Thailand scraps sea boundary pact with Cambodia

PM Anutin says cabinet decision reflected lack of progress in talks under MoU 44

PUBLISHED : 5 May 2026 at 13:34

WRITER: Reuters

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The cabinet ​on Tuesday cancelled a longstanding agreement with Cambodia to work towards clarifying maritime boundaries for joint offshore energy ​exploration, said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, defying calls from ‌its neighbour to stay the course on the 25-year-old pact.

The cabinet’s cancellation of the 2001 memorandum of understanding had ⁠long been expected and follows two rounds of armed conflict between the two countries last year.

Thailand and Cambodia in 2000 and 2001 signed documents, popularly known as MoU 43 and 44 (2543 and 2544 in the Buddhist calendar) to set the direction for negotiations to resolve contentious land and maritime boundary issues.

MoU 43 remains in effect though Thailand is also considering whether it should be scrapped.

The cancellation of MoU 44 was an election campaign pledge of Mr Anutin, who ‌earlier this year rode a wave of nationalism stoked by the fierce fighting with Cambodia to become the first Thai prime minister to be re-elected in two decades.

“Cancelling the deal is not related ⁠to the border conflict with Cambodia, but part of my policy. It has been 25 years and there has been no progress,” Anutin told reporters, adding that Cambodia would be informed of the decision.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn ‌expressed regret over the decision.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, he said Cambodia ⁠would now initiate a compulsory conciliation mechanism under the ​United Nations Convention on the ​Law ‌of the Sea (UNCLOS), adding ​that ⁠Thailand’s termination of the ⁠agreement does not affect Cambodia’s lawful rights ⁠over maritime ​areas.

Thai officials have said they intend to rely on terms set out in the Law of the Sea convention for any future negotiations.

Despite ‌multiple rounds of meetings, MoU 44 made little progress since it was signed, with the process derailed by political instability in Thailand, intermittent disputes ​between the ⁠two neighbours and fierce opposition from Thai nationalists.

A ceasefire has been in place between ​Thailand and Cambodia since late December after two eruptions of fighting along large stretches of their 817-kilometre border, the first of which ended after intervention by United States President Donald Trump.

Each side blames the other for triggering ‌both rounds of clashes, which ⁠killed close to 150 people and ​displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

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- KEYWORDS

- Thailand energy policy

- Mou 44

- Gulf of thailand

- Cambodia relations

- Hydrocarbon exploration

- Unclos

- Maritime border dispute