Open Preah Vihear, business pleads

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Open Preah Vihear, business pleads

Writer: BangkokPost.com

Published: 22/07/2009 at 02:00 PM

The government should consider quickly reopening Phra Viharn national park, the entrance to Preah Vihear temple, to help the ailing economy of the border province of Si Sa Ket, the provincial chamber of commerce chairman, Sriwan Kiatsuranont, said on Wednesday.

Trade and tourism in the northeastern city had suffered severely since the park was closed because of the tensions over the old Preah Vihear temple and surrounding areas, he said.

“The national park is the only tourism selling point of Si Sa Ket and the southern part of the northeast region. The park’s closure has driven tourists away,” he said.

By contrast, Cambodia had continued to open Preah Vihear temple to foreign tourists and local travellers.

The government should reopen the national park as soon as possible.

The park, including Pha Mor E-Daeng cliff, the only entrance to the ancient temple in Cambodia, was ordered closed indefinitely after Thai and Cambodian troops faced off in the disputed area surrounding the world heritage site.

Source : bangkokpost.com,July 22, 2009

Preah Vihear : Thailand vs Cambodia

Preah Vihear : Thai vs Cambodia Temple Dispute

Source : youtube.com

...The Preah Vihear World Heritage case has gone beyond technicalities. It is abused to arouse delusion that the temple belongs to Thailand and a desire to revive the claim.

The purpose is to generate hatred in Thai politics. Nationalism is dangerous, especially a foolish one like this.

The PAD and their media supporters are doing the same thing they despised when Cambodian nationalists drummed hysteria against Thailand a few years ago.
They are irresponsibly playing with fire. If they want to fight for all disputable cases, there are probably hundreds of them to choose and to send soldiers to die for. ... ( Thongchai Winichakul," Preah Vihear can be 'time bomb' ",The Nation ; June 30, 2008 )

Prasat Preah Vihear ( Thai:Prasat Khao Phra Viharn) is a Khmer (Cambodian) Hindu temple situated atop a 525-meter cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains in the Preah Vihear Province of Cambodia and on the border of Sisaket Province in northeastern Thailand. In 1962, following a serious dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership of the temple, the International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled that it belonged to Cambodia. The adjacent land to the north is under Thailand's control. Affording a view for many kilometers across a plain, Prasat Preah Vihear has the most spectacular setting of all the temples built during the six-century-long Khmer Empire. As a key edifice of the empire's spiritual life, it was supported and modified by successive kings and so bears elements of several architectural styles. Preah Vihear is unusual among Khmer temples in being constructed along a long north-south axis, rather than having the conventional rectangular plan with orientation toward the east. The temple gives its name to Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, in which is is located, as well as the Khao Phra Wihan National Park in Sisaket Province, Thailand, through which the temple is most easily accessible. On July 7, 2008, Preah Vihear was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ( Wikipedia.org )