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Tuesday, May 11, 2004


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Anti-Thai feelings flare up in Cambodia

Published on May 10, 2004

The Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh has asked police there to boost security at its compound following local media reports of an alleged claim of Thai ownership of Angkor Wat.

"We do not want a repeat of the anti-Thai riot last year,'' Thai Ambassador to Cambodia Piyawat Niyomrerks said yesterday from the capital.

"We have alerted police and asked them to strengthen security at the embassy. They promised to abide by the request."

A group of Cambodian factory workers staged a protest over the alleged claim by a Thai woman who inspected the Singapore-owned factory as part of a quality check.

Piyawat said the woman made the alleged comment after seeing a poster of Angkor Wat on a wall of the factory accompanied by the caption: "People in this world know that Angkor Wat belongs to Cambodia, except Siam [Thailand]."

He said the woman regarded the caption as provocative and reported it to the factory's owner, who decided to take it down.

A rumour then swept the factory that the poster was taken down because the woman said Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand.

A second Thai woman visiting the factory was forced to read an apology over the alleged claim in front of workers.

Piyawat said that many local newspapers - both Khmer and English - reported the incident on Saturday.

A Khmer-language newspaper reported the Thai woman demanded the poster be tore down and published a picture of the second woman reading the apology, he said.

This has made many Khmers believe the woman really claimed ownership of Angkor Wat, he added.

Some radio stations organised phone-in segments so listeners could express their views on the matter.

"The whole matter is a misunderstanding about a groundless claim. We are well aware of last year's riots. Therefore, we asked the Khmer police for more protection," Piyawat said.

There has so far been no reported acts of violence against Thai interests in Phnom Penh or elsewhere in the country, he added.

On January 29 last year, the Thai embassy and some Thai-owned firms in Phnom Penh were torched and burnt down by rioters responding to widespread rumours that a Thai actress claimed Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand.

Thais in Cambodia were evacuated and the Thai government downgraded its relationship with Cambodia, suspending all financial and technical assistance to the country.

Ties were restored after Phnom Penh paid for the damages.

Marisa Chimprabha

THE NATION

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