Koh Kut still looks like a tropical paradise, but geopolitical tensions are now rocking this otherwise tranquil holiday island.
“Tourists’ confidence is waning in the face of political uproar,” Trat Tourism Association’s president Wichit Sugasuyanon lamented. “The room occupancy rate has dropped by about 30% already.”
Nationalist groups and certain politicians are urging the Thai government to cancel a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Cambodia on the overlapping claims area, fearing it could result in losing part of the island in Trat province.
Wichit, who is a native of Trat, said Koh Kut residents consider the island to be part of Thailand and are hoping authorities will dispel any doubts over its sovereignty.
How the uproar started
The MoU at the centre of the uproar was signed in 2001 by Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai government. Though several governments have since come to power – including General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s military-backed Palang Pracharath-led administration – none has attempted to cancel the contentious agreement.
Concerns over the MoU resurfaced after former Cambodian PM Hun Sen visited Thaksin in Bangkok early this year. The visit sparked rumours that Koh Kut may be used as a bargaining chip in the maritime dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.
The rumours intensified when Palang Pracharath deputy leader Paiboon Nititawan asked the Constitutional Court to rule whether the MoU is legal, given it was signed without parliamentary approval despite dealing with national resources. The court dismissed the petition two months ago on grounds that Paiboon was not a damaged party in the case.
Palang Pracharath has refused to back down, however. The party was ousted in August from the ruling coalition led by Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
On October 30, Palang Pracharath claimed in Parliament that an appendix of the MoU features a map showing part of Koh Kut in Cambodian territory.
However, critics claim that Palang Pracharath is merely exploiting this issue for political benefit. Some have noted that its leader, General Prawit Wongsuwan, headed the Thai delegation that negotiated the MoU.
Paiboon was quick to leap to his boss Prawit’s defence.
“Back then, he didn’t know that the 26,000 square kilometres of Thai territory [including Koh Kut] and its energy resources worth an estimated 20 trillion baht were at risk,” he argued.
What the authorities say
Suphanvasa Chotikajan Tang, director-general of the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs, insists that Thailand will not lose Koh Kut under the MoU.
“We have full sovereignty over Koh Kut. The 1907 Franco-Siamese Treaty clearly states that Koh Kut belongs to Thailand,” she said. “There is no doubt over which country owns the island.”
When asked about the map attached to the MoU, she said it did not affect Thailand’s territory claim. She emphasised that Thailand would prioritise protecting its rights and interests during any negotiations under the MoU.
She pointed out that the two countries have held negotiations on the overlapping claims area since 1970. The dispute remains unresolved because neither has accepted the other’s claim, Suphanvasa said.
In recent years, negotiations have focused on maritime natural resources in the disputed Gulf of Thailand territory.
Lingering concerns
Retired intelligence officer and columnist Lt-General Nantadej Meksawat cautions that the MoU does not guarantee Thai sovereignty over disputed territory. He cited the case of the Preah Vihear temple, which was returned to Cambodia in 2013 following a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Many say Thailand lost the world famous ancient temple after failing to object to an old map that mismarked the borderline.
In 1907, the temple was allocated to Thailand, but an old French map showed it on the Cambodian side. After France relinquished Cambodia in 1954, Thailand took control of the temple. However, in 1962 the ICJ ruled the temple belonged to Cambodia. Thailand fought the ruling but eventually lost the case in 2013.
Despite ICJ’s ruling, the dispute over land surrounding the temple has continued.
Observers say the MoU on the overlapping claims area threatens to spark another territory loss for Thailand.
