Thailand has formally appointed two former presidents of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea as its conciliators for its maritime dispute proceedings with Cambodia. The move marks the latest step in a compulsory conciliation process that emerged after Thailand moved to terminate the maritime MoU that had long served as the framework for bilateral negotiations. Prachatai brings together the key facts on how Thailand's push to scrap the maritime MoU with Cambodia led the two countries to compulsory conciliation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The decision to terminate the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU 2001) by the Thai Cabinet on 5 May 2026 signals a transformative shift toward militarized unilateralism in Southeast Asia, while rising nationalism has stalled military reform in Thailand.

Thailand’s decision to terminate the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cambodia on maritime claims in the Gulf of Thailand may satisfy long-standing domestic political demands, but the harder challenge lies ahead. The legal, diplomatic, and political consequences that follow could prove significantly more complex than the act of cancellation itself.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has announced as part of his policy statement that the government plans to hold a referendum on whether to repeal the two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) on border demarcation between Thailand and Cambodia.