Phumtham to send a clear message on sovereignty over Ko Kut
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will visit Koh Kut island in Trat province on Saturday to reiterate Thailand’s sovereignty over the island.
The opposition Palang Pracharath Party and national activists have long called for the government to revoke a contentious memorandum of understanding, MOU44 signed in 2001, raising doubts that it could lead to Thailand losing territory to Cambodia, especially parts of Trat’s Ko Kut island.
Those calls became louder after the Pheu Thai-led coalition announced plans to go ahead with talks on jointly exploring and drilling for oil in the overlapping claims areas in the Gulf of Thailand.
Phumtham told the press on Thursday that the survey also aims to boost confidence among military staff and locals there. The ministry’s permanent secretary and secretary-general, as well as the Royal Thai Navy chief of staff will also join the survey, he added.
When asked about the process of establishing a joint technical committee for the negotiations on the overlapping claims areas, he said the Foreign Ministry has been assigned to deal with the matter and propose to the Cabinet.
He said the committee would be the same, comprising representatives from the Defence, Energy, Foreign and Finance ministries, as well as relevant agencies.
Two more subcommittees for allocating maritime areas and negotiations will be established. The Foreign Ministry and its Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs would be responsible for making proposals to the Cabinet, he added.
“I believe that the government and relevant agencies’ efforts to issue this clarification [on overlapping claims areas] would reduce confusion a bit,” he said.
Phumtham noted that claims over the Koh Kut island were aimed at political benefits, and reaffirmed that the island had been a part of Thailand’s territory for a long time.
Several past governments have supported the MOU44 because it is the most beneficial tool for negotiations over maritime benefits, which should be conducted based on the satisfaction of both countries, he said.
Meanwhile the Palang Pracharath, led by its policy and academic centre, will host a press conference about MOU44 at the party headquarters on Friday at 11am.
