Locals at border towns very concerned

WITH AN International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on the Preah Vihear case expected on Monday, high-ranking officials have gone to the border province of Si Sa Ket to allay fears among local people.
Nuttavudh Photisaro, deputy permanent secretary at the Foreign Ministry, yesterday downplayed concern that the ICJ would award the disputed 4.6-square-metre area to Cambodia.
“I personally don’t think the ICJ will rule that way,” he said at an academic seminar in Si Sa Ket.
Held by the Foreign Ministry and the Royal Thai Armed Forces, the event attracted several locals who are anxious about the upcoming ruling and its ramifications.
Weerayut Duangkaew, a kamnan in Kantharalak district, wanted to know how residents should prepare themselves. Apart from the tension along the border, he said villagers were also worried about protests and rallies.
Nattavudh reckoned that if the ICJ ruled in favour of Cambodia, Thais were bound to feel hurt and upset. However, he said, the two countries had already agreed to respect each other’s right of expression and would discuss the issue through the Joint Boundary Commission.
He also said that the issue would not necessarily be dropped after the ICJ ruling, adding that people should not erupt in joy if the ruling is in Thailand’s favour, nor point fingers if it is in Cambodia’s favour.
“What matters most is how we move forward and maintain good ties our neighbour,” he said.
Thailand’s Ambassador to the Hague Virachai Plasai, who led the Thai legal team at the ICJ, joined the trip to Si Sa Ket yesterday where he explained the defence his team had used at the ICJ.
Lt-General Tarnchiyan Srisuwan, who heads the Army’s Directorate of Joint Operations, said Thai troops were ready to protect the country’s sovereignty and ensure peace. The officials also handed out a book illustrating the Preah Vihear case.
Separately, students and teachers at the Ban Khok Krachai School in Buri Ram yesterday participated in an emergency drill during which they rushed to find cover in available bomb shelters. Buri Ram is located on the border.
In 2011, border clashes erupted over the Preah Vihear issue and ammunition landed in this school’s compound.
“That frightening incident has been haunting us so we need to be prepared,” the school’s director Pittaya Rattanakarn said.