Would Thailand let Cambodia have a joint control of Khmer temples inside Thailand?

Historian advocates joint control of border heritage sites

Sun, Jan 23, 2011
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

Countries in the Mekong River basin and the Dangrek Mountain range should consider creating a trans-boundary world heritage site of cultural and natural resources to end their border conflicts, prominent historian Charnvit Kasetsiri proposed over the weekend.

Speaking at a seminar "Our Boundaries, Our Asean Neighbours" on Friday, Charnvit said countries in the region had a lot of cultural and natural heritage left by ancestors centuries ago, some of which were sources of conflict.

Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over the Hindu Khmer temple of Preah Vihear for half a century. The proposal by Cambodia to list the ruined temple as a World Heritage site in 2008 fuelled conflict between the neighbouring countries.

A group of Thai nationalists want the government to block Cambodia's attempt to run Preah Vihear and kick a Khmer community out of the area adjacent to the temple.

A ruling by the International Court of Justice in 1962 found that Preah Vihear was situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia. Bangkok said it respected the court's ruling but argued that the temple's vicinity and even the land where the temple sits belongs to Thailand.

Preah Vihear temple was listed as a World Heritage site in 2008 but the Thai government, with strong support from nationalist groups, opposed its management plan. The two countries remain in conflict and seem to have no way to settle their differences.

Charnvit proposed what he is calling a "Mixed Cultural and Natural Mekong-Dangrek World Heritage" as a model to end the conflict.

There were some examples in the world, he said, where trans-border World Heritage sites had been possible, citing the Iguazu waterfalls - the world's largest - which are situated on the border of Argentina and Brazil.

The World Heritage Committee listed the Iguazu National Park for Argentina as a World Heritage site in 1984 and listed Brazil's part in 1986.

Countries in the Mekong basin should consider the same idea, as they had a lot of sandstone Khmer temples sitting across the boundary in the region, Charnvit said.

Preah Vihear could be jointly listed as a World Heritage site, as its main building is in Cambodia but the area around it is in Thailand.

Preah Vihear was in the same family with Wat Phou in Laos and Phanom Rung in Thailand's Buri Ram province, he said, and noted that two of them - the exception is Phanom Rung - were already listed as World Heritage sites.

"People in this region should think beyond the border and jointly list these temples as World Heritage sites," he said.

Charnvit conducted a set of studies on boundaries to help Thais get a better grasp about such matters. Misunderstanding about the boundary sometimes created trouble for people and conflict with neighbours, he said.

The research indicated that people in many parts of the world, such as in Europe, could move across boundaries easily, as if they don't exist. People in this region should also be able to overcome conflicts over boundaries some day, he said.