VZCZCXRO0694
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHBK #1027/01 0930135
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 020135Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2508
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0863
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 5033

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 001027 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
PARIS PASS TO USMISSION UNESCO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: UNESCO SCUL TH CB
SUBJECT: THAI MFA FIELD TRIP SEEKS TO EXPLAIN PREAH VIHEAR 
 
REF A: BANGKOK 871 
REF B: PARIS 570 
 
BANGKOK 00001027  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
1.(SBU) Summary. The Thai say they support Cambodia's application 
for World Heritage designation of the Preah Vihear temple but feel 
that the Thai perspective has not been adequately considered. After 
the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok objected, the Thai MFA decided to 
cancel a trip it had arranged for third country diplomats to visit 
the temple and instead only take the group to the adjacent Khao Phra 
Wihan National Park area in Thailand to present their side of the 
story.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) At the invitation of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
econoff went on a field trip with a group of foreign diplomats to 
Sisaket Province March 20-21.  After disembarking at a point where 
the temple could be seen at a distance, Touchayoot Pakdi, Director 
of the Boundary Division, Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs, 
Thai MFA, briefed field trip participants on the history of the 
boundary dispute and the current status from the Thai perspective. 
An archeologist showed field trip participants the quarry where the 
Thai say the stone for the temple came from and the ancient dam that 
was built to create a small reservoir, Sra Trao, to supply water for 
the temple.  The proposition that the reservoir is man-made is 
central to the Thai view that the World Heritage inscription must 
include Thai territory that was historically part of the temple 
complex.  The Thai also argue that Cambodia and Thailand must 
jointly manage the area adjacent to the temple unless and until 
there is a final demarcation resolving overlapping claims. 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to Thai officials, the Cambodians have moved a 
goods market, which caters to tourists, from Cambodian territory on 
the temple grounds to disputed territory outside the base of the 
staircase entrance.  The Cambodians running the market, the Thai 
say, are careless in their waste disposal and are polluting Sra 
Trao, adding to the tensions in the area. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Prior to the trip, the Embassy of Cambodia in Bangkok sent 
the following diplomatic note to the embassies of each country that 
had been invited, protesting the planned visit. 
 
Begin text of diplomatic note: 
 
The Royal Government of Cambodia considers this kind of field trip, 
officially organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, 
without asking for prior authorization of the Royal Government of 
Cambodia constitutes a voluntary violation of the sovereignty and 
territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia.  In this 
connection, the Royal Embassy of Cambodia kindly asks the esteemed 
Embassies not to join the said trip in order to avoid problems which 
could eventually occur on the ground. 
 
End text of diplomatic note. 
 
¶5. (SBU) After receiving this note, post contacted the Thai MFA and 
learned that they decided not to take field trip participants to the 
actual temple or into any disputed territory, but only to the 
adjacent Khao Phra Wihan National Park.  From Sra Trao on the edge 
of disputed territory, the delegation was able to see the temple 
plateau through binoculars.  A Cambodian helicopter perched near the 
temple and Thai soldiers were stationed along the trail. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Econoff received conflicting reports about the degree of 
Cambodian upset and the reasons for the helicopter.  One Thai 
official told econoff that the helicopter was there not as a threat 
but to bring the governor of Preah Vihear province and a few other 
Cambodian notables to greet the delegation.  According to him, Thai 
Prime Minister Samak mentioned the upcoming field trip to the 
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister during a recent official visit to 
Cambodia, who in turn told Samak he would make sure a party was 
there to greet the delegation.  This Thai official told econoff that 
when it became apparent that the delegation was not going to enter 
the temple, the Cambodians waiting on the temple plateau were upset 
at the no-show.  He also said that it seemed that the Cambodian MFA 
and Deputy PM's office were not on the same page on this issue, 
given the protests the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok had made. 
Another Thai official told econoff that the helicopter was there to 
back up the words in the Cambodian diplomatic note and was not there 
to welcome the delegation. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Econoff asked the Thai MFA's lead border demarcation 
official whether the Preah Vihear dispute is more difficult to 
resolve than a separate conflict over competing maritime boundary 
claims.  The official responded that Preah Vihear is definitely the 
more difficult of the two, because the revenue at stake in potential 
oil and gas concessions offshore provides more incentive for the 
parties to come to resolution on the maritime dispute.  With Preah 
Vihear, the financial stakes are lower, but cultural sensitivities 
much higher. 
 
BANGKOK 00001027  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
 
 
John