Jun 26, 2009, 6:44 GMT
Bangkok - Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaungsuban said Friday that he will not discuss the controversial Preah Vihear Hindu temple on his diplomatic mission to Cambodia this weekend, raising questions about why he is going.
'I will not talk about anything that causes disagreements,' Suthep said. 'I will only discuss our bilateral relations and try to increase cooperation.'
How Suthep, who flies to Phnom Penh Saturday, will patch up Thailand's strained relations with its neighbour Cambodia without touching on the main source of contention - an 11th-century Hindu temple perched on their common border - remains to be seen.
Thailand and Cambodia have beefed up troops in the vicinity of Preah Vihear temple, about 450 kilometres north-east of Bangkok. Disputes over claims to land adjacent to the temple have led to at least two armed clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops since July 7, 2008, when the temple was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said last week he would ask UNESCO, which administers the Preah Vihear temple under Cambodian supervision, to launch a review of the administration of the World Heritage-listed site.
He said shared supervision of the site would ensure 'the two countries can jointly benefit from this site of high historical importance.'
Thailand planned to submit the proposal at a UNESCO committee meeting in Spain this week, provoking condemnation from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep was assigned by Abhisit to explain the plan to Hun Sen amid reports both countries were amassing troops in the border region where two fatal clashes have erupted in the past year.
On Thursday, Hun Sen said he would not discuss the temple with Suthep.
'But if he [Suthep] wishes to discuss Thailand withdrawing its troops from our soil, then we will talk about that,' Hun Sen said.
Two Cambodian soldiers were killed in clashes near Preah Vihear in July and another skirmish in April left two Thai soldiers dead and dozens injured on both sides.
The temple was granted to Cambodia in a 1962 International Court of Justice ruling, but Thailand claims the land around the site.
UNESCO in July granted Preah Vihear World Heritage Site status, despite Thai objections.
Hun Sen said Thursday that Cambodia would hold a national celebration on July 7 to mark the one-year anniversary of the UNESCO ruling.
'I will call on monks throughout the country to beat drums to celebrate this occasion,' he said. 'There will be a concert in Phnom Penh and similar celebrations in the provinces.'
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