Pheu Thai MP dismisses claims Thailand losing territory on Ko Kut
Ex-foreign minister Noppadon Pattama clarified that the 2001 MoU does not hand Cambodia rights over the Trat island, and calls on parties to stop using this issue for political gain
Pheu Thai party-list MP Noppadon Pattama urged people to stop spreading misinformation about Thailand losing territory on Trat’s Ko Kut island as per a memorandum of understanding it signed with Cambodia in 2001.
Thailand signed an MoU, popularly known as MoU44 in reference to the Thai year 2544 (2001), with the neighbouring country for gas and petroleum exploration in the Gulf of Thailand.
“Stop fuelling a false narrative that Thailand has lost Ko Kut. The government is committed to protecting the nation and no one has surrendered any land. The 2001 MoU, signed by then-foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai, served as a framework for diplomatic negotiations over overlapping claims areas in the Gulf of Thailand. It establishes a negotiation framework based on international law,” Noppadon said.
Most importantly, he said, the MOU44 does not affect either country’s maritime claims as they will both retain their respective rights if negotiations fail.
He went on to criticise all parties for spreading untrue rumours, citing his own experience as foreign minister, when he was falsely accused of ceding Preah Vihear Temple to Cambodia. He pointed out that Thailand had relinquished the temple as per the 1962 International Court of Justice ruling under then-premier Sarit Thanarat.
“The recent campaign suggesting that Ko Kut was handed to Cambodia is politically motivated and aims to destabilise the government by stirring nationalistic sentiments. All Thais, regardless of their political stance, love their country. Let’s not use land issues for political gain. If anyone explicitly accuses Pheu Thai of ceding Ko Kut or any territory, legal action may be taken,” he warned.
He went on to say that negotiations under the MoU are exclusively handled by the Thai-Cambodian Joint Technical Committee (JTC), as well as representatives from the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs, the military, and the Energy Ministry. The prime minister is not involved and any conclusions made by the JTC must be submitted to the Parliament for review, preventing any secretive agreements.
When asked if it was possible to negotiate separately to extract fuel from the overlapping claims area before reaching agreements on other issues, Noppadon said it was not allowed.
“The MoU stipulates that all matters must proceed together and no single part can be addressed separately,” he said.
