Thailand has appointed experts from Germany and South Africa to represent its interests in a United Nations conciliation process initiated by Cambodia over a long-standing maritime dispute in the Gulf of Thailand.
Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said on Tuesday that Thailand had selected German jurist Rüdiger Wolfrum and South African maritime law specialist Albert Hoffman as conciliators under the process governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The move comes after Cambodia launched compulsory conciliation proceedings earlier this month following Thailand’s decision to terminate a 2001 agreement that had provided a framework for negotiations over the disputed waters.
Cambodia has appointed Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn as its agent, alongside Danish diplomat Peter Taksøe-Jensen and French academic Jean-Marc Thouvenin as conciliators.
Under the process, the conciliators are required to meet within 30 days to appoint a chairperson before formal proceedings begin.
The dispute centres on the Overlapping Claims Area in the Gulf of Thailand, spanning around 26,000 square kilometres. The area is believed to contain nearly 12 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and significant oil reserves estimated to be worth about US$300 billion.
Relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbours have remained fragile following two rounds of border clashes last year that killed nearly 150 people and displaced at least 300,000 residents on both sides. A ceasefire agreed in December remains in place.
Reuters
