Thai authorities have gone on high alert for fear of another antiThai riot in Cambodia after the Bangkok government opposed Cambodia's efforts to get Preah Vihear Temple on the Unesco's World Heritage

Thu, June 28, 2007 : Last updated 22:36 pm (Thai local time)
Thais on high alert of another anti-Thai riots in Cambodia
Thais on high alert of another anti-Thai riots in Cambodia

Thai authorities have gone on high alert for fear of another antiThai
riot in Cambodia after the Bangkok government opposed Cambodia's
efforts to get ancient Hindu shrine Preah Vihear Temple on the
Unesco's World Heritage.

Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh held an urgent meeting of Thai nationals in
Cambodia last week to go over an evacuation after it was informed of
the government's position on the matter.

The Thai government objected the Cambodian's plan because are a number
of unsettled matters between Thailand and Cambodia concerning Preah
Vihear, particularly that the joint border has yet to be demarcated.


Unesco decided on Wednesday not to include the ancient shrine on its
World Heritage list, thus, heightening a growing fear among Thai
authorities of another chaos.


Thai Foreign Ministry feared that history would repeat itself. In 2003
an antiThai riot broke out, mainly in Phnom Penh, was hundreds of
Cambodians went on a rampage, looting and attacking Thai business and
embassy. The incident erupted after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen
lend legitimacy to an unconfirmed report that a Thai celebrity has
made a derogatory remarks against the Cambodian people.


The Cambodian government has over the recent years renewed their
efforts to have Unesco classify the ancient Preah Vihear temple as a
World Heritage site.


Cambodia wanted the temple ,which lies in the Northwest border of the
country but perched on the Thai border, to be recognised as a World
Heritage monument to help assure its continued preservation.

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