The Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga takes the foreign journalists to Sisaket on a press tour. Chris Blake of AP:
"We respect the court ruling but hope to one day have the evidence to prove the temple itself is ours," Pirapan told The Associated Press.
Pirapan incorrectly claimed that the court ruled only that the temple itself belonged to Cambodia, but not the land it stands on.
The official summary of the court's judgment says it "found that the Temple of Preah Vihear was situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia."
Asked why Thailand was willing to fight over the disputed land near the temple, Pirapan responded: "because it's ours. Even if it is only one square inch, it is ours."
BP: This story has been making the rounds as the few journalists who heard him say this were very surprised. AP commits the "crime" of fact checking the Minister and well, of course, discovers he is wrong. You can see BP's blog posts on the ICJ decision here, here, and here - you will see in the last post, Pirapan is just repeating what Abhisit said in parliament. Thailand cannot relitigate this issue as that right expired 10 years after the decision which has long passed now. Still not sure whether the Democrats really believe what they are saying or they are just pandering to the PAD.
Also, in the Straits Times (subscription only):
Some analysts have said that by accepting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's offer to be his economic adviser, Thaksin risks eroding his support base in Thailand.
But village official Nirundon Lumthaisong said: 'We are proud that a Thai is advising Cambodia. Khmer people are our brothers and sisters. When Thaksin was in power, he opened up trading channels and people made money. Now, those channels have been closed.'
BP: From all reports that BP has seen both in print and passed on, the locals had few kind words for Abhisit and the PAD. It was a mixture of Thaksin and Bhum Jai Thai supporters. Quite simply, they blame Ahbisit.
See the full AP report here.
No comments yet.
