By PPTVHD36 and Reuters – published by Yahoo!News
PRIME MINISTER Anutin Charnvirakul today (June 2) dismissed Cambodia launching a compulsory conciliation process under international law over Thailand’s unilateral cancellation of Memorandum of Understanding 2544 (MOU44) between the two neighbouring countries on border demarcation and working towards joint offshore energy exploration stating that there is no need for a “countermove” on the international stage.
In confirming Phnom Penh had taken this action, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said, “We have taken this step to protect Cambodia’s sovereignty and maritime rights in accordance with international law.”
While mentioning that he had not received any information about this move, Anutin said he was unaware of specific issues arising over MOU44 which he had already directly informed Cambodian leader Hun Manet at the Asean meeting that Thailand had cancelled.
The Cambodian leader had acknowledged Thailand’s action and was disappointed but from now on Thailand will proceed according to the principles of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which both nations have ratified though the timing of any discussion has not yet been set.
“On the world stage it is one thing, but the gameplay is another,” Anutin said, adding that it depends on the principles Thailand stands on.
“We haven’t found any point where the country is at a disadvantage.
“Regarding talk in the past week about opening border crossings, I ask, are they open now? Even the fabricated story about allowing students from the other side to enter our country for humanitarian reasons is fake news. It’s causing trouble, even for the governor, who was on official duty abroad, had to issue a clarification that no such event occurred.
“Our negotiations with various international bodies, including (talks with) visiting Vietnamese leader (To Lam), and our meetings with the French leader (Emanual Macron) and the UNESCO chief, no issues have arisen that required Thailand to adjust its stance, because no one brought it up.”
On Cambodia increasingly engaging other countries on the MOU44 issue and how Thailand would counter this, Anutin retorted, “Why should we counter their tactics? Thailand is acting based on what the Thai government has heard from the people, and we are trying to act as much as possible in accordance with the people’s needs, without compromising Thailand’s standing on the international stage.
“We will continue to uphold our sovereignty, dignity, and maintain the stability and respect we command from those who might consider becoming enemies of our country. We affirm that we have established principles for our actions.”
Cambodia’s move underlines the potential divergence between the neighbours in resolving long-standing border disputes though a fragile ceasefire that ended last year’s deadly land border conflict between them continues to hold.
$300 billion in energy resources
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, a compulsory conciliation process allows a panel of independent experts to examine a dispute and make recommendations, although its findings are not legally binding on either party.
Thailand has previously said it would use UNCLOS as a reference framework while pursuing direct negotiations with Cambodia on maritime boundary demarcation. Anutin again referenced UNCLOS today.
The maritime dispute relates to approximately 26,000 sq km of sea in the Gulf of Thailand, known as the Overlapping Claims Area (OCA), which is estimated to hold nearly 12 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and large quantities of oil, worth about $300 billion.
CAPTION:
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Above photo – PPTVHD36, Front Page – Amarin TV
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