Thailand Must Abide by Overlapping Claims Agreement: Var Kim Hong

Thailand must implement the MoUs on gas and oil development and maritime boundary demarcation agreed with Cambodia as part of its international obligations, Var Kim Hong, Cambodian head of the Joint Border Committee (JBC), said on Tuesday.

Thailand cannot cancel or back out of the MoU signed in 2001 with Cambodia “because MoU is the tool of international legal procedures,” he told reporters at a press conference at the Council of Ministers. Thailand must abide by international law, he said.
Thailand may only amend its MoUs with Cambodia as the MoUs are “the heritage of previous Govern- ment,” signed between Cambodia and Thailand under the Thaksin Govern- ment, he added. The Thai Cabinet on Tuesday revoked an MoU on overlapping maritime boundaries agreed and signed by Thailand and Cambodia in 2001, the Thai News Agency (TNA) reported. The Cabinet directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to review the legal issues as the revocation of the MoU must be forwarded to Parliament for its consideration under Article 190 of the Thai Cons-titution, which requires the Govern-ment to seek approval from Parliament before signing an agreement with another country. Certain renegade factions of Thai extreme nationalists have already mistakenly attempted to request the withdrawal of Cambo- dia’s UNESCO registration for the Khmer Preah Vihear temple. Now the tactic seems to have crossed into the mainstream.
The Thai Cabinet has apparently discussed the action with several agencies including the Office of the Council of State, the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) and the ministry’s Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs, before making the decision. Thai-Cambo- dian relations have soured over border issues and Thaksin’s appointment as Cambodian Government and economic advisor to PM Hun Sen last week. Thailand recalled its ambassador from Cambodia, with Cambodia subsequently doing likewise.