The government can continue with its highly debatable plan on joint petroleum production in the overlapping claims area (OCA) between Thailand and Cambodia, but it must first hold prudent discussions with Phnom Penh based on the national interest, says the Federation of Thai Industries' Petroleum Exploration and Production Industry Club.
The OCA has the potential to be a new source of natural gas because it is located near the Bongkot and Erawan gas blocks in the Gulf of Thailand.
The club is ready to support the government if it pushes ahead with the negotiations, said club chairman Nipatsin Yimyam.
"If the talks are successful, Thailand and Cambodia will have a new petroleum source that can generate huge economic value for the two countries," he said.
However, the OCA has become a contentious issue in Thailand, drawing fierce opposition amid concerns that the negotiations, based on a 2001 memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, will put Thailand at risk of losing sovereignty over Koh Kut, an island it currently administers as part of Koh Kut district in Trat province.
The MoU was signed during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.
Media firebrand and former anti-Thaksin protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul submitted a petition to the government which demanded it scrap the MoU.
He said the MoU created an OCA which covered 26,000 square kilometres and mainly benefited Cambodia.
Mr Nipatsin called on the government not to link the OCA issue with politics or use it to build nationalism among the public.
"The OCA is a discussion on technical issues. We should start with this first and be aware that neither side can get everything they want in the discussions," he said.
Mr Nipatsin hopes the talks will eventually lead to a gas business model similar to the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area in the lower part of the Gulf.
Energy experts have said that Thailand needs to explore new gas fields because the domestic gas supply is decreasing, causing the country to import more costly liquefied natural gas for use as fuel for power generation.
