THE HAGUE, April 19 — Thailand is ready to present its final statement on the Phra Viharn (Preah Vihear) case at the Internatioanal Court of Justice (ICJ), to counter arguments made by Cambodia in its final oral statement on Thursday.
Thailand’s ambassador to the Hague and Thailand’s agent Virachai Plasai said that the Thai legal team is confident that in the second and final round of oral statement, Thailand could counter all arguments made by Cambodia.
He believed that the oral arguments today can comprehensively and convincingly rebut Cambodia’s pleadings on Thursday.
Thailand is scheduled to make its oral statement today, Mr Virachai said, emphasising that there was nothing to be worried about. Five members of the Thai legal team will testify today, and he himself will make the last closing statement.
Mr Virachai said that during Cambodia’s second day of hearings on Thursday, Cambodia was trying to convince the Court that Thailand’s implementation of the Judgment was based on its unilateral understanding of the judgment, in particular erecting a barbed-wire fence, following the line set out in the Thai Cabinet Resolution of 10 July 1962, which Cambodia found unacceptable.
Cambodia denied that it falsified the map as alleged by the Thai legal team but said it was Thailand which attempted to limit the Cambodian territory by setting up their own border line without approval by Phnom Penh.
“We did not falsify the map as claimed by Thailand. But in fact, Thailand has attempted to limit our vicinity by setting up a fence without our approval,” said Cambodia’s lawyer Rodman Bundy.
As for the request by Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, a member of the Court, who asked both Thailand and Cambodia to indicate the precise territorial extent that each of the Parties considers to be the “vicinity” of the Temple, Mr Virachai 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 consult to prepare Thailand’s response
