Cambodia and Thailand Begin UN Conciliation Process Over Maritime Dispute

Cambodia and Thailand have initiated a United Nations backed conciliation process at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Singapore to resolve a dispute over 27,000 square kilometers of maritime territory. The contested area in the Gulf of Thailand is believed to contain oil and gas reserves estimated at 300 billion US dollars. This process is only the second time in the history of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that such a conciliation mechanism has been used.

The proceedings follow a period of tension including deadly border clashes last year that left dozens dead and displaced over a million people. Thailand previously withdrew from a 2001 framework agreement known as MoU 44, citing a lack of progress. Cambodia subsequently sought the UN process to protect its sovereignty and maritime rights. Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn stated that the goal is to agree on a single maritime boundary or to jointly develop and share resources. Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow argued that Cambodia is playing the role of a victim and using false narratives to claim the moral high ground.

Thailand has explicitly stated that the island of Koh Kut is not part of the reconciliation process and that the hearing should exclude land borders. Thailand rejects Cambodia's 1972 continental shelf claim line as lacking a legal basis. The five member panel of international legal experts will provide recommendations that are not binding, with a decision expected in about a year.