(Phnom Penh): Prime Minister Hun Manet confirmed that Cambodia’s legal action at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerns only the unresolved land border disputes with Thailand—not maritime boundaries, which have yet to be formally discussed between the two nations.
The premier spoke on Tuesday (Jun. 17) at the Closing of Extraordinary General Assembly of Cambodia Scouts in Phnom Penh.
Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet stated that Cambodia has exhausted all bilateral mechanisms regarding four key land areas—Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Tauch, Ta Krabei temples, and the Emerald Triangle area—leading to the ICJ submission.
“These four locations are not the entire 800-kilometer Cambodia-Thailand border,” he explained. “We have made progress on some parts, with 73 border markers found and agreement reached on 43 of them. Where we have consensus, bilateral mechanisms continue. But where talks have failed completely, like these four sites, we must resort to international legal channels.”
Samdech Thipadei continued, “The maritime border—we haven’t started discussions yet. We’ve only discussed the land border,” he affirmed. “As for the maritime boundary with Thailand, there haven’t been any talks yet. That involves matters like the Overlapping Claims Area (OCA), which are technical and economic issues.”
Prime Minister Hun Manet clarified that although maritime boundaries remain undiscussed, the current ICJ case targets only terrestrial disputes where repeated bilateral discussions have failed and tensions have escalated—even resulting in the death of a Cambodian soldier due to armed clashes.
He stressed that Cambodia prefers international law over military force, and Cambodia seeks to preserve regional peace and neighbourly cooperation.
Addressing Thailand’s rejection of the ICJ mechanism, Prime Minister Hun Manet said that Cambodia’s position remains firm. Even if Thailand refuses to recognize the process, we have chosen this legal path to avoid letting the dispute become a long-standing source of tension for future generations.
=FRESH NEWS
