Thai gov't can revoke maritime agreement with Cambodia: House speaker

BANGKOK, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's House Speaker Chai Chidchob said Monday the Thai government can revoke a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on overlapping maritime boundaries in the Gulf of Thailand signed with Cambodia in 2001.

Any bilateral agreement with a foreign country can be endorsed or revoked by a government, the House Speaker said, Thai News Agency reported.

However, the government has to report such the endorsement or cancellation on any bilateral agreement to the parliament, Chai said.

The Thai Foreign Ministry announced Friday it will propose the cabinet meeting on Tuesday to cancel the MOU on overlapping maritime boundaries.

The MOU was signed by then-Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai and Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sok An on June 14,2001, under the Thaksin Shinawatra-led Administration.

This joint agreement enables Thailand and Cambodia, which share26,000 square kilometers of the overlapping maritime area, to jointly develop oil and gas.

The planned MOU revocation by the Thai government occurred after the Cambodian government on Nov. 5 announced recall of its ambassador to Thailand in a move to respond to the Thai government' s recall of its ambassador Mr. Prasas Prasavinitchai to Cambodia.

The diplomatic retaliation between the two countries occurred after Thaksin was officially appointed as adviser of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Royal Government of Cambodia King Norodom Sihamoni.

Thaksin was ousted by the military coup in September 2006, in accusation of corruption, and has been kept in exile since then.

He returned to Thailand in February 2008 to face corruption charges, but he later fled into exile again and was convicted in absentia.

P. Thai: [Thai] Parliament must debate MoU

9/11/2009
Bangkok Post

The opposition on Monday called for a general debate on the government's intention to scrap a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia on overlapping maritime boundaries during this week's joint sitting of parliament.

Opposition chief whip Witthaya Buranasiri said that before the MoU could be revoked the government is required to seek opinions from members of parliament under Article 179 of the constitution.

Mr Witthaya said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to seek approval for the debate at tomorrow's weekly cabinet meeting.

The cabinet meeting is due to consider cancelling the MoU, which is a framework for officials to negotiate demarcation of the disputed area in the Gulf of Thailand and joint development of gas and oil resources there. The memorandum was signed in 2001 during the first Thaksin Shinawatra government. As Thaksin is now economic adviser to the Cambodian government, the Abhisit government views the terms as an inappropriate framework for negotiations.

Mr Witthaya said if the prime minister did not agree to a debate, the oppostion would seek the support of one-third of the Senate under Article 161 of the constitution for a general debate.

He said the issue was sensitive and was affecting relations between Thailand and Cambodia, but Mr Abhisit based his decision on his own opinions.

The opposition chief whip said whether or not former prime minister Thaksin visits Cambodia this week, as announced by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, it ws apersonal matter him to decide hoimself.

Government chief whip Chinnaworn Boonyakiat said the coalition whips had discussed the MoU issue.

All cabinet members, particularly Mr Abhisit, were ready to explain how necessary it was to revoke the MoU to protect the country's interests.

Mr Chinnaworn said he did not believe it was necessary for the government to seek approval from parliament before it could revoke the MoU. Article 190 requires parliamentry approval only for making an agreement. Revoking an agreement does not need the parliament's approval.

However, to make this matter clear, the government should seek an interpretation from the Constitution Court, Mr Chinnaworn said.

Mr Chinnaworn confirmed that if Thaksin visits Cambodia on Thursday for a meeting with economic officials, as announced, Thailand would seek his extradition under the existing treaty between the two countries.

If Cambodia turns down the extradition request, Thailand would pursue the matter through diplomatic channels, Mr Chinnaworn said.

Mr Chinnaworn said the Thai people felt Cambodia had interfered in Thailand's internal affairs of Thailand and he heard talk of people boycotting the casinos just across the border.

Documents ready for extradition bid if ex-premier comes to Cambodia

BANGKOK, Nov 9 (TNA) – Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has prepared documents requesting the extradition of convicted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from Cambodia as a contingency if he visits the neighbouring country’s capital Phnom Penh this week as reported, according to Vice Foreign Minister Panich Vikitsreth.

International media reported that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told reporters that Mr Thaksin will visit Phnom Penh after being appointed an economic adviser, to lecture over 300 Cambodian economists at Cambodia’s finance ministry on Thursday.

Mr Panich said if Mr Thaksin is really in Cambodia, the Office of the Attorney General will request extradition from Cambodia as the two countries have already signed an extradition treaty.

He said all documents related to the case have already been prepared and translated to English as this was not the first case for an extradition request for Mr Thaksin.

The Thai foreign ministry official said that Thailand earlier requested Fiji and other countries which had treaties with the kingdom, and where Mr Thaksin was reportedly visiting.

After the request is sent to Cambodia, Thailand must wait for Cambodia’s legal procedures to be carried out and if Cambodia denies the Thai request then Thailand must review the status of its bilateral relations for another step under diplomatic protocol, he said.

Now Thailand is reviewing all existing bilateral agreements and cooperation projects made with Cambodia, as well as ongoing cooperation which the Thai government has extended to Cambodia following the withdrawal of the Thai envoy to protest the Cambodian government appointment of Mr Thaksin as economic advisor to the government and personal advisor to Mr Hun Sen.

However, he said, any measures will be adopted using diplomatic protocol and would not lead to military measures as that would be the last option.

Thailand’s Supreme Court Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions sentenced Mr Thaksin to a two-year prison term in absentia after finding him guilty of a conflict of interest in Bangkok’s Ratchadaphisek land purchase case in 2003. He jumped bail and fled the sentence.

Meanwhile, Thailand would proceed to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Thailand and Cambodia regarding the area of their overlapping maritime claims to the continental shelf.

The MoU, dated 18 June 2001, was signed by then-foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An during the Thaksin administration.

The issue will be submitted to the cabinet for consideration on Tuesday, said Mr Chavanont Intarakomalsut, Secretary to the Thai foreign minister.

He also defended the decision to scrap the MoU, saying that if the government let the MoU continue in force, it could damage Thailand's interest.

He added that the ministry would ask the Constitution Court to rule whether the MoU revocation must be considered by Parliament as required under Section 190 of the Constitution to prevent any future backlash.

Mitsui seeks Gulf of Thailand rights from Cambodia

Wed Sep 16, 2009

PHNOM PENH, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Japanese oil and gas firm Mitsui Oil Exploration Co has applied to Cambodia for exploration rights in an area of the Gulf of Thailand claimed by both Cambodia and Thailand, officials said on Wednesday.

Cambodia's government spokesman, Ieng Sophalleth, said Mitsui's chairman, Yoshiyuki Kagawa, "assured the prime minister during a meeting on Tuesday that the company was determined to invest in block four" in the contested area.

"Prime Minister Hun Sen told the company's chairman that he welcomed all companies to join in the bidding process in a transparent way," Sophalleth told Reuters by phone.

Mitsui Oil Exploration Co is a unit of Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co Ltd.

Hang Chuon Naron, secretary general at the finance ministry, said the government would take some time before granting any concession.

"And Mitsui will have to talk with the Thai side at a later stage on the oil exploration and production," he told Reuters.

Cambodia's exploration area covers 37,000 square km (14,300 sq miles). Another 27,000 square km (10,400 sq miles) thought to be rich in oil and gas deposits is claimed by Thailand.

In February Hun Sen said, referring to the disputed area, that Cambodia's government would "adhere to principles of international law, the win-win policy and good neighbourliness in resolving various issues with all parties involved".

Cambodia does not yet produce oil. Chevron Corp is the operator of Block A in the Gulf of Thailand but is unlikely to produce oil before 2010 at the earliest.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Alan Raybould)