Thailand has taken a step closer today to withdrawing from a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the maritime boundary, which it signed with Cambodia in 2001, as the Cabinet resolved to cancel it. Cambodia will be informed in due course.
Chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting, Anutin said the decision is not related to the ongoing tensions with Cambodia, but stems from his long-held view that the agreement, signed 25 years ago, has produced no results.
Without the 2001 MoU, locally known as ‘MoU 44’, both countries still have other mechanisms and platforms through which to discuss maritime disputes, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he said.
Thailand’s civil networks and activists have called for the revocation of the MoU, with pressure intensifying after Thai-Cambodian border clashes last year.
In his policy statement to Parliament at the start of his second term, Anutin pledged to push for Thailand’s withdrawal from the bilateral agreement.
He declined to comment on a statement by Cambodia’s strongman Hun Sen, that Bangkok’s withdrawal could lead to further disputes, saying that the matter should be addressed by Hun Sen himself.
“For Thailand, MoU 44 no longer exists. If there are new negotiations on the maritime boundary, it should be called MoU 70,” Anutin said.
The withdrawal has, however, not yet been formally implemented, as Thailand must first notify the other signatory.
Thailand will attend the ASEAN Summit in Manila this week, at which Cambodia’s leader will also be present.
Anutin said he would have no problem discussing the matter with Prime Minister Hun Manet.
He also expressed confidence in the military’s ability to maintain security along the Thai-Cambodian border should the decision heighten tensions.
