Bangkok: General Sawat has proposed a motion to establish a committee to study the cancellation of MOU 43-44, which puts Thailand at a disadvantage compared to Cambodia both on land and at sea.

According to Thai News Agency, Senate President Mongkol Surasajja has issued a meeting invitation for August 25-26. An interesting agenda item on August 26 is a motion for the Senate to consider establishing a special committee to study the pros and cons of canceling the 2000 and 2001 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) to resolve the Thai-Cambodian border issues, proposed by Senator General Sawat Tasana and his team.

Reporters stated that the main points of General Sawat’s proposal were to address the Thai-Cambodian border issue and ensure sustainable border security. He mentioned that clashes between the Thai and Cambodian armies along several border areas stemmed from adherence to maps with different scales. The current Thai government should reassure Cambodia that Thailand does not accept maps with a scale of 1:200,000. However, the 2000 MOU signed between the Thai and Cambodian governments outlines that borders should be delineated using a 1:200,000 map, a document that Cambodia consistently adheres to.

General Sawat stressed that if the government is sincere in refusing the 1:200,000 map, it should consider canceling the 2000 MOU. He argued that the agreement is of no benefit if Cambodia respects only Article 1, which requires the survey using the 1:200,000 map, while violating other important articles.

The resolution also highlighted disputes over overlapping maritime areas. The 2001 MOU aimed to resolve these disputes but resulted in a 26,000 sq. km area of overlapping claims. General Sawat argued that the 2001 MOU benefits Cambodia more than Thailand, suggesting that the government should cancel it. However, he acknowledged the complexity and sensitivity of this action and advocated for a committee to study the implications of canceling both MOUs.