Key facts
- Cambodia and Thailand have begun compulsory conciliation proceedings in Singapore to resolve a maritime border dispute.
- Cambodia initiated the process under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
- The dispute concerns a 26,000-square-kilometer area in the Gulf of Thailand known as the Overlapping Claims Area (OCA).
- The OCA is estimated to hold abundant reserves of oil and natural gas.
- Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn is serving as Cambodia's agent for the proceedings.
Cambodia and Thailand have officially begun compulsory conciliation proceedings in Singapore to settle a long-standing maritime border dispute in the Gulf of Thailand. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn stated that the process, initiated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is a crucial step for rebuilding trust between the two nations. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow affirmed Bangkok's good faith participation but noted Thailand's preference for direct talks prior to engaging in the UNCLOS process. The dispute centers on a 26,000-square-kilometer area known as the Overlapping Claims Area (OCA), which is estimated to contain substantial oil and natural gas reserves. Cambodia launched the compulsory conciliation process in June, following Thailand's unilateral cancellation of a 2001 memorandum of understanding (MoU) that had governed joint offshore energy exploration and maritime boundary demarcation. Prime Minister Hun Manet emphasized that Cambodia's action was in accordance with international law and aimed at protecting its sovereignty and maritime rights, characterizing it as a peaceful effort through international law and in good faith. According to Annex V of UNCLOS, compulsory conciliation involves a panel of independent experts examining a dispute and making non-legally binding recommendations. This mechanism has been rarely used, with the only other instance being Timor-Leste's dispute with Australia in 2016. Cambodia has appointed Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn as its agent, along with French academic Jean-Marc Thouvenin and Danish diplomat Peter Taksøe-Jensen as conciliators. Thailand has 21 days to appoint its two conciliators, after which a chair will be selected to finalize the commission under UN oversight. The dispute has intensified alongside tensions over the land border, which saw conflict in July and December of the previous year, though a ceasefire has since been in place.