Cambodian PM: Thailand Closed Door on Maritime Talks, Cites Land Border Stance

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has stated that Thailand closed the door on bilateral negotiations regarding maritime borders, leading to the current impasse. In an interview with Bloomberg, the Prime Minister responded to remarks by Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkaew, who indicated Thailand would not negotiate land border issues with Cambodia due to Cambodia's use of a "forced conciliation mechanism" for maritime boundaries, which he deemed not a bilateral mechanism. Prime Minister Hun Manet clarified that land and maritime border issues are distinct. He asserted that Cambodia's resort to the forced conciliation mechanism for maritime boundaries was a consequence of Thailand itself closing the door on bilateral negotiations. He explained that the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two nations was the sole framework for discussing maritime borders, and its abrogation left Cambodia with no alternative but to pursue international maritime law's forced conciliation mechanism. "For 15 years, Cambodia and more than 10 Thai governments have tried to work on finding solutions based on the 2001 MOU," Prime Minister Hun Manet stated. He recalled efforts with the two most recent Thai Prime Ministers, Prayut Chan-o-cha and Yingluck Shinawatra, to find solutions for joint development in the maritime area. "Unfortunately, despite our attempts to ask Thailand not to abolish the 2001 MOU, they still abolished it. Therefore, we have no choice but to continue with the forced conciliation mechanism," he added. When asked about Cambodia's objectives in pursuing the forced conciliation mechanism, the Prime Minister indicated that Cambodia had put forward two proposals: delimiting the maritime boundary or engaging in joint development of the shared maritime areas. However, he stressed that these issues are not for immediate discussion and that the priority is to first select the fifth member, who will serve as the chairperson of the conciliation commission. On July 19, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that both countries had agreed to a further postponement for careful consideration in selecting the chairperson of the conciliation commission for the maritime conciliation mechanism between the two countries, following the expiry of the 30-day selection period. Source: Kampuchea Thmey Local