Cambodia and Thailand Conclude First UNCLOS Maritime Boundary Conciliation Meeting

Cambodia and Thailand concluded the first three-day meeting (Sept 14-16) of the UN-backed Conciliation Commission over their overlapping Gulf of Thailand maritime claims, held in Singapore. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said Cambodia would seek a single all-purpose maritime boundary treaty, or failing that a joint development and resource-sharing arrangement, or as a last resort recommendations from the Commission for future negotiations. Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow set out six positions, including that the process is limited strictly to maritime boundary delimitation, does not concern land sovereignty including Koh Kood, must be based on international law rather than unilateral assertions, and that Thailand rejects Cambodia's 1972 continental shelf claim line as having no legal basis. The five-member Commission, chaired by Australian diplomat Katrina Cooper, will hold further meetings over the roughly 12-month non-binding process.