Thailand Challenges Cambodia’s Claims in Appeal to Global Mediators

Thailand and Cambodia took their long-running dispute over maritime resources to international mediators in Singapore on Tuesday, with Bangkok accusing Phnom Penh of casting itself as a victim in the standoff.

The hearing, held at the Singapore office of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, follows two rounds of deadly border clashes between the neighbors last year. Tensions flared again in May when Thailand unilaterally withdrew from a 2001 framework agreement, known as MoU 44, aimed at resolving overlapping maritime border claims, though Bangkok denied the move was connected to the earlier fighting. Cambodia subsequently launched a UN-backed conciliation process at the court, saying it hoped to return to constructive talks.

Opening Thailand’s case before a five-member panel of international legal experts, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow accused Cambodia of trying to vilify Thailand through false narratives and unfounded accusations at international forums, characterizing Phnom Penh’s approach as playing the role of a victim in pursuit of the moral high ground. Last year’s fighting killed dozens and displaced more than a million people before a truce was reached. Thailand has maintained it pulled out of the framework agreement because no real progress had been made on implementing it, with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul rejecting any link between the withdrawal and the border clashes.

The disputed maritime area, roughly 27,000 square kilometers, has been claimed by both countries for decades. Cambodia said last week it turned to conciliation only after Thailand unilaterally ended the bilateral framework that had guided negotiations over the overlapping claims for more than twenty years. Prime Minister Hun Manet said in June the move was meant to protect Cambodia’s sovereignty and maritime rights in accordance with international law.

Addressing the panel Tuesday, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said Phnom Penh views the process as a means to rebuild trust, not as a form of escalation. He said Cambodia’s aim is to reach agreement with Thailand on a single, all-purpose maritime boundary, or failing that, to jointly develop and share resources equitably until a boundary can be settled, adding that Cambodia sincerely hopes Thailand will engage constructively. Sihasak, for his part, said Thailand is likewise seeking maritime delimitation and a rebuilding of trust between the two sides.

Established in 1899, the Permanent Court of Arbitration is the world’s oldest intergovernmental body for resolving disputes between states, drawing on treaties and agreements including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Its Singapore office, opened as the Hague-based court’s first in Asia, is hosting the case, though any recommendations that emerge will not be binding and are expected to take roughly a year to finalize.

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