The government yesterday urged people not to take to the streets over the controversial 2001 Thailand-Cambodia memorandum of understanding (MoU) on joint development in the Gulf of Thailand, saying Thailand would not lose an inch of its territory to Cambodia.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was reacting to speculation about mass protests next year led by Sondhi Limthongkul, leader of the now-defunct People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), with a focus on the 2001 MoU on joint development of parts of an overlapping claim area (OCA) and demarcation of the maritime boundary with Cambodia.
Critics of the MoU, signed during the Thaksin government by then-foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai and Cambodia's Sok An, who was responsible for energy affairs, have demanded that the government revoke the document.
Ms Paetongtarn said peace and stability must be preserved, and street protests would deter visitors and undermine tourism and the country.
She called on the public to voice their opinions and make suggestions via other channels provided by the government, saying taking to the streets was unnecessary.
The prime minister said she is unlikely to accept Mr Sondhi's petition herself, and it will be handled through the process. Mr Sondhi reportedly plans to submit the petition to the government next month regarding the controversial MoU.
Asked if the government would take a step back amid growing objection, she said the government has not done anything further than setting up a Joint Technical Committee (JTC). Whether the negotiations will proceed depends on the talks carried out by the JTC.
According to Ms Paetongtarn, while the MoU can be revoked, it should not be done unilaterally because international affairs are delicate.
"Be assured that I'll never regard any country more important than my own. We've established a committee to handle this matter with reasons and work toward a good agreement," she said.
Asked if the Continental Shelf mentioned in the royal command by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great would be discussed, she said the details have been studied and the government will approach the matter with care and avoid confrontation.
Pheu Thai list-MP Noppadon Pattama, meanwhile, suggested that a general debate under Section 152 of the charter should be held on the 2001 MoU to ease political tensions.
He accused the MoU's critics of trying to politicise the matter to undermine the government's stability and, as a result, affect national security. The MoU should be discussed in the general debate to allow MPs and senators to ask questions and make recommendations, he said.
Mr Noppadon also expressed concerns the matter would lead to the situation in 2008 when he was falsely accused of causing Thailand to lose territory in connection with the Preah Vihear temple dispute.
Prompong Nopparit, a former spokesman for the ruling Pheu Thai Party, questioned Mr Sondhi's motives and called on his supporters to think carefully before joining the movement.
Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala, head of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) academic committee, said the MoU became the treaty due to the 2001 signing of a joint communique between Thai and Cambodian leaders.
He insisted the document was invalid from the beginning because it was not reviewed by parliament or royally endorsed.
Mr Thirachai questioned why the government did not follow the same procedures used in the negotiations with Malaysia over border demarcation.
The Thai-Cambodian MoU reversed the process as the document designated the joint development area first and then set the framework for the negotiations, which could potentially result in territorial loss, he said.