Thailand, Cambodia agree to withdraw troops

Thailand and Cambodia agreed yesterday to comply with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order to withdraw troops from the disputed border area near the Preah Vihear Temple following a meeting of the General Border Committee.

Both sides have also agreed to set up a Joint Working Group to work towards complete troop pullout from the provisional demilitarised zone (DMZ) determined by the ICJ, according to China's Xinhua news agency.

The meeting was chaired jointly by Defence Minister General Yuthasak Sasiprapha and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Banh. A joint statement issued after the meeting said the group would work for a complete and simultaneous redeployment of the two countries' military personnel from their current positions in the DMZ "at the earliest" in a transparent manner under the watchful eyes of Cambo-dian, Thai and Indonesian observers. The Joint Working Group will comprise representatives designated by each side and convene a meeting at the earliest, it said, adding that Thailand had agreed to host the first meeting.

Both sides have also agreed to cooperate on clearing landmines in the DMZ, which covers some 17 square kilometres near Preah Vihear.

The court's injunction is pending an interpretation of the ICJ's 1962 ruling, requested by Cambodia to clarify whether the land in the vicinity of the temple comes under Cambodian sovereignty. In 1962, the court ruled that the temple is situated in Cambodia, but Thailand argued that it owns the area adjacent to the Preah Vihear.