On May 13, Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts issued a statement protesting Thailand’s Fine Arts Department’s registration of border temples and archaeological sites in Thailand’s national register of ancient monuments.
The ministry asserted that the sites were within Cambodian sovereign territory and that the registration harmed Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. These territorial and legal characterisations are the Cambodian ministry’s stated position.
The sites named in the statement included the Tamone Temple Complex, Ta Krabey Temple, K’nar Temple and other border archaeological sites. The ministry said unilateral registration could not serve as evidence of territorial sovereignty or as an instrument for boundary delimitation.
The ministry cited the 1907 Franco-Siamese Treaty and related instruments, the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding, the 2003 Terms of Reference (TOR 2003) and other bilateral mechanisms, saying sovereignty and boundary issues should be resolved under international law. It characterised the registration as illegal, null and without legal effect.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts called on Thailand to withdraw the registration immediately and stop unilateral actions affecting efforts to resolve the dispute peacefully through bilateral mechanisms.
The ministry reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to peaceful settlement of outstanding issues in accordance with international law and established bilateral mechanisms, including the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC).
