Cambodia, Thailand to work together on ICJ verdict

 

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra

The Hague (The Nation/ANN) -- [Thai] PM says peace will be maintained on the border; court awards temple promontory to Phnom Penh.

Thailand is satisfied with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling and is ready to work with Cambodia to carry out actions pursuant to the verdict, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday.

The prime minister said Thailand and Cambodia would have to work out solutions that benefit both nations. She also assured the public that the government would prioritise Thailand's sovereignty and national interests, as well as the nation's pride and its standing in Asean. The government has also instructed military officers to maintain peace along the border.

"Thailand and Cambodia share the 800-kilometre border. As Asean members, we have to rely on each other for prosperity. We share long historical ties and both need to cooperate for the sake of both nations," she said at a press conference in Bangkok yesterday evening.

The ICJ's ruling will be tabled at the Cabinet meeting today.

Ahead of the verdict yesterday, Thailand and Cambodia had recently agreed to establish a "Thailand and Cambodia Joint Commission" in order to work together regardless of the ICJ outcome. At the press conference, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said both countries would work together via this joint body.

Saying that there was no point in declaring a winner or loser, Virachai Plasai, who was part of the team representing Thailand at the ICJ, said the commission would define the "small area" connected to the promontory of Preah Vihear as well as find solutions to jointly develop the 4.6-square-kilometre area.

The ICJ yesterday ruled that the vicinity of Preah Vihear Temple under the Annex I map came under the sovereignty of Cambodia. But Thailand did not lose the disputed area of 4.6sqkm adjacent to the temple as the court had limited the interpretation only to the promontory of Preah Vihear, Virachai said.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said he was satisfied with the judgement but needed time and had to consult with Thailand about the exact area covered by the judgement.

As per the ICJ verdict, "Cambodia had sovereignty of the whole territory of the promontory of Preah Vihear, as defined in paragraph 98 of the present judgement.

"And that in consequence, Thailand was under an obligation to withdraw from that territory the Thai military or police force, or other guard or keepers, that were stationed there."

In paragraph 98 of the judgement, the court says: "In the light of pleading in the original proceeding, it appears that the limits of the promontory of Preah Vihear, to the south of the Annex I map line, consist of natural features. To the east, south and the southwest, the promontory drops in a steep escarpment to the Cambodia plain."

The court made it clear that Thailand and Cambodia were in agreement since 1962 that the escarpment and the land at its foot were under Cambodian sovereignty. To the west and northwest, the land drops in a slope, less steep than the escarpment but nonetheless pronounced, into the valley which separates Preah Vihear from the neighbouring hill of Phnom Trap or Phu Makheu in Thai, a valley that drops in the south to the Cambodian plains.

However, it remained unclear how large this area was, as the court did not provide a map or graphic to indicate the area in question, according to Thai officials.

In 1962, the court ruled that the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia and that Thailand was obligated to withdraw its troops and personnel from the temple and its vicinity.

Cambodia called on the ICJ for an interpretation of the 1962 judgement and the exact vicinity of the temple.

Thailand had told the court earlier that a Thai Cabinet resolution in 1962 had already clarified the vicinity of the temple, but Cambodia argued that this was not correct and called on the court to indicate the vicinity in line with the Annex 1 map. Cambodia attached the map to its previous application. The Annex I map is a partly modified version of the Dangrek map 1:200,000 scale. The court said the map indicated the area adjacent to the temple, but not the international boundary line.

The court said Cambodia's request was admissible and the court had the jurisdiction to make the interpretation.

The court also called upon Thailand and Cambodia as parties to the World Heritage Convention to cooperate to protect the Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site.