Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra appealed to all parties to stay calm today, while offering her assurance that the government will proceed with Cambodia cautiously and will treat the national interest as top priority.
She told the media that she has read the letter of protest, submitted by a nationalist group led by Sondhi Limthongkul, an executive of Manager Group, demanding that MoU 44 be scrapped, claiming that it puts Thailand at risk of losing territory to Cambodia, Kut Island in particular, if the territorial dispute is raised at the International Court of Justice.
The group warned that they may resort to street protests if the government fails to respond to their demand within 15 days.
The prime minister said that she is treating the group’s protest letter as part of the feedback the government is receiving from the public pertaining to the MoU 44 issue, but she ruled out the prospect of a public hearing.
The prime minister also said that the government is studying MoU 44 carefully, especially its potential consequences.
Regarding the Joint Technical Committee (JTC), which will represent Thailand in negotiations with its Cambodian counterpart on the development of natural resources in the overlapping area, she said that the JTC is a work in progress and has not yet been finalised.
