Thailand to Appoint Conciliators for UN-Backed Mediation With Cambodia

Thailand is set to appoint two conciliators and participate in a United Nations arbitration process to settle a long-standing maritime boundary dispute with Cambodia. Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow announced the move, which follows Cambodia's invocation of a compulsory conciliation process under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Cambodia initiated the UNCLOS process after Thailand unilaterally ended a 2001 bilateral agreement that had provided a framework for discussions. The dispute centers on approximately 26,000 square kilometers of sea in the Gulf of Thailand, an area believed to contain substantial reserves of natural gas and oil, valued at around $300 billion. Sihasak expressed Thailand's dismay, stating that bilateral talks should have been exhausted before resorting to UNCLOS. He suggested that direct negotiations might have led to a quicker, more amicable solution. The minister also indicated that the UN-backed conciliation, which results in non-binding recommendations, is unlikely to improve overall bilateral ties, which have been strained by previous border clashes. This UN-backed mechanism has been rarely used, with East Timor successfully employing it to resolve a maritime dispute with Australia. Thailand is concerned that the UNCLOS process may prolong the resolution, whereas bilateral talks could have been more efficient.

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Both side should have spoken bilaterally first.