Thaizo
đī¸ Septemeb 15, 2026
đ Thailand & Cambodia
Thailand and Cambodia Agree on Peace â But Still Disagree on the Past
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed on one important thing: they want to solve their maritime dispute peacefully and according to international law.
But during talks in Singapore, it became clear that the two countries strongly disagree about how they got here in the first place.
At the heart of the disagreement is a 2001 agreement that was supposed to provide a framework for negotiating their overlapping maritime claims in the Gulf of Thailand.
What are Thailand and Cambodia arguing about?
Thailand and Cambodia have overlapping claims to parts of the Gulf of Thailand. The dispute is mainly about where the maritime boundary between the two countries should be drawn.
The area is important because it may contain valuable natural resources, including oil and gas.
The two countries are now trying to find a peaceful way to settle the issue under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also known as UNCLOS.
Where Thailand and Cambodia agree
Despite the tensions, both countries agree on several important points.
- They want the dispute settled peacefully.
- They support using international law and UNCLOS as the basis for negotiations.
- They want a fair and lasting maritime boundary that protects their respective rights.
- They recognise the importance of rebuilding trust and improving relations between the two countries.
The big disagreement: What happened to the 2001 agreement?
Thailand and Cambodia have very different explanations for why the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, ended.
Cambodia's position
Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia had been taking place since 1995 and eventually led to the 2001 MOU.
Cambodia says Thailand unilaterally ended the agreement on May 5, 2026, despite Cambodia repeatedly asking Thailand to keep the agreement.
Cambodia says this left it with little choice but to bring the dispute into the UNCLOS conciliation process.
Cambodia wants either a final agreement establishing a single maritime boundary or an interim arrangement that would allow the two countries to jointly develop resources while negotiations continue.
Thailand's position
Thailand strongly rejects Cambodia's version of events.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said the 2001 agreement had failed to produce meaningful progress.
Thailand points out that after 25 years, there had only been two rounds of official talks.
Thailand says it ended the framework to give the negotiations a fresh start.
Sihasak also said Thailand had proposed direct talks on maritime delimitation. If the two countries could not reach an agreement within six months, Thailand proposed moving forward with conciliation.
Thailand says Cambodia did not accept that proposal.
Cambodia wants joint development. Thailand wants to focus on the boundary.
Another important difference is how the two countries want to move forward.
Cambodia has proposed an interim joint-resource development arrangement.
In simple terms, Cambodia is suggesting that the two countries could cooperate and share the benefits from resources in the disputed area while continuing to negotiate the final boundary.
Thailand's opening statement did not specifically support this proposal. Instead, Thailand focused on settling the maritime boundary itself.
Thailand accuses Cambodia of distorting the facts
Sihasak rejected Cambodia's claim that Thailand had ignored international law or left Cambodia with no other option.
Thailand accused Cambodia of distorting the facts and using the dispute for domestic political advantage.
Sihasak also raised wider tensions between the two countries, including the release of a private telephone conversation involving their leaders.
He also referred to allegations that Cambodian rockets had struck Thai civilians and that landmines laid by Cambodia had injured Thai soldiers.
Thailand argues that these actions do not fit with Cambodia's stated commitment to international law and peaceful relations.
What about Koh Kood?
Thailand is making it clear that Koh Kood is not part of the current UNCLOS proceedings.
Thailand says the talks are about maritime boundaries, not sovereignty over land.
In simple terms, the talks are about where the sea boundary should be drawn â not about who owns Koh Kood.
Thailand is also continuing to reject Cambodia's 1972 continental shelf claim line, which Bangkok says has no legal basis.
So, where does this leave things?
Thailand and Cambodia agree that a peaceful solution is the best way forward. However, they still strongly disagree about what happened to the 2001 agreement and how the dispute should ultimately be resolved.
- Cambodia says Thailand ended the 2001 agreement unilaterally.
- Thailand says the agreement was not producing results and needed to be replaced with a fresh approach.
- Cambodia wants to consider joint development of resources while the final boundary is negotiated.
- Thailand is focusing on reaching an agreement on the maritime boundary itself.
- Thailand says the current proceedings do not concern sovereignty over Koh Kood.
The bottom line
This is more than a disagreement about drawing a line on a map. The dispute involves natural resources, national interests, domestic politics, history and trust between two neighbouring countries.
The positive sign is that both sides are currently sitting at the same table and saying they want a peaceful solution.
The challenge is that they still do not agree on what happened before they reached the negotiating table â or exactly how the problem should be solved.