PHNOM PENH, June 16 – Cambodia has invited Thailand to jointly resolve their border dispute at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), describing it as the best option to end the ongoing dispute.
Cambodian Minister in Charge of the State Secretariat of Border Affairs, Lam Chea, said referring the matter to the ICJ would ensure a fair and impartial solution to the border controversy.
He said the four contested areas – comprising Mom Bei and the temple complexes of Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Tauch and Ta Krabei – would no longer be included in future meetings of Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Commission (JBC).
“Cambodia will begin legal proceedings independently, despite Thailand’s rejection of the ICJ’s jurisdiction,” he said in a statement after the sixth Cambodia-Thailand JBC meeting here.
The two-day meeting, held after a 12-year hiatus, ended on Sunday.
Thailand’s delegation was headed by Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ border affairs advisor Prasas Prasasvinitchai.
During the meeting, the Cambodian delegation also rejected the map drawn by Thailand.
“In this regard, the Cambodian side categorically rejects the map unilaterally drawn and used by the Thai side, which has been the root cause of past, present and potential future border disputes,” Lam said.
On Sunday morning, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the government has submitted the territorial dispute to the ICJ to seek a solution for the longstanding issue.
Cambodia said it is committed to fostering border peace, friendship and cooperation with Thailand based on legal documents and mutually agreed-upon maps as outlined in the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding.
It will cooperate through the JBC mechanism to advance border surveying, demarcation and the installation of boundary markers.
Both countries are embroiled in dispute after a Cambodian soldier was killed during a border clash between Cambodian and Thai soldiers near the Kingdom’s northern Preah Vihear province area on May 28.
Thailand will host the next JBC meeting in September 2025.
