Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Take down those flags

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1/02/2011
Bangkok Post
EDITORIAL

Cambodian authorities are being unhelpful or even provocative by extending the issue of their national flag in a disputed border region. The attempt by Phnom Penh’s foreign ministry to turn the issue back on the Thai government is a rather cheap ploy.

It is unresponsive to the elementary and understandable request by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for Cambodian authorities to remove national standards from a border region that is legally disputed and politically tense.

From the government’s statements so far, it appears that a temple is at the heart of the flag issue. The Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda was built more than a decade ago. It predates the controversial memorandum of understanding which is a flashpoint at the yellow shirt rallies. It also is older than the contentious 2001 application by Cambodia for Unesco to list Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site.

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