Cambodia Rejects Thailand's Claim That UNCLOS Move Halted Land Border Talks: Spokesperson

(Phnom Penh): Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation rejected Thailand's claim that Cambodia's decision to pursue compulsory conciliation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has halted negotiations on the Cambodia-Thailand land border issue. In a statement seen by Fresh News on Monday (Jul. 21), the ministry's spokesperson responded to recent remarks by Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, who said in Beijing this week that Cambodia's move under UNCLOS had "closed the door" to land border talks. The spokesperson dismissed the assertion as simply not true, stressing that the maritime and land boundaries are governed by different legal frameworks and bilateral mechanisms. Cambodia's recourse to UNCLOS concerns the maritime border alone. According to the spokesperson, UNCLOS is itself an agreed and peaceful means for resolving maritime disputes, and its use should reassure rather than causing concern of a neighbour genuinely committed to the rule of international law. The statement further argued that the UNCLOS cannot credibly be treated as grounds for suspending unrelated work on demarcating the land boundary through the JBC already agreed in the MOU of 14 June 2000 and reaffirmed in the 27 December 2025 ceasefire. The ministry also recalled that Thailand has unilaterally withdrawn from the agreed framework for bilateral negotiations on maritime issue, despite Cambodia's direct request that it not do so. It further noted that while protesting Cambodia's initiation of the UNCLOS dispute settlement process, Thailand has previously repeatedly signalled its own intention to rely on UNCLOS to resolve the maritime issue. Cambodia therefore called on Thailand to stop creating pretexts for its deliberate delays and to return in good faith to the demarcation process both countries have already agreed to under the terms of the 2000 MOU and 27 December 2025 ceasefire. “There is no reason whatsoever, whether legal or practical, for further delaying progress on the land boundary demarcation by the JBC in parallel with the maritime process under UNCLOS,” the statement said. The statement added that this call is echoed well beyond the region. On 11 July 2026, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie adopted a resolution reaffirming support for Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, calling for de-escalation, and expressing support for the resumption of the Joint Boundary Commission's demarcation work. The international community expected Thailand to respect the long-standing 1962 and 2013 Judgments of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Temple of Preah Vihear and delimitation of the land boundary in accordance with the treaties of 1904 and 1907 as expressly reaffirmed between the parties in the 2000 MOU. The ministry underlined that delaying the demarcation process indefinitely in order to render permanent and annex unlawfully occupied Cambodian territories would constitute a flagrant violation of the UN and ASEAN Charters and cannot be allowed to stand.=FRESH NEWS