PM Hun Manet rejects Thai claim on border talks

PHNOM PENH, July 24, 2026 (KPT) – Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet has dismissed Thailand’s assertion that Phnom Penh’s decision to pursue a maritime dispute under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has shut the door to talks on the two countries’ land boundary.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet described the Thai leadership’s statement as “a little bit inaccurate” and “a little bit unfair.”

He said Cambodia sought compulsory conciliation under UNCLOS only after Thailand terminated the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding, which had served as the main bilateral framework for maritime negotiations.

“Despite our request for Thailand not to cancel the 2001 MoU, the Thai government proceeded anyway. We therefore had no choice but to pursue compulsory conciliation,” he said, adding that successive governments had explored joint development in overlapping maritime areas.

Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet rejected suggestions that Cambodia’s use of the UNCLOS mechanism affected land border talks, stressing there was no agreement linking the two issues.

He said both countries were now focused on establishing the conciliation panel, with each side nominating two conciliators and discussions continuing over the appointment of a fifth member to serve as chair.

Asked whether the scope of the process could later include maritime delimitation and joint development, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet said it was too early to discuss substance. “At this stage, let’s focus on getting the process moving,” he said.

The remarks highlight Cambodia’s insistence that maritime and land border issues remain separate, while underscoring ASEAN’s broader role in encouraging restraint and dialogue.