Noppadon must go: academics

Academics have called on Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama to take responsibility for the failure to block Cambodia's application to list Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site.

The government must terminate the joint communiqué that Noppadon signed with Cambodia's deputy prime minister Sok An since it would affect Thai sovereignty, said Wanwipa Charoonroj of Thammasat University's Thai Studies Institute.

The academic, who said she had conducted a lot of research on the issue, declined to clarify how the joint communiqué to support Cambodia's application to list the temple as a World Heritage Site would affect Thai sovereignty. 

The Cabinet has already dismissed the idea of withdrawing support for Cambodia.

The military's Royal Thai Survey, which guaranteed the validity of Cambodia's new map used for the application, must also take responsibility, Wanwipa said.

Dr Tul Sithisomwong from Chulalongkorn University said he would seek clarification from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation on the decision in favour of Cambodia's application.

Sompong Sucharitkul, former Thai ambassador to The Hague, said Thailand might not be able to bloc the Preah Vihear listing but should propose an ancient site downhill from the temple as a World Heritage Site.

Opposition Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva called on the government to release the Cabinet resolution to the public as he suspects the government might be hiding something. 

"We need to study in detail what went wrong and who will take responsibility," he said.

The opposition would file a criminal lawsuit against Noppadon, accusing him of being a threat to national security.

Protesters supporting the People's Alliance for Democracy surrounded Noppadon's house in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday to express their anger over his handling of the Preah Vihear issue.