BANGKOK, 15 April 2013 – On the first day of the World Court’s proceedings in the Phra Viharn case, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said that the oral argument by Cambodia’s legal representatives has been in line with the Thai team’s expectation.
Mr. Surapong, who is now in the Netherlands, spoke with reporters about the first-day proceedings, in which Cambodia made their oral argument in the case it requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to interpret the 1962 Phra Viharn rulings.
The Foreign Minister said that the Cambodian team has tried to counter-argue Thailand’s statement by presenting several technical details to support their stance.
However, Mr. Surapong believes that the information presented by Cambodia could be too technical for the public to easily understand.
He added the Thai legal team informed him that there has not been anything beyond its expectation inside the courtroom.
Nevertheless, the Foreign Minister stated that it remains too early to draw any conclusion as the Thai legal team is yet to present its argument to the ICJ before the proceedings end on Friday.
