Cambodia and Thailand on April 15 began airing their argumentsregarding the sovereignty over the area around Preah Vihear temple, at ahearing in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
The week-long hearing is being held two years after Cambodia askedthe court to clarify the 1962 ruling on the temple, a UNESCO WorldHeritage site located on the borderline between Cambodia andThailand .
In 1962, IJC issued the judgment that the Preah Viheartemple belongs to Cambodia; however, it did not clarify theownership of the surroundings, which leads to the two sides’ disputeover the sovereignty.
Thailand does not dispute Cambodia'sownership of the 900-year-old temple, but both sides claim sovereigntyover 4.6 square kilometre patch of land next to the temple.
Withoutan interpretation of the 1962 ICJ ruling, there could be unfortunateconsequences which would prevent the two states from living in afriendly, peaceful and cooperative environment, Cambodia's DeputyPrime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told the court.
Hestressed that the Preah Vihear temple is a very important symbol of thepeaceful relations between Thailand and Cambodia.
The twosides will present their stance from April 15-19 and the court isexpected to issue a decision on who owns the disputed land around thetemple by October.-VNA