PM urges Thais to monitor temple dispute with patience

CHIANG MAI, April 14 (TNA) - As the final oral statements to be given by Cambodian and Thai legal experts on disputed land near ancient Preah Vihear temple will start Monday, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has urged Thais to monitor the situation with calm and peace. Yingluck, now celebrating Songkran festival in her hometown of the northern capital of Chiang Mai, said legal experts representing Thailand have possessed complete information and well prepared to give oral statements, to be held between April 15-19 at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. She said the Foreign Affairs Ministry has worked efficiently with foreign legal advisers, hired by the Thai government, to defend the disputed area surrounding the Preah Vihear temple complex, claimed by both neighbouring countries. This is “national agenda”, said Yingluck, adding that she would monitor the situation closely tomorrow and her government is prepared to give prompt advice to the legal experts if they need assistance. ICJ ruled in 1962 that the Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia, but surrounding land totaling 4.6 square kilometres remains in dispute. The final oral statements are to be held after Cambodia told ICJ that it wanted the court to reinterpret its 1962 decision concerning the 4.6 sq km of scrubland near the temple to determine if the land belongs to Cambodia or Thailand. The ruling on the disputed land near the Preah Vihear temple is expected to be issued by ICJ the next six months, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said earlier. (TNA)