Officials urge maritime talks be resumed using 2001 MoU

Sept 18, 2012
Bangkok Post

Legal experts and officials agree that negotiations with Cambodia about overlapping maritime claims should resume under the 2001 memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Thailand.

The MoU was revoked by the previous Abhisit Vejjajiva government.

Vasin Teeravechyan, head of the Thai-Cambodian joint boundary sub-committee, said many related officials and foreign consultants as well as security agencies have supported the idea of negotiating maritime boundaries based on the 2001 MoU.

Speaking at a public hearing organised by the Foreign Ministry yesterday, Mr Vasin said the ministry's legal team is considering whether to bring back the 2001 MoU for cabinet approval and then ask for parliamentary endorsement.

Former foreign minister Kasit Piromya decided to scrap the MoU _ signed by the Thaksin Shinawatra administration _ after ousted prime minister Thaksin was appointed adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in November 2009. But the revocation was not fully effective because the Thai government never officially informed Cambodia.

The 2001 MoU called for a joint development area and delineating the maritime areas with overlapping claims.

"This MoU does not mean that Thailand would lose any areas by determining the areas claimed by Cambodia," he said.

Meanwhile, Chumporn Pajchusanond, an academic from Thammasat University's faculty of law, supported using the 2001 MoU.

Mr Chumporn said that the MoU provides the only existing framework for negotiations.
Jaturon Tirawat, also from Thammasat University's faculty of law, said the Thai-Cambodian boundary issue should not be politicised.

"With the Asean Economic Community coming, both countries should use this opportunity to resume negotiations which have the potential for progress," said Mr Jaturon.