Hun Sen Urges UNCLOS Path for Cambodia-Thailand Maritime Dispute
Hun Sen, Cambodia's prime minister, speaks at the Future of Asia conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, May 30, 2019. The conference runs through May 31.
PHNOM PENH, May 6, 2026 — Cambodia’s Senate President and Acting Head of State Hun Sen on Wednesday voiced full support for the government’s decision to pursue international maritime legal mechanisms following Thailand’s unilateral withdrawal from the 2001 memorandum governing overlapping maritime claims between the two countries.
In a statement published on his official social media platform, Hun Sen said Cambodia should move directly toward mechanisms under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) rather than establish a new bilateral framework to replace the cancelled Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2001.
“A new bilateral mechanism should not be created to replace the MOU 2001,” Hun Sen said. “The process should move directly toward the mechanisms under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
His remarks came a day after Prime Minister Hun Manet announced Cambodia would pursue the UNCLOS compulsory conciliation mechanism to seek a peaceful resolution to the long-running maritime overlap dispute with Thailand.
Hun Sen expressed regret over Thailand’s unilateral cancellation of the agreement, describing the MOU 2001 as the only bilateral framework both countries had relied upon for more than two decades in addressing competing claims in the Gulf of Thailand.
The veteran Cambodian leader, who said he had been involved in negotiations since talks with former Thai Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan in 1989 and 1990, argued that Thailand’s repeated political changes had contributed to the lack of progress in negotiations.
“Cambodia maintained continuity under Prime Minister Hun Sen and now Hun Manet, without changing the negotiation mechanism or substance,” he said. “Meanwhile, Thailand has changed prime ministers around ten times.”
Hun Sen rejected accusations that Cambodia was attempting to “internationalise” a bilateral issue by seeking third-party involvement through international legal mechanisms.
“Please do not accuse Cambodia of internationalising a bilateral issue,” he said, adding that Cambodia’s approach reflects respect for international law and peaceful dispute settlement.
He also dismissed suggestions that a new bilateral mechanism should replace the cancelled agreement, saying Thailand itself had terminated the original framework unilaterally.
Hun Sen said he hoped Cambodia and Thailand could “join hands” in moving toward an international mechanism with jurisdiction over maritime disputes.
The overlapping maritime area between Cambodia and Thailand is believed to contain potentially significant oil and gas reserves, making the dispute strategically and economically sensitive for both countries.
