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
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