Thai PM proposes referendum to revoke Cambodia border deals
Anutin Charnvirakul suggests the vote aims to resolve disputes and prevent conflict, but experts warn revoking treaties may create a vacuum
Thailand’s prime minister said on Friday that his government will propose a referendum on whether to revoke two agreements on the demarcation of its border with Cambodia as part of a plan to address a simmering dispute with its neighbour.
Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817km (508 mile) land border.
Tensions exploded into a deadly five-day conflict in July – the worst fighting between the two countries in over a decade – that killed at least 48 people and temporarily displaced hundreds of thousands on both sides.
For years, the two countries have relied on an agreement signed in 2000 that provides a framework on joint survey and demarcation of the land boundary.
Another agreement, signed in 2001, provides a framework for cooperation and potential resource sharing in maritime areas claimed by both countries.
Both agreements have come under public scrutiny in Thailand, however, over the past decade, particularly following the latest clashes, which ended with a ceasefire brokered in Malaysia on July 28.