PARIS, June 26 – Thailand announced its departure from the World Heritage Convention with immediate effect on Saturday, after the World Heritage Committee failed to heed its request seeking postponement of the Cambodia’s unilaterally-proposed Preah Vihear Temple management plan, as Thailand fears that it may threaten national sovereignty.
Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, leading the Thai delegation at the 35th session of the WHC meeting in Paris, earlier notified
Mr Mounir Bouchenaki, director-general of International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, who represents the director-general of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), that Thailand would leave the World Heritage Convention and would also withdraw from the 21-member World Heritage Committee as the body continues to ignore any negative consequences which may arise from the consideration of the temple management plan which he said overlooks sensitive issues which could adversely affect Thailand’s sovereignty and territory.
Mr Suwit also said the World Heritage Centre, instead of revising the wording of the draft, decided to put it on the agenda of the WHC meeting in Paris, despite Thailand’s request to have the plan deferred, pending border demarcation with Cambodia.
Thailand is opposed to the terms of “urgent repair and restoration” but preferred using the wording “protection and conservation” in the draft. The head of the Thai delegation also said the pullout means that any WHC resolution will not be binding to Thailand.
The withdrawal has resulted in the Director General of the Fine Arts Department, Mrs Somsuda Leyavanija, one of 21 members of the WHC, to leave her post.
Mr Suwit earlier posted a message on his Twitter account late Saturday night saying, “Thailand has no choice but to withdraw as the meeting has resolved to put the issue on agenda.”
Thailand wanted the meeting to defer consideration of the Cambodian management plan until the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rules on its complaint, and not until Thailand and Cambodia finish demarcation of their common border.
Ties between the neighbours have been strained since Preah Vihear temple was granted UN World Heritage status in July 2008.
In April, Cambodia asked the court to clarify its 1962 ruling on the ancient Hindu temple on its disputed border with Thailand following recent deadly armed clashes between the two neighbouring countries.
The world court, based in The Hague, ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but both Phnom Penh and Bangkok claim ownership of 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square-mile) of the surrounding area. (MCOT online news)
