UN Court Decision On Thailand, Cambodia Due July 18

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UN court decision on Thailand, Cambodia due July 18

THE HAGUE, July 8, 2011 (AFP) - The UN's highest court is to rule July 18 on a request by Cambodia for Thailand to immediately withdraw its troops from an area around an ancient temple where clashes have taken place, the court said Thursday.

"On Monday 18 July 2011, the International Court of Justice... will deliver its order on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Cambodia," the court said in a statement published on its website.

Cambodia in late April launched a bitter legal battle before the ICJ, in which it requested an interpretation of a 1962 court ruling around the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

It also asked the court to approve provisional measures while the court pondered its decision, including an immediate Thai troop withdrawal from the area and a ban on military activity there.

Although Thailand did not dispute Cambodia's ownership of the temple, secured by the 1962 ruling, both Phnom Penh and Bangkok claimed the 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square-mile) area surrounding the Khmer complex.

Thailand has asked for the case to be scrapped in its submission, but said in June it would respect the ICJ's ruling.

In February the United Nations appealed for a permanent ceasefire after 10 people were killed in fighting near the Preah Vihear temple.

However fresh clashes broke out in April further west, leaving 18 dead and prompting 85,000 civilians to flee.

Cambodia said though there had been clashes in the past, Thai aggression substantially increased after July 2008, when the UN's cultural body UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage site.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-07-08

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World Court to rule on Cambodian border clarification measure July 18

BANGKOK, July 9 - The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is set to rule July 18 as requested by Cambodia to issue a provisional measure to force Thailand to withdraw troops from the disputed area near Preah Vihear temple and a ban on military activity there following sporadic deadly clashes between troops of both sides.

The court's ruling is scheduled after Thailand and Cambodia attended two rounds of oral observations May 30-31 in the Hague, Netherlands, following the Cambodian request that the court interpret its 1962 ruling on Preah Vihear Temple, including its request for indication of provisional measures.

"On Monday 18 July 2011, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will deliver its Order on the request for indicating provisional measures submitted by Cambodia..." the court said in its statement released Friday.

It said a public sitting would take place at the Peace Palace in The Hague and the President of the Court, Judge Hisashi Owada, would read the court’s order.

Thai foreign ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said the ministry has acknowledged the ICJ statement and the outgoing Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya will lead a Thai delegation to hear the ruling at the end of next week in The Hague.

Mr Thani however said he could not predict the direction of the order, but affirmed that Thailand was confident it had clarified the matter to the court as much as it could and hopes the court will give fairness for the consideration of the case.

In 1962, the court ruled that Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia. Thailand complied with the ruling but argued that the verdict covered only the sandstone ruins while the area around it belonged to Thailand.

Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have occurred, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides.

On April 28, Cambodia asked the ICJ to interpret its 1962 judgement to establish if the land in the temple's vicinity also belonged to it. The application was accompanied by its urgent request for the indication of provisional measures. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-07-08

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Thailand 'to comply' with ICJ ruling on Preah Vihear

By The Nation

Thailand is willing to comply with the injunction or any provisional measures on the Preah Vihear case that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivers on July 18, foreign minister's secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said yesterday.

"But for the sake of justice, we hope the court rejects Cambodia's request," Chavanond said after meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on the matter.

Kasit will be present with a Thai delegation to hear the verdict at The Hague's Peace Palace, he said.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong will also be present, spokesman Koy Kuong said yesterday.

Phnom Penh has asked the court to clarify the scope and meaning of the 1962 ruling on Preah Vihear. As it awaits the interpretation, it has also asked the court to set provisional measures forcing Thailand to withdraw its troops, banning them from any military activities in the area or taking any action that could violate Cambodia's rights.

During a court hearing in May, Thai representative Virachai Plasai argued that the Kingdom had fully complied with the court's ruling since 1962, and thus the case had no grounds and should be removed.

In 1962, the court ruled that Preah Vihear Temple was on land that came under the sovereignty of Cambodia and ordered Thai troops and personnel to withdraw from the temple and its vicinity.

Though Thailand complied with the ruling, it continued insisting that the land surrounding the temple came under its sovereignty and hence Cambodia could not use the area in relation to Preah Vihear's World Heritage designation.

The two countries have been at loggerheads over the area adjacent to the temple since Cambodia got the temple listed as a World Heritage Site in 2008. The Abhisit government made several attempts over the past few years to block Cambodia from managing the ancient temple.

The dispute caused border skirmishes in the area near the temple in 2008, 2009, and again this year, which claimed more than a dozen lives on both sides. Even now, the troops are ready for a confrontation.

On April 28, Cambodia asked the court to clarify the 1962 ruling because bilateral mechanisms had failed to settle the conflict.

Chavanond anticipates that the court will issue one of the following temporary measures: granting Cambodia's request; rejecting it; or delivering a different order that both countries are legally obliged to comply with.

-- The Nation 2011-07-09