Saturday, 28 June 2008

Court intervenes

(BangkokPost.com)

The Supreme Administrative Court on Saturday ordered the government to halt all support for Cambodia's application to Unesco to list Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site. The foreign ministry said it might appeal and the anti-government PAD demanded the government resign.

In an unusual 2am ruling, judges voted nine to three to order the cabinet to suspend, at least temporarily, the Thai support in a joint communique with Phnom Penh.

The communique, signed in Paris on June 18, says that Thailand supports the unilateral request by Cambodia to Unesco to list the temple as a World Heritage Site - but no including the temple grounds, which are still disputed between the two countries.

The judges backed a suit brought by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is trying to overthrow the government.

The suit claims that the application to Unesco by Cambodia could effectively take the temple grounds out of Thai hands, a claim loudly denied by the government and foreign ministry.

The PAD urged the court to nullify the cabinet resolution of June 17 supporting and endorsing Cambodia's map of the ancient temple.

The Unesco meeting to consider the Cambodian appliation begins on Wednesday in Canada. Cambodia is going to attach the Thai cabinet support statmement to its formal application.

A foreign ministry spokesman on Saturday said the ministry could appeal the Administrative Court's order.

The PAD called for the government to resign over the issue, saying that Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama should show his spirit immediately because he had mishandled the temple issue.

"The decision on Preah Vihear temple could not be done by the foreign minister alone, therefore, the entire cabinet must take responsibility as well," said core PAD leader Pipop Thongchai.

He also said the group may try to expand its anti-government protests out of Bangkok and to up-country provinces.

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