On 6 November 2009, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, who is currently attending the 1st Mekong-Japan Summit in Tokyo, gave a telephone interview on latest developments of Thai-Cambodian relations. Gist as follows:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand has carefully considered the making of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Royal Thai Government and the Royal Government of Cambodia regarding the Area of their Overlapping Maritime Claims to the Continental Shelf, dated 18 June 2001 (MOU 2001), which was concluded by Pol. Lt. Col. Thaksin Shinawatra's government. Having learned that Pol. Lt. Col. Thaksin has been appointed as an economic advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand will propose to the Cabinet that the said MOU be terminated for the following reasons:
1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is of the view that the appointment of Pol. Lt. Col. Thaksin as an economic advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia will directly affect negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia under the framework of this MOU due to the fact that Pol. Lt. Col. Thaksin was directly involved in the negotiation process. Accordingly, the Royal Thai Government cannot continue negotiations with Cambodia under the said MOU.
2. Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is of the view that the overlapping claims of area between Thailand and Cambodia are matters of national interest, in particular, when considering that the overlapping area is over 26,000 square kilometres and has great potential in terms of natural resources. Negotiations on this matter thus affect immensely the economic and national security of Thailand. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs deems it appropriate to proceed on this matter with public participation in line with democratic principles enshrined in the provisions of the present Constitution.
3. Negotiations under the framework of the MOU 2001 during the previous eight years have produced no progress. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is of the view that both countries should employ other avenues of negotiation in accordance with the principles of international law to achieve an equitable solution.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th