SI SA KET, Nov 9 – Schools on the Thai-Cambodian border adjacent to the Preah Vihear temple will be closed next week as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivers its verdict on the disputed land.
The chief of Si Sa Ket Educational Service Area Zone 4 has instructed schools in Kantaralak district to suspend classes between Nov 11 and Nov 15 for the teachers’ and students’ safety.
There are at least five schools in the district.
Village defence volunteers set up checkpoints in villages on the border to provide protection to people and maintain public order as members of the Dhama Yatra group gathered and sat in meditation near the entrance to the temple site.
In Bangkok, Metropolitan police have provided round-the-clock security at the Cambodian Embassy to prevent possible violence.
The ICJ is scheduled to start reading its verdict on the Preah Vihear temple dispute at 4 pm Monday. Channels 9 and 11 will broadcast the judgment live.
Virachai Plasai, Thai ambassador to the Hague, will give an interview after the verdict and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is scheduled to give a speech at 7.30 pm on Monday.
The judgement will be broadcast live on Radio Thailand at FM 92.5 and AM 891, MCOT radio at FM 100.5, and Saranrom (Foreign Ministry) radio at AM 1575. It can also be viewed on the ICJ website: www.icj-cij.org or the Foreign Ministry website: www.saranrom.mfa.go.th.
