Preah Vihear showdown to be aired live

Apr 10, 2013

Bangkok Post

The Cambodia-Thailand showdown over the Preah Vihear temple at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) next week will be broadcast live from The Hague on the radio and internet, the Foreign Ministry says.

The public can follow the hearings in French, with English and Thai translation at www.phraviharn.org, on NBT Channel 11, and on three radio stations, Nuttavudh Photisaro, the deputy permanent secretary for foreign affairs said.

The three radio stations are the Radio Thailand frequencies at FM92.5 and AM891, and Saranrom Radio AM1575.

The court itself will also broadcast the proceedings on its own website www.icj-cij.org, and through the United Nations website at webtv.un.org.

The hearings will take place in the Netherlands each evening next week, from Monday to Friday.
Cambodia will make its opening argument on Monday, with Thailand to follow next Wednesday.

Each side will then make additional arguments, with the hearings set to wrap up on April 19. The court is expected to deliver its ruling by October.

Cambodia has petitioned the ICJ to reinterpret its 1962 ruling on the temple. The court had awarded the temple to Cambodia, but did not rule on the ownership of the area around it. Both countries have since claimed the territory.

Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, meanwhile, insists military drills under way in Nakhon Ratchasima's Wang Nam Khieo district are an annual exercise and not intended to provoke.

He said the drills are not a challenge to Cambodia in the lead-up to the ICJ hearings. "I'm going there to visit and to give moral support to my subordinates," he said. "Don't make it sound like I'm going there to challenge anyone."

About 150 activists, including members of the People's Alliance for Democracy, gathered on Saturday near the entrance of Phra Viharn National Park. They attempted to set up a camp near the temple to protest against the ICJ, but were blocked by authorities and later dispersed.