Cambodia defends UNCLOS recourse in maritime border row

-Cambodia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Keo Chhea, speaks at the 36th Meeting of States Parties to the UNCLOS at UN headquarters in New York. MFAIC

#National

Synopsis: Phnom Penh rejects accusations of avoiding bilateral talks with Thailand, telling a UN assembly that military provocations and the cancellation of a key maritime pact have left the government with no choice but to seek third-party intervention.

Cambodia has informed the 36th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that it had initiated compulsory conciliation proceedings under the treaty to resolve overlapping maritime claims with Thailand after the other side unilaterally terminated a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Speaking at the meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, Cambodia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Keo Chhea, said Thailand’s termination of the 2001 bilateral framework for negotiation left Cambodia with no alternative but to pursue compulsory conciliation under UNCLOS.

According to the Cambodian mission, the MoU had served as the basic bilateral legal framework for addressing overlapping continental shelf claims between the two countries.

In a right of reply to remarks by the Thai representative, Deputy Permanent Representative Yaung Chansophea rejected claims that Cambodia was avoiding bilateral negotiations and seeking to internationalise the dispute.

Chansophea said Thailand had repeatedly rejected Cambodia’s calls for bilateral negotiations under the framework of the existing memorandums of understanding. He added that Thailand had unilaterally terminated the 2001 MoU and used military force in violation of Cambodia’s sovereignty.

He said that Cambodia remained committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes with its neighbours but had chosen compulsory conciliation proceedings to protect and uphold its sovereignty and maritime rights.

The meeting brought together 171 states and one regional organisation that are parties to UNCLOS. Delegates also elected members of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

Ghana, Tunisia, Vietnam, India, Brazil, Russia and the Netherlands were elected as judges of the tribunal.

During the meeting, states parties reviewed reports from ITLOS, the International Seabed Authority and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS).

They also approved the €27 million ($31 million) ITLOS budget for 2027-2028 and elected seven judges to serve nine-year terms on the tribunal from October 1.

Delegates also discussed administrative matters relating to the CLCS, including arrangements to fill a long-vacant seat allocated to the Eastern European regional group, while reaffirming the importance of the convention in governing maritime activities and promoting the peaceful use of the world’s oceans.

Adopted in 1982 and in force since 1994, UNCLOS establishes the legal framework governing the use of the world’s oceans and seas, including maritime boundaries, navigation, marine resources, environmental protection and dispute settlement. It provides mechanisms for the peaceful resolution of disputes between states.

-Khmer Times-