Thailand's Ambassador to the Netherlands Virachai Plasai, left, Thailand's Director-General, Department of Treaties and Legal affairs, Ittiporn Boonpracong, center, and Thailand's Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya, right, attend the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, May 30, 2011. Thailand and Cambodia will face off at the United Nations' highest court Monday, in the latest move to settle a decades-old battle for control of a disputed border region that has erupted into deadly military clashes. Cambodia is asking the court to order Thailand to withdraw troops and halt military activity around a temple at the center of the dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbors. (AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski)
Published: 2/06/2011
The International Court of Justice should drop Cambodia's petition on Preah Vihear temple, Thailand says.
Wrapping up its testimony before a two-day ICJ hearing in the Hague, Thai ambassador to The Hague, Virachai Plasai, said Phnom Penh's complaints against Bangkok were groundless, and its petition to the court inappropriate.
The ICJ ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belonged to Cambodia but its verdict did not touch on which country owns the land surrounding the temple.
Both Cambodia and Thailand have laid claim to this land, which has led to a series of armed clashes between the two countries. Cambodia has now asked the court to interpret its 1962 ruling and order Thailand to withdraw troops and stop all military activity near the temple.
The court called a two-day hearing to consider the request, and a decision is expected next year.
The ICJ has asked Thailand and Cambodia to submit additional information, including the number of deaths and clash locations to the court by Tuesday.
Then, the ICJ wants the two countries to submit any arguments contradicting the information provided by June 14.
Mr Virachai told the court on Tuesday that Thailand has always been willing to support a joint listing of the Preah Vihear temple as a world heritage site.
It was Cambodia's constant refusal to make such a joint undertaking that had caused problems, said Mr Virachai.
Cambodia's call for the withdrawal of Thai troops was merely designed to clear the disputed land and create a buffer zone under its management plan.
The plan is supposed to go before the World Heritage Committee next month. Thailand has asked that it be removed from the agenda until the border demarcation had been settled.
He said Thailand had never disputed the court's verdict. But Cambodia wanted the court to determine something outside the scope of its verdict. The ICJ should remove Cambodia's petition from its consideration as it was not appropriate.
The court did not rule on the boundary line and left it to be mutually determined under international law and bilateral mechanisms. "Pending demarcation of the boundary, we have consistently adhered to the decision adopted by our cabinet in 1962. We did not change our position on the boundary in 2007 as alleged by Cambodia," he said.
1 comment:
Groundless, the Thai's claim of Cambodia's petition to the ICJ. ICJ should dismiss the case, and allow the Thais soldiers continuing the slaughter of Cambodian people at the border vicinity and allowing the Thais to committing crime against humanity to Cambodian people and the ICJ should allowing the Thais to continue to invading, encroaching, and taking Cambodian's properties, that what the Thais demanded that the ICJ Justices to do.
It is imperative that the most respectable group of people among the judicial system in the world, highly and utmost respect and consider scholars in the field of law and international law.
It is very agonizing to see my fellow Cambodian endlessly suffering from the Thais' aggression and to endlessly seeing foreigner invading into our territorial sovereignty integrity.
I and on behalf of ALL my fellow Cambodian around the world, putting our faith and future and rely and truth the professionalism and honesty, to not sway by the very immature, blatant, and impertinent group of people.
This petition is very essential to the Cambodian people and country as a whole and to the world as well as to the people of Thailand, to prevent the loss of lives and destroying properties of both sides.
Again, we[Cambodian] people urge every respective justices of the ICJ to thoroughly consider the requested petition and to render a just and fair decision.
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