Thailand reaffirmed its stand on Preah Vihear Temple - demarcation of the border should be completed before debating and endorsing a joint administrative plan for the World Heritage Site, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday.
Abhisit's remarks precede the 34th Session of Unesco's World Heritage Committee, due to be held on Wednesday in Brasilia.
Cambodia is expected to push for the adoption of an administrative plan it has drawn up for the temple.
"The government has consistently rejected the map used by Cambodia in claiming the temple and adjacent areas located within its borders and Thailand has never accepted the World Court verdict on the temple as a ruling on border demarcation," he said.
Acting under the government's instruction, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Suwit Khunkitti planned to voice rigorous opposition to the temple administrative plan and would ask the committee to postpone the debate on the issue, he said.
Thailand has planned several options to safeguard its territorial integrity regardless of the outcome of the committee's meeting, he said, pledging full support for Suwit to succeed in his mission.
Suwit said he understood Cambodia planned to avoid bringing up the unresolved border issue but there was no guarantee that the temple administrative plan, if endorsed, would not cover the adjacent areas in the North and West of the temple, which Thailand considers its territory.
Democrat Party spokesman Buranaj Smutharaks said the Samak Sundaravej government had erred in issuing a joint communique in 2008 that could be construed as recognising Cambodia's territorial claim over areas near to the temple.
Although the communique was subsequently nullified by the courts, Cambodia could still cite it to back up its plan for the temple, he said. The best option for Thailand now was to delay the debate on the issue, until the border had been agreed on.