Cambodia asks World Court to settle border disputes with Thailand

BANGKOK – Cambodia said on June 15 it has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to resolve its border disputes with Thailand, after a flare-up in the long-running row led them to mobilise troops on both sides of the border.

A Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief skirmish on May 28 in a confrontation over the 820km frontier, parts of which are undemarcated and claimed by both nations.

“Cambodia chooses a peaceful resolution based on international law through the ICJ mechanism for solving the border dispute,” Prime Minister Hun Manet posted on Facebook.

The post shows a picture of Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn holding an envelope that Mr Hun Manet said contained a formal letter to the ICJ in The Hague.

Bangkok has previously said it has never recognised the court’s jurisdiction and prefers to settle the disputes through bilateral mechanisms.

Talks on border demarcation over the weekend between officials from both countries were inconclusive, with both sides pledging to de-escalate tensions and continue dialogue.

Cambodia said in a statement that it proposed to Thailand that the two should jointly bring the four dispute areas to the ICJ, and that these areas should no longer be included in future bilateral talks on border demarcation.

Cambodia added that it would begin legal proceedings at the ICJ independently, despite Thailand’s rejection of the court’s jurisdiction.

Thailand made no mention of the four disputed areas or the ICJ, saying only that “both sides will continue discussions and joint implementation” of border demarcation talks.

Thailand is set to host the next meeting in September.

Mr Hun Manet said the disputes at the four border areas, including the one where the fatal clash took place, are “complicated and have high risks of armed clashes and where bilateral mechanisms cannot solve”.

Cambodia has