Anutin confirms referendum plan on Cambodian border MOUs

Government seeks public say on cancellation of MOU43 and MOU44

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed on Tuesday that his government plans to hold a national referendum on whether to cancel two controversial memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Cambodia covering border and maritime claims.

Anutin said he personally favoured abolishing the agreements but insisted that the public must first be consulted. The two MOUs in question are the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding on land boundary demarcation (MOU43) and the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding on overlapping maritime claims (MOU44).

Referendum to coincide with charter rewriting and next election
Deputy Prime Minister Borwornsak Uwanno revealed during the policy debate on Monday that the government plans to combine the referendum on the MOUs with another referendum on constitutional rewriting, to be held alongside the next general election.

Borwornsak noted that a national referendum typically costs around 6 billion baht. Combining the two referendums with the election would save public funds while ensuring broader participation.

Campaigns to raise voter awareness

Anutin said the government would work closely with the Election Commission and the Interior Ministry to launch awareness campaigns before the polls.

Voters will receive four ballot papers: one for constituency MPs, one for party-list MPs, one for the constitutional referendum, and one for the MOUs referendum.

Anutin: MOUs failed to prevent border conflicts

The prime minister argued that the two MOUs, signed more than two decades ago, had not prevented clashes or resolved disputes.

“Since no agreement could be reached under the MOUs, why should we keep them when Thailand gains nothing? If they are useful, we will keep them. If not, we should abolish them,” Anutin said.

He stressed that while the Cabinet has the authority to revoke the MOUs immediately, it preferred to involve the public. “This is not about passing responsibility, but about respecting the people’s voice,” he added.

House committee review before referendum

Anutin explained that the government would wait for a House special committee to complete its study of the agreements before proceeding with the referendum.

The MOUs deal with sensitive issues:

• MOU43 (2000): Survey and demarcation of the Thailand-Cambodia land boundary, signed on June 14, 2000.
• MOU44 (2001): Overlapping maritime claims to the continental shelf, signed in 2001 (B.E. 2544).