Key facts
- Thailand will appoint two conciliators for UN-backed arbitration with Cambodia.
- Cambodia initiated a compulsory conciliation process under UNCLOS for a maritime boundary dispute.
- The dispute concerns approximately 26,000 sq km of sea in the Gulf of Thailand.
- The disputed area is estimated to hold $300 billion in natural gas and oil reserves.
- Thailand has suspended all other bilateral talks on the matter, including land border issues.
- Cambodia denies Thailand was not notified of the UNCLOS process before its public announcement.
Thailand announced it will appoint two conciliators to join a United Nations arbitration process initiated by Cambodia to resolve a long-standing maritime boundary dispute in the Gulf of Thailand. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow expressed dismay at Cambodia's decision to utilize this mechanism, stating that bilateral talks should have been exhausted first. Cambodia had launched the compulsory conciliation process under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) after Thailand terminated a 2001 bilateral agreement. The dispute covers approximately 26,000 square km of sea, estimated to contain nearly 12 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and significant oil reserves, valued at around $300 billion. The Thai Foreign Minister also noted that this UN-backed process, which delivers non-binding recommendations, will not necessarily improve overall bilateral ties, which have been strained by recent border clashes. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated that Bangkok would not hold any other two-way talks, including those to manage land border issues. He contrasted this with the successful resolution of a maritime dispute between East Timor and Australia using the same UNCLOS mechanism, which took less than two years. Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn stated that two-way efforts had been exhausted and hoped Thailand would engage in good faith.