Thaksin insists MoU only a platform
The former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, argued that Thailand should retain control of the island of Koh Kut in Trat, noting that talks between Thailand and Cambodia will only be based on the Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) from 2001 regarding maritime claims in the Gulf of Thailand.
Prior to a conference being held by the decision Pheu Thai Party in Prachuap Khiri Khan, he was speaking on Friday.
He promised to give Pheu Thai MPs information of the MoU, which he signed while he was prime minister, at the workshop.
Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra greets Pheu Thai people on Friday before taking the train to the group’s conference. The conference, which began on Friday and wraps up on Saturday, had about 400 attendees taking five coach cars.  , ( Photo: Pheu Thai Party )
” I will show them that no one can dispute Thailand’s sovereignty over Koh Kut”, said Thaksin, commonly seen as the de facto leader of Pheu Thai, which is now led by his daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
Thaksin reacted to information that the neighboring country’s leading claimed Koh Kut did not belong to Thailand and that they were false by Thai advertising.
According to Thaksin,” Synthetic intelligence could have been used to produce like fake news.”
When questioned about whether Thailand and Cambodia must follow the MoU, Thaksin said it just serves as a platform for discussions of problems that they cannot agree on. ” It is not an contract”, he said.
Previous yellow-shirt opposition leader Sondhi Limthongkul asked the government to hold a common platform to explore the MoU, and Thaksin said that would focus on Ms. Paetongtarn.
Ms. Paetongtarn stated on Wednesday that no common community would be held regarding the MoU, adding that the government was open to suggestions from the general public. She noted that involved parties can use the present channels to make suggestions.
” We take all into account because we are aware that every plea has its own unique viewpoints.” But we don’t plan to hold a public platform like that”, she said.
When questioned if that would mean that the government would start the MoU’s prepared discussions with Cambodia, Ms. Paetongtarn stated that the government is reviewing the information it had been given.
She claimed that the negotiations with Cambodia to establish a Joint Technical Committee (JTC ) have not yet been completed.
Prior to Mr. Sondhi’s threat to stage street protests, defense minister Phumtham Wechayachai rebuffed the statement, saying that the charter allows people to have quiet assembly.
Mr Sondhi, who led the now-defunct People’s Alliance for Democracy ( PAD ) against the former Thaksin administration, submitted his petition on Monday demanding the government scrap the MoU.
The firebrand said it created an overlapping claims area ( OCA ) covering 26, 000 square kilometres, mainly benefiting Cambodia. It is thought that the OCA has a lot of fossil fuel sources.
He demanded that the government submit a legal request to the Constitutional Court, and he gave the government a 15-day response date.
The maritime boundary separation and shared creation must be carried out as an “indivisible package,” with a Thailand-Cambodia JTC established to explain it in accordance with the MoU.
Past red-shirt head Jatuporn Prompan pleaded with the government to renounce the MoU yesterday, saying that it should be done before pursuing combined development in the area.
Thaksin reiterated tuesday that the MoU serves as the foundation for discussions regarding the oca maritime boundary designation with Cambodia.
He added that Koh Kut is a Thai property under the 1907 French-Siamese Treaty.
The Dan Sai and Trat territories were given to Siam as part of the treaty, along with Koh Kut and all islands south of Laem Ling ( Laem Sing ).
Thaksin criticized some MPs for not showing up for the House’s recent costs deliberations. ” Coalition parties may keep up. Next day, if you don’t need to attend meetings, simply post your departure”, he said.