Sihasak reaffirms Thailand’s UNCLOS stance: maritime borders must be settled before resource sharing

BANGKOK — 18 September 2026, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Thailand remains committed to clearly demarcating its maritime boundary with Cambodia before discussing joint resource development or benefit-sharing.

Speaking at 07:20 at Government House on Thursday, Sihasak said the first meeting of the Compulsory Conciliation Commission under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) had gone well.

He said Thailand had presented its position and explained the developments that had brought the two countries to the conciliation process, stressing the importance of sincerity in negotiations and a sustainable settlement to bilateral issues.

“For Thailand, a sustainable settlement means clearly defining the maritime boundary first,” Sihasak said.

Asked about Cambodia’s position, he said Phnom Penh also placed importance on maritime boundary delimitation. However, if the process takes time, Cambodia would like to move toward benefit-sharing and joint development in the meantime.

Thailand, he said, maintained that the maritime boundary must be clearly established before discussions on joint development or resource sharing could proceed.

On whether relations between Thailand and Cambodia were improving, Sihasak said ties were “going well” and that Cambodia had shown a more conciliatory approach, potentially creating space for further talks.

Regarding reports that Cambodian troops had dug and later filled in a new trench along the land border, Sihasak said the incident was a signal but concerned the land boundary rather than the maritime dispute.

“We do not want incidents that could lead to confrontation. Anything that can be avoided is a good thing,” he said.