A Cancelled Deal and a Demand for Talks: Thailand's Contradiction Exposed as Senate President Hun Sen Rejects Bilateral Hypocrisy

BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH — 12 May 2026 – By unilaterally scrapping the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding on May 5, Thailand eliminated the sole bilateral framework for addressing overlapping maritime claims with Cambodia. Yet days later, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow insists that "the most appropriate starting point" is for both sides to negotiate directly and exhaust bilateral talks before considering other mechanisms under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The contradiction could not be starker, and Senate President Hun Sen has refused to entertain it.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Sihasak dismissed Cambodian media reports claiming Thailand had agreed to enter a compulsory conciliation process under UNCLOS, saying no commitment had been made. He stressed that compulsory conciliation could not proceed unless both Thailand and Cambodia agreed to it, and that any process must begin with sincere bilateral talks.

"The most appropriate starting point was for Thailand and Cambodia to negotiate directly and exhaust bilateral talks before considering other mechanisms under the convention," Sihasak said, adding that only if the two sides fail to reach an agreement should other options under UNCLOS be considered.

The procedural problem, however, is immediate and undeniable. Thailand terminated the very instrument that enabled structured bilateral dialogue on overlapping claims in the Gulf of Thailand – a 26,000-27,000 square kilometer area rich in oil and gas. Having dismantled the negotiation framework, Bangkok now insists that bilateral talks must come first. Having acted unilaterally, it now demands bilateral goodwill.

Sihasak also sought to ease public concern, saying the outcome of a conciliation mechanism would not be immediately binding and would serve only as a recommendation. "There is therefore no cause for concern," he said.

He further criticised what he described as unilateral Cambodian statements, suggesting that Cambodia appeared to want certain outcomes and often drew conclusions before talks had even begun. "Such unilateral statements should not happen. Any new process under the framework of the law of the sea convention should begin with openness and sincerity towards each other," he said.

Urging the public to be confident that any negotiations would not put Thailand at a disadvantage, Sihasak said Thailand's main goal was to restore relations with Cambodia, not to engage in talks that could be used by the other side to claim a political victory. "Thailand has always been open and sincere, but sincerity from Cambodia remains unclear. Cambodia should engage in talks as a neighbour and should not seek to gain an advantage or distort the outcome of discussions for its own benefit," he added.

Senate President Hun Sen has refused to accommodate what he sees as inconsistency. In a direct statement posted on Facebook, he reminded the government that he had already instructed it "not to create a new bilateral mechanism to replace the old bilateral mechanism that Thailand had cancelled." He directed the Royal Government to bypass bilateral channels entirely and proceed directly to dispute resolution mechanisms under UNCLOS, without waiting for any agreement from the Thai side.

"We regret Thailand's cancellation of the MOU 2001, but we also thank Thailand for helping us move toward using international mechanisms instead," Hun Sen wrote.

Thailand's position rests on a contradiction it has yet to resolve. If UNCLOS is the proper venue, as Sihasak acknowledges, then why cancel the bilateral MOU before exhausting the very bilateral talks he now demands? If bilateral negotiations are the primary method, then scrapping the only framework for those negotiations undermines Bangkok's own argument.

Samdech Hun Sen's response leaves no room for ambiguity. Cambodia will not walk back into a bilateral trap. The next move belongs to UNCLOS, not to Bangkok.

Source: The Nation Thailand (May 11, 2026)

Senate President Hun Sen Official Statement (May 12, 2026)

Free Malaysia Today (May 5, 2026)

United Nations Charter, Article 102

Reported by The Khmer Today