Thailand, Cambodia to reach deal on disputed oil field by March: Energy minister
Thailand’s Foreign and Energy ministries are making progress in talks with Cambodia to relieve the fuel crisis by tapping disputed oil resources in the Gulf of Thailand. The 26,000-square-kilometre overlapping claims area (OCA) in the upper Gulf is estimated to hold up to 500 million barrels of oil, plus gas deposits.
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Friday that his ministry’s legal team and Energy Ministry representatives are studying details of the disputed areas in the upper Gulf.
“Right now, we cannot tell when the negotiations will conclude. Agencies involved are gathering information to determine what we can do about the OCA,” Don said.
Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said that a Thai-Cambodian joint technical committee (JTC) will meet again within three months to finalise details of joint development oil project in the OCA.
The JTC met for the first time in October last year. The meeting, led by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, set a framework for negotiations over the OCA and appointed two special committees, one for maritime zoning and the other for joint oil extraction.
“The ministry will try to conclude issue before the current Parliament’s term ends,” said Supattanapong, who doubles as deputy prime minister.
The House of Representatives’ four-year term will end on March 23, next year.
