Thai Foreign Minister resigns over temple dispute

BANGKOK -- Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama announced resignation Thursday after a court verdict found his signing a Thai-Cambodian Joint Communique over the Preah Vihear Temple in breach of constitution.
Noppadon made the announcement at a press conference at the Foreign Ministry.

He said he resigned to take responsibility after an earlier Constitutional Court ruling found his act of signing the Communique on June 18 non-constitutional.

However, he insisted that his act regarding Thai government's stance on Cambodia's bid to list the Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site, would not undermine Thailand's territorial integrity as accused by critics.
Noppadon just returned to Thailand on Thursday morning from a trip to Quebec, Canada, where he tried in vain to postpone the World Heritage Committee's consideration of Cambodia's bid.

Noppadon made the trip after the Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that the Joint Communique, which Noppadon signed with Cambodia to endorse Thai government's support for Cambodia's application over the ancient temple located at the Thai-Cambodian border, was in violation of the 2007 Constitution.

The court cited that the Communique was regarded as an international treaty that could affect Thailand's territorial sovereignty and thus required prior approval by the parliament before being signed, which Noppadon failed to do.