman said.

Kasit also explained how the listing of the Hindu temple has so far complicated the issue while border demarcation has not yet been completed.

The three-member UNESCO delegation will fly to Phnom Penh on Sunday for talks with Cambodian officials on ways of reducing tension and promoting dialogue around the preservation of the temple.

The deadly border-clashes between Thailand and Cambodia during Feb. 4-7 has caused slight damage to the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

The UNESCO issued a statement early this week, saying that the "temple was inscribed on the World Heritage List for its outstanding universal value in keeping with the 1972 World Heritage Convention, which has been ratified by both Cambodia and Thailand."

Editor: Fang Yang

Read More