SI SA KET, Nov 7 – The Thai-Cambodian border market at Si Sa Ket’s Chong Sangam border pass has become less busy as shoppers felt anxious about the International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict on Preah Vihear dispute to be announced on Monday.
The permanent Chong Sangam border pass at Phrai Phatthana subdistrict in Phu Sing district has become quiet, significantly as few Cambodian shoppers have crossed the border to buy goods.
The scene was different from normal market days when large numbers of Cambodians queue up at the check point, waiting to cross the border to Thailand when the market is open on Thursdays and Sundays.
Hattachai Pengjam, Chong Sangam Tourism Operators President, said that normally at least 1,000 Cambodians crossed the border every Thursday and Sunday but today there were few shoppers.
He believed that some of Cambodians have already stocked up on goods as they were waiting for the World Court verdict on the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia on Monday.
Many Cambodian labourers began travelling back to their hometowns.
Cambodia earlier sought the court’s interpretation of its 1962 ruling awarding it the Preah Vihear temple, asking whether the area around the temple included the disputed 4.6 square kilometres or not.
Thailand contended that the 1962 verdict only covered the historic Hindu temple itself, and not the adjacent area.
The ICJ judgement will be telecast live on Channel 11 and Channel 9, and broadcast on radio, starting at 4pm (local time) on November 11.
