Phnom Penh, 13 January
2012
JOINT STATEMENT
The
National Authority for Preah Vihear (NAPV) and the National Committee for the
World Heritage (NCWH) express their deepest regret at the recent activities
carried out by a group of Thai ultra nationalists, including staging
demonstration outside the UN Office in Bangkok, bringing in a large group of
activists and erecting a statue of the Buddha on the Phnom Trap, close to the
Temple of Preah Vihear and well inside the ICJ’s sketch map of the Provisional
Demilitarized Zone, as reported by the Thai media (including 15th move on 08 January 2012
and Thairath on 8-9 January 2012).
The
NAPV and NCWH strongly condemn this activity, which not only clearly violates
the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Order issued on 18 July 2011, but also
contradicts the spirit of the positive results of the recent General Border
Committee (GBC) meeting between the Minister of National Defence of Cambodia
and the Minister of Defence of Thailand, held on 21 December 2012 in Phnom
Penh.
The
ICJ established the Provisional Demilitarized Zone, and further ordered that “both Parties shall refrain from any action
which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more
difficult to resolve”; while the GBC meeting issued a joint statement that
“both Parties agreed to implement the
Order of the International Court of Justice of 18 July 2011 in a transparent,
equitable and verifiable manner.”
The
NAPV and NCWH are seriously concerned that this activity with the use of people
and religious movements can be perceived as a provocative act and an attempt to
escalate tensions and hinder preservation of the precious Temple of
PreahVihear, a World Heritage property and heritage of all humanity.
The NAPV and NCWH urge that the ICJ order and the
conclusions of the recent GBC meeting be honoured and respected by both sides,
and strongly hope that the Thai ultra nationalists will refrain from any
activities which may adversely affect the recently re-established good relations
between the two neighbouring countries and people who very much wish to live in
peace and harmony in a civilised, modern world.
The National
Committee for the World Heritage The National Authority for Preah Vihear