PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia said it plans to seek a ruling from the U.N.’s International Court of Justice over border disputes with Thailand, one of which triggered a fatal military clash last week.
Cambodia’s National Assembly, where Prime Minister Hun Manet’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party holds all but a handful of seats, voted on Monday to support the government’s decision.
In 1962, the ICJ awarded to Cambodia the disputed territory on which a historic temple is located, rankled Thailand and to this day remains a major irritant in bilateral relations. The ICJ reaffirmed its ruling in 2013.
Speaking on Monday at a meeting of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Cambodia has the right to file a case with the court, but that would not affect talks between the two countries under existing mechanisms He said Thai officials will meet later this week to issue a clear stance on the matter.
