THAI-KHMER TIES

Troop pull-out requires Parliament approval

THE NATION

Thailand cannot comply with |the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s injunction to withdraw troops from Preah Vihear until it gets approval from Parliament, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

At a General Border Committee (GBC) meeting in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to comply with the ICJ order |to withdraw troops from the court-deemed provisional |demilitarisation zone adjacent |to the temple.

Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha, who shook hands on the matter with his Cambodian counterpart Tea Banh, said he will put the issue forward for Cabinet approval on Tuesday before submitting it to Parliament, Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said.

JOINT WORKING GROUP

Both countries have also agreed to set up a joint working group to work toward complete troop pullout from the demilitarised zone. The working group will seek complete redeployment of both Thai and Cambodian military personnel from the demilitarised zone "at the earliest" under the watchful eye of the Joint Observer Team, which is comprised of Cambodian, Thai and Indonesian observers, a statement issued after the GBC meeting said.

The Constitution's Article 190 requires Parliament approval for any agreement with foreign countries or international organisations that could affect sovereignty over territory.

The Parliament's reading in accordance with the Constitution usually takes time, perhaps longer than Cambodia expects, Thani said.

He added that Thailand would definitely comply with the world court's order and the two countries would not do anything that could be seen as a violation of the court's injunction, he said.

Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear for a long time now. In 1962, the ICJ ruled that the temple is situated in territory that comes under the sovereignty of Cambodia, but Thailand has been arguing that the temple's vicinity belongs to Thailand.

Cambodia asked the court to interpret the scope and meaning of the 1962 ruling and order Thai troops to withdraw from the disputed area while awaiting interpretation.

For the sake of safety, the court asked both sides in July to pull their respective troops out and asked Asean to dispatch a team of observers to monitor the situation.

-- The Nation 2011-12-23

Here we go again.......................We agree to the court ruling,but actually we are in no position to enforce it so,if you ( Cambodia ) already withdraw you troops then in the mean time we will do our best to comply also..............Which actually means,we will not.