วันเสาร์ที่ 20 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2556

Thailand to Present Additional Evidence in Its Second Round of Arguments on Phra Viharn

(19/04/2013)

The Thai legal team will present additional evidence at the International Court of Justice to defend Thailand's position in the second round of arguments concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear.

The second round of arguments will be presented on 19 April 2013, from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Thai local time). It will be broadcast live on NBT (Television of Thailand Channel 11), Radio Thailand (FM 92.5 and AM 891), and the website www.phraviharn.org.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Thailand believes that its oral arguments could comprehensively and convincingly rebut Cambodia’s pleadings.

Thailand’s foreign legal counsel and experts successfully emphasized the country’s arguments to convince the Court that Cambodia’s request for interpretation of the Judgment of 15 June 1962 in the Case Concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear is in fact a disguised appeal, asking the Court to adjudicate that the Thai-Cambodian boundary line in the disputed area must follow the “Annex I Map” line, a submission which the Court had expressly rejected in the 1962 Judgment.

Moreover, the legal counsel and experts underscored that there is indeed no dispute with regard to the scope and meaning of the 1962 Judgment and that Thailand has fulfilled all legal obligations prescribed by the Court in the original case.

In fact, Cambodia has officially accepted Thailand’s implementation of the Judgment on several occasions. The recent conflict is a boundary dispute which both Parties should settle through their Joint Border Committee (JBC).

Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, a member of the Court, asked both Thailand and Cambodia to indicate the precise territorial extent that each of the Parties considers to be the “vicinity” of the Temple. Each party should answer the question by providing a set of geographical coordinates or by referring to one of the maps which were produced before the Court in the original proceedings.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Mr. Pongthep Thepkanjana, said that Thailand was not worried about Judge Yusuf’s request because its position had always been clear.

The Ambassador to The Hague and Thailand’s Agent, Mr. Virachai Plasai, said that Judge Yusuf’s question to the Parties was not on behalf of the Court. He noted that it was quite common in international dispute settlement bodies for judges to request additional information from the parties. While waiting for the question to be submitted in writing through the Court’s Registrar, the legal team would hold consultations to prepare Thailand’s response.

Cambodia, in its second round of arguments on 18 April 2013, stressed that it did not accept the Thai Cabinet's resolution in 1962 to unilaterally define the temple boundary. Cambodia also reaffirmed the “Annex I Map” line and the country's request for the International Court of Justice to interpret its 1962 judgment.

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