Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia v. Thailand)
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Cambodia
Thailand
See other cases involving
Preliminary objections
See also Request for Interpretation of the Judgment of 15 June 1962 in the Case concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia v. Thailand) (Cambodia v. Thailand)
Overview of the case
Cambodia complained that Thailand had occupied a piece of its territory surrounding the ruins of the Temple of Preah Vihear, a place of pilgrimage and worship for Cambodians, and asked the Court to declare that territorial sovereignty over the Temple belonged to it and that Thailand was under an obligation to withdraw the armed detachment stationed there since 1954. Thailand filed preliminary objections to the Court’s jurisdiction, which were rejected in a Judgment given on 26 May 1961. In its Judgment on the merits, rendered on 15 June 1962, the Court noted that a Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1904 provided that, in the area under consideration, the frontier was to follow the watershed line, and that a map based on the work of a Mixed Delimitation Commission showed the Temple on the Cambodian side of the boundary. Thailand asserted various arguments aimed at showing that the map had no binding character. One of its contentions was that the map had never been accepted by Thailand or, alternatively, that if Thailand had accepted it, it had done so only because of a mistaken belief that the frontier indicated corresponded to the watershed line. The Court found that Thailand had indeed accepted the map and concluded that the Temple was situated on Cambodian territory. It also held that Thailand was under an obligation to withdraw any military or police force stationed there and to restore to Cambodia any objects removed from the ruins since 1954.
This overview is provided for information only and in no way involves the responsibility of the Court.
Institution of proceedings
Application instituting proceedings
6 October 1959
Available in:
English
French
Written proceedings
Memorial of the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia
(French version only)
20 January 1960
Available in:
French
(French version only)
Preliminary Objections of the Government of Thailand
23 May 1960
Procedure(s):
Preliminary objections
Available in:
English
Procedure(s): Preliminary objections
Observations of the Royal Government of Cambodia
(French version only)
22 July 1960
Procedure(s):
Preliminary objections
Available in:
French
(French version only)
Procedure(s): Preliminary objections
Counter-Memorial of the Royal Government of Thailand
29 September 1961
Available in:
English
Reply of the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia
(French version only)
29 November 1961
Available in:
French
(French version only)
Rejoinder of the Royal Government of Thailand
2 February 1962
Available in:
English
Oral proceedings
Verbatim record 1961
Minutes of the Public Hearings held at the Peace Palace, The Hague, from 10 to 15 April 1961, and on 26 May 1961, the President, M. Winiarski, presiding
Procedure(s):
Preliminary objections
Available in:
Original Language
Procedure(s): Preliminary objections
Verbatim record 1962
Minutes of the Public Sittings held at the Peace Palace, The Hague, from 1 to 31 March 1962, and on 15 June 1962, the President, M. Winiarski, presiding
Available in:
Original Language
Other documents
Documents submitted to the Court after the closure of the Written Proceedings (Rules of Court, 1946, Article 48)
12 December 1961
Available in:
English
French
Orders
Order of 5 December 1959
Fixing of time-limits: Memorial and Counter-Memorial
Available in:
English
French
Bilingual
Order of 10 June 1960
Fixing of time-limit: Written Statement of observations and submissions on Preliminary Objections
Available in:
English
French
Bilingual
Order of 26 May 1961
Fixing of time-limits: Counter-Memorial, Reply and Rejoinder
Available in:
English
French
Bilingual
Judgments
Judgment of 26 May 1961
Preliminary Objections
Procedure(s):
Preliminary objections
Available in:
English
French
Bilingual
Procedure(s): Preliminary objections
Judgment of 15 June 1962
Merits
Available in:
English
French
Bilingual
Summaries of Judgments and Orders
Summary 1961/1
Summary of the Judgment of 26 May 1961
Available in:
English
French
Summary 1962/1
Summary of the Judgment of 15 June 1962
Available in:
English
French
Press releases
Press release 1959/44
(French version only)
7 October 1959
Temple of Preah Vihear - Le Gouvernement cambodgien dépose une requête introductive d'instance contre le Gouvernement de Thaïlande (French text only)
Available in:
French
(French version only)