No chance to claim temple

Noppadon was dismissing calls by the Democrat Party to lay claim to the temple before Cambodia sought World Heritage listing.

He said the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia. It allowed Thailand to refile its claim within 10 years if it found some new evidence. There is no appeal procedure.

Democrat deputy leader Alongkorn Pollabutr had called for Thailand to oppose Cambodia's plan to list the temple as a United Nations' World Heritage site. He rejected joint management of the temple and urged a delay to the listing decision.

"Khun Alongkorn has poor knowledge of the matter since it is a legal technicality. He should not raise the point to confuse society," said Noppadon, a highly regarded lawyer who acted as a representative of Thaksin Shinawatra when he was in exile.