BANGKOK, April 23– Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul revealed on Thursday that the National Security Council has confirmed the abolition of a maritime Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cambodia.
The MOU 44, which is on the issue of overlapping sea areas signed with Cambodia during the tenure of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, would be abolished, Anutin said in an interview after attending a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The cabinet will review the relevant decision as soon as possible, he noted.
Thadawut Thatpitakkul, chief of staff of the Royal Thai Navy, told reporters that the reason for the abolition was that the MOU had been in use for many years but had made no progress.
Since Cambodia has now joined the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, he said, Thailand and Cambodia can negotiate within the framework of the convention.
The MOU 44 was signed in 2001, with its focus on negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia regarding their maritime borders, including the joint utilization of oil resources.
The resolutions of the National Security Council shall be submitted to the Thai Cabinet for approval before they come into effect. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
