International Court orders Thailand, Cambodia to withdraw troops

The U.N.’s highest court has ordered both Cambodia and Thailand to immediately withdraw all troops and police from a newly declared demilitarized zone around an ancient Khmer temple on their border.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague also ruled Monday that both countries should allow observers from the Association of South East Asian Nations into the area to observe a cease-fire.

The case was brought by Cambodia, which wanted the court to order the withdrawal of all Thai troops from the area. However, the court went beyond that and declared the “provisional” demilitarized zone, saying both countries should remove their troops.