Cambodia threatens UN move if Thailand quits 2001 MoU

Cambodia has threatened to turn to the UN maritime mechanism if Thailand pulls out of their long-standing agreement signed in 2001, said Kung Phoak, secretary of state at Cambodia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.

He told Cambodian media that his country would rely on the compulsory conciliation mechanism under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) if Thailand proceeds with plans to withdraw from the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU 2001).

For years, that agreement has served as the primary framework for managing overlapping maritime claims between the two neighbours.

If the MoU collapses, Phnom Penh intends to shift the dispute into an international legal framework, specifically UNCLOS, which governs maritime rights and dispute resolution.

Phoak described this not as a threat, but as a continuation of Cambodia’s commitment to peaceful settlement. “Cambodia remains a state that respects international law and seeks peaceful resolutions,” he said.

Cambodia and Thailand signed the MoU on June 18th, 2001, in an effort to defuse competing claims in the Gulf of Thailand.

He was responding to a declaration by the Thai prime minister and foreign minister that Bangkok will withdraw from the MoU, because it has produced no results throughout its 25 years in place and has caused disputes between the countries.

Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn reiterated on May 2nd that Cambodia remains committed to resolving the dispute through peaceful means, even if Thailand follows through on its intent to withdraw.

Kung Phoak said “We are extremely disappointed that the Thai side is considering unilaterally withdrawing from the Memorandum of Understanding.”

According to Phoak, the MoU has not just been a technical arrangement, but a reflection of mutual goodwill.

It has allowed both sides to manage a sensitive issue without escalation, offering a structured space for negotiation.

A unilateral withdrawal, he argued, would effectively dismantle the only agreed bilateral mechanism on which the two countries have relied for decades.