Thailand, Cambodia open UN-backed talks on disputed maritime zone

Thailand and Cambodia opened their first round of compulsory conciliation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in Singapore, with the two countries' foreign ministers presenting opening statements before a five-member commission.

The talks, held from Monday to Wednesday, address overlapping maritime claims to an area believed to contain substantial, exploitable deposits of natural gas and other hydrocarbons.

Cambodia initiated the UNCLOS proceedings in June after Thailand unilaterally terminated a 25-year-old memorandum of understanding that had been meant to resolve the competing claims. Bangkok's move followed a sharp deterioration in bilateral ties and armed clashes along the land border last year.

The two neighbours fought over disputed frontier territory in July and December, leaving several dozen civilians and soldiers dead on both sides and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. A fragile ceasefire was reached in late December, though tensions persist, with sporadic incidents and a heavy military presence in the border area.

Speaking on Tuesday, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said his country had been compelled to weigh other peaceful options and chose the UNCLOS route out of its commitment to the rule of law and the peaceful settlement of disputes. He described a peaceful resolution as one that "serves the peoples of both nations and contributes to peace, cooperation and shared prosperity in the region."

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Bangkok has consistently backed international law and peaceful dispute resolution. He argued that the scrapped memorandum had yielded no concrete progress, noting that only two meetings were held over 25 years. Thailand, he said, wanted to "give negotiations a fresh start," and had offered Cambodia direct talks before Phnom Penh turned to conciliation.

"Thailand stands ready to engage in this process constructively, with the aim of achieving, with the Commission's assistance, a negotiated and equitable solution," Sihasak said.

Any ruling from the UNCLOS process would not be binding on either party, even though both are signatories to the convention. Thailand has historically preferred to handle territorial questions bilaterally rather than through third parties, and has long regarded the 1962 International Court of Justice ruling that awarded Cambodia the hilltop Preah Vihear temple as unfair — a grievance that has fed continuing friction between the neighbours.