The Ghosts of the Temple of Preah Vihear/Phra Viharn in the 2013 Judgment

A re-examination of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) 2013 Decision on the Temple of Preah Vihear reveals that it stands in stark contrast to its controversial 1962 predecessor. Unlike the unanimous 2013 ruling, which affirmed Cambodia's sovereignty over the temple, the 1962 Judgment was marred by evidential weaknesses—reliance on an inaccurate sketch map and a single photograph of a meeting between deceased Thai and French officials to deduce Thai acquiescence. This analysis underscores how the ICJ's 2013 Decision consciously reinforced a judgment that, upon closer inspection, lacked robust evidence, thereby addressing historical controversies surrounding the temple's territorial dispute.

KATTAN, V. (2014). The Ghosts of the Temple of Preah Vihear/Phra Viharn in the 2013 Judgment. Asian Journal of International Law, 5(1), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1017/s2044251314000149