Cambodian Communities in United States 6201 Fowler Avenue Suite 116 Sacramento, CA 95828 Email: [email protected] Honorable Zalmay Khalilzad U.S PermanentRepresentative Press and Public AffairsSection United States Mission toUnited Nations 140 East 45thStreet New York, N.Y. 10017 Dear Sir, We are humbly asking youto take action to institute mechanism to resolve the border dispute over thesovereignty of Khmer Temple Preah Viheah, which recently intensified the longstanding hostility between the Royal Army of the kingdom of Thailand and theRoyal Army of Kingdom of Cambodia. The petition emphasizeswith respect to international treaties, the ruling of the International Courtof Justice relative to the shrine of Preah Vihear on June 15, 1962, theinscription of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site in 2008 byU.N.E.S.C.O and Paris Agreement on Cambodia, October 23, 1991. We believe the reason youshould take action are as follows: 1. The origin of theconflict over Preah Vihear is a century old. According to a border settlementbetween Cambodia’s French Colonial Government and the Kingdom of Siam, thetemple and the area surrounding it was Cambodian territory. Yet, in 1938 theThai government reclaimed the area and occupied it until 1958 when both sidesheld a series of negotiations to resolve the issue. They however did not cometo agreement. In 1959, the countries brought the case to the InternationalCourt of Justice in the Hague. The International Court of Justice decided onJune 15, 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia and that Thailand shouldwithdraw its forces and return all art objects to the temple that might havebeen removed. The decision was accepted by both parties and become the Statusquo. But to date Thailand has not returned to Cambodia any art objectsfrom Preah Vihear Temple they had taken. And at that time, Cambodia had to useforce to drive out Thai guards who continued to illegally occupy Preah VihearTemple in contempt of ICJ verdict. 2. Preah VihearTemple was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2008 by UNESCO. Theinscription supposes it to be under the protection of UNESCO. 3. The ParisAgreement of October 23, 1991 guarantees the sovereignty, independence andterritorial integrity of Cambodia. Eighteen countries, including Vietnam,Thailand and Laos signed and ratified it. We believe that thefollowing measures need to be implemented: a. Withdrawal of all armed forces from Preah VihearTemple area b. Establishment of a UN buffer zone in the disputed area c. Full recognition of the Paris Agreement of Octpber23,1991 to guarantee the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity ofCambodia. We trust that you will useyour personal influence to move Cambodia and Thailand to bring above measuresin order to terminate the border dispute and demonstrate respect for thesovereignty of the Khmer Temple Preah Vihear. Thanks for your attention in thismatter. With profound respects, Sincerely, The undersigned Pong Kith Abraham C. Som Vanno Kong 6201 Fowler Ave Suite 122 Sacramento, CA 95828 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org
Cambodian_Communities_in_United_States.docx
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