{"id":75865,"date":"2026-06-03T00:24:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T04:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cambodia-uses-rare-un-process-to-settle-sea-dispute-with-thailand\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T00:24:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T04:24:21","slug":"cambodia-uses-rare-un-process-to-settle-sea-dispute-with-thailand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cambodia-uses-rare-un-process-to-settle-sea-dispute-with-thailand\/","title":{"rendered":"Cambodia Uses Rare UN Process to Settle Sea Dispute with Thailand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

Cambodia is turning to an infrequently utilized United Nations arbitration method called “compulsory conciliation” to address a decades-long maritime boundary disagreement with Thailand and access what officials believe are billions of dollars worth of oil and natural gas deposits.<\/p>

THE NATURE OF THE CAMBODIA-THAILAND DISAGREEMENT<\/strong><\/p>

Both Cambodia and Thailand have claimed ownership of approximately 26,000 square kilometers of ocean territory in the Gulf of Thailand for over 25 years.<\/p>

The contested maritime region is believed to contain nearly 12 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and substantial oil deposits valued at roughly $300 billion.<\/p>

In 2001, the neighboring Southeast Asian nations entered into an agreement aimed at creating a framework for joint development of energy resources in what was termed the “overlapping claims area.”<\/p>

However, Thailand’s government last month ended the agreement unilaterally with Cambodia, fulfilling a campaign promise made by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul after two periods of fatal conflict occurred along a disputed land border in the previous year.<\/p>

UNDERSTANDING COMPULSORY CONCILIATION<\/strong><\/p>

Cambodia revealed on Tuesday that it had initiated a compulsory conciliation procedure under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).<\/p>

This compulsory conciliation serves as a dispute resolution tool that any nation that has signed the convention may use against another signatory.<\/p>

Both nations select two conciliators for a panel called the Conciliation Commission, which subsequently chooses a fifth member to serve as chairperson.<\/p>

The commission examines the facts and legal standing of each nation to provide a series of non-binding suggestions, which are also forwarded in a report to the UN secretary general.<\/p>

PREVIOUS USAGE<\/strong><\/p>

To date, the UN-supported mechanism has been employed only by East Timor, also called Timor Leste, to successfully settle a long-standing maritime disagreement with Australia.<\/p>

East Timor officially began the procedure on April 11, 2016 by providing notice to Australia, which agreed to participate in the process just weeks afterward.<\/p>

In early March 2018, after less than two years of discussions, both countries executed a maritime boundary agreement at UN headquarters, with the UN chief present.<\/p>

UPCOMING STEPS IN THE PROCEDURE<\/strong><\/p>

Cambodia has assigned its foreign minister, Prak Sokhonn, to serve as its representative for the proceedings, while also naming Danish diplomat Peter Taks\u00f8e-Jensen and French academic Jean-Marc Thouvenin to the Conciliation Commission.<\/p>

Taks\u00f8e-Jensen led the commission that conducted the discussions between East Timor and Australia.<\/p>

Thailand has 21 days after receiving the notification to name its conciliators, or Cambodia may ask the UN Secretary General to select them on Bangkok’s behalf, according to a statement from the Cambodian government.<\/p>

Thailand’s Anutin stated on Tuesday he was unaware that Cambodia had started the compulsory conciliation procedure, noting that his government would apply UNCLOS principles in its future actions.<\/p>

Thailand has not yet decided when it will move forward, he informed reporters.<\/p>

Once four commission members are selected, they must choose a chairperson within 30 days before beginning additional proceedings.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cambodia has initiated an uncommon United Nations arbitration procedure to address a maritime boundary disagreement with Thailand that has persisted for over 25 years. The contested waters in the Gulf of Thailand contain an estimated $300 billion worth of oil and natural gas reserves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":75864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780460661497.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-jJD","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":75345,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cambodia-initiates-un-process-to-resolve-thailand-maritime-boundary-dispute\/","url_meta":{"origin":75865,"position":0},"title":"Cambodia Initiates UN Process to Resolve Thailand Maritime Boundary Dispute","author":"Admin","date":"June 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cambodia has notified the United Nations and Thailand that it's beginning a formal conciliation process to settle a longstanding maritime boundary disagreement. 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