Cambodia and Thailand on April 15 began airing their arguments
regarding the sovereignty over the area around Preah Vihear temple, at a
hearing in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

The week-long hearing is being held two years after Cambodia asked
the court to clarify the 1962 ruling on the temple, a UNESCO World
Heritage site located on the borderline between Cambodia and
Thailand .

In 1962, IJC issued the judgment that the Preah Vihear
temple belongs to Cambodia; however, it did not clarify the
ownership of the surroundings, which leads to the two sides’ dispute
over the sovereignty.

Thailand does not dispute Cambodia’s
ownership of the 900-year-old temple, but both sides claim sovereignty
over 4.6 square kilometre patch of land next to the temple.

Without
an interpretation of the 1962 ICJ ruling, there could be unfortunate
consequences which would prevent the two states from living in a
friendly, peaceful and cooperative environment, Cambodia’s Deputy
Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told the court.

He
stressed that the Preah Vihear temple is a very important symbol of the
peaceful relations between Thailand and Cambodia.

The two
sides will present their stance from April 15-19 and the court is
expected to issue a decision on who owns the disputed land around the
temple by October.-VNA