AKP Phnom Penh, May 12, 2026 --

Cambodia has reaffirmed its position that maritime boundary issues with Thailand should be addressed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), following recent statements reported in Thai media regarding the process after the termination of the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

According to Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Acting Head of State of Cambodia, on May 11, Thai media reported that the Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that after the cancellation of the 2001 MOU, the process must proceed within the UNCLOS framework, with bilateral negotiations between the two parties as the initial step.

Reacting to the report, Samdech Techo Hun Sen noted that if accurately quoted, the statement appears inconsistent with Thailand’s unilateral decision to cancel the 2001 MOU. “The phrase, ‘the primary method should first be negotiations between the two parties,’ clearly contradicts Thailand's own actions. Thailand unilaterally cancelled the MOU 2001, thereby already dismantling the framework for bilateral negotiations concerning the overlapping maritime claims,” he underlined.

The Acting Head of State further stressed that Cambodia should not engage in establishing any new bilateral mechanism to replace the one that was terminated “In my capacity as Acting Head of State, I would like to remind the Royal Government not to engage in any bilateral negotiations with Thailand on maritime issues, and instead to proceed directly to the mechanisms provided under the 1982 UNCLOS without waiting for any agreement from the Thai side,” he added.

Samdech Techo further recalled his earlier remarks on May 6, 2026, in which he advised against creating alternative bilateral arrangements in place of the cancelled MOU. While expressing regret over Thailand’s decision to terminate the 2001 MOU, he views this as an opportunity to advance the process using international mechanism instead.

By Heng Panha