Senator Nopadol thanked the government for cancelling the 2001 MOU and adopting the principles of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which removes overlapping maritime boundaries. He affirmed that the 2001 MOU was flawed from the beginning due to errors in the attached map, which caused misalignment from the start.
On 24 Apr 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Nopadol Inna, a Senator and member of the Senate's special committee studying the advantages and disadvantages of cancelling the 2000 and 2001 MOUs to resolve the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute, spoke about the government's cancellation of the 2001 MOU. He expressed gratitude to the government for agreeing with the committee’s findings, as after the committee’s unanimous decision to cancel the 2001 MOU in Dec 2025, they conducted careful and unbiased studies. They found that the 2001 MOU was flawed from the outset due to errors in the attached map. Cambodia drew the continental shelf line crossing over Thailand’s Ko Kut island, causing an overlap of some 16,000 square kilometers. This overlapping area involves shared benefits from natural gas and petroleum resources, which is a major piece of evidence leading to Thailand’s disadvantage.
If the boundary is drawn according to international standards under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which Cambodia only joined as a party in early 2026 and eventually ratified, everything must follow these international standards. Therefore, the government’s cancellation of the MOU along these lines is appropriate. Drawing boundaries based on international standards benefits Thailand, as the overlapping area claimed under the 2001 MOU will significantly decrease immediately. This means Cambodia’s share of benefits from the overlap will be minimal or possibly none at all. Hence, Cambodia's claim for a 50% share of the overlapping area under the 2001 MOU would no longer be valid if boundaries are drawn according to UNCLOS 1982.
Adhering to the principles of UNCLOS 1982.
Mr. Nopadol continued that Ko Kut belongs to Thailand while Koh Kong belongs to Cambodia. UNCLOS 1982 clearly states that islands are part of a country's territory. Therefore, maritime boundaries including the 12 nautical mile territorial sea and exclusive economic zones must be drawn from these islands. Both sides should draw boundaries equitably. The maritime boundary line should be roughly midway between Ko Kut and Koh Kong, as Thailand has drawn since 1973 and published in the Government Gazette that year. Thailand’s boundary line has been consistent with international standards under UNCLOS 1982 since 1973.
He affirmed that if the 2001 MOU is cancelled, Cambodia cannot encroach on Thailand’s maritime territory. Cambodia cannot draw a boundary line crossing one-third of Ko Kut island because the 1907 treaty between Siam and Indochina (France) explicitly states that Ko Kut belongs to Siam (Thailand). Ko Kut has been Thai territory for over a century. Therefore, the boundary line drawn in 2001 does not align with the established facts.