Senate committee to vote on revoking Thailand-Cambodia land pact
A special Senate committee is set to vote on Monday, March 24 on whether to recommend cancelling the Thailand-Cambodia Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) 43, which covers land boundary demarcation. This follows the committee’s earlier vote to recommend scrapping MoU 44, which pertains to maritime and offshore areas.
Noppadol Inna, chairman of the Senate committee evaluating the pros and cons of cancelling the two agreements, said the panel voted in December to recommend cancelling the maritime pact. He noted that a decision on the land boundary MoU had been pending since then.
The committee gathered input from multiple agencies, including the 1st Army Area and 2nd Army Area, in light of recent border skirmishes between Thailand and Cambodia.
Briefings from these agencies revealed that Thailand had regained control of nearly all 15 disputed territories previously held by Cambodia. The development is expected to significantly influence the committee’s stance on MoU 43.
The committee concluded that Thailand should not return areas previously negotiated under the General Border Committee (GBC) framework to Cambodia, asserting that the regions had been encroached upon for over 30 years. Disputed areas such as Nong Chan and Nong Ya Kaeo in Sa Kaeo province were cited as examples.
After collecting data from state agencies and visiting all seven affected border provinces, Noppadol said the committee aims for its resolution to align with national interests.
Once the committee reaches a decision, the matter will be forwarded to the full Senate, which may offer additional recommendations before it is sent to the Cabinet for further consideration.
Noppadol noted that the earlier recommendation to revoke MoU 44 had been delayed due to the dissolution of the House of Representatives. He said it would be advantageous if both proposals could now move forward together.
On concerns that revoking the agreements could weaken Thailand’s international standing, Noppadol said bilateral mechanisms such as the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), GBC, and Regional Border Committee (RBC) would remain in place regardless.
“The ongoing clashes demonstrate that the existence of these MoUs has not mitigated conflicts,” he said.
Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaipan said the navy’s Humanitarian Mine Action Unit is actively clearing landmines in Mueang district of Trat province, including in areas such as Ban Chamrak, Ban Nong Ri, and Ban Tha Sen, all of which have seen recent clashes. He noted that a significant number of landmines remain and are consistent with those used by Cambodia in past conflicts.
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