Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has publicly refuted statements from Thai officials suggesting that Cambodia’s decision to invoke compulsory conciliation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has effectively closed the door on land border discussions. During a July 23 interview with Bloomberg, the Prime Minister labeled these claims as both inaccurate and unfair.
The Prime Minister outlined two primary reasons for his stance. First, he noted that Cambodia turned to UNCLOS mechanisms only after Thailand unilaterally canceled the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding maritime areas. According to Hun Manet, this agreement had served as the sole bilateral framework for over 15 years, with numerous successive governments from both nations attempting to utilize it to find solutions for joint development and other maritime issues.
Despite Cambodia’s warnings and requests to maintain the 2001 MoU, the Thai government proceeded with the cancellation. "We had no choice but to go for conciliation," the Prime Minister stated. He further emphasized that there were no prior agreements or conditions that would have prevented this legal recourse.
Source: Khmer Times
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