Foreign Ministry, not Navy, in charge of boundary negotiations: Sutin
Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang on Thursday ruled out claims that the Shianwatra and Hun clans were colluding to reap benefits from the overlapping claims area in the Gulf of Thailand.
Sutin was referring to a petition submitted to Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Adung Phan-iam by the People’s Network for Thailand Reform and People’s Centre to Protect the Monarchy on Wednesday.
The groups called on Adung to protect Thai territorial waters and alleged that Cambodia had unilaterally drawn its extended shelf line to claim half of Koh Koot island in Trat, even though the entire island is in Thailand’s waters.
The groups said they feared the Hun family of former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen would collude with the Shinawatra family to reap benefits from the OCA areas in the Gulf of Thailand.
They pointed to Hun Sen’s visit with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Bangkok last week and his invitation to Thaksin’s daughter, Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra, to visit Cambodia in March.
Sutin said there is absolutely no such collusion when asked by reporters to comment on the concerns of the two groups.
He said the activists should not have linked Hun Sen’s visit and Paetongtan’s planned trip to the OCA issue.
“It’s the responsibility of the Foreign Affairs Ministry to seek an end to the disputes over the OCA, and the armed forces will just be the one to enforce the agreement,” Sutin said.
Asked whether Thailand would lose Koh Kood to Cambodia, Sutin said it was the authority of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department of the Foreign Ministry to answer such questions.
