A group of Thai protesters staged a rally on Friday demanding “respect for their country’s sovereignty”, following Cambodia’s decision to pursue a legal action at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to resolve a long-standing border dispute with Thailand.
The Student and People’s Network for Thailand Reform gathered in front of the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, expressing their determination to safeguard their territory.
Since the clash on the Cambodia-Thailand border close to Preah Vihear province, which led to the death of a Cambodian soldier on May 28, both parties blamed each other for starting the armed dispute.
“I reject the accusation. It does not reflect the truth that Cambodian troops violated Thailand’s sovereignty,” said Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Chum Sounry.
“Cambodia is strongly committed to resolving disputes through international law and peaceful means,” he said.
Sounry alleged that on May 28, Thai troops opened fire at a Cambodian outpost in Morodok Techo village, Preah Vihear, and an area long recognized as a Cambodian military post, which borders Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province.
He said the alleged attack by Thai troops violated Cambodia’s sovereignty and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the two governments in June 2000, aimed at preserving peace and stability along the shared border, particularly in the disputed areas.
Cambodian ambassador to Thailand Hun Saroeun did not respond to a request by CamboJA News for comment.
A post on his Facebook on Friday mentioned that around 200 Thai protesters gathered opposite the embassy at 10 a.m on Friday to “demand Cambodia to respect Thai sovereignty”. They dispersed at 11:15 a.m.
“Thai police forces were deployed to secure the embassy and ensure the safety of the staff. All embassy officials are safe and working as usual,” read his post.
He added that the embassy remained open and continued to provide regular service to Cambodian citizens and foreign nationals.
On Thursday, a meeting between National Defense Minister Tea Seiha and Thai Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai was held where he reiterated Cambodia’s rejection to withdraw troops from an outpost in Mom Bei area, where the May 28 clash occurred, claiming that the area has long been recognized as Cambodia‘s military post.
“Cambodia cannot withdraw from a site where Cambodian troops have been stationed for a long time, which is clearly under Cambodian sovereignty,” Seiha said in a Facebook posting on Friday.
Both parties have agreed to continue to meet via the General Border Committee (GBC), Joint Boundary Committee (JBC), and Regional Border Committee (RBC), to ease the tension. The committees are apparently well-established mechanisms used by both parties to defuse past border disputes. The JBC meeting will be held on June 14 in Phnom Penh.
On Thursday, the Cambodian government stated that four disputed areas, Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Toch, Ta Krabey temples, and Mom Bei, will not be discussed during the upcoming JBC meeting.
It is also pursuing a legal resolution on the matter via a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague despite the Thai government asserting that it has “not recognized ICJ jurisdiction in cases of disputes from 1960 to the present”.
Regardless, Cambodian government spokesperson Pen Bona said they will continue to file the lawsuit ICJ even if Thailand does not appear in court.
