Cambodia has been informed that negotiations on disputed maritime areas under the 2001 memorandum of understanding (MoU) will resume after a joint technical committee (JTC) is formed by the middle of this month, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra says.
Ms Paetongtarn said on Friday that she relayed the message to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet during the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program Summit in Kunming, China.
She said she told him that the JTC's formation is expected to be complete when she returns to Thailand on Nov 18 from the Apec summit in Peru, scheduled for Nov 10-16.
"By then, the JTC will resume talks under the MoU," the prime minister said.
Responding to the Palang Pracharath Party's calls for the government to revoke the MoU, she reiterated that the MoU serves as the main framework for negotiating the Overlapping Claims Area (OCA). She said a unilateral decision by either country to revoke the MoU could result in a negative outcome.
"A unilateral revocation of the MoU could strain ties between the two countries. The two countries should discuss and settle their differences," she said.
Ms Paetongtarn added that the Cambodian prime minister also made friendly gestures during the summit in China. "He said that if Thailand needs any support from Cambodia, just let him know," she said.
She emphasised the need to communicate to Thais that Thailand will not be disadvantaged in the negotiations under the MoU.
"The two countries demarcate the OCA differently. That's why the MoU is needed to settle differences," she said.
In an attempt to address concerns that Thailand may risk losing sovereignty over Koh Kut in Trat province to Cambodia if the government proceeds with talks under the MoU, Ms Paetongtarn said that Cambodia did not have any problem over Koh Kut and their only concern is when the JTC will be ready.
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the MoU does not require further parliament endorsement because both countries have already agreed to it. Parliament endorsement is only required when the two countries reach a new treaty, he added.
The two countries agreed to disagree on the demarcation lines unilaterally drawn by each and they are working on the delineation of the maritime border in the disputed area, he said.
However, Thai Pakdee Party Chairman Warong Dechgitvigrom said on Friday that the party will gather 100,000 signatures to support a campaign calling for the revocation of the 2001 MoU. He said the government must not share maritime resources in the OCA with Cambodia until after the maritime border demarcation is complete. He said Thailand could lose maritime territory if it allows the joint development of maritime resources to occur first.
Thailand and Cambodia both claim sovereignty of the OCA, which covers an area of about 26,000 square kilometres in the Gulf of Thailand. The area is believed to be rich in fossil energy resources.
Cambodia made its initial claim in 1972, which Thailand rejected. The following year, Thailand made its counterclaim.
The two countries signed a MoU in 2001, when the Thaksin Shinawatra administration was in power, to jointly develop parts of the OCA and demarcate a maritime border. Under the MoU, the maritime border demarcation and joint development must be carried out as an "indivisible package", with a Thailand-Cambodia JTC set up to discuss them. Several talks have been held since then, but there has not been any progress, mainly because of the dispute over the demarcation of the maritime border.