Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has confirmed that Kut Island is a legitimate territory of Thailand under the Franco-Siamese treaty since 1907.
At the press conference after the meeting between leaders of coalition parties, the PM said that “I am 100 percent Thai. Thailand and its people must come first. I can confirm that this government will fully protect Thailand’s territory and will do our best to make Thai people happy.”
Earlier, the Thai Foreign Ministry also confirms today that Kut Island has been an integral part of Thailand since 1907, when Siam signed a treaty with France. It also emphasises that there is no need to scrap MoU 44, which remains a suitable framework for talks between both countries on joint development of the overlapping claim area.
Suphanvasa Chotikajan, director-general of the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs, said today that Cambodia’s unilateral declaration of its continental shelf zone in 1972 resulted in the creation of about 26,000 square kilometres of overlap, which covers the continental shelves of both countries and the Exclusive Economic Zone.
According to international principles regarding overlapping claim areas, Thailand and Cambodia were required to settle their differences through negotiations for the joint development of the area, which resulted in the signing of MoU 44.
Suphanvasa insisted that the MoU does not mean the loss of Kut Island to Cambodia, which is within the overlapping area, because it has been a legitimate territory of Thailand under the Franco-Siamese treaty since 1907.
In 2009, however, the Thai cabinet accepted in principle, a proposal that MoU 44 be scrapped, as there had been no progress in talks over joint development.
Five years later, though, the cabinet reviewed the 2009 decision and chose to maintain MoU 44, as recommended by a special committee, comprising the Ministry of Energy, the National Security Council and the Council of State, said Suphanvasa.
Thai Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today that the controversial document could only be scrapped with the consent of both Thailand and Cambodia.
He dismissed as misleading press reports that MoU 44 had been unilaterally scrapped by a previous Thai government and urged the media not to propagate this misleading information.
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has questioned why MoU 44 has to be scrapped, because Kut Island still belongs to Thailand, with or without the MoU. He also denied a press report that the former government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had unilaterally cancelled the MoU.
