New DMZ Created at Thai-Cambodia Border

Cambodian soldiers rest on the ruins of the ancient Preah Vihear temple where a military camp was set up on February 9. Now that the ICJ has ruled the area to be a DMZ, soldiers will no longer be allowed near it. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images

The International Court of Justice has ordered Thailand and Cambodia to withdraw their troops from Preah Vihear Temple and its surrounding area, declaring it a demilitarized zone.

The order is to prevent more armed conflict in the border area that has seen attacks from both countries since 2008, when, according to a letter by the Cambodian ambassador to the United Nations, 50 Thai soldiers invaded Cambodian territory near the temple.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has also said that Thailand cannot block Cambodia from accessing the temple or the transport of fresh supplies to nonmilitary personnel.

The ICJ also announced that the two countries should continue working with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to settle the dispute.

Last April, 50,000 people had been displaced by the Cambodian-Thai border conflict and there had been many fatal brawls in the region.

Thailand and Cambodia have appealed to the U.N. before and the temple, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008, has been damaged in the skirmishes.

In 1962, the ICJ declared the land surrounding and including the temple as all part of Cambodia. Thailand rejects the ruling, arguing that the only convenient road access to the area is from the Thai side of the border.