Cambodia Asks UNESCO To Hold Urgent Meeting on Preah Vihear Temple Protection

Phnom Penh 9 February 2011 -- AKP

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Sok An, Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers and President of National Commission of Cambodia for UNESCO has sent a letter to UNESCO Director General Mrs. Irina Bokova, demanding the application of the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Goods in Case of Armed Conflict, The Hague, 1954.

The full letter dated Feb. 7 reads as follows:

Mrs. Irina BOKOVA
Director General of UNESCO
PARIS

Phnom Penh, 7 February 2011

Subject: Urgent demand to apply the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Goods in Case of Armed Conflict, The Hague, 1954

Excellency,

I refer to my letter dated February 5, 2011. It is with deep sorrow that I find myself obligated to inform urgently Your Excellency of new attacks by the Thai armed forces against the Temple of Preah Vihear in spite of a series of negotiations between Khmer and Thai military officials.

These successive new large scale attacks by Thai troops against targets around the Temple of Preah Vihear and the sacred site of the Temple of Preah Vihear have caused, according to early assessment, significant damages to the Temple itself and in particular to Gopuras I, III, IV and V which were seriously damaged by Thai heavy artillery shelling on February 6, 2011.

We fear that other parts of the World Heritage Site will be damaged by Thai forces which continue to target it with artillery shelling.

The Royal Government of Cambodia considers that Thailand, a State Party to the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Goods in Case of Armed Conflict, is in breach of Article 4.1 of the Convention and solicits Your Excellency immediate intervention in accordance with articles 21, 22 and 23 of the Convention.

In this context, the Royal Government of Cambodia requests that an urgent meeting of the Countries responsible for the protection or their representatives be convened including, in particular, representatives from the Kingdom of Cambodia and Thailand who are responsible for the protection of World Heritage sites. The objective will be to organize the protection of the Temple of Preah Vihear which is in grave danger of total destruction by Thai armed forces.

The Royal Government of Cambodia would welcome technical assistance from UNESCO to organize the protection of the sacred site of the Temple of Preah Vihear with the fielding of a group of experts to assess damages to the Temple and to take appropriate actions including the participation of UN military observers.

Please be assured, Excellency, of my high consideration.

President of National Commission of Cambodia for UNESCO

Deputy Prime Minister