At the Sorbonne Law School in Paris, Jean-Marc Sorel’s office is a sanctuary of legal scholarship, lined with shelves of heavy tomes on international law and legal proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). A professor and director of the IREDIES (Research Institute of International and European Law at the Sorbonne), Sorel’s journey from a young scholar with a passion for public law to a pivotal figure in resolving international border disputes is a tale of intellect, dedication and a quiet resolve to uphold justice on the global stage. Sorel pursued a graduate degree in public law and political…
Author: Niem Chheng
Senate president Hun Sen has informed Nagashima Akihisa, special advisor to the Japanese Prime Minister, that Cambodia is not yet seeking a third party to resolve the border dispute with Thailand, prioritising the International Court of Justice (ICJ) mechanism first. Nagashima, a member of the Japanese parliament, met with Hun Sen on July 1 at the Senate Palace, according to Chea Thirith, spokesperson for the Senate president. Hun Sen clarified to the Japanese advisor that the current issues stem from Thai soldiers firing on Cambodian soldiers, resulting in a death, on May 28, and Thailand’s unilateral decision to close the…
Prime Minister Hun Manet announced that a team of international lawyers will arrive in Cambodia this evening to discuss the Kingdom’s four-point complaint to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). He emphasised that Cambodia is taking a proactive stance, reiterating that no one should be allowed to underestimate or threaten the nation. “This evening, the team of international lawyers will arrive. We are preparing lawyers, not just local ones but international specialists, too. This preparation is not something we take lightly. Previously, when we formed the working group, some criticised it, saying it was excessive and that only three people…
The National Committee tasked with implementation of the “Forest Protection Land Grant for Sustainable Development” programme began a lucky draw today, June 30 to allocate land to the first 500 impoverished families who will be provided with land in Stung Treng province’s Sesan district. The first round of the lottery will run for five days, from June 30 to July 4, organized at the National Television of Cambodia station. The selection was based on eligibility criteria, including being Cambodian by birth, genuinely landless and willing to relocate to the programme’s designated site, according to a committee press release. The programme…
Senate president Hun Sen has called on all Khmer compatriots to unite and team up as one strong nationalist movement, ready to resist and dismantle Thailand’s “sinister schemes to encroach upon Cambodia’s sovereign land”. His statement was in response to comments by Thai anti-government protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul, who pledged to invade Cambodian territory should he be in power. “Ah Hun Sen. You are lucky that I, Sondhi Limthongkul, do not hold power. If I did, today I would already have taken Battambang, Siem Reap and Serei Saophoan, and tomorrow I would go for Preah Vihear and then on to…
The General Department of Immigration (GDI) has announced that it will not permit any type of cargo transport to enter, exit, or transit through any international border checkpoints or regional checkpoints along the Cambodian-Thai border. In a statement issued on June 29, the GDI explained that the ban will be enforced in accordance with a directive from Prime Minister Hun Manet, who was responding to measures imposed by the Thai side on June 7 and again on June 23. “This measure will remain in effect until the Thai side fully reopens all international and regional border checkpoints, which Thailand unilaterally…
A Cambodian woman who previously worked in Thailand has been placed on a blacklist by Thai authorities, permanently barring her from re-entering the neighbouring Kingdom in the future. She was previously detained for two nights by Thai authorities on charges of illegally entering the country and begging. According to Thailand’s The Nation media outlet, the woman, Wan Naree, who has a disabled left arm, had been begging in Thailand. On June 25, she and several others protested at their inability to return to Cambodia because of the closure of the Khlong Luek border checkpoint, opposite the Poipet checkpoint in Banteay…
Senate president Hun Sen has shared his regret that Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has caused the 30-year friendship between him and Thaksin Shinawatra to come to an end. He also apportioned blame for stalled border issue resolutions to her “dishonesty” and “insults toward her negotiating counterpart”. Speaking on June 27 from Preah Vihear province, Hun Sen described what he called the erratic behaviour of Paetongtarn, who he said disrespected even her own military and provided misleading information to the Thai public, contradicting what was discussed in a phone conversation. He recounted that on June 15, he received a call…
Senate president Hun Sen has sent a blunt message to the man who he once described as his “Godbrother” – former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra – accused Thaksin of betraying him and warning that he will expose his treasonous actions, including betraying the Thai monarchy. However, he noted that he would wait to see Bangkok’s reaction first. “I’d rather let others betray me first; I don’t betray others first. Now that I’ve been betrayed, I feel I must reveal what the Thaksin family did to betray their nation. This is a warning: You should teach your children, and they…
Senate president Hun Sen travelled to Oddar Meanchey province to meet with the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) troops stationed at the border this afternoon, June 26. “We came here to defend our territory, not to seize anyone else’s land. We do not want to fight, but we are forced to. This fight is both for self-defence and to strike back,” he told them. His statement reflects the increasingly tense situation at the Cambodian-Thai border, with recent developments leading to border closures that only allow students and medical patients to cross into Thailand. The tension between the two countries has…