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Chapter 3

Thai Version

DECLARATION (IV, 1)
TO PROHIBIT FOR THE TERM OF FIVE YEARS
THE LAUNCHING OF PROJECTILES AND EXPLOSIVES
FROM BALLOONS, AND OTHER NEW METHODS
OF A SIMILAR NATURE.
Signed at The Hague,
29 July 1899. ¹

            The undersigned, Plenipotentiaries of the Powers represented at the International Peace Conference at The Hague, duly authorized to that effect by their Governments, inspired by the sentiments which found expression in the Declaration of St. Petersburg of 29 November (11 December) 1868,

            Declare that:

            The Contracting Powers agree to prohibit, for a term of five years, the launching of projectiles and explosives from balloons, or by other new methods of a similar nature.

            The present Declaration is only binding on the Contracting Powers in case of war between two or more of them.

            It shall cease to be binding from the time when, in a war between the Contracting Powers, one of the belligerents is joined by a non-Contracting Power.

            The present Declaration shall be ratified as soon as possible.

            The ratifications shall be deposited at The Hague. A proces-verbal shall be drawn up on the receipt of each ratification, of which a copy, duly certified, shall be sent through the diplomatic channel, to all the Contracting Powers.

            The non-Signatory Powers may adhere to the present Declaration. For this purpose they must make their adhesion known to the Contracting Powers by means of a written notification addressed to the Netherlands Government, and communicated by it to all the other Contracting Powers.

            In the event of one of the High Contracting Parties denouncing the present Declaration, such denunciation shall not take effect until a year after the notification made in writing to the Netherlands Government, and by it forthwith communicated to all the other Contracting Powers.

            This denunciation shall only affect the notifying Power.

            In faith of which the Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Declaration, and affixed their seals thereto.

            Done at The Hague, 29 July 1899, in a single copy, which shall be kept in the archives of the Netherlands Government, and of which copies, duly certified, shall be sent through the diplomatic channel to the Contracting Powers.

SIGNATURES, RATIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIONS
State	Signature	Ratification, Accession
Austria-Hungary Belgium Bulgaria China Denmark France Germany Greece Italy Japan Luxemburg Mexico Montenegro Netherlands Norway+ Persia Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Siam Spain Sweden+ Switzerland Turkey United States of America	29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899 29 July 1899	4 September 1900 4 September 1900 4 September 1900 21 November 1904 4 September 1900 4 September 1900 4 September 1900 4 April 1901 6 October 1900 12 July 1901 17 April 1901 17 April 1901 16 October 1900 4 September 1900 4 September 1900 4 September 1900 4 September 1900 4 September 1900 4 September 1900 11 May 1901 4 September 1900 4 September 1900 4 September 1900 29 December 1900 – –

Reservations None

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¹  The authentic text is French. This is the English translation of the United States Department of State. D. Schindler & J. Toman, eds., The Laws of Armed Conflicts (The Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1988) at 201-205. Entry into force: from 4 September 1900 to 4 September 1905. Thailand (Siam) signed this Declaration on 29 July 1899 and then ratified it on 4 September 1900. Back

⁺ Sweden and Norway constituted a Union until 1905. Action taken by them prior to that date was taken as a single Power.Back