BBC News
18th July, 2011
The UN's highest court has ordered Thailand and Cambodia to withdraw troops from a disputed border region near an ancient temple complex.
Cambodia had asked the International Court of Justice for a ruling after fighting broke out around the Preah Vihear temple earlier this year.
The temple belongs to Cambodia but much of the surrounding area is in Thailand.
The judgement is part of a long-running case in which the ICJ is attempting to clarify earlier border rulings.
The BBC's Rachel Harvey in Bangkok says Monday's ruling is just the first round in what promises to be a lengthy and complex judicial process.
Cambodia brought the case asking for a clarification on an ICJ decision from 1962 that awarded it the temple, but left other issues vague.
Thailand wants the case dropped, but has said it will respect the court's ruling.
The ICJ rejected Thailand's attempts to have the case thrown out.
The court's said in a statement that "both parties should immediately withdraw all their military personnel present in the demilitarised zone and refrain from any military presence in that zone".
The court said UN observers would be sent to the area to oversee the ceasefire.
Tension had been increasing between Cambodia and Thailand since Unesco awarded Preah Vihear World Heritage status in 2008.
Clashes broke out around the temple in February and 10 people were killed.
In April, another 18 people died in fighting along the border, around another set of temples to the west.
2 comments:
Dmz take more Khmer land side than the thai sides!!! This map seems like it only go half way to the temple stairs from the thai side while 95% of it were in Khmer land!!! Look like the map of 1907!!!
Why asking khmer to leave our own house? Thailand is the one suppose to leave our house....instead!
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