PHNOM PENH, Sept. 12 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Friday that a nearly two-month border dispute with Thailand will likely be to be brought to the International Court of justice in The Hague or once again be returned to the United Nations Security Council.
"We should be well-prepared and get documentation ready because it is unlikely that we can avoid the court, or, if it is worse, then we have to return to the U.N. Security Council," Hun Sen said at the opening of his weekly Cabinet meeting.
The premier said Cambodia has used "utmost restraint" in the face of "daring aggression" by Thai troops into Cambodian territory.
He added that incursions have been at many place along the some 800- kilometer border with Thailand.
Cambodia and Thailand were to discuss full troop withdrawals from a disputed border point last month, but the Thai side requested a postponement due to internal tension in Thailand.
Cambodia made an appeal to the U.N. Security Council on July 22 to meet urgently on Cambodia's military standoff with Thailand, but it withdrew its appeal two days later after Thailand had agreed to hold immediate talks on the issue.
The border dispute and military standoff stems from incidents almost two months ago when Cambodia detained three Thai ultranationalist activists who the authorities allege illegally crossed into Cambodia near the World Heritage-listed Preah Vihear Temple.
Since then, Thailand and Cambodia have been building up their forces near the temple and tensions have escalated.
On Aug. 16, several hundred troops from both sides who had been deployed to the area since July 15 were drawn back from immediate confrontation, but they remain close by.
But the military standoff has spread to at least three more points along the border.
The dispute appears difficult to resolve because the two sides use different maps of the border areas.
"We should be well-prepared and get documentation ready because it is unlikely that we can avoid the court, or, if it is worse, then we have to return to the U.N. Security Council," Hun Sen said at the opening of his weekly Cabinet meeting.
The premier said Cambodia has used "utmost restraint" in the face of "daring aggression" by Thai troops into Cambodian territory.
He added that incursions have been at many place along the some 800- kilometer border with Thailand.
Cambodia and Thailand were to discuss full troop withdrawals from a disputed border point last month, but the Thai side requested a postponement due to internal tension in Thailand.
Cambodia made an appeal to the U.N. Security Council on July 22 to meet urgently on Cambodia's military standoff with Thailand, but it withdrew its appeal two days later after Thailand had agreed to hold immediate talks on the issue.
The border dispute and military standoff stems from incidents almost two months ago when Cambodia detained three Thai ultranationalist activists who the authorities allege illegally crossed into Cambodia near the World Heritage-listed Preah Vihear Temple.
Since then, Thailand and Cambodia have been building up their forces near the temple and tensions have escalated.
On Aug. 16, several hundred troops from both sides who had been deployed to the area since July 15 were drawn back from immediate confrontation, but they remain close by.
But the military standoff has spread to at least three more points along the border.
The dispute appears difficult to resolve because the two sides use different maps of the border areas.
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