Cambodia’s National Assembly and Senate issued statements supporting the government’s pursuit of compulsory conciliation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) concerning overlapping maritime claims with Thailand. Their statements followed the Thai cabinet’s approval of termination of the 2001 memorandum. The original report quoted the Cambodian government as saying it would pursue that mechanism after the bilateral framework was obstructed.
In their May 6 statements, the institutions criticised Thailand’s unilateral termination decision and described the roughly 25-year-old memorandum as the only fundamental bilateral framework agreed by both parties for addressing the overlapping maritime claims. They considered it an expression of cooperation and good faith that could not be replaced by another bilateral mechanism.
The National Assembly and Senate expressed regret and reaffirmed support for the government’s pursuit of compulsory conciliation, international law and regional peace. Compulsory conciliation is the proposed dispute-resolution process here, not an arbitral award or court judgment already issued.
Thailand’s Public Relations Department reported on May 5 that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the decision was unrelated to border conflict and that both countries could continue discussions under UNCLOS and other international frameworks. It also said Thailand had at that point informed Cambodia unofficially and was preparing a new negotiating framework. Cabinet approval and completion of all legal termination procedures are distinct matters.
By: ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត
Historical maritime-claims illustrations reproduced with the original report. They do not establish an agreed boundary or the current status of oil and gas development.
