Public cautioned against doing anything controversial in sympathetic border region
PUBLISHED: 8 Mar 2025 at 18: 29
Prasat Ta Muean Thom, an old Khmer church near the Thai-Cambodian borders in Surin, has reopened to the public but guests have been cautioned not to participate in any controversial actions there.
Customers may refrain from holding metaphorical actions so as to maintain peace and order, said Thanathip Sawangsaeng, a spokeswoman for the Thai Ministry of Defence.
The Thailand-Cambodia Border Committee decided to restart the church after reviewing both countries ‘ response to a recent event in the vulnerable place.
A group of Thai people was spotted on Feb 13 singing a nationalist music at the church, and they were quickly confronted by Thai men.
News of the affair touched off a cooked online discussion featuring aggressive political vocabulary. For some, it called to mind the decades-long dispute between the two states over Preah Vihear, which had to be settled by the International Court of Justice.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra shrugged off the affair and cooler heads later prevailed.
Mr Thanathip said on Saturday that the event showed that such problems may be handled carefully to avoid national surveillance situations.
” We request that citizens of both countries avoid arranging symbolic activities that could have an effect on border regions, particularly Prasat Ta Muean Thom in Surin”, he said, adding that people from both countries can also visit the temple.
Prasat Ta Muean Thom was built in the 13th century by King Jayavarman VII of the Khmer Empire that was dominant in the region from the 11th to 13th centuries.