(Phnom Penh): Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Acting Head of State of Cambodia, said recent remarks by Thailand’s foreign minister contradicted Thailand’s unilateral cancellation of the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding on overlapping maritime claims.

Samdech Techo also reaffirmed Cambodia's intention to proceed with the established legal maritime mechanisms without awaiting Thailand's approval.

In a message posted on his social media on Tuesday (May 12), Samdech Techo Hun Sen wrote:

“Yesterday, 11 May 2026, Thai media reported that the Thai Foreign Minister stated: under the Convention on the Law of the Sea, after the cancellation of the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding, the process must proceed within the framework of the Convention, which involves several stages, and the primary method should first be negotiations between the two parties.

If this report accurately reflects the words of the Thai Foreign Minister, then the phrase, "the primary method should first be negotiations between the two parties," clearly contradicts Thailand's own actions. Thailand unilaterally cancelled the MOU 2001, thereby already dismantling the framework for bilateral negotiations concerning the overlapping maritime claims.

In my capacity as Acting Head of State, I would like to remind the Royal Government not to engage in any bilateral negotiations with Thailand on maritime issues, and instead to proceed directly to the mechanisms provided under the 1982 UNCLOS without waiting for any agreement from the Thai side.

On 6 May 2026, I already reminded the government once not to create a new bilateral mechanism to replace the old bilateral mechanism that Thailand had cancelled. We regret Thailand's cancellation of the MOU 2001, but we also thank Thailand for helping us move toward using international mechanisms instead.”
=FRESH NEWS