Both the government and parliaments of Cambodia have made a joint decision to take the Cambodian border dispute with Thailand to the International Court of Justice, or ICJ, to extinguish the political fire ignited by extremist groups in both Cambodia and Thailand.
The decision was made at the first session of the National Assembly and the Senate on the morning of June 2. In front of the members of the National Assembly and the Senate, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that the Royal Government is preparing to take the issues of Ta Moan Thom Temple, Ta Moan Toch Temple, Ta Krabey Temple and the Mom Tei area to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Even if Thailand does not agree, Cambodia will take this issue to the ICJ to end this problem.
In what is an international mechanism, the King stated that “we are ready to put on the agenda for the meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission related to taking the issue of Ta Moan Thom Temple, Ta Moan Toch Temple, Ta Krabey Temple and the Mom Tei area to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) immediately. “Because recently, the situation has reached a boiling point after a series of activities by a small number of extremist groups have inspired nationalist movements in both countries, which could lead to renewed confrontation in the future.”
The King reiterated that although Cambodia is trying to resolve the border issue peacefully through technical mechanisms and international law, Cambodia still reserves the right to defend its territorial integrity by all means, including the use of armed forces in the event of an attempt to invade Cambodia’s territorial integrity by using military force.
After the King made this announcement, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate, on behalf of the legislative body, also expressed his support for the Royal Government on the border issue that has arisen in the four regions above. .
Samdech Techo Hun Sen issued a message of support on social media that he supports taking the issue of the three corners of the Ta Moan Thom Temple, Ta Moan Toch Temple, and Ta Krabey Temple to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Samdech Techo said that the memorandum of understanding signed in 2000 seems to be stalled, causing uncertainty and repeated accusations and armed conflict.
Samdech Techo added that if the Thai side is sincere and wants to resolve the issue, they should agree to go to court to help decide the issue once and for all, without Cambodia having to sue. The border issue is a sensitive one and has been exploited by extremist politicians in both Cambodia and Thailand for their political gain.
Therefore, the decision to take this dispute with Thailand to the ICJ is an option that is strongly supported by the Cambodian people who do not want to see a foreign invasion of their territory. At the same time, it is also a message to the Thai side that Cambodia has integrity and honesty in resolving the dispute based on the principles of justice and international law in general.
Cambodia has declared that Cambodia wants a peaceful border with its neighboring countries. Therefore, the Thai side must also adopt a pacifist approach in resolving the problem with Cambodia. As for extremists in both Cambodia and Thailand, they must immediately stop inflaming this border dispute because it will harm the interests of both countries and people.
