The International Court of Justice in the Hague says Thailand must withdraw its troops from the area around a disputed, ancient Hindu temple on the border with Cambodia.  The ruling gives Cambodia sovereignty over most of the disputed land around the Preah Vihear temple.

Both governments welcomed the ruling on the matter that has prevented better relations for decades and wiped an annoyance off their dockets.  Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra called on her people to accept the verdict and work together for peace.  Cambodian PM Hun Sen promised to work with Thailand to keep the border peaceful.

The 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple is perched on a cliff in Cambodia, but more easily accessed from the Thai side.  It’s been a point of contention for at least a century.

The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but decades of civil war prevented successive governments from acting on that.  In 2008, Cambodia won Unesco World Heritage status for the site, angering Thai nationalists and leading both sides to the most recent buildups.