By TV Channel 7 and Reuters – published by AOL
AMID concern over Thailand joining a UN arbitration process chosen by Cambodia to resolve maritime boundary dispute, the government today (June 7) reassured the public that this does not involve negotiations for joint development or sharing of resources.
Ms. Rachada Thanadirek, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, said Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow had clearly explained to the public and ambassadors from over 70 countries on Friday that entering a compulsory conciliation process under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is not related to establishing a joint development zone or sharing of resources in the area.
Cambodia took this step after Thailand last month unilaterally cancelled Memorandum of Understanding 2544 (MOU44) between the two neighbouring countries on border demarcation and working towards joint offshore energy exploration.
Furthermore, Thailand’s participation in the UNCLOS process does not mean that Thailand accepts the other party’s demands or any preconceived notions. Rather, it is the use of an international mechanism to which both countries are parties, to ensure transparent deliberations based on facts and legal principles.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has affirmed that every step will be taken with prudence, coordinating closely with foreign affairs and security agencies, plus international law experts to fully protect Thailand’s interests.
For more than 25 years, both countries have claimed about 26,000 sq km (10,000 sq miles) of sea in the Gulf of Thailand, estimated to hold nearly 12 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and large volumes of oil, for a total value of $300 billion.
Thailand will send two representatives to the UN-backed negotiations, Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak said, but expressed dismay at Cambodia’s move to also use the talks to tackle questions of resource sharing.
“I told my Cambodian colleagues, ‘Why don’t we give talks a chance? Six months or something,'” he told Reuters in an interview.
“‘If we cannot make progress, then we can agree on the next step, which of course includes compulsory conciliation, but it also includes voluntary conciliation.'”
Sihasak said Cambodia made public its decision to use the compulsory conciliation process on Tuesday, before officially notifying Thailand.
“And since June 2, we’ve not had any discussion informally, formally with the Cambodian side.”
A spokesperson for the Cambodian government denied Sihasak’s assertion that Thailand had not been notified ahead of the announcement. They shared images of a timestamped email and paper copy of the notification that they said had been delivered on Tuesday morning.
Reuters could not immediately independently verify the notices.
In response to Reuters queries, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said two-way efforts to resolve the dispute had been exhausted, prompting Cambodia’s choice.
“Cambodia hopes that the Thai government will engage with this process in good faith,” he said.
No other bilateral talks with Cambodia, Anutin says
Despite joining the mediation, Thai Prime Minister Anutin said Bangkok would not hold any other two-way talks, including those to manage and resolve land border issues.
“We will use UNCLOS, which means from now on there will be no more talks … or other forms of cooperation,” he added. “We will not discuss the restoration of relations yet.”
All border gates between Thailand and Cambodia would stay closed, he said.
Ties have been on edge after two rounds of intense border clashes last year killed nearly 150 people and displaced at least 300,000 on both sides, but a December ceasefire still holds.
Cambodia’s choice of compulsory conciliation, in which a five-member panel makes non-binding recommendations, will not improve overall ties between the two countries, said Sihasak.
“We simply don’t agree with how they approached this,” he said.
So far, only East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, has used the UN-backed process to successfully resolve a decades-long maritime dispute with Australia, taking just under two years.
“If we do this through bilateral talks in a friendly way, it may take a shorter time to reach an amicable solution,” Sihasak said. “Now, we don’t know how long this will take.”
CAPTION:
Top and Front Page – Gulf of Thailand coastal area by Getty Images and published by BBC
Also read:
Korat villagers complain of investors building a road through a mountain
3 foreign suspects held in Pai nominee crackdown
Ad hoc panel sought to probe NACC’s failure over Saksayam’s asset concealment case
FIFA yet denies World Cup broadcasting price cut for Thailand
Iran World Cup players granted visas to enter the US, says White House official
Multi-partisan panel proposed to look into ‘Do Help the Blue’ scandals
Thaksin granted today’s royal pardon to become a free man
Veteran US journalist laments the Lost Horizons of Asia and America
Foreign Ministry taps Young Gen Thai- Muslim talent to build peace tourism
As global military spending grows, Travel & Tourism faces a perilous future
