BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s National Security Council (NSC) has approved a proposal to terminate a 2001 memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Cambodia regarding overlapping maritime claims, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced on Thursday.
The Prime Minister stated that the 2001 agreement, commonly known as MOU 44, will be replaced by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to govern maritime boundaries and resource management.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will submit the proposal to the Cabinet shortly,” Anutin told reporters following an NSC meeting. He emphasized that Thailand maintains the right to cancel the agreement unilaterally and clarified that MOU 43, which concerns land boundary demarcation, remains unaffected and will not undergo review.
By canceling the agreement, Thailand intends to reset its legal position regarding the 26,000-square-kilometer Overlapping Claims Area (OCA), seeking to replace the previous joint negotiation mechanism with international law under UNCLOS. (TNA)
