The article
“Villagers Around Preah Vihear Hunker Down for ICJ Ruling” by Saing
Soenthrith and Khuon Narim in the Cambodia Daily on Friday November 8,
2013 grossly misleads readers both national and international on the
case of the ownership of the Temple of Preah Vihear, by saying:
“Villagers on Thai side of the disputed border land surrounding the
Preah Vihear temple have begun building underground bunkers in
preparation for the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) verdict over the ownership of the temple on Monday, according to a Thai Newspaper report”.
In fact, it
has been, to say the least, nationally known, and to say on a broader
term, regionally and internationally, recognized that the Temple of
Preah Vihear “is under the sovereignty of Cambodia,” in virtue of the 15
June 1962 ICJ Judgment, 51 years ago. The Cambodia Daily cannot pretend
to be an exception.
On the other
hand, the scheduled Monday 11 November 2013 Judgment to be delivered by
the ICJ concerns particularly the request filed in the ICJ Registry on
28 April 2011 by Cambodia for the interpretation of the 15 June 1962
Judgment in “the Case Concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear”, and this
will not be “the ICJ’s verdict over the ownership of the temple”, as the
Cambodia Daily wrongly wrote.
In view of the
sensitivity and seriousness of this matter, I strongly requested that
the Cambodia Daily put up a correction immediately in its next edition.
Truly Yours,
Pen Ngoeun,
Member of Press and Quick Reaction Unit (PRU)