Thailand’s new PM vows to tackle Cambodia border conflict, economic woes

Thailand’s new prime minister has stated that his country will propose a referendum to resolve a de facto dispute with its neighbor, Cambodia, regarding a demarcation agreement.

The government will demand a vote on whether Thailand should revoke the country’s existing memorandum of understanding regarding border issues, according to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday.

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Thailand and Cambodia have long had disagreements over undefined points along their 817 km (508 km) land border, but tensions sharply increased during a five-day conflict in July. On July 28, Malaysia brokered a ceasefire, which brought the fighting to an end.

At least 48 people were killed and hundreds of thousands were temporarily displaced in the worst fighting between the two nations in a decade.

The two nations have relied on an agreement signed in 2000 that provides the framework for joint surveys and land boundaries’ demarcation for years.

In a different agreement signed in 2001, it established a framework for cooperation and potential resource sharing in both nations’ maritime regions.

However, the agreements have received a lot of public scrutiny in Thailand over the past ten years, particularly in the wake of the most recent conflict.

The new referendum, in Charnvirakul’s opinion, would give a clear mandate on the subject of the agreements.

Political scientist Panitan Wattanayagorn, a student at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, warned against the termination of the agreements as a solution.

He told the Reuters news agency, “They may not be a direct solution to the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia because it could leave a hole.”

He said Cambodia needs to agree on this and the government must make it clear what will replace them.