Gulf gas won't be discussed: PM

Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul also said there would be no talks about the joint development of gas leases in the Gulf soon because the legal status of the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding on the matter was still in doubt.

The joint development area became yet another politicised issue after the opposition Democrat Party alleged that Yingluck would cut a deal with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen when they meet in Siem Reap on Friday during the US-Asean Business Forum.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invited Yingluck to deliver a speech at the forum in Siem Reap, which is focusing on Asean connectivity and economic recovery after last year’s floods. The forum was organised to follow the annual meeting of Asean foreign ministers and dialogue partners, including the US, in Phnom Penh this week.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the US might also be involved in the gas deal between Thailand and Cambodia since executives of US-based energy giant Chevron would be at the Siem Reap forum.

Surapong said the allegations were groundless since any deals in regard to the joint development area could not be negotiated at such a forum.

“I see no point in the opposition raising the issue of gas deals with Cambodia,” he said, adding that it was when the Democrats were in power that the legal status of the 2001 MoU became unclear.

In November 2009, then-PM Abhisit decided to scrap the 2001 MoU in reaction to a conflict with Phnom Penh over the appointment of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an adviser to Hun Sen. However, there was doubt on whether the denunciation was effective as the Abhisit government did not officially inform Phnom Penh about the decision.

Surapong said he commissioned a legal team to study the status of the 2001 MoU but they had yet to reach a conclusion. Yingluck had instructed the Foreign Ministry to consult with all stakeholders, including civil society and security agencies, on the matter, he said.

If it was deemed necessary to put the agreement to parliament, the Cabinet would do so for the sake of transparency, he said.

Thailand and Cambodia signed the MoU in 2001 as a legal means to kick-start negotiations on overlapping claims for the continental shelf in the Gulf of Thailand. A joint technical committee set up under the MoU would organise talks to delimit the sea boundary, as well as establish a joint development area in the Gulf.

But talks have been stalled over the past few years due to political conflict in Thailand. The opposition has linked Thaksin’s personal business interests in the energy sector to joint development negotiations.

In a bilateral meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday, Yingluck is set to discuss cooperation on road connections at the border and Thai investment in the Xayaburi dam on the Mekong in Laos. Cambodia is concerned about the dam’s impact on the river and fish stocks.

Preah Vihear and troop withdrawals from the demilitarised zone at the border temple, as determined by the International Court of Justice, would also be on the agenda, Surapong said. Defence Minister Sukampol Suwannathat will accompany Yingluck to Siem Reap and might take part in the discussions on Preah Vihear with Cambodia, Surapong said.