Cambodia said on Tuesday that it had formally notified the United Nations and Thailand of its decision to begin compulsory conciliation proceedings under international law in an effort to settle a long-running maritime boundary dispute with Bangkok.
The announcement came after the Thai government moved last month to unilaterally withdraw from a 2001 agreement with Cambodia, which had set out a framework for talks over an overlapping maritime claims area in the Gulf of Thailand.
“We have taken this step to protect Cambodia’s sovereignty and maritime rights in accordance with international law,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said.
Thailand’s decision to scrap the agreement formed part of a campaign promise by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who secured re-election in February amid rising nationalist sentiment following two deadly rounds of military clashes along the disputed Thai-Cambodian border last year.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, known as Unclos, compulsory conciliation allows an independent panel of experts to review a dispute and issue recommendations, although the outcome is not legally binding on either side.
Mr Anutin dismissed concerns over Cambodia’s move on Tuesday, saying Thailand would proceed according to its own approach while continuing to protect national sovereignty and security.
He said he was not aware of any new issues resulting from Thailand’s withdrawal from MoU 44, adding that Cambodia had already been informed of the decision during the recent Asean Summit.
The 2001 document, known in Thailand as MoU 44 because it was signed in Buddhist calendar year 2544, was designed to support negotiations on joint development of offshore areas believed to contain significant natural gas reserves.
The arrangement was modelled in part on Thailand’s earlier joint development framework with Malaysia, which allowed both countries to benefit from resources in a disputed maritime area.
However, Thailand said the agreement had failed to produce meaningful progress since coming into force, citing that lack of advancement as the key reason for ending it.
Mr Anutin said Thailand would also refer to the prolonged absence of progress when explaining the cancellation after the new government officially takes office, and added that Bangkok would rely on Unclos mechanisms in any future negotiations.
Border Activity Defended
In a separate development, the Royal Thai Army rejected claims that previous military operations near Chong Sangam in Si Sa Ket province had been less intense than actions carried out in other areas along the Thai-Cambodian border last year.
Army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree responded on Tuesday to online reports and public speculation about activity near the checkpoint in Phu Sing district.
He said the area across the border had previously been used as a support base for military operations that affected Thai civilians and security personnel.
Thai forces therefore launched strikes on the location during last year’s hostilities, damaging several structures in the area, he said.
The comments followed criticism that army operations targeting suspected scammer and call-centre gang bases near Chong Sangam had been less forceful than military action elsewhere along the border.
An army source said the full scale of the damage could not be verified because the targeted sites were inside Cambodian territory and could not be directly inspected.
The source added that many of the structures, including casino buildings and large reinforced-concrete complexes, had been built to withstand heavy impact.
Although some buildings appeared largely intact from the outside, the source said they had sustained significant internal damage from artillery fire and air strikes.
The army said the operations had weakened the opposing side’s ability to use the area as a base before the December 27 ceasefire took effect.
It added that all actions had been conducted in line with military plans and national security objectives.
