Cambodia to take up long-running border dispute with Thailand at UN's top court

[buksida]

Nobody appears to be interested in Thailand affairs here any longer, but this is escalating and could cause problems, especially with Thaksin sticking his oar in. As with most things, there are two sides to every story, and the Thai media (and its history) will obviously only tell one.

Cambodia to take up long-running border dispute with Thailand at UN's top court
Cambodia has said it plans to seek a ruling from the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) over border disputes with Thailand, one of which triggered a fatal military clash last week.

Cambodia's National Assembly, where Prime Minister Hun Manet's ruling Cambodian People's Party holds all but a handful of seats, voted on Monday to support the government's decision.

In 1962, the ICJ awarded to Cambodia disputed territory on which a historic temple is located, a move that rankled Thailand and to this day remains a major irritant in bilateral relations.

The ICJ reaffirmed that ruling in 2013.

Speaking on Monday at a meeting of the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Thailand's Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Cambodia has the right to file a case with the court, but that would not affect talks between the two countries under existing mechanisms.

He said Thai officials will meet later this week to issue a clear stance on the matter that we will avoid escalation of the conflict that would only result in losses for both sides in every aspect," he wrote.

Routine border patrol turns violent
A border dispute near Morokot village in Cambodia's northwestern province of Preah Vihear on 28 May left one Cambodian soldier dead.

It started when Cambodian troops were conducting a routine patrol along the border when the Thai side opened fire, according to Cambodian officials.

The Thai army says that Cambodian soldiers entered a disputed patch of land and opened fire when Thai soldiers approached them to negotiate.

Hun Manet in social media posts on Sunday said that his government will ask the court to rule on the demarcation of several disputed areas, including where the centuries-old Hindu-style Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Toch and Ta Kro Bei temples are located.

In February, Cambodian troops and their family members entered the Ta Moan Thom temple in disputed territory and sang the Cambodian national anthem, leading to a brief argument with Thai forces.

Following last week's incident, both sides called for calm and talks to ease their differences, while reserving the right to use military action to safeguard their sovereignty.

On 29 May, the two countries' army commanders met to discuss how to avoid more clashes.

On Monday, Hun Manet called for the two countries to have their Joint Border Commission continue the work of border demarcation, as well as having the ICJ take up the issue.

He said his government would take the cases of the other disputed areas to the ICJ to determine ownership even if Thailand did not join in the appeal, in order "to end this problem and extinguish it once and for all so that there is no further confusion."

"In particular, let's not fall for the incitement of a handful of extremist groups in Cambodia and Thailand, and let’s not fall into the problem of confrontation by armed forces of the two countries," he said.

Sore point for Thai nationalists
Hun Manet's intention to appeal to The Hague-based court may touch a nerve in Thailand because the 1962 ruling awarding the Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia is a touchstone issue for Thai nationalists and often comes up in domestic politics.

Last year, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinatwatra’s government was attacked on nationalist grounds for proposing to resume talks with Cambodia on demarcation of maritime territory believed to hold profitable hydrocarbon resources.

In 2008, there were several deadly clashes between Cambodia and Thai forces at the Preah Vihear promontory, an area on which sits a 1,000-year-old temple that was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site the same year.

https://www.euronews.com/2025/06/02/cam ... -top-court
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/ca ... ed-5162486

[deepee]

Managed to visit that temple site after it was temporarily open some years ago. At the time it was under control of the Khmer Rouge who sat in dug outs with rocket launchers aimed across the border at the Thai side during the day, and apparently come night time the two opposing sides sat around together playing cards and hitting the booze.

[STEVE G]

The obscure origins of the problem:

The Franco-Siamese treaty of 1867 forced Siam to renounce suzerainty over Cambodia, with the exception of Battambang, Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, and Oddar Meancheay Provinces,[ which had been officially incorporated into the Kingdom of Siam. During the 1904 state visit of King Rama V to France, Siam agreed to cede the four provinces to France in exchange for regaining Thai sovereignty over Trat Province and Amphoe Dan Sai of Loei Province, which had been occupied by France.

In 1907, the Thai-Cambodian border was mapped by the French on behalf of a bilateral border commission. According to the 1904 agreement, the border would follow the natural watershed between the countries. However, the resulting map deviated by showing Preah Vihear Temple as being in Cambodia, even though it is on the Thai side of the watershed. Thailand accepted the map for official use. The Thais discovered the error when they made their own survey in the 1930s, but the ICJ ruled that they had waited too long to protest and lost the temple by "acquiescence".


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian ... er_dispute

[Big Boy]

A statement from the Thai Gov't (PR Thai Government) 10 minutes ago:

The Royal Thai Government would like to emphasize that it attaches the highest importance to the full protection of Thailand’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in accordance with the principles of international law.

The current issue started from a brief clash between the Thai and Cambodian troops in the area of Chong Bok, Ubon Ratchathani Province of Thailand, on 28 May 2025. The Thai troops were compelled to defend themselves, while conducting routine patrols within the area under Thai sovereignty in accordance with established practices.

This action was an act of self-defense and a necessary measure to protect Thailand’s sovereignty. The response was appropriate, proportionate, and consistent with international law.

Immediately following the incident, both governments engaged in close consultations at all levels. The Prime Minister of Thailand also spoke directly with the Prime Minister of Cambodia on this matter.

Both sides agreed to work together to restore the situation to normalcy and to prevent escalation. Both sides also agreed to make use of existing bilateral mechanisms to resolve the issue. One such mechanism is the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), as discussed by the Army Commanders-in-Chief of both sides on 29 May 2025.

In addition, both governments emphasized the importance of communicating with the public to prevent misunderstandings between the peoples of the two countries.

With regard to questions that Cambodia may wish to resort to a judicial mechanism or a third party on this matter, Thailand, as Cambodia’s neighbor, is committed to resolving bilateral issues through peaceful means, based on international law, and relevant treaties and agreements, such as the MOU on the Survey and Demarcation of Land Boundary (MOU 2000), as well as supporting evidence, including satellite imagery. Thailand is ready to engage in negotiations with Cambodia through existing bilateral mechanisms, such as the following:

- The Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), which is a technical mechanism established under the MOU 2000 to discuss the survey and demarcation of land boundaries. In response to Thailand’s request, Cambodia has agreed to convene the JBC meeting to be hosted by Cambodia on 14 June 2025;

- The General Border Committee (GBC), which is a mechanism at the Minister of Defense level, and the Regional Border Committee (RBC), which is a mechanism at the regional military commander level. Both GBC and RBC play key roles in maintaining peace and stability along the border.

[Big Boy]

Today's Press Release:

[caller]

They haven't recognised the ICJ since they found against them all those years ago - in tthe same disputed area.

[buksida]

Thailand appears to be escalating with a social media campaign stirring up nationalism and hinting that they're ready to go to war over it.

[Big Boy]

Yes, I noticed a few of those posts yesterday. Do you reckon its Thailand, or a band of nutters?

Some of the accompanying photos showing a massive build up of troops looked very last century.

[buksida]

Looks like its coming from the top - army/govt who essentially are a band of nutters.

[caller]

Looks like its coming from the top - army/govt who essentially are a band of nutters.

And politicians to divert attention from the mess the country is in and get a boost from nationalism.

[Big Boy]

Latest Statement by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai on Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai stated on 7 June 2025, following discussions with Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister on 5 June 2025 regarding the border situation in the Aranyaprathet area of Sa Kaeo Province.

He mentioned that after the discussions, certain inaccurate information was released to the public and deviated from what was discussed in the meeting. Regrettably, good proposals that would have led to reduced confrontation and peace were rejected. Moreover, there has been an increase in military forces that further escalates tensions. Consequently, Thailand must increase its measures and reinforce forces accordingly.

However, he emphasized the country's position, as discussed with the Thai Prime Minister, as follows:

Thailand will not tolerate any violation of sovereignty for any reason whatsoever and is prepared to defend its sovereignty with full force.

The Deputy Prime Minister confirmed his support for the military to carry out their duties with full strength and offered encouragement to all personnel who are performing their duty to protect Thai territory. He also stressed that all Thai operations will take into consideration the lives, safety, and peace of the people in the border areas, as well as those who are courageously performing their duties.

The Thai government has not accepted the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) since 1960 and affirms the use of bilateral negotiation processes under the 2000 MOU, which both sides previously agreed upon, and confirmed that JBC meetings serve as a forum to find peaceful solutions as quickly as possible.

Thailand reiterates its original position requesting that both sides adjust their forces in the area back to their original positions as practiced in 2024, to reduce conditions for escalating tensions and confrontation.

He finally reaffirmed clearly that he has never agreed with any actions by anyone that violate Thailand's sovereignty. The government and military are prepared to defend and maintain the nation's sovereignty to the utmost extent.

[Hahuahin]

We need one more (war)
Its already written and as it seems sometimes, we are there already

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy.” – 2 Timothy 3:1

“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” – Matthew 24:7

[Big Boy]

Reports are coming in that both the Ban Laem and Ban Phakkat checkpoints in Chanthaburi province are now closed - this includes the walking route from Ban Laem to Daung Lem in Cambodia.

This notification in Thai supposedly confirms it (maybe one of the clever people can confirm):

[Big Boy]

A bit late, but it looks as though there will be a Covid style daily broadcast.

[Big Boy]

Yesterday's briefing:



Today's briefing: