VOA标准英语2013--柬埔寨通过海牙国际法院赢得同泰国的领土争端

（单词翻译）

World Court Awards Some Territory to Cambodia in Temple Dispute 柬埔寨通过海牙国际法院赢得同泰国的领土争端

BANGKOK — The International Court of Justice has ruled that part of a disputed patch of land around a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Thai-Cambodian border belongs  to Cambodia. Both countries say they will work together to implement¹ the court decision.

The unanimous ruling by the 17 judges of the world court says all of the raised land on which the ancient Khmer Hindu temple sits belongs to Cambodia.

The court’s president, Judge Peter Tomka, read the decision Monday at the Hague, noting the ICJ’s previous ruling on the matter in 1962 awarding the 900-year-old  Preah Vihear temple itself to Cambodia.

“…in consequence, the second operative paragraph requires Thailand to withdraw from that territory the Thai military or police forces or other guards or keepers who  were stationed there,” said Tomka.

While adjusting some of the disputed boundary, the decision leaves unresolved the sovereignty of much of the 4.6 square kilometer area in the immediate² vicinity of the  religious site.

Sensitive timing³

The ruling comes at a particularly sensitive time for the political leaders of both countries.  They have been facing street protests questioning their legitimacy⁴ and  authority and there are worries in both capitals that the ruling about the temple could be taken up by the political opposition⁵.

The ICJ decision rejects some territorial⁶ claims in the area made by each country thus it is not a total victory for either side.

But even before the verdict was issued, self proclaimed patriots⁷ on both sides of the disputed border had stated they were prepared to fight if the verdict did not go  their way or if there are perceived provocations⁸ across the border.

Within hours of the verdict, Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra appeared in a nationally televised address, saying the court had taken her country’s  stance into consideration and that Bangkok should work with Phnom Penh to resolve outstanding issues.

The prime minister said Thailand’s sovereignty will be protected, that the border area is calm and that the army has the situation under control.

At The Hague, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong also expressed satisfaction with the verdict and called for continued negotiations⁹ between the two governments  “in order the keep the problem under control.”

The unresolved territorial issue led to the armies of the two countries, in 2011, exchanging artillery¹⁰ fire, resulting in dozens of deaths.