PREAH VIHEAR CONTROVERSY

PREAH VIHEAR CONTROVERSY

Any Govt would have done it: Samak

Prime
Minister Samak Sundaravej said Sunday that any government would have
had done the same thing with what his administration has done in
endorsing Cambodia's registration of Preah Vihear a world heritage site.

He
said had the post-coup interim government remained in office, it would
have done the same thing with what his government had done regarding
the Preah Vihear listing.

Speaking during his live talk programme, Samak said had the Democrat won the election, it would have also done the same thing.

He
said Cambodia would seek to register Preah Vihear with our without Thai
endorsement and it could have caused more damages had the World
Heritage Committee approved the registration of the disputed
overlapping land as part of the world heritage site.

The
prime minster said his government endorsed the registration after
Cambodia agreed to register only the temple not the surrounding
landscape.

He said his government was not the one to
initiate the preparations for the endorsement of the joint communiqu้
of the two countries in support of the Preah Vihear listing.

He said the Foreign Ministry handled the issue with backing from the military and National Security Council.

Samak
said the Foreign Ministry's Treaties and Legal Affairs Department had
studied the issue and became certain that Thailand would not lose any
part of its territory because of the joint statement.

He
said the Supreme Command's Royal Thai Survey and the NSC also backed up
the opinion of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department.

Samak
added his government was facing all the trouble regarding to the Preah
Vihear issue because of the Constitution which was written with a
motive get rid of politicians of the People Power Party's side.

During
his Talk Samak Style programme, Samak particularly cited Article 190's
section paragraph, which the government's opponents cited to seek a
Constitution Court's ruling against the Cabinet's resolution to endorse
Cambodia's registration of Preah Vihear as a world heritage site.

He said the second paragraph should not have been included.

The government's opponents later cited the court ruling to seek an impeachment against his Cabinet.

The
second paragraph of Article 190 says: "A treaty which provides for a
change in the Thai territories or extraterrotorial areas over which
Thailand has sovereign rights or has jurisdiction in accordance
therewith or in accordance with international law or requires the
enactment of an Act for the implementation thereof or has extensive
impacts on national economic or social security or generates material
commitments in trade, investment or budgets of the country, must be
approved by the National Assembly. For this purpose, the National
Assembly shall complete its consideration within sixty days as from the
receipt of such matter."

http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/07/13/headlines/headlines_30077955.php