PM insists on 'equal' site visits

Key facts

• Paris: Thailand will insist that any future Unesco inspection of disputed border temple sites cover both the Thai and Cambodian sides of the frontier, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Saturday.
• Mr Anutin said Thailand had conveyed its position to Unesco during talks on Friday, adding that any inspection near the disputed border must include sites on Thai territory to ensure the findings are complete, balanced and accurate.
• He was responding to concerns raised by members of the Thai community in France during a meeting at Wat Buddhananachat on Saturday morning.
• Mr Anutin said he had raised the issue directly with Unesco director-general Khaled Ahmed El-Enany Ali Ezz the previous day, particularly the possibility that Cambodia could ask the agency to assess damage to a World Heritage temple allegedly affected by recent border clashes.
• "If Unesco is invited to inspect the site, it must also survey the Thai side of the border so the information is clear and complete," he said.