Cambodia seeks ICJ help over Thai border dispute: PM
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has asked the International Court of Justice to help resolve a Thai border dispute that turned into a bloody military clash last month, Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Sunday (Jun 15).
One Cambodian soldier was killed on May 28 as troops exchanged fire in a disputed area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet.
The Thai and Cambodian armies both said they had acted in self-defence, but agreed to reposition their soldiers to avoid confrontations.
Thailand has tightened border controls with Cambodia in recent days, while Cambodia ordered troops on Friday to stay on "full alert" and banned Thai dramas from TV and cinemas.
Hun Manet said in a Facebook post on Sunday that "Cambodia submitted an official letter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to seek a resolution on the border dispute" in four areas - the site of last month's clash and three ancient temples.
"Cambodia chooses international law and peace," the Cambodian leader said.
"Cambodia only needs justice, fairness and clarity in border demarcation and delimitation with our neighbouring countries, so that our future generations will not continue to have issues with each other."
Hun Manet said Friday his government was waiting to hear from Thailand whether it would join Cambodia in its bid to refer the dispute to the ICJ.
The row dates back to the drawing of the countries' 800km frontier in the early 20th century during the French occupation of Indochina.
Cambodia has previously sought help from the ICJ in a territorial dispute over a border temple.
The court ruled the area belonged to Cambodia, but Thailand said it did not accept the court's jurisdiction.
Violence sparked by the dispute has led to 28 deaths in the region since 2008.
Officials from the two countries met in Phnom Penh on Saturday over the border spat and Thailand's foreign ministry said the meeting had "made progress in building mutual understanding".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
11 hours ago
- Business Times
Cambodia turns to World Court over Thailand border disputes
[BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH] Cambodia said on Sunday (Jun 15) that it had asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to resolve its border disputes with Thailand, after a flare-up in their long-running row led the South-east Asian neighbours to mobilise troops on both sides of the border. A Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief skirmish on May 28 in a confrontation over the 820-km frontier, parts of which are undemarcated and claimed by both nations. 'Cambodia chooses a peaceful resolution based on international law through the ICJ mechanism for solving the border dispute,' Prime Minister Hun Manet posted on his Facebook page. The post showed a picture of Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn holding an envelope that Hun Manet said contained a formal letter to the ICJ in The Hague, often called the World Court. The Thai Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cambodia's move. Bangkok has previously said it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers to settle the disputes through bilateral mechanisms. Talks on border demarcation over the weekend between officials from both countries were inconclusive with both sides pledging to de-escalate tensions and continue dialogue. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Cambodia said in a statement that it had proposed to Thailand that the two countries should jointly bring the four dispute areas to the ICJ and that these areas should no longer be included in future bilateral talks on border demarcation. Cambodia also said that it would begin legal proceedings at the ICJ independently, despite Thailand's rejection of the court's jurisdiction. Thailand, on the other hand, made no mention of the four disputed areas or the ICJ, saying only that 'both sides will continue discussions and joint implementation' of border demarcation talks. Thailand is set to host the next meeting in September. Hun Manet said the disputes at the four border areas, including the one where the fatal clash took place, are 'complicated and have high risks of armed clashes and where bilateral mechanisms cannot solve'. He did not disclose the contents of the letter, which were not visible in the picture. Cambodia has twice successfully sought ICJ resolutions, in 1962 on the ownership of the disputed Preah Vihear temple and in 2013, after it sought clarification of jurisdiction of the land around the temple. Although both governments have pledged to handle the issue through dialogue and to calm nationalist fervour, Bangkok has threatened to close the border and cut off electricity supplies to its neighbour. Phnom Penh announced it would cease buying Thai electric power, internet bandwidth and produce. It has also ordered local television stations not to screen Thai films. REUTERS
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Straits Times
Cambodia asks World Court to settle border disputes with Thailand
FILE PHOTO: A general view of a building of United Nations' top court International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, December 2 2024. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo BANGKOK - Cambodia said on Sunday it has asked the International Court of Justice to resolve its border disputes with Thailand, after a flare-up in the long-running row led the Southeast Asian neighbours to mobilise troops on both sides of the border. A Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief skirmish on May 28 in a confrontation over the 820-km (510-mile) frontier, parts of which are undemarcated and claimed by both nations. "Cambodia chooses a peaceful resolution based on international law through the ICJ mechanism for solving the border dispute," Prime Minister Hun Manet posted on his Facebook page. The post shows a picture of Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn holding an envelope that Hun Manet said contained a formal letter to the ICJ in The Hague, often called the World Court. The Thai Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cambodia's move. Bangkok has previously said it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers to settle the disputes through bilateral mechanisms. Officials from both countries were meeting in Phnom Penh through the weekend in an attempt to ease tensions amid fears of more military clashes. Hun Manet said the disputes at the four border areas, including the one where the fatal clash took place, are "complicated and have high risks of armed clashes and where bilateral mechanisms cannot solve". He did not disclose the contents of the letter, which were not visible in the picture. Cambodia has twice successfully sought ICJ resolutions, in 1962 on the ownership of the disputed Preah Vihear temple and in 2013, after it sought clarification of jurisdiction of the land around the temple. Although both governments have pledged to handle the issue through dialogue and to calm nationalist fervour, Bangkok has threatened to close the border and cut off electricity supplies to its neighbour. Phnom Penh announced it would cease buying Thai electric power, internet bandwidth and produce. It has also ordered local television stations not to screen Thai films. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
16 hours ago
- CNA
Cambodia seeks ICJ help over Thai border dispute: PM
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has asked the International Court of Justice to help resolve a Thai border dispute that turned into a bloody military clash last month, Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Sunday (Jun 15). One Cambodian soldier was killed on May 28 as troops exchanged fire in a disputed area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet. The Thai and Cambodian armies both said they had acted in self-defence, but agreed to reposition their soldiers to avoid confrontations. Thailand has tightened border controls with Cambodia in recent days, while Cambodia ordered troops on Friday to stay on "full alert" and banned Thai dramas from TV and cinemas. Hun Manet said in a Facebook post on Sunday that "Cambodia submitted an official letter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to seek a resolution on the border dispute" in four areas - the site of last month's clash and three ancient temples. "Cambodia chooses international law and peace," the Cambodian leader said. "Cambodia only needs justice, fairness and clarity in border demarcation and delimitation with our neighbouring countries, so that our future generations will not continue to have issues with each other." Hun Manet said Friday his government was waiting to hear from Thailand whether it would join Cambodia in its bid to refer the dispute to the ICJ. The row dates back to the drawing of the countries' 800km frontier in the early 20th century during the French occupation of Indochina. Cambodia has previously sought help from the ICJ in a territorial dispute over a border temple. The court ruled the area belonged to Cambodia, but Thailand said it did not accept the court's jurisdiction. Violence sparked by the dispute has led to 28 deaths in the region since 2008. Officials from the two countries met in Phnom Penh on Saturday over the border spat and Thailand's foreign ministry said the meeting had "made progress in building mutual understanding".
