A group led by former yellow-shirt protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul arrived at Government House’s complaint centre in Bangkok on Monday and demanded the government scrap its 2001 memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cambodia or face demonstrations.
Mr Sondhi, leader of the now-defunct People’s Alliance for Democracy, claimed that the 2001 MoU that Thailand signed with Cambodia during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration let Cambodia draw the boundary of its waters inside Thai marine territory that King Rama IX had declared, based on international law, in 1973.
He also said the MoU did not receive approval from the Thai parliament.
If the Thai government maintains the 2001 MoU and bases further steps on it, Thailand could later be considered to have accepted Cambodia’s self-proclaimed marine boundary and lose the marine resources that should belong solely to Thailand, Mr Sondhi said.
He said the 2001 MoU created an overlapping claims area covering about 26,000 square kilometres, mainly benefiting Cambodia, in the Gulf of Thailand.
“I would like to ask the prime minister and the Pheu Thai Party if I and my group are doing anything wrong for opposing the handover of our territory to Cambodia as some overlapping prime minister has a deal to share interest at 50:50,” Mr Sondhi said. He referred to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party and daughter of Thaksin.
He demanded the government ask the Constitutional Court to rule if the 2001 MoU is constitutional. If it is ruled constitutional, the government must revoke it, Mr Sondhi said.
He also said the government would have to respond to his demand in 15 days.
He said that he was sure of victory in this fight and when the time comes, he would lead a large number of demonstrators.
In 2005, Mr Sondhi used his ASTV satellite television channel to launch a public crusade against Thaksin. He became a leader of the yellow-shirt People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) movement which mobilised tens of thousands of protesters against Thaksin’s government in mid-2006.
On Sept 19, 2006, then army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin staged a coup and seized power from Thaksin.