Picture courtesy: Facebook วรงค์ เดชกิจวิกรม - Warong Dechgitvigrom

 

A rising tide of support led by the ultra-conservative Thai Pakdee party is urging the Thai government to scrap a 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cambodia.

 

The agreement, which deals with profit-sharing in undersea resource development, has become a contentious issue, with up to 100,000 citizens encouraged to sign a petition against it.

 

Warong Dechgitvigrom, the Thai Pakdee party chair, announced the push for signatures both online and through direct engagement with communities.

 

The campaign targets an agreement brokered two decades ago between former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodia's then-leader Hun Sen - a deal that remains unresolved under the shadow of overlapping territorial claims.

 

Warong’s latest efforts took him to Koh Kood island, a small community in Trat province, to garner local support. The island itself is a tiny fraction of Trat's approximate 227,000 residents, with just 1% living on Koh Kood.

 

Still, Warong argues that the MoU threatens Thailand’s maritime sovereignty, potentially ceding parts of its continental shelf to Cambodia due to overlapping claims.

 

At the heart of Warong’s demands is a call for the Thai government, led by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, to insist on Cambodia's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) from 1982.

 

This international statute outlines nations' rights and responsibilities concerning marine territorial claims and exploitation.

 

Warong believes that without Cambodia’s adherence to UNCLOS, Thailand risks losing control over valuable maritime zones. He insists that no further negotiations on the profiteering of undersea natural resources should proceed without first addressing these territorial ambiguities.

 

As the campaign gains momentum, the petition presents a growing challenge to the current Thai leadership, spotlighting nationalistic tensions and regional geopolitics, reported Thai Newsroom.

 

-- 2024-11-11

 

 

concerning marine territorial claims and exploitation

 

He might have a chat to China about that !

It does seem reasonable to insist that Cambodia at least adhere to the relevant UN Convention.

2 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

It does seem reasonable to insist that Cambodia at least adhere to the relevant UN Convention.

And that Warong gets his facts Waright. You can't unilaterally withdraw from an MoU. It's an agreement signed by 2 parties. If Thailand did so, they'd be in breach of the terms of the MoU and liable for court proceedings to follow. Talk to Hun Manet. He's Paetongtarn's male counterpart. So a shadow puppet show. Hun Sen and Tony. Two of the heads of the 5 families.