Thailand ends 2001 maritime MoU with Cambodia

Bangkok (ANTARA) - Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated that the country has ended the 2001 memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding maritime boundaries with Cambodia and the joint exploitation of energy resources on the continental shelf in the Gulf of Thailand. “Today, the government has decided unilaterally to cancel Thailand’s participation in the 2001 MoU 44 with Cambodia,” Anutin told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. He explained that the agreement covered the joint determination of maritime boundaries and the shared utilisation of continental shelf resources in the area of overlapping interests. According to Anutin, the cancellation decision is not related to any conflict with Cambodia but is part of his government’s policy. “In this case, after 25 years, progress towards an agreement has stalled,” he said. He added that Thailand will adjust its policy in line with other legal documents on maritime boundary determination, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as both countries are parties to the convention. Meanwhile, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn expressed regret over Thailand’s decision. He stated that Cambodia will initiate the “mandatory conciliation mechanism” regarding the maritime territorial dispute based on UNCLOS. “Nevertheless, the termination or withdrawal from the MoU does not affect Cambodia’s legitimate rights to its maritime territory in the Gulf of Thailand,” Prak Sokhonn said, as quoted by the Khmer Times daily. In 2001, Thailand and Cambodia signed MoU 44, which covered the joint determination of sea borders and the shared exploitation of the gas-rich continental shelf area in the disputed zone, involving several global oil and gas companies such as ExxonMobil and Gazprom.