Troop pull-out may require Parliament approval
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Thailand may need approval from Parliament before complying with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s injunction to withdraw troops from Preah Vihear.
At a General Border Committee (GBC) meeting in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to comply with the ICJ order to withdraw troops from the court-deemed provisional demilitarisation zone adjacent to the temple.
Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha, who shook hands on the matter with his Cambodian counterpart Tea Banh, said he will put the issue forward for Cabinet approval on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said. The cabinet would decide whether the result of GBC meeting should pass the parliament approval or not, he said.
JOINT WORKING GROUP
Both countries have also agreed to set up a joint working group to work toward complete troop pullout from the demilitarised zone. The working group will seek complete redeployment of both Thai and Cambodian military personnel from the demilitarised zone “at the earliest” under the watchful eye of the Joint Observer Team, which is comprised of Cambodian, Thai and Indonesian observers, a statement issued after the GBC meeting said.
The Constitution’s Article 190 requires Parliament approval for any agreement with foreign countries or international organisations that could affect sovereignty over territory.
The Parliament’s reading in accordance with the Constitution usually takes time, perhaps longer than Cambodia expects, Thani said.
He added that Thailand would definitely comply with the world court’s order and the two countries would not do anything that could be seen as a violation of the court’s injunction, he said.
Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear for a long time now. In 1962, the ICJ ruled that the temple is situated in territory that comes under the sovereignty of Cambodia, but Thailand has been arguing that the temple’s vicinity belongs to Thailand.
Cambodia asked the court to interpret the scope and meaning of the 1962 ruling and order Thai troops to withdraw from the disputed area while awaiting interpretation.
For the sake of safety, the court asked both sides in July to pull their respective troops out and asked Asean to dispatch a team of observers to monitor the situation.
