Cambodian PM’s visit to Thailand aims to resolve maritime dispute

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is set to visit Thailand for a one-day official discussion on Wednesday, with a crucial focus on the protracted joint development of natural resources within the disputed maritime boundary shared by both nations.

This was announced on Monday by both the Foreign Ministry and Government House. The visit, which is anticipated to include a meeting with Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin at the Government House, aims to expand cooperation in various areas such as border issues, transport, trade, and investment.

Both leaders are expected to revive efforts to jointly explore the overlapping area in the Gulf of Thailand, which both nations claim. This issue was previously promised to be raised by the Bangkok-born PM Srettha in his parliamentary address on January 3 with his Cambodian counterpart at their next meeting. However, the previous administration under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha made no progress in resolving this standoff.

The disputed area, which spans 26,600 square kilometres, overlaps the maritime boundary claims of Thailand and Cambodia. In a similar dispute in 1979, Thailand and Malaysia agreed to jointly exploit oil and gas reserves in the gulf by setting aside their differences. Thailand is now seeking to replicate this successful negotiation model with Cambodia. However, the dispute over the sea borderline has so far blocked any progress.

Two officials who were part of the Thailand-Malaysia joint development negotiations over four decades ago hold differing views on the Cambodian matter. One official maintains that joint development will remain unfeasible as long as both countries insist on settling the marine border first. Conversely, another official expresses hope for progress, citing the declining outlook for global oil demand as a potential catalyst for hastening their cooperation efforts.

On the terrestrial boundary, Chertkiat Atthakor, Thai ambassador to Cambodia, stated after a January meeting with Lam Chea, the Cambodian minister responsible for the state secretariat of border affairs, that both nations anticipate progress on surveying and demarcation of unpegged areas along the frontier, by their leaders’ policy. This was communicated in a Facebook post by the Thai embassy on January 25.

Thai party

The government led by the Pheu Thai Party is eager to enhance trade between the two neighbours. In 2023, two-way trade between Thailand and Cambodia was valued at 340 billion baht. During their initial meeting in Phnom Penh in September, the prime ministers agreed to strive to increase this to 535 billion baht the following year.

In a related development, two Cambodian activists and a former political prisoner were apprehended in Thailand on Friday, ahead of Manet’s visit. They had intended to stage a protest against the Cambodian leader in Bangkok, reported Bangkok Post.