BANGKOK, May 10 – Deputy Prime Minister Gen Yuthasak Sasiprapa said on Thursday that Thailand will submit further written explanations on the disputed land near the ancient Preah Vihear Temple to the world court in June and that the case may be prolonged until next year.
The deputy premier disclosed the information after a meeting with national security concerned agencies chaired by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra attended by the commanders of Thailand’s three armed forces and Thailand’s legal representatives in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Thai approach in fighting the case after Cambodia in April asked the ICJ to clarify and interpret its 1962 ruling on Preah Vihear.
In 1962 the court ruled the ancient Hindu temple belonged to Cambodia but did not define the boundaries of the area surrounding the structure, which led to sporadic clashes between troops of both sides since then.
Gen Yuthasak said today’s meeting was the first time that the foreign ministry invited the legal team to report the progress on the case, while the lawyers also wanted to hear the information from the army by themselves.
Deputy Premier Yuthasak said that the ICJ has asked Thailand to submit further written explanations by June 21, as Cambodia has already sent its written explanations to the court.
Gen Yuthasak said the trial on the case might begin next year.
The UN court last July ordered both Thailand and Cambodia to immediately withdraw their military personnel now present in the provisional demilitarised zone and refrain from any military presence within that zone, while urging both countries to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to reach an agreement to allow the regional bloc’s observers to enter the disputed zone.
The two countries were also ordered to revive their stalled talks to resolve the conflicts. Both must report developments to the court until a decision on Cambodia’s main request for interpretation of the 1962 order is finalised.
The Thai deputy premier, however, noted Thursday that there is no progress on the setup of a joint working committee between the neighbours.
