UN SG calls for ceasefire in Thailand-Cambodia clash News
UN SG calls for ceasefire in Thailand-Cambodia clash
Photo source or description

[JURIST] UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon [official website; JURIST news archive] on Saturday urged [press release] Cambodia and Thailand to enter into a ceasefire agreement to resolve recent border clashes between the two countries. Saying that a military resolution is impossible [statement], Ban urged the countries to pursue a diplomatic solution and to exercise military restraint. The neighboring nations have been clashing [NYT report] for the past three days over disputed territory, marking the first time since February that the countries broke an informal cease-fire. Last month, both nations agreed to a UN-mediated meeting to discuss ways to safeguard the temple Preah Vihear [UNESCO profile], a location on the UN World Heritage List, which was damaged in previous border clashes between the South-East Asian neighbors earlier this year.


View Larger Map

In addition to armed clashes with Thailand, Cambodia’s border with Vietnam has also been a subject of controversy. Last month, Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy [party profile; JURIST news archive] lost his final appeal to the Cambodian Supreme Court on charges of intentionally destroying posts [JURIST report] marking the border between Cambodia and Vietnam and inciting racial discrimination through that act. The ruling upheld Rainsy’s September 2010 conviction [JURIST report], given in absentia due to his self-imposed exile since 2005. Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] strongly criticized the ruling [JURIST report], saying that it showed the government’s control over the country’s judiciary.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.