18 Jul 2011

ICJ / THAILAND CAMBODIA

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled today that Cambodia and Thailand must immediately withdraw their military personnel from the Preah Vihear temple, which is a provisional demilitarized zone. The Court also stated that Thailand should not obstruct Cambodia’s free access to the Temple, or prevent it from providing fresh supplies to its non-military personnel. ICJ / FILE

Posted at: July 18, 2011 12:55 pm

Duration: 01:27

Available in: SD

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STORY: ICJ / THAILAND CAMBODIA
TRT: 1:27
SOURCE: ICJ / UNESCO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 18 JULY 2011, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, International Court of Justice
2. Cutaway, delegation of Thailand
3. Cutaway, delegation of Cambodia
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Hisashi Owada, President, International Court of Justice:
"The Court unanimously rejects the Kingdom of Thailand's request to remove the case introduced by the Kingdom of Cambodia on the 28th April 2011 from the general list of the Court."
5. Cutaway, Court
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Hisashi Owada, President, International Court of Justice:
"Both parties shall immediately withdraw their military personal currently present in the provisional militarized zone as defined in paragraph 62 of the present order and refrain from any military presence within that zone and any armed activity directed at that zone."
7. Wide shot, Court

FILE – UNESCO – 2008, PREAH VIHEAR

8. Various shots, Preah Vihear temple

STORYLINE:

A United Nations (UN) court today (18 July) ordered Cambodia and Thailand to withdraw their military personnel from around a disputed temple site near their joint border and to agree not to engage in any further fighting in the immediate area.

Addressing the Court, President Hisashi Owada said that the countries need to "refrain from any military presence within that zone and any armed activity directed at that zone."

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a series of provisional measures in the dispute between the South-East Asian neighbours over Preah Vihear, an 11th century Hindu temple complex located on the Cambodian side of the border. The site is inscribed on the UN World Heritage List.

Cambodia and Thailand have repeatedly clashed over the area in recent years and earlier this year there were fatal skirmishes that forced thousands of people to flee. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other top UN officials have urged the two countries to engage in dialogue to resolve the dispute.

Cambodia had applied for provisional measures as part of its request to the ICJ for an interpretation clarifying the meaning or scope of a 1962 judgement that it made in the dispute.

Today the court's 16-member panel found unanimously that the matter was urgent enough, and the potential risk of damage and renewed clashes sufficiently serious, that provisional measures were necessary.

Thailand had requested that the case be removed from the ICJ's general list but President Owada said that "the Court unanimously rejects the Kingdom of Thailand's request to remove the case introduced by the Kingdom of Cambodia on the 28th April 2011 from the general list of the Court."
 
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is the principal judicial organ of the UN and is based in The Hague in the Netherlands. One of its tasks is to settle legal disputes between countries.