Thai PM welcomes Cambodia’s shift to UNCLOS mechanism
Bangkok and Phnom Penh will now operate under the same legal framework in resolving their maritime disputes, after Cambodia signalled it is open to compulsory conciliation under international law.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the move by Cambodian leader Hun Manet to pursue compulsory conciliation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) marked a positive step towards settling overlapping maritime claims.
Hun Manet’s announcement came as Thailand withdraws from a maritime agreement signed by both countries in 2001, citing a lack of progress over the past 25 years.
The Cambodian leader said via Facebook that Cambodia would activate the dispute-settlement mechanism to seek a resolution over contested offshore areas with Thailand. He expressed regret that, for more than 25 years, the 2001 memorandum of understanding had served as the mutually agreed bilateral framework for addressing claims.
Anutin said adopting the UNCLOS mechanism would ensure that both nations operate under a common set of rules, noting that in the past each side had relied on different frameworks.
“Now both countries will be on the same footing. Previously, it was as if we were using different rules,” he said, adding: “Thailand no longer has MOU 44, so whatever discussions take place from now on, new rules and frameworks must be jointly agreed.”
In his first official overseas trip since assuming office for a second term, Anutin is set to leave for Cebu in the Philippines tomorrow for a three-day ASEAN Summit, which Hun Manet is also expected to attend.
The Philippines, as ASEAN chair, is coordinating a possible tripartite meeting between the two leaders.
This year’s ASEAN Summit comes at a time of heightened global tensions, driven by strategic competition among major powers and ongoing conflicts in several regions, particularly in the Middle East.
Other ASEAN members include Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.