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| Monks and tourists walk among the ruins of the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple in November in 2012. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post |
18 January 2013
By Vong Sokheng and Joe Freeman
The Phnom Penh Post
Thailand's lead lawyer for the upcoming International Court of Justice hearings over Preah Vihear is downplaying statements by a senior Thai official that seemed to lay out the country’s legal strategy for the hearings in April.
Darm Boontham, director of the Boundary Division under the Thai Foreign Ministry’s Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs, reportedly told a government committee this week that a 1962 decision by the ICJ to award Cambodia the 11th-century temple had nothing to do with the current hearings, which only pertain to the 4.6 square-kilometre area surrounding the ruin.
Therefore, the reasoning goes, Cambodia had no right to ask for clarification about the surrounding area in 2011 – after several years of deadly cross-border clashes – and the court has no authority to rule on it.
But as hearings over the disputed territory are roughly three months away, Thailand’s Ambassador in The Hague, Virachai Plasai, who is also the lead lawyer on the case, told the Post that it’s premature to come out with an official strategy.
Darm was “expressing just a view of an officer who works on this case, and we have many people who work on this,” he said.
“I think we should not jump the gun here,” he added. “And I can tell you that it has not been decided yet what we are going to say. So please don’t pay too much attention to that. He meant well, he was trying to give information.”
From the beginning of the year, it seems as if a week hasn’t passed without a Thai official’s comments over the Preah Vihear dispute making it into the press and stirring up emotions. Tensions started to rise earlier this month after the Thai foreign ministry announced plans to launch a public awareness campaign about the temple, which many interpreted as an early admission of defeat ahead of the hearings.
Ambassador Virachai, like other officials in Thai diplomatic circles, rejects that interpretation.
“I am not hopeless at all, I am not overconfident, but I am not hopeless,” he said. “
Koy Kuong, spokesman for Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the matter is in the court’s hands, and he declined to comment. Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said that though he’s not a legal expert, the comments about legal strategy from Darm felt more like public relations than litigation.
“I feel this is a tactical effort to do damage control,” he said.
Both Cambodia and Thailand will send delegations to the ICJ for the hearings from April 15-19.
13 comments:
=So Thailand has all the right in the world to invade Cambodia to take control over Cambodian Preah Vihear temple? I wish these Siem thugs would listen to themselves first before they talk from their ass! If Cambodia has no right then the Siem thugs have no right to invade Cambodia either!
Siem thugs found their country in 1238! Cambodian or Khmer existed on mainland Southeast Asia 3000 years ago! Khmer history began around 802AD by Jayavarman II. So who is stealing from whom?
The Siem thugs better get their history straight and stop telling lie to their children! Cambodian or Khmer was here 3000 years ago and what make you Siem thugs can make the Khmer disappear without risking war and more war? You Siem thugs better think twice about eliminating the Khmer! You Siem thugs think your billion dollars economy can win the war over Cambodia that easy and if you Siem thugs think you can and go ahead and try!
“AH Darm Boontham said Cambodia had no right to ask for clarification about the surrounding area in 2011 “
=So Thailand has all the right in the world to invade Cambodia to take control over Cambodian Preah Vihear temple? I wish these Siem thugs would listen to themselves first before they talk from their ass! If Cambodia has no right then the Siem thugs have no right to invade Cambodia either!
Siem thugs found their country in 1238! Cambodian or Khmer existed on mainland Southeast Asia 3000 years ago! Khmer history began around 802AD by Jayavarman II. So who is stealing from whom?
The Siem thugs better get their history straight and stop telling lie to their children! Cambodian or Khmer was here 3000 years ago and what make you Siem thugs can make the Khmer disappear without risking war and more war? You Siem thugs better think twice about eliminating the Khmer! You Siem thugs think your billion dollars economy can win the war over Cambodia that easy and if you Siem thugs think you can and go ahead and try!
Hey Khun Thai!
Ah Darm Boontham, Moung should do more search history of Khmer and Thai. Your teacher had changed the history of Thailand since 1940s, young Thai generation most of them get confuse, misunderstanding their history, and keep on harassing neighbor which is Cambodia. You still keep on ranting the Preah Vihear temple and land surrounding that belong to you, you are sham that you stole Khmer land and language, and you said we (Khmer) stole your land. You and most of Thai so stupid, dump ass, shameful, low-class value. Also, you claim that Angkor Wat temple belong to you. Can you see! Open your God-dahm eyes, all temple in your country (Thailand) were built by Khmer. The replica Angkor Wat temple in royal palace in Bangkok, you impress to the visitor that Angkor Wat is yours, the world know that you stole everything from Cambodia. When I visited to Thailand, I was in the royal palace I saw the replica of Angkor Wat, I was shock. This is it for now. Moung Choav Chai Mai?
former KR
My opinion is if mr.HUN SEN hire the best lawyer from internional lawyer gather all information from around the temple and dipute the land around the area who has more right to own it. Acient they don't build the temple on some country land. this GREEDY THAI need to be tech a lesson. The question is do thailand have BLUE-PRINT to prove that is belong to thai land.if no original Blue print so the thai is thief.THIEF IS ALWAY THIEF.
To a Former Khmer Rouge 9:25PM,
WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your English ( PHEASA AH CHAKRAPOTR) is so impressively good ! when did you ;earn the forbidden foreign languages during your Khmer Rouge Regime 1975-1979,
You are still barking and should be barking with your Khmer Rouge Leaders Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea , Ieng Sary and Khieu Thirith in prison.
1:24 AM,
I work to night, let's chat.
I was at age 15, I was young attractive black Khmer Rouge, I had many April 17 women felt in-love with me, but I didn’t hurt them, I was a good Khmer Rouge solder. I learned English language when I was in Thailand 1979, now I am a cop, I can speak English like everyone else. Please do not call me or use the term "CHAKRAPOTR". It does not exist any more.
former KR
Are you sure A FORMER KHMER ROUGE You deserted and gave up your Khmer Rouge Ideology and changed your new life with the big influence of AH CHAKRAPOTR ?
The 17Th April woman who fell in love with you just want to get an easy life even she knew all your family were lower class and uneducated .
I am former Khmer Rough, I took arm agaist all Ah Chakraportr: Viet, Thais and their allies American, French.
I against toward their policy but I did not against their lifestyle, their innocent people, I am always thank to all this people who support Cambodia struggle for independent, freedom, self determination and territorial integrity.
I was soldier for defencding my country, I was not involved the Killing Fields, I was in front line all the times. I kill only invader who invaded my country. I kill 200 Viet soldiers (Viet Cong, Thiev Ki), I Killed 10 Thai soldiers who raped my people. I did not kill American.
Not all Khmer Rough from lower class, most of them from intellectual, student, higher class, educated person like Choun Mon, etc. do you think the killing field started from lower class? you are dead wrong.
Khmer lower class very united and share each the wealth, helping each other, honest, polite.
but your higher class are always cheating, manipulating, dishonest, use one person against another other world blood suckers. War is always created by intellectul not by poor or uneducated man because this poor people have no means.
Higher class use disavantages of poor for their advantages.
10:40 AM
I agree with you all of your comments. I was a Khmer Rouge soldier. I agree what said, I hate YOUN/VIET who invade my country, Ah Thai who always causing trouble with Khmer. You should know that during Khmer Rouge rule, we did not lost any land, the people living with freedom, they had to work like everyone eles. For those who got killed because they did not obey Angka's rule.
Fomer Khmer Rouge soldier
To A Former Khmer Rouge Soldiers 10:40AM and 11:12,
So you killed the enemies who invaded Khmer Country like AH CHAKRAPOTR, THAI , VIET only you defended your country it is a great heroic thing to do but the Khmer Republic Soldiers were invading Khmer Land that was the main reason why you executed them after you took over Cambodia in 1975?
You claimed you were NOT involved in the Killing Fields but you were standing motionless and take no actions while your Khmer Rouge Leaders killing the innocent Khmer People.
Your main sentiment is just to hate Americans and you claimed yourself living in PRADAK , SIEM PEAP , I know only in Cambodia they call Police man and you live in Cambodia you call yourself a police man as COP ? the words COP is for Police man in AH SROK AH CHAKRAPOTR !
Again , your parents were executed
by you Khmer Rouge leaders that is why you were raised without them poorly and immorally
AH LOP 12:54 AM do not know Righteousness or Wrongeousness
5;54PM,
Are you sure you tried to hide your identity as a former khmer rouge soldier.
enjoy your imagination
Take care
A Survivor of own own Khmer Killing Fields
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