Sunday, June 05, 2011

Thailand set to defy International Law

Thailand set to defy any border order

MINISTER SAYS ICJ HAS NO AUTHORITY TO RULE

5/06/2011
Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post

SINGAPORE : Thailand is set to defy any order by the International Court of Justice to withdraw troops from the border area disputed with Cambodia.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said yesterday that the ICJ had "no authority" to issue such an order and Thailand would not comply should one be issued.

The minister's comments come as the ICJ deliberates Cambodia's requests for a reinterpretation of the court's 1962 ruling which favoured Cambodia, and to order Thailand to withdraw troops and cease all military activity near Preah Vihear temple, situated inside the 4.6 square kilometre disputed area.

The UN's highest court is expected to rule on troop withdrawal early next month.

"Thailand will respect the ICJ's decision, but the body has no authority to order Thai troops to retreat. Thai soldiers won't step back from our territory," Gen Prawit said on the sidelines of the three-day Shangri-La dialogue in Singapore.


The dialogue is an inter-governmental security forum held every year by London's International Institute for Strategic Studies and assisted by the Singaporean Defence Ministry. It is considered the most important security forum in the Asia-Pacific region.

Gen Prawit said Thailand would only withdraw forces from the disputed area if the ICJ orders Cambodia to do likewise.

The defence minister's stance was backed by acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn, who also attended the security forum.

"The ICJ has no authority to force Thailand to withdraw troops," Mr Panitan said.

If the court demands Thai troops leave the area and Thailand refuses to comply, Mr Panitan said he believes Cambodia would take the case to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The UNSC is responsible for enforcing ICJ orders when a subject country refuses to comply with them.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said upon returning on Thursday from a two-day ICJ oral hearing in the Hague that the court has no enforcement power, but as a good UN member country, Thailand would comply with its decision.

Mr Kasit also said earlier that if the ICJ ordered Thailand to withdraw troops, it should order Cambodia to do the same.

The Thai-Cambodian border row has been raised at the high-profile Asian defence forum, attended by top security officials from almost 30 nations, including the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom and China.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in his keynote address on Friday that the region had high hopes for an imminent resolution.

"With Thailand and Cambodia currently at the Hague, our region knows only too well how deadly such clashes can be," Mr Najib said.

"Of course, difficulties between neighbours will flare up from time to time but, in our region, significant progress has in fact been made in settling some of these disputes over the years."

Mr Najib said he hoped that all border disputes could be resolved in the spirit of mutual respect and cooperation.

Indonesian Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro told the Bangkok Post that domestic political problems in Thailand and Cambodia were partly to blame for the slow progress in resolving the conflict.

Gen Prawit said the General Border Committee (GBC) meeting was the best mechanism to resolve the spat.

However, prospects of a GBC meeting, originally scheduled for this month, look rather dim as Thailand and Cambodia failed to agree on the deployment of an Indonesian observation team.

The two sides agreed at the Asean foreign ministers' meeting in Jakarta to accept Indonesian observers to monitor the ceasefire at the border on Feb 22, but the deployment was delayed because Thailand demanded Cambodian soldiers and residents be withdrawn from the disputed area first.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

it show times,, if thailand refused, then, EU communities + ASIAN communities will jump on Siam to withdrwan,,

siam, talked tough, talked flip floping,, F.U
on other hands and no choice, they have to withdraw,, F.U..

we need to claim our territory back, such RED house , more & more..,,
chey yo kingdom of cambodia

Anonymous said...

Thailand bought a lot of weapons and aircrafs from countries to defend eastern border. The message from the defense minister is clear: WAR. Let's start now, who will win???

Anonymous said...

Cambodians need to set aside their differences in all forms to work together in this critical moment to defend their beautiful country.

Deep down in their heads no single Cambodian wants to work for a foreign country. It is simply a matter of being selfish and greedy which causes a blind leader to stay in power at the cost of his or her own country.

Internal differences and division among Cambodians are not easy to be resolved and may require a long time to come to resolve them, considering the facts that Cambodians tend to be divided and fight among themselves and go to the neighbours for help, but we can put those problems on the back bencher for now and be prepared to work together to defend our beloved country which needs all of us in this critical moment of history.

Let us stand united for Cambodia for once, shall we?

Anet Khmer

Anonymous said...

The spoil brat is the trouble maker even willing to disrespect obey the ICJ. Thailand has no ground whatsoever claimng the territory. It is the blatant act of greed, jealousy and ignorance.

Anonymous said...

The fucked General, he want to make war with UN court.

Anonymous said...

Let Abhisit Vejjajiva have the same fate as Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi!!!

Anonymous said...

ខ្មែរចំជាល្ងង់ខ្លាំងណាស់ បើថៃវាមានដំបន់ត្រួតស៊ីគ្នា ចុះខ្មែរម៉េចក៏មិនរកដំបន់ត្រួតស៊ីគ្នាការជើងដែរទៅ?
ខ្វះអី ១-ខេត្តខ្មែរដែលនៅដីថៃសព្វថ្ងៃ។
២-ឆ្នេរសមុទ្រ ម៉េចក៏គូសវៀលចូលតាមឆ្នេរ រហូតមកដល់កោះកុងនោះ?។ ព្រំដែន វាត្រូវតែនៅ
លើកោះគត់ទៅទៀតទើបសម។
វាម៉េច ក៏ចេះគូរផែនទីម្នាក់ឯង យើងធ្វើដើម្បីទប់ទល់ដែរទៅ តើវាថាម៉េច?

Anonymous said...

Support one way or another the Muslims in southern Thailand.

Anonymous said...

មេរៀនសម្រាប់ខ្មែរមានច្រើនរាប់មិនអស់ ចាប់ពីពេល
នេះតទៅ ខ្មែរដាច់ខាតត្រូវតែពង្រឹងកងទ័ពរបស់ខ្លួន។

Anonymous said...

Thailand used to bully Cambodia, a neighbor country they look down as tiny. Yesterday, they despised the Indonesia role in helping to ease the tension by flip-flopping on the observers. Now they try to bully the ICJ. The next day Thailand will bully the whole world, the UNSC (US, UK, France, China, and Russia), the ASEAN, and the EU etc. General Profit Wongsuwon is helping the ICJ to make the decision upon Cambodia request easier. Long Live Cambodia!!!

Anonymous said...

Gen. Prawit and his colleagues act like kids. " If the court demands Thai troops leave the area and Thailand refuses to comply". Are you freaked kidding me, Gen Prawit? This is the highest court, for goodness sake! It sounds to me that Siem could smell the defeat. Hurray, for Cambodia!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

siem always tried to defy the law, that's why they never win with cambodia! can't wait for the UN security council to tell them when they defy the icj order again.

Khmer Circle said...

I have run out of words to describe this childish lunacy coming out of Bangkok!

Perhaps, it all boils down to a few bored generals with nothing to do besides mundane paperwork and military drills before they stage the next coup against civilian government in Bangkok who fails to sing to their tunes or to pander to their every whim and demand.

Perhaps, they can't wait until the next chance they have to shoot down unarmed Red Shirts or students.

Whatever domestic issues may contribute to this conflict, the core matter is the existing international boundary line between the 2 countries which the Thais are blatantly violating by insisting on something else that has no basis in legal treaty or fact.

If they, by any chance, fear Vietnamese influence and expansion in Indochina or the region, their provocation vis a vis Cambodia could only hasten that possibility by increasing Phnom Penh's reliance upon Hanoi, whereas a developed and strong, independent Cambodia unburdened by this kind of conflict will provide Thailand a much more reliable buffer between it and Vietnam in the longer run.

All nation-states have to go through periodic cycles of rise and decline, and there are signs that Thailand's rise maybe coming to an abrupt end, or at any rate, proceeding at a slower tempo. It's quite possible that this reality is the most forceful motivation for Thai decision-makers to start fermenting this little war with one of its weakest neighbours who has just emerged from decades of self-destruction and is beginning to find its feet in the region.

Or, maybe it's simply down to the fact that old habit dies hard. The Thai military's disregard for international conventions and norms (the use of cluster munitions; their denial that the temple of Preah Vihear etc. had been severely damaged by their shelling) tells us that, like their politicians, they are still having difficulties adjusting their 14th century mindset to the climate of the 21st century.

Anonymous said...

siem thugs always buying time too. imagine without the icj, the UN security council, the civilized world, etc, siem thugs would steal all of cambodia like they did with many old khmer provinces during the dark ages era of cambodia. they must be insane to keep thinking that what they did in the dark ages can be easily achieved again in this 21st century world. shame on ah siem asshole! we are not wrong to call them thieves or thugs, really! they earned that name, just ask khmer people, really!

Anonymous said...

6:10 AM I'm in ពូ(ปู่) Anet Khmer!

Mike = paratrooper
Myself = B-40
Pi Anh = infantry
New Phally = infantry
Khmer Sidney CBD = infantry
Keo Ratana = bench warmer


COC = Anet Khmer

Srok Srey LOL...

Anonymous said...

Krahma Man = frontline
Khmer Illinois = frontline
Khmer GA = frontline
Khmer WA = frontline


Srok Srey LOL...

Anonymous said...

Neak Na (Aussie) = bench warmer

Anonymous said...

Who is Khmer from the windy city do you his/ her name? let me know maybe someday I'll visit my sweet home Chicago again then I wanted to give those traitor some lesson.

Anonymous said...

Well...Siem thuggish leaders have declared war on International Court of Justice, the UNSC, the ASEAN, the UNESCO and the whole world! Now the Siem thugs want to take on the world! ahhahhahah

Siem thuggish leaders behavior will not be tolerated and the Siem naked aggression on Cambodia will not be rewarded!

Anonymous said...

HI Dear,

I am exciting to see Siam withdraw its troops from 4.6 square km do belong to Cambodia. ICJ have issued its order, but Thailand still refused to do what ICJ order, that is not respect the order of UN and enemy of UN also. UNSC receiver of ICJ order must destroy this dog empire till disappear this world.

Oh Thailand not refuse the ICJ order, that is your turn to get your retribution, your nation is near extinction in this world, many causes that brings this nation to disappear such as ;

-internal problem,

- King interfere with policy causing this nation to weakness,

-uproar in this nation from its subjects,

-nationals have not confidence in King,

- Its successor will be immoral, greed power, drug user, sexual player....

- especially, around its neighboring countries is enemy...


The dog empire will lose its territorial integrity caused by its greed.

Chao tamok

Anonymous said...

It sound like THAI is the Master of ICJ's. WHY ARE WE LET THAI DOING THIS TO THE CAMBODIA PEOPLE, AND TO THE WORLD. MY WISH FOR THAILAND IS FUCK ALL OF YOU AND GO TO HELL.