Temple row sinks minister

Thailand's Foreign Minister resigned last night in a bid to defuse political tension as a raft of court cases and street protests batter the country's 5-month-old government.

Noppadon Pattama's resignation came after opposition demands that he quit over a dispute with Cambodia involving an ancient temple on the Thai-Cambodian border.

The Thai Constitutional Court ruled that Noppadon acted unconstitutionally when he endorsed Cambodia's application to have the Preah Vihear temple registered as a Unesco World Heritage Site without first consulting Parliament on the matter.

Critics fear the endorsement undermines Thailand's claim to land near the temple.