Saturday, April 30, 2011

Cambodia seeks ICJ clarification on Preah Vihear

April 30, 2011
By SUPALAK GANJANAKHUNDEE
THE NATION

Cambodia has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to clarify its 1962 ruling over the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear as its military clashes with Thailand continued after a truce.

"The submission of this request has been prompted by Thailand's repeated armed aggression to exert its claims to Cambodian territory, on the basis of its own unilateral map that has no legal basis," said a Cambodian Foreign Ministry statement issued yesterday.

The ICJ ruled in 1962 that "the temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under sovereignty of Cambodia", but Bangkok argues that the court ruled only that the sandstone ruin belongs to Cambodia while the areas surrounding the Hindu temple belong to Thailand.

The court based its judgement on a French-made 1:200,000-scale map that indicated the boundary line between Siam, as Thailand was then known, and French Indochina.


Thailand argued that the boundary line should follow the watershed of the Phnom Dangrek Mountains in accordance with the 1904 and 1907 Franco-Siamese treaties. The disputed territory is a 4.6-square-kilometre area surrounding Preah Vihear.

Phnom Penh exercised its rights in accordance with Article 60 of the ICJ Statute, which says: "The judgement is final and without appeal. In the event of dispute as to the meaning or scope of the judgement, the Court shall construe it upon the request of any party."

There have been many armed skirmishes in the border area since Cambodia managed to get Preah Vihear listed as a World Heritage Site in 2008, against Thailand's wishes. Bangkok feared Cambodia would turn the disputed areas adjacent to the temple into a buffer zone for management of the property.

Phnom Penh considers the request for ICJ clarification a preventive measure to avoid further armed conflict between the two countries, to stop loss of lives and to preserve the Hindu temple from serious damage.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said his government had anticipated that Cambodia would request an ICJ clarification and that Thailand had organised a legal team to fight in court.

"We don't have a disadvantage in fighting in the world court. We are well prepared in terms of legal aspects and facts," Abhisit said.

The border conflict between the two countries has extended to other areas including near Ta Muan Thom and Ta Kwai temples in Surin province, about 150 kilometres west of Preah Vihear, since last week. The fighting has continued despite military commanders in the area reaching a ceasefire deal on Thursday.

The fresh clash after the truce killed a Thai military ranger and injured five others. Both sides blamed each other for firing first.

Thai Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said the clash took place because Cambodian soldiers threw grenades at the Thai side and Thai troops fired small arms to retaliate.

However, Prayuth said he remained hopeful of achieving peace with Cambodia, saying the latest clash might be caused simply by undisciplined soldiers who did not obey their commanders' instructions to cease fire.

A Cambodian commander accused Thai soldiers of firing first. "They began firing artillery shells at our troops at Ta Krabei [Ta Kwai] temple at 4.50am," Suos Sothea, deputy commander of the artillery unit, told Xinhua news agency by telephone from the battlefield yesterday.

"Thai troops may not respect their superiors because on Thursday, their military commander met with our commander and reached a ceasefire, but this morning they still shell us.

"However, we did not fight back, as we are complying with the ceasefire," he said.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Read. Thai News:

Will that help? It’s doubtful. International authorities already have ruled on the case in the past –the ICJ found four decades ago that the temple was under Cambodian sovereignty — but that has not stopped fighting. What is needed now is some level of rationality, not from the senior civilian leadership in both countries, but from the armed forces themselves, which, at least in Thailand, operate largely independent of the prime minister’s office, and have utilized the dispute to entrench the army’s central role in political life. Thus far, in fact, the civilian leadership of Thailand, which may well want the dispute to end, seems powerless to do anything about it.

Reader:

That stue. Therefore, Cambodian army must be the victim. Cambodian army must be strong and well equipped in all, army, marine, navy and air force.

So far, it is Thai army who has committed the act of aggresion against Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

The International Court of Justice had ruled that Preah Vihear temple belong to Cambodia and the temple sits on Cambodian territory. The decision of the court was based on a map drawn by French, agreed by Thai and recognized by the International Community. The 4.6 square kilometers of land around the the ancient temple is also belong to Cambodian according to the above mentioned map.

Thais, stop your ambitious greed and stop using the Preah Vihear temple and the 4.6 square kilometers of land as pretext for your political gain and take your internal affairs somewhere else. Thais' aggression toward a smaller and weaker country is unacceptable and being watched closely by the world community. Leave Cambodia alone.

Anonymous said...

3:55 am
That is true. Therefore.........

Anonymous said...

I like how every Thai news media reports, ICJ ruled that the sand stone is situated in Cambodia. There for it belongs to Cambodia but the surrounding land belongs to Thailand. It's like saying you can have the island but the water around is mine. LoL

I don't know why Cambodia have not ask China before Thai went there to protest. Hun Sen should have ask China a long time ago at least for what Hun Sen did to the Uighurs.

Anonymous said...

it's about time; i think only the international court will solve this border issue once and for all. the longer cambodia waited the more siem thugs are going to bully and harrass and dream of steal from cambodia like in the past! keep pushing or demanding for the icj to review and reiterate the map so whatever international community recognized the map, then it is official. siem thugs' unilateral map will never be accept by cambodia, only the internationally recognized and international treaty map of 1907 will be accepted! no siem unilateral map, ok! i'm sure the 1962 icj verdict was based on the internationally recognized and the treaty map from 1907, notthe current siem thugs' unilateral map, really!

Anonymous said...

Var Kim Hong does recognize that Cambodia, if compared to the colonial Service Geographique de l’Indochine scale map 1/100,000 and the 1985 delimitation treaty, will loses 9,000 hectares; and compared to U.S Army Mapping Service scale map 1/50,000 with the 1985 Treaty, would lose about 7,900 hectares to Vietnam. This statement was confirmed by Var Kim Hong to Mr. Touch Bora Esq through a telephone conversation on 30 August 2002 at 4:30 p.m. (Sydney time), which Mr. Touch Bora Esq wrote in his letter dated on 9 September 2002 sent to Sam Dach Ta Noroudom Sihanouk concerning over border affairs.
In fact, the loss is absolutely more than the 1000 square kilometers stated by MP Sam Rainsy in his statement, if we add the size of the historical water of 30000 square kilometers awarded to Vietnam under the 1982 Agreement which has been into affect and now already become under the full control of Vietnam. And this would not be the last if the equidistance principle be used to delimit the maritime boundary, Cambodia will lose an additional area of sea and seabed measuring at least 860 square nautical miles from the Brevie Line to the north, analyzed by Mr. Touch Bora Esq or another 10000 square kilometers confirmed by Mr. Sean Pengse, the President of the Cambodian Border Committee Worldwide, which exclusively include another Koh Poula Wai to Vietnam added to the previous lost islands- Koh Tral (Dao Phu Quoc) and Koh Poulo Panjang (Dao Thu Chu).

This is why sVar Kim Hong said in front of Students´s Movement for Democracy (SMD), and Sam Dach Ta Norodom Sihanouk on 22 Janaury 2000 during our audience with him concerning the border resolution with Vietnam that; “If we want peace, we must sacrifice our flesh to the tiger.” The truth is discovered now that, “Sacrifice the flesh to tiger actually means cutting our land to the Viet.” This word was clearly spoken out from his mouth and there were Sam Dach Ta as witness and 31 members.

We must condemn this Var Kim Hong for his role in helping the traitorous regime of Hun Sen.

Smart Khmer Girl Ms. Rattana Keo,

Anonymous said...

statue of limit expired, case closed, really!

Anonymous said...

Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten

By Ms. Rattana Keo

Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 10,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?

Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 10,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?

Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 10,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?

The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.

Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 10,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?

Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?

Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,

Anonymous said...

Hello Ms. Rattana Keo. Please , stay on that line . Don 't give up. If we depen on those big shots brain washed we will not have nationality. Thank you so much.

Anonymous said...

I'm getting so tired of war! lost family and friend also my nieghbors.Please G8 and G20 help my people and my Country !!! I believe the whole world is getting sick of it NOW.from beginning to the end, China u fuck up this region so please fix it.Thank you!!! May GOD not to destroy the WORLD YET.(2012 OR 3001)

Anonymous said...

Using rationale and reason with the current Thai officials????

It's a novelty but also a joke.
Abhisit may be PM, but moron Prayuth has a leash on Abhisit.

If idiot Prayuth say left, Abhisit turn left. If scum Prayuth say bark, Abhisit barks.

It is a no brainer that no amount of negotiation is will ever work as long as Abhisit on the leash concerning foreign policy. Expect more deaths, and displacement at the border.

BTW, the old fart's wife sitting on the Thai's throne is influencing quietly behind the scene. That is why the current political turbulent inside Thai politics is where it is.

Anonymous said...

The old fart, and especially his wife, sitting on the Thai throne is the main cause of the problem between Thailand and Cambodia.

These snakes pull a lot of string inside Thailand. They never feel so threatened until Thaksin come to power. Thaksin' popularity among Thais threatened their royal institution. So they are not going to stand idle and let their institution fade into oblivion.
Bhumibol anointed Prayuth because he is the kind of dog that would gladly do anything to serve his god-king Bhumibol.

Sadly, expect more suffering at the border.

Anonymous said...

Bhumibol = Pull my ball :-)
Sirikit = Sit on it! :-)

Anonymous said...

Ms Rattana Keo = Fuck husband + Fuck boyfriend at the same time

She is going to fuck her father in law some time too. Her mother in law know it very well and love the rattana keo treesome cultures because the mother in law love treesome too.

All Ms Rattana Keo's friends are treesome like Ms Rattana Keo too (Fuck many boys at the same time).

Vietnam will insert B-21 rocket into ms rattana keo's vagina in order to please her sex life.

Hun Sen will insert another B-21 into ms rattana keo ass hole at the same time too

Anonymous said...

កុំភ័យខ្លាំងពេកលោកអ្នកដែលស្នេហាជាតិខ្មែរអើយ
នៅស្រុកអាគាំងមានខ្មែរមានយួនមានចិនមានសាសន៍ដ៏ទៃទៀតជាច្រើនពួកអាគាំងវាមិនខ្វាយខ្វល់ផង
ចុះលោកប៉ុន្មាននាក់នឹងអីក៏រវល់ម្លេះ?
បើចង់ដេញសាសន៍ដ៍ទៃចេញពីស្រុកខ្មែរសូមអញ្ជើញ
មកដេញខ្លួនឯងទៅ។ក្រែងលោកអន្តរជាតិគេយក
ពួកអ្នកឯងទៅដាក់គុកបានខ្លះ។ពួកអ្នកឯងពិតជា
រអើងជាតិសាសន៍ពិតប្រាកដមែនហើយ។

Anonymous said...

we are seeking a confirm or a clarification with icj to tell ah evil siem thief to stop stealing and respect the international law, etc, not to re-rule, etc! cased closed since after the statue of limitation, really! people need to understand the difference, here so they don't get paranoid, really!